Monitor recommendation: 1080p, 1440p, ultrawide

Remouad

I built my machine back in March and I'm really happy with it.

Brief specs:
Intel i5 6500 3.2 GHz
1x8 Gb DDR4 2400 corsair Vengence ram
MSI RX480 Gaming x 8 Gb

Easily maxes out anything I throw at it which actually isn't surprising given that it's not really challenged by the res of the monitor I'm using.

At the time budget was limited so I just used a monitor I had lying around.
Problem is that it only has a 1400x900 resolution.

As far as replacements go I'm looking at
1) 24 inch 1080p (budget friendly)
2) 27 inch 1440p (MORE PIXELS!!!!!)
3) 29 inch ultrawide (2560x1080) (21:9 looks like an interesting res)

So given the spec above what monitor would you recommend?
Edit: free sync a must ☺

I mainly play strategy (X-Com, Total war, etc.), Action-Adventure (Batman Arkham series, Shadow of Mordor, etc.) and adventure (Teltale stuff).

Spear

You should also include Freesync in the requirements, given the Radeon card.

Remouad

Spear wrote: »

You should also include Freesync in the requirements, given the Radeon card.

Good point!
Was in my head alright but forgot to add it.

Moon54

The sweet spot for me is 27" 1440p monitor with an IPS screen.
I've had my Yamakasi 27" for a few years now and it has been fantastic.
The biggest eye-opener for me was going to an IPS screen, colours just look gorgeous on it.

What kind of budget are you looking at?
And definitely consider free-sync if the budget allows.

awec

You'd probably get decent 1440p framerates with that, not great for more intensive games but at least playable I'd guess.

Dcully

144hz should be your priority, if need be settle for 1080 @144 before 1440 @60 .

Remouad

Moon54 wrote: »

The sweet spot for me is 27" 1440p monitor with an IPS screen.
I've had my Yamakasi 27" for a few years now and it has been fantastic.
The biggest eye-opener for me was going to an IPS screen, colours just look gorgeous on it.

What kind of budget are you looking at?
And definitely consider free-sync if the budget allows.

The colour gamut on IPS is pretty appealing alright.

Budget is around 300 but it's a bit flexible since, if i get the right one, I don't see myself changing it for a long time.

Remouad

awec wrote: »

You'd probably get decent 1440p framerates with that, not great for more intensive games but at least playable I'd guess.

Playable. So 60+?

There are some on my backlog that will push the card at 1440p namely The Witcher 3 and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Grahamer666

Your GPU gets a bigger work out the higher your resolution not your CPU so you may start to struggle with newer games coming out. You should be alright if you lower the graphics quality though.

I use a 27" IPS panel and have a GTX 1070 and games like Witcher 3, Mass Effect Andromeda run about 70-80 FPS on High detail to give you an example. Monitor has Gsync though so when the frame rate drops a bit i don't get tearing. I think you should go IPS though as i had a TN panel before the the difference to my eyes at least is worth it. You do have to tend with back light bleeding though and that varies from panel to panel. Luckily the unit i got only suffers from slight BLB on the bottom right and corner but you'd only see it in dark rooms and scenes or if you go looking for it.

K.O.Kiki

Higher refresh rate > Panel type > FreeSync > resolution IMHO

Only be aware that for IPS panels you're looking at 75Hz, while TN will get you 144Hz.

awec

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Higher refresh rate > Panel type > FreeSync > resolution IMHO

Only be aware that for IPS panels you're looking at 75Hz, while TN will get you 144Hz.

I have a 165Hz IPS monitor (Acer Predator XB271HU).

Grahamer666

I also have a 165hz IPS monitor.

TerrorFirmer

I've had both 144hz 1440p and 4K 60hz and I prefer the 4K even at the expensive of the framerate.

Just to counter the '144hz should be a priority' sentiment - not saying it's not a valid opinion but it really comes down to user preference. I personally would take 1440p60hz over 1080p144hz in a heartbeat.

Ultrawide is also brilliant for some games, and 2560x1080 is a lot friendlier on the RX480, 1440p would require a lot of dropped settings in some games - you mentioned Witcher 3, that is a very GPU heavy game.

