Upgrading to 1440p

Cina

Hey folks,

so I plan on upgrading my PC to handle 1440p gaming. Basically involves a few upgrades to the PC and a new monitor. I was hoping for some advice on what to get.

Monitor wise, something like this is in my price range, sadly it doesn't deliver to ireland. Any other suggestions? I would like to stay around the 27" range but would probably drop to 25" for the right one.

Now, PC wise.

I currently have:

i5 3750k
8GB RAM
970 GTX

I've been told that the i5 should still be fine for 1440p (can anyone confirm?). Maybe do some OC on it.

I'll be increasing the RAM to 16GB.

Most importantly, I'll probably sell the 970 and upgrade to a 1070 or 1080. My question is whether the 1070 is enough for 1440p or do I really need the 1080?

Thanks in advance.

Xenoronin

Honestly the 970 is perfect for 1440p
No need to upgrade anything. Consider that I'm running a GTX 760 (and 3570k + 8gb RAM) at 1440p and it's able to handle things decently (some games require more tweaks than others).

A future upgrade to a 1070 would be a nice bump, but you can put that off an invest a little more in the monitor if you want for now!

Cina

Xenoronin wrote: »

Honestly the 970 is perfect for 1440p
No need to upgrade anything. Consider that I'm running a GTX 760 (and 3570k + 8gb RAM) at 1440p and it's able to handle things decently (some games require more tweaks than others).

A future upgrade to a 1070 would be a nice bump, but you can put that off an invest a little more in the monitor if you want for now!

So it seems! Cool, might do that then.

Is G-Sync worth it? Seems hard to get monitors that are 1440p without it, and it's expensive!

Xenoronin

I think high refresh rate is more important than G-Sync, even though I have it.
An option might be this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-XL2730Z-27-Inch-FreeSync-Response/dp/B00SL4J1M0/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1468835287&sr=1-2&keywords=benq+1440p

You won't be able to make use of the FreeSync unfortunately but it's pretty much a freebie with most higher end monitors these days.

Edit: Found another option https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013FOMTV0/ref=psdc_428652031_t3_B00SL4J1M0

Check out overclockers.co.uk for more options. They have really good customer service from what i've heard.

Redfox25

You could go with AMD card but at the moment they dont have cards that compare to the 1070 or 1080 as yet.
They are supposed to have one to take them on by the end of this year or early next year. (Maybe)
Gync would be a nice upgrade to the monitor but it locks you to Nvidea cards going forward, same with Freesync as well , which locks you to AMD cards.

There are a few 1440p monitors with neither function but as buying a monitor is a big step, splash the cash and get a good one as it will likely last you a few years.

Cina

Xenoronin wrote: »

I think high refresh rate is more important than G-Sync, even though I have it.
An option might be this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-XL2730Z-27-Inch-FreeSync-Response/dp/B00SL4J1M0/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1468835287&sr=1-2&keywords=benq+1440p

You won't be able to make use of the FreeSync unfortunately but it's pretty much a freebie with most higher end monitors these days.

Edit: Found another option https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013FOMTV0/ref=psdc_428652031_t3_B00SL4J1M0

Check out overclockers.co.uk for more options. They have really good customer service from what i've heard.

Liking the look & price of that BenQ, thanks.

I would like Freesync but it's difficult to justify the price of them!

Xenoronin

FreeSync isn't proprietary to AMD though. It adds nothing to the monitor other than support for a feature built into the DisplayPort standard. HDMI have also added this feature to their standard too. Nothing stops NVidia supporting this type of refresh rate synchronising other than their own hubris.

Cina

Sorry, I actually meant G-Sync, not Freesync. Freesync seems reasonably enough priced.

Xenoronin

Yup, because it's just a monitor which the manufacturer has made sure meets a standard. G-Sync is a ~200$ device which NVidia sells to manufacturers to incorporate into their design.

Regardless, 144Hz is pretty great. You will see minimal screen tearing and ULMB has scary clarity. Just to make sure, you want this to be a gaming only monitor, you aren't looking for viewing angles or photoshop quality colour reproduction?

Edit: Another option if you want an IPS screen https://www.overclockers.co.uk/acer-predator-xf270hu-27-2560x1440-ips-freesync-144hz-gaming-widescreen-led-monitor-black-red-mo-095-ac.html

This would be the high end option with G-Sync: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/acer-predator-xb271hu-27-2560x1440-ips-g-sync-165hz-gaming-widescreen-led-monitor-black-red-mo-098-ac.html