UWS, 1440, Gsync - so many choices! - Help me spend some ££'s (or not!)

[AlexHaden]

Ok, i currently have a 24" IIyama 1080p - not a problem with it coupled with my i5 and gtx970.

I can generally game at max without much of an issue.

But....I saw a 34" UWS and went green with envy!

Right, so i have decided to upgrade my monitor, even though the one i have is perfectly fine.

But i dont know where to turn!

1440p, 144hz Gsync or both?

I think the 34" 1440p UWS is out, as my lowly 970 would struggle with that res

So that leaves me looking at a 27" 1440p?, i dont see any tearing or judder now, so would i benefit from Gsync? and given i just have a single 970, would i be better just going for a 144hz 1440p? (even though 144 fps i'll never hit!)?


Whats the difference between the IPS Acer Predator and the TN ROG? Or would i just be better spending 100 less and getting the Asus MG279 Freesync? or even this one?

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/27-ac...lack-red-dp-hd

Thats even cheaper!

By the way, all i do is play games, lots and lots of games!

[Goobley]

Display technology seems to be a really hard decision at the moment; I've been trying to make up my mind for 6 months now. Personally for coding, 1 1080p is really hard at times. 1080's are cheap and easy to get second hand these days, so productivity can be easily solved (for most people) by going that route.

It gets harder when you look at gaming particularly if you want something a bit more special (perhaps to treat yourself) -- The market seems to have settled on 1080p as being the default format with 4k being the next big thing although Ultrawides are making some inroads here. After viewing a 29" 2560x1080 ultrawide, my feeling is summed up by "naah", especially for productivity, but even for gaming it seemed too small (or the wrong aspect ratio or something). (this is personal opinion of course). I would also feel like it doesn't have the pixel density to be blown up to the next size (34"). 4K isn't overly ready for prime-time with normal consumer kit from the reviews I've seen.

27" 1440p looks to me to be a fairly decent in-between factor offering good pixel density (~78% more pixels than 1080p) and halfways sensible price.

(Side-note: I personally love the look of the ~40" 4K panels, but I don't want to buy one of the Korean ones, which leaves only the ~£600 Philips one -- and my budget won't stretch that far).

Free/G-Sync: It's not personally something I'd be that worried about, since I don't play that many cutting edge titles at high res, but I can see the appeal. My gut feeling on the subject is that it could still be a bit early to get into these technologies -- I expect to see a harmonised standard in the next couple of years and personally wouldn't want to change my monitor for at least 5. However, depending on your buying criteria this may not worry you.

For twitch gamers I can see the interest in higher framerates -- if this is you then that could well be a good choice and I suppose that the adaptive-vsync technologies become more important at higher framerates (since you're far less likely to have a new frame ready to go on each vblank).

IPS vs TN: Unless you want to play at competitive level twitch games then I feel you want IPS. The increased colour range and contrast make it well worth it (and make many things far more enjoyable IMO since, for example you don't have to mess around loads with the gamma to see what's going on in a dark scene).

I'm finding these decisions very challenging at the moment, so I suppose I'm going to parrot the advice that I should take myself: buy what works for you now given the current level of technology because, by the time you get it it will be out of date anyway.

[AlexHaden]

lol, I know what you mean! It is more of a treat myself moment, as if im being honest, my IIyama is doing a fantastic job right now!

I wont be able to push 4k and its USW 34" 1440p sibling, but i am leaning towards a 27" 144hz 1440p. That should future proof me a little until i have enough grunt to go 4k or UWS.

That being said, i do like the look of the 34" curved IPS 1440p thats about £600 - its just within my treat myself for the first time in ages on my PC agreed budget limits from Wifey - but i know it would be a mistake!

[PorcupineTime]

I'm watching this kind of thread with interest, as I'm in the same boat. I think I'm currently coming down in the 27" 1440p sweet-spot that Goobley mentioned, but damn those ultra wide and curved monitors look good.

[JT9778]

I originally went 28" 4K TN with G Sync. I have to say that whilst the resolution was great in games, I found the TN display to be disappointing and it felt a bit washed out. Also, I still found myself suffering from stuttering even with G Sync. After that I bought a 25" Dell 1440p IPS which I know consider to be the sweet spot. The drop in size complimented the drop in resolution and kept a really good pixel density for reading articles and browsing the Internet. It was also an absolute bargain from Scan at around £250. My brother paid over £400 for an Asus 1440p 27" monitor and constantly tells me he's annoyed he spent the money because he thinks mine looks better.

I can't say much about ultrawide since I've not used one. They do look good, but they're either hugely expensive or 1080p, which I know consider to be too low resolution having become accustomed to higher.

I hope this is helpful and not too long (it's my first post).

[virtuo]

I'm about to have my new home office completed and will be buying a couple of monitors to go in there. I have managed to squeeze a Dell 34" 1440p ultrawide out of work (due next week!).

For home I couldn't quite justify the cost for something that isn't as "all purpose" as a 1080 or 1440p standard aspect ratio screen (and not having the GPU grunt to game on it).

I'm settled on a pair of the Dell 1440p displayss, I'd rather the 27s but for the significant lower price I think I could live with the 25" versions, they are sounding good from the thread.