Not all games support ultrawide though which can be a pain.

awec

I have my 165Hz 1440 paired up with a Gtx1070, Battlegrounds is the only game I have to drop to 1080 to get high framerates and I expect once they sort out a lot of the optimisations in that I'll be able to bump the settings.

Zillah

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I personally would take 1440p60hz over 1080p144hz in a heartbeat.

Yeah it's very much a personal preference thing - I'm all about frame rate these days.

will56

Remouad wrote: »

I built my machine back in March and I'm really happy with it.

Brief specs:
Intel i5 6500 3.2 GHz
1x8 Gb DDR4 2400 corsair Vengence ram
MSI RX480 Gaming x 8 Gb

Easily maxes out anything I throw at it which actually isn't surprising given that it's not really challenged by the res of the monitor I'm using.

At the time budget was limited so I just used a monitor I had lying around.
Problem is that it only has a 1400x900 resolution.

As far as replacements go I'm looking at
1) 24 inch 1080p (budget friendly)
2) 27 inch 1440p (MORE PIXELS!!!!!)
3) 29 inch ultrawide (2560x1080) (21:9 looks like an interesting res)

So given the spec above what monitor would you recommend?
Edit: free sync a must ☺

I mainly play strategy (X-Com, Total war, etc.), Action-Adventure (Batman Arkham series, Shadow of Mordor, etc.) and adventure (Teltale stuff).

I've ran Shadow of Mordor at 50+fps with high details on a 27" 1440p ips monitor
I have an I5 4460 and an RX 480

Looks awesome, no tearing
Doom looks brilliant on it as well

Extra screen space is handy for netflix/movies etc

K.O.Kiki

awec wrote: »

I have a 165Hz IPS monitor (Acer Predator XB271HU).

Grahamer666 wrote: »

I also have a 165hz IPS monitor.

I meant in OPs price range (<€300)

ShadowHearth

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I've had both 144hz 1440p and 4K 60hz and I prefer the 4K even at the expensive of the framerate.

Just to counter the '144hz should be a priority' sentiment - not saying it's not a valid opinion but it really comes down to user preference. I personally would take 1440p60hz over 1080p144hz in a heartbeat.

Ultrawide is also brilliant for some games, and 2560x1080 is a lot friendlier on the RX480, 1440p would require a lot of dropped settings in some games - you mentioned Witcher 3, that is a very GPU heavy game.

Not all games support ultrawide though which can be a pain.

I would be on same page. 1440p 60hz over 1080p 144hz.

Op plays a lot strategy games and I doubt he will be able to get 144fps solid on a lot of titles with rx480.

From all the options I would go with ultrawide. Since i, got my 3440x1440 I can never go back to normal aspect ratio. Great for fps, rts and driving games.

jumbobreakfast

Yeah I doubt OP needs 144Hz when playing strategy games so a good 1440p IPS 60Hz with freesync would be what I'd reccomend.

I'm also interested in upgrading my monitor, it's a 1080p 144Hz TN (no g-sync) screen (Benq XL2411). I play a lot of FPS games and have an Nvidia 980ti so a decent upgrade for me would be a 27" 1440p @120+ Hz and G-Sync.

G-sync is what I'm really after but I was shocked at the prices of those 1440p g-sync monitors. It's making me consider Freesync instead but I have a feeling that the new AMD Vega cards will not tempt me to upgrade my 980ti.

Nvidia needs to be careful though as I think a lot of people with cards like the 970 could jump ship just to get the Freesync experience. We'll find out in a few days when Vega goes on sale I guess.

Grahamer666

I think if you have an Nvidia GPU that gets you very high FPS then going for a Freesync monitor isn't a bad choice if you can't afford a Gsync one. It's only at lower FPS that the sync technology comes into play for the most part. I could be open to correction though.

jumbobreakfast

Sorry to hijack the thread with a gsync monitor but I went with one of these in the end: https://www.nrgit.biz/products/dell-s2716dg-144hz-27-inch-cheap-gaming-monitor

Ordered Monday night and received today, excellent customer service via webchat (they opened the box to confirm reviosion number) and the monitor seemed like it was brand new, included all the packaging, unopened cables, sticky plastic etc. No dead pixels either.

