Question Christmas Monitor?

[drjohnnyfever]

I'd like to update my son's crappy monitor. It's a 60Hz refresh Acer model. The cheapest I could find for a different, non gaming PC that he inherited with the .

He's got a really nice starter gamer that is sensationally fast. Here's what he has:

CPU - Core i5-14600K
MOBO - MSI Pro Z790 A-Wifi
RTX 3060 12GB
Thermalright PS120SE
ADATA 2TB SSD Legend 900 PCIe Gen4x4
Crucial RAM 32GB Kit (2x16GB) DDR5 5600MT/s
Seasonic Focus GX-850, 850W 80+ Gold
Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition

I've undervolted the CPU and overclocked it to get steady 5.4Ghz on the performance cores and 4.4Ghz on the efficiency cores. I have not done anything with the GPU, but I imagine getting into that a little over the Holidays. Everything works without incident, looks realistic - my wife says it looks like he's playing within a movie. He'd like a bigger display, but I know I might be able to do that and maybe give it another bump by increasing the refresh rate, etc. - but I know little about that. We're in the US, so Amazon is preferred.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Zerk2012]

I'd like to update my son's crappy monitor. It's a 60Hz refresh Acer model. The cheapest I could find for a different, non gaming PC that he inherited with the .

He's got a really nice starter gamer that is sensationally fast. Here's what he has:

CPU - Core i5-14600K
MOBO - MSI Pro Z790 A-Wifi
RTX 3060 12GB
Thermalright PS120SE
ADATA 2TB SSD Legend 900 PCIe Gen4x4
Crucial RAM 32GB Kit (2x16GB) DDR5 5600MT/s
Seasonic Focus GX-850, 850W 80+ Gold
Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition

I've undervolted the CPU and overclocked it to get steady 5.4Ghz on the performance cores and 4.4Ghz on the efficiency cores. I have not done anything with the GPU, but I imagine getting into that a little over the Holidays. Everything works without incident, looks realistic - my wife says it looks like he's playing within a movie. He'd like a bigger display, but I know I might be able to do that and maybe give it another bump by increasing the refresh rate, etc. - but I know little about that. We're in the US, so Amazon is preferred.

Thanks in advance.

A larger screen usually involves a higher resolution to make it look right.
That would probably involve also upgrading the video card.

Edit. You never listed the monitor he has now.

 

[drjohnnyfever]

A larger screen usually involves a higher resolution to make it look right.
That would probably involve also upgrading the video card.

Edit. You never listed the monitor he has now.

I'm not interested in doing the GPU now. The present monitor is an $89 Acer from 3 years ago. I know it's max is 60Hz refresh, because I did look at that when installing the GPU when we built the PC.

 

[drjohnnyfever]

I'm basically just interested in some guidance on what I should look for refresh rate wise, 4k, curved vs. flat... this is an area of PC's that I have not followed.

 

[Zerk2012]

I'm basically just interested in some guidance on what I should look for refresh rate wise, 4k, curved vs. flat... this is an area of PC's that I have not followed.

If he is gaming and you get a 4K monitor it's going to have really bad performance with that video card.
For curved VS flat it comes down to the way you like it.

 

[Eximo]

An actual 1080p gaming monitor will make a significant difference.

RTX 3060 is still pretty decent at 1080p, at least medium in newer titles, maybe a little DLSS here and there.

Monitors can certainly get expensive though, kind of need an upper limit.

Lower end, but still an improvement $130:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xfytt6/lg-24gn650-b-240-1920x1080-144-hz-monitor-24gn650-b

Mid-range, around $200:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/cY...49q1a-238-1920-x-1080-165-hz-monitor-vg249q1a

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zKbCmG/asus-tuf-gaming-vg249q-238-1920x1080-144-hz-monitor-vg249q

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Cnwypg/gigabyte-g24f-238-1920x1080-170-hz-monitor-g24f-sa

High end, $280:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/sv...523hf-245-1920-x-1080-360-hz-monitor-aw2523hf

Bonus, cheapest 240hz panel, no idea if it is decent:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/g46qqs/lenovo-legion-y25-25-245-1920x1080-240-hz-monitor-66aagac6us

 

[drjohnnyfever]

An actual 1080p gaming monitor will make a significant difference.

RTX 3060 is still pretty decent at 1080p, at least medium in newer titles, maybe a little DLSS here and there.

Monitors can certainly get expensive though, kind of need an upper limit.

Lower end, but still an improvement $130:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xfytt6/lg-24gn650-b-240-1920x1080-144-hz-monitor-24gn650-b

Mid-range, around $200:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/cY...49q1a-238-1920-x-1080-165-hz-monitor-vg249q1a

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zKbCmG/asus-tuf-gaming-vg249q-238-1920x1080-144-hz-monitor-vg249q

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Cnwypg/gigabyte-g24f-238-1920x1080-170-hz-monitor-g24f-sa

High end, $280:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/sv...523hf-245-1920-x-1080-360-hz-monitor-aw2523hf

Bonus, cheapest 240hz panel, no idea if it is decent:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/g46qqs/lenovo-legion-y25-25-245-1920x1080-240-hz-monitor-66aagac6us

Ok, thanks for these. So in looking at the specs a little of what you linked, refresh rate is very high on the High end, but around 165-180 on the mid-range. What, if any, benefit is there on a 1440HD over a faster refresh. This is more along the lines of what I'm trying to figure out. Since I don't want to upgrade the GPU now, is a 1440 QHD more beneficial than a super fast refresh rate 240+? I'd like to have an upgrade path with a future GPU that will work with whatever I get now, but I don't have a time frame on that. GPU upgrade is further away than near term. I feel from what I read that there is some OC opportunity and tweaking of the RTX 12gb 3060 that I really haven't gotten into yet.

