2K or 4K

jacobo2u

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Oct 2, 2015
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Hey guys,
I am looking at buying a monintor, and I have noticed that 4K monitors are way cheaper than 2K. I will be gaming with a 980 Ti skylake build, but my question is, does it almost make sense to go with a 4K monitor and run a lot of games at lower resolution? Would it look bad running a 4K at 1440p? Would that future proof my monitor? I know 4K only runs at 60hz, but i won't be able to get 60 hz anyway. thoughts and ideas?
 
Solution
Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I cannot provide you perfect english, and so I will try to explain again. :)

Like I said above, you get screen tearing both below and above your refresh rate in FPS. 70 FPS on 144 Hz panel is still going to screen tear, because there will be a mismatch at some point while the GPU is copying it's frame and the monitor wants a frame, it's bound to happen. And FPS never stays static, it always fluctuates. Using this logic... 300 FPS on a 144 Hz monitor is enough to reduce your perception of screen tearing, because you can still only display 144 FPS, but you'll increase the chances of a mismatch of the GPU buffer and the monitor the higher you go in terms of FPS. So higher FPS is worse than lower FPS, for...
2.5k makes a whole lot of sense, because you can't get away playing AAA titles without 2 graphics cards at 4k. Because you're lowering your resolution, you'll add a blur and small details will be lost. Always run a display at the native resolution. Future proof? No. By the time 4k is affordable, and mainstream, we'll already have more affordable and far better 4k monitors available, there is no point trying to future proof in this case. You won't be able to get to 60 FPS (Hz is not FPS) using a single 980 Ti, unless you play older titles, less demanding ones.
 
Ok, that makes sesne, thanks for the input. Follow up question, is g-sync at 1440p really important? If i am only getting 70 fps, there shouldn't be much screen tearing right? lag seems to be the issue with fps under 60, correct? could I solve the lag issue by buying a free sync monitor that has a 144 hz monitor even though I can't use free sync?
 
70 FPS isn't really enough to reduce your perception of screen tearing. 80-100 is usually when you'll stop noticing it, preferably 100+. GSync isn't at all useful if you manage to hit these frames in games you play. You don't lag if you drop below 60, but a drop from 60 to 30 is going to create stuttering during that transition, which GSync takes care of (45 FPS min) and that's why it's so useful if you're after the smoothest experience. It's luxury, and manufacturers are unfortunately hyping it all up, and making it seem bigger and more useful than it really is.

FreeSync caps at 90 Hz, if you can push 90 FPS or more, FreeSync is useless to you. It's however way cheaper than buying a GSync panel, if you don't going to use the tech anyways. I bet you're referring to the MG279Q, correct? Excellent choice, and doesn't have nearly as many build quality problems the XB270HU does.



All the best!
 
Thanks for you reply. I am a little confused now, however. Lets use the asus MG279Q that you mentioned in a thought experiment. I can't use free sync because I have a 980 ti.
question 1. If I am getting 70 fps, I should get zero screen tear because the monitor is refreshing faster than my output correct?

question 2. Any input lag should be small as the refresh rate is roughly every 7 ms. that means worst case scenario I will have ~7ms wait from my gpu sending the pic and I seeing it. But on average, it would be lower.

question 3. Why does free sync or g-sync even matter as long as your monitor has higher hz than your FPS?

question 4. Is input lag a issue more associated with v-sync?

question 5. Does this monitor always stay at 144hz, or does it lower its Hz when input drops?

I know that's a lot of questions, but from all the research I can tell, refresh rate might be the most important factor?
 
1. Faster than your output? Please clarify! :)

2. Input lag as long as you're pushing less frames than refresh rate allows, not really noticeable, but it's there.

3. A monitor has a set refresh rate, or update frequency if you will. 60 Hz = 1/60 = 16.67 ms. That never changes, however, a graphics card is designed to spit out as many frames as it can, and so it creates the screen tearing pushing both below and above your monitors refresh rate in FPS. Screen tearing happens because the monitor wants a frame from the GPU frame-buffer, but at the same time, the GPU could be copying a frame from the back-buffer, this creates screen tearing. The monitor and GPU is not in sync. VSync, GSync, FreeSync, are the only true solutions.

4. VSync creates a bit of input lag, correct. FreeSync and GSync creates input lag too, but not as bad as VSync, and so you don't notice it, but it's there.

5. Yes, your monitor refresh rate never changes from 144 Hz, if it's set to 144 Hz. It won't change if your pushing 50 FPS, to 50 Hz, always 144 unless you tell it not to, manually.


The most important factor is indeed the refresh rate when gaming. Second is probably picture quality though, isn't it? :) I would much rather play at 60 Hz with a good panel, than 144 Hz on a crappy one.





All the best!
 
Wow thanks for the quick response.
follow up on question 1. I mean that my graphics card is out puting 70 FPS, there should not be any screen tearing because my monitor's refresh is 2x as fast, so it will never try to display two frames at once.

following up on question 3, I dont understand how screen tearing could occur with a FPS under the refresh rate. It seems that if it happens, it should be really rare, right?

cheers
 
Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I cannot provide you perfect english, and so I will try to explain again. :)

Like I said above, you get screen tearing both below and above your refresh rate in FPS. 70 FPS on 144 Hz panel is still going to screen tear, because there will be a mismatch at some point while the GPU is copying it's frame and the monitor wants a frame, it's bound to happen. And FPS never stays static, it always fluctuates. Using this logic... 300 FPS on a 144 Hz monitor is enough to reduce your perception of screen tearing, because you can still only display 144 FPS, but you'll increase the chances of a mismatch of the GPU buffer and the monitor the higher you go in terms of FPS. So higher FPS is worse than lower FPS, for how often it's going to screen tear. :)



All the best!
 
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