Good price considering the exchange rate and it's a highly rated monitor. Gsync is very pleasant but subtle although it took me several games to get used to the screen size/mouse travel difference from my old 1080p screen. It's also a lot brighter and less grainy than my old TN panel and that was one of my main concerns with the revision numbers as earlier ones had a thicker coating.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_s2716dg.htm
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/dell-s2716dg-vs-acer-xb271hua.18780462/

Remouad

Hijack away :D

Been mean to come back with responses earlier.
so....
144hz refresh rate isn't really something I need. As others have said it's not that big a deal in the style of games that I play (although I do play the odd fps).

27 inch 1440p monitors are enticing but I think based on all your comments I'm going ultrawide.
Was thinking about it anyway but ye've pushed me over the edge.

With the rx480 I'll be sticking with 2560x1080 won't be half bad considering it's 2.13 times the the pixels of my current monitor

From what I've been reading the pixel density on a 34 inch 2560x1080 wouldn't be great so, unless I get advice otherwise, I'm going to stick with the 29 inch models.

Been looking at the LG29UC88. Seems like the best of the 29 inchers. Bit pricey but based on the price history on amazon it's been as much as £100 cheaper so might wait for a bit for it to go down.
Anyone have one?

cruizer101

Is there any decent places where different monitors can be viewed in order to see the difference in person instead of just relying on online reviews and that.

Skerries

no unfortunately
the likes of Harvey Norman and PC World/Currys only have a small selection of the cheaper monitors
I was sickened when I was in a giant Saturn store in Germany and they had a massive floor just for PC parts and accessories with loads of monitors and even all the top mice and gaming chairs that you could try

eyerer

What is the recommended highest acceptable latency for a gaming display?

wotzgoingon

I'm probably late as the OP has probably bought by now but regarding the 144Hz I do not see the difference between 60, 90 144Hz but I do see the difference between Freesync and none.

I never gamed at 4k or even seen someone so I do not know how good it is but if I was to get a 4k monitor 32 inches would be the smallest screen size I would go for.

Before I bought my current 1440p monitor I had actually bought a 2560x1080 monitor off overclockers but it got lost in the post and sent back to overclockers in the end I asked for a refund as something came up and I was short of cash. I was all set on ultrawide but read up about games not supporting it etc.. so went with a 16:9 in the end.

Dcully

You dont see difference between 60hz and 144hz? really? :eek:

wotzgoingon

Dcully wrote: »

You dont see difference between 60hz and 144hz? really? :eek:

Yea. I would probably notice the difference if I had two monitors side by side with the same game and 60 and 144Hz but just gaming at 144Hz isn't as good in my eyes as some people make out.

ShadowHearth

wotzgoingon wrote: »

I'm probably late as the OP has probably bought by now but regarding the 144Hz I do not see the difference between 60, 90 144Hz but I do see the difference between Freesync and none.

I never gamed at 4k or even seen someone so I do not know how good it is but if I was to get a 4k monitor 32 inches would be the smallest screen size I would go for.

Before I bought my current 1440p monitor I had actually bought a 2560x1080 monitor off overclockers but it got lost in the post and sent back to overclockers in the end I asked for a refund as something came up and I was short of cash. I was all set on ultrawide but read up about games not supporting it etc.. so went with a 16:9 in the end.

21:9 support issue that I ran in to was only world of tanks. Never had an issue with anything else.

Remouad

wotzgoingon wrote: »

I'm probably late as the OP has probably bought by now ...

Nope.
My target monitor (LG29UC88) is still outside my price range so I've given myself the deadline of 28th of September to get it in the hopes that it'll come down in price or Brexit will swing the exchange rate enough.

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Before I bought my current 1440p monitor I had actually bought a 2560x1080 monitor off overclockers but it got lost in the post and sent back to overclockers in the end I asked for a refund as something came up and I was short of cash. I was all set on ultrawide but read up about games not supporting it etc.. so went with a 16:9 in the end.

