[SOLVED] 4K vs refresh Rate

[missydalise]

I bought my son his first gaming PC for Xmas (with his input) and chose the ASUS 4K ROG SWIFT PG27AQ monitor, which only refreshes at 60... is faster better? I don't want to spend $2,000 on a 4k monitor that can handle 144hz, he's brand new in the gaming PC world so I also don't want to jump at a purchase without doing research

 

[terry4536]

If your son plays games with a high end graphics card, he can play at over 60 FPS. When the FPS exceeds the refresh rate, it is much more likely to have screen tearing.

A 144 Hz monitor extends that to 144 FPS. And it does produce a better display, as it tracks motion better. I use them myself.

 

[terry4536]

The G-Sync will also help with screen tearing for Nvidia graphics cards.

And that is a nice monitor by the way.

 

[boju]

27" is too small for 4k. At this size 1440p is perfect and less demanding on the system too.

I've been gaming for a good 20years and my 1440p 144Hz gsync monitor was the best addition. I dont get screen tear below refresh and input lag from mouse and keyboard or controller doesn't exist. Vsync = input lag where the movement on screen is slightly delayed to your actual movement. Input lag is very annoying, especially in first person shooters.

 

[TJ Hooker]

What CPU and graphics card are in the PC?

 

[missydalise]

iBUYPOWER - Desktop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 - 240GB Solid State Drive + 2TB Hard Drive -

 

[thtran6]

iBUYPOWER - Desktop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 - 240GB Solid State Drive + 2TB Hard Drive -

With that chip and graphic card, and given that your son plays game at 4k ultra setting, I definitely do not think your son will be able to reach higher than 60 fps.

Because of that, you don't have to worry about the mismatch between the pc's ability to generate high fps and the monitor's refresh rate.

I think your current monitor pick is fine.

Now if your son plays game at 1080p, then certainly that graphic card will output a lot more frames per second than at 4k game setting. If that is the case, then I don't see the need of getting a 4k monitor anyway.

In retrospect, with your son's cpu and gpu, getting a 2k monitor would be the ideal spot since it offers both 2k resolution and up to 165 Hz refresh rate. G-Sync would be nice to have.