4k @ 60Hz or 1440p @ 144Hz? HELP

Demorthus

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Mar 2, 2014
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Hello! I'm going to give as much info as possible so you can understand my decision making process behind this!

(BOTH are G-Sync monitors)

Just recently I've bought all my new pieces of hardware for a bit of a upgrade. I'm waiting on two gtx 980's & their rerespective waterblocks from EK, (an upgrade from a single 780 on air).

My next upgrade will be my 1080p 60Hz 24" IPS monitor. Because I'm aware dual 980's under water and overclocked is overkill for dual 1080p monitors...

The top two contenders for my next monitor is between the ROG Swift or the Acer XB280HK.

They're both TN so I know I'm to lose beautiful rich colors both ways. I've never used any 4k or display with higher than 60Hz refresh. Both are going to be a new experience either way.

I like to play a huge variety of games. I play MMOS such as WoW and Rift, and I like to play ('twitch' I think it's called 'shooters') Titanfall, Call of Duty, CS:GO, Ghost Recon, & a mix of other things like crysis 3, watch dogs, wolfenstein, shad of Mordor & really most other AAA titles. (I preface this by saying I'm a highly detailist person, I notice many things. So I'm not sure if I want 4k for better image sharpness + textures OR 144Hz for snappier gaming in things like shooters or fast moving scenarios where I know there will be less motion blur, it's so difficult to choose! I'm a pixel junkie at the end of the day but I appreciate fast refresh rates when I do need it. I'm not a competitive player at all, I simply play shooters for fun so I won't be so hard on it since I've managed to do great even without anything beyond 60Hz)

I'm extremely curious of both the offerings these two monitors have but at the end of the day I can only have one! What do you guys recommend I purchase?
 

Guinibee

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Nov 28, 2010
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Not sure about the 4k but I have the swift and it's awesome. 4k is sick but IMO it's still too much to get comfortable fps with the current gpu power available. I'd say in a year or so 4k and gpu power will be more aligned. Also I can't go back to 60hz lol... After 144hz you don't go back
 
980s under water will be much much quieter but generally not faster.

I'd use "accurate" rather than rich to describe IPS color. On a quality TN panel, I find the color quite rich but two things I will notice, if i try, is that the same color at one portion of the screen is slightly off at another portion. They oft tend to be somewhat over saturated if you don't calibrate the screens. Grandmas "glamor shots" can have her looking like a madame at a brothel as the makeup colors will be overly saturated if not calibrated.

Also note that another of the major color differences is that mist TN panels have just 6 bit color ... the Swift has 8 bit color so most of the IPS "color" advantage disappears. As you your question 144 Hz is the bomb .... IPS / TN aside for the moment, I'd always take 144 hz .... in this instance I actually agree with Linus that "4k is dead to me"..... I like that it's here but with current GFX capabilities, and it's scaling problems, .... both of which should disappear over time .... I'm just not interested.
 

Xivilain

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Apr 16, 2014
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I agree.
SWIFT if you're buying now. Or 4K if you can wait 1-2 years.

So... can you wait or are you READY NOW?!!?! :D