ShadowHearth wrote: »

21:9 support issue that I ran in to was only world of tanks. Never had an issue with anything else.

21:9 support is something that I have been looking into and seems to be commonly supported in strategy, action adventure and RPG titles.
FPS it's a bit more iffy on.

eyerer

I remember about 15 years ago being told the human eye couldn't detect a difference above 60hz. Times have changed.. I suppose we've evolved since then

Skerries

back in yer box Jaden

Taylor365

Picked up an AOC Q2577PWQ the other week for a decent price. (25", 1440p, IPS, 60hz)

Have yet to really fire it up but hoping for good results :pac:

pxdf9i5cmoavkz

One thing to look out for in the high refresh rate monitors is PWM - Flicker

I previously had a Asus VG248QE and the flicker was causing me immense eye strain.

It may not be an issue for you and some people report no problems with it, but something to keep in mind.

As for the monitor recommendation -

Ridiculous budget allowance: An ultra wide 34" 21:9 is awesome. Dual monitors are so last year.
High budget allowance: 32" @ 2560 x 1440 is great. What I'm currently running. That extra 2" costs almost €350 more
Hoi Polloi budget: 27" IPS or nothing.

wotzgoingon

I have a 27" 144Hz Freesync IPS 1440p and that is the sweet spot. 24" is the sweet spot for 1080p, 32" and bigger is 4k in my eyes anyway.

I do see small screen size 4k monitors for sale and think it is a pure waste. In the future I will get a 4k monitor but it will have to be 90HZ or higher and current graphics cards are not there yet.

Donne

I've seen guys using 3 monitors (middle and 2 at around 45 degrees at each side) to play Race Sims and Flight Sims.

Would this be better or worse than using an Occulus Rift or HTC Vive?

Skerries

it would be a different experience as the VR headsets are more immersive as you can move your head around a full 360 degrees and see everything whereas the extra monitors would just give you more peripheral view with bezels you may notice

TerrorFirmer

Donne wrote: »

I've seen guys using 3 monitors (middle and 2 at around 45 degrees at each side) to play Race Sims and Flight Sims.

Would this be better or worse than using an Occulus Rift or HTC Vive?

They are so radically different it's impossible to compare. The VR experience is far, far more authentic and actually puts you 'there' but VR isn't for everyone and it makes some people feel unwell after a while.

If you're playing a lot, I would say a multi-monitor setup is better. I love VR and would say objectivity it's a way better experience but it's not something I could play for prolonged periods.

eyerer

That's the reason I'm not interested in VR right now, I would most likely get sick.
It's a shame since people rave about it especially for racing games.

lmimmfn

eyerer wrote: »

That's the reason I'm not interested in VR right now, I would most likely get sick.
It's a shame since people rave about it especially for racing games.

Playing it seated with a cockpit game is the least sickening of situations. I can play Project Cars, Euro/American Truck Sim, Elite for hours on end without a hint of nausea, but ymmv.

jumbobreakfast

lmimmfn wrote: »

Playing it seated with a cockpit game is the least sickening of situations. I can play Project Cars, Euro/American Truck Sim, Elite for hours on end without a hint of nausea, but ymmv.

Yep, I've spent hours playing Elite Dangerous with no problems. Nausea can be caused if trying to play the game with too high settings resulting in framrate drops and stutter.

VR is better for immersion than 3 screens but the resolution in VR still is still a problem so objects in the distance can appear very pixelated.

Remouad

Quick update guys.
In the end I went for the LG 29UM68. It's flat not curved but I've read that the curve on the 29 inch monitors doesn't have the same impact as it does on larger screens.

I also upgraded to a RX 580.
I did look at the 1070 but price difference was too big and with the 580 I can use freesync.

wotzgoingon

Remouad wrote: »

Quick update guys.
In the end I went for the LG 29UM68. It's flat not curved but I've read that the curve on the 29 inch monitors doesn't have the same impact as it does on larger screens.

I also upgraded to a RX 580.
I did look at the 1070 but price difference was too big and with the 580 I can use freesync.

Not too bad. Freesync is the bomb... In all seriousness Fressync is totally worth it I would never buy another monitor with out it.