 

[punkncat]

There is something to be said for a system than can both sync correctly and perform on a 60 FPS cap without dips. It makes for a really nice fluid experience in that many times folks don't notice the actual framerate as much as a low or .1% type low. It is a notable stutter.

With that said, if your son is going to stick with Nvidia cards it is wise to look at a G sync official or supported monitor. Many of those work well with Free Sync as well.

 

[drjohnnyfever]

There is something to be said for a system than can both sync correctly and perform on a 60 FPS cap without dips. It makes for a really nice fluid experience in that many times folks don't notice the actual framerate as much as a low or .1% type low. It is a notable stutter.

With that said, if your son is going to stick with Nvidia cards it is wise to look at a G sync official or supported monitor. Many of those work well with Free Sync as well.

Can you explain this a little more? As I mentioned, I haven't done anything to the GPU other than install it. I went thru a basic setup, but that was just the general stuff. I think he's getting into the 100's FPS on the games he plays - fortnite, RDR2... And how does what you're suggesting look to a 60hz vs say 165-180Hz monitor?

Thanks for the contribution, btw.

 

[punkncat]

On a monitor, the "Hz" rating is also the framerate. So, for instance, if they are playing on a 1080p/60Hz monitor, it cannot display more than 60FPS. The framerate counter is reading a system capability, but the fact of the matter remains it is at 60 FPS on that monitor.

In this case, if they are getting into the hundreds on current frame rate reading, it would make sense to go with a display with similar ability. IE, perhaps 144Hz. If you go up in resolution, it will drop the frame rate. Most people don't buy monitors as often as other hardware upgrades so at this point you have to decide whether to get something matched to this system, or to consider going to a larger/higher resolution monitor for what may come later.

Sync method is a big bite of information. Put simply, V Sync is what everyone has sort of always used and is tied more to the monitors capability. G Sync (NVIDIA) and Free Sync (AMD) are tailored to the type of graphics card in use. V Sync cost framerate/frametime where the other two (on a compatible card) don't have the same (framerate) cost to the system.

I hope I explained that correctly. There are articles all around the net "G Sync vs. Free Sync".
Also, a list of specific monitors that are G Sync "official" or "compatible". An actual G Sync official monitor typically costs well more than others since they pay NVIDIA a license fee. There are quite a few monitors that are compatible with G Sync, but also "officially" Free Sync.

NVIDIA GeForce G-SYNC Gaming Monitors

Search for GeForce G-SYNC gaming monitors.

www.nvidia.com

 

[Eximo]

144hz-165hz G-Sync compatible is sufficient for both a 1080p or 1440p monitor really. That is the whole point of variable refresh rate, if your computer can't keep up with the refresh rate of the monitor, then the GPU forces the monitor to match the output of the GPU, preventing incomplete frames from getting to the monitor.

If you opt for 1440p, some games you are going to have to adjust settings lower to run at 1440p, or you can run non-native resolutions like 1080p and rely on upscaling (Or you can have the GPU upscale using DLSS or FSR, which a lot of the newer games rely on)

FreeSync Premium will work with the 30 series for G-Sync Compatible mode over DP or HDMI.

V-Sync is what all monitors are capable of. That forces the GPU to send only complete frames. The downside is that if your system can't maintain 60 FPS (or 144hz, etc) then it will show the same frame multiple times. There is also an input lag penalty that is pretty high.

G-Sync and FreeSync takes the thinking out of it and you get a smooth experience.

 

[drjohnnyfever]

Thank you both @punkncat and @Eximo !!! So from what you are saying, I can hinder the experience by going too high on the refresh rate if the card can't handle the FPS, but that I might want to go a little above what the GPU is telling me the frame rate is in the event I upgrade the GPU in a year or so? Or with the understanding that I would tune the card to a refresh rate the monitor can handle? In other words, I don't want to go massively into the 360Hz - 480Hz monitors for the simple fact that I likely won't have a GPU capable of doing that... Maybe that's a little overstated, but do you understand what I'm asking?

I'm not married to a GPU brand, but is a G-Sync monitor compatible with and AMD GPU if I opt to go that route or is it safer to just look for FreeSync because the Premium with work with the 30 series RTX?

Again, your info is allowing this monitor/ GPU noob figure this out. What I'm thinking is that a monitor that has FreeSync and refreshes up to 180Hz will be sufficient... even in the event I want to upgrade in a year or so to say a RTX 40xx or the equivalent AMD???

Edit - I keep forgetting to mention that I'm really looking at either a 27" or 32" monitor. Likely the 27' due to space concerns. This is the one I was eyeing for Black Friday, given the info you've given so far...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CRHC3QSL/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A8G3A9DHEKD5W&th=1

and another that seems to have growth potential with a newer GPU down the road...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CWCWL81G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A8G3A9DHEKD5W&th=1