[SOLVED] Downgrading from 1080p monitor to something closer to 720p, recommendation

[assasin32]

720p looks bad on 1080p due to scaling issues and I am debating on downgrading my monitor to a resolution around 720p to obtain a better FPS, extend the time between upgrades, and avoid the upscaling mess.

Currently this monitor caught my eye
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIABMT8GG4211

Any other monitors out there I should look at, new or old?





Long Version, May Answer Questions On Why If Your Interested Or Skip Over:
I no longer use my computer for web browsing or media consumption for the most part as I use an iPad and tv for that now.

So it’s stictly for gaming and my rule for gaming is playable above all else, which means preferably 60fps, though 30fps if it never drops below that with vsync is doable. I played around with 720p resolution on a 23.5in 1080p monitor and it looks bad as it doesn’t scale properly. So I tested a true 720p on there by turning off scaling, and switching resolution to 720p. It resulted in 15in of the screen being used which felt a little small but it resulted in a nice sharp image and more FPS. This is workable to demo test it but I’d prefer a couple extra inches to be displayed and the screen is backlit so the black glowing screen around my game is a little weird.

Currently use, AMD 750k, 1050gtx, 8gb ram (upgrade to 16gb soon probably), and a 1080p monitor. Most games can be played at 1080p without issue as of right now, though the poorly optimized fallout 4 is the exception (will be modded for performance soon) so I currently play that at 720p.

I’m thinking since 720p and 1080p are close enough for me in what they output, but the difference in displaying in native and nonnative resolution is great why not go for the less demanding of the two and reap the advantages.

 

[vapour]

I will do the opposite, 1050 should play at 1080p just fine.
I will upgrade your CPU instead. Very likely it is the CPU that bottlenecks you.
Get Ryzen 2200G, B450 MB and 2x4 gb ddr4 ram.
There is no point downgrading monitor......

 

[assasin32]

For me there is though as I tend to run my computer till I can’t run a game I want at 720p while maintaining a consistent 30fps. Up till this last week or so when doing a lot of research on freesync/gsync monitors I learned there was a scaling issue with going from from 720p to 1080p like I do on my native 1080p monitor. And doing the test to (though not perfect) confirmed it did degrade the picture enough that I want to avoid that all together.

I contributed it to 720p being that much inferior before but having seen the difference I’d rather just run 720p natively since I don’t see myself upgrading parts sooner because it won’t do 1080p.

I’m not worried about a CPU bottleneck right now as I intend to run this setup till AM5 socket is released than I’m doing a full rebuild.

 

[tennis2]

You need a system upgrade, not a monitor downgrade.

 

[R4DIO4CT1VE]

the monitor you found is probably fine. For the most part I don't think your're going to find any other monitors that are a whole lot better or worse as no 720p monitors are receiving any of the new tech that has come about in the past few years.

I'm not totally sure that it makes sense to buy a 720p monitor rather than putting the $100ish dollars towards the system... but i do understand your reasoning

 

[Karadjgne]

The cpu sets the fps limits, it's upto the gpu to match according to resolution and details.

You have a 1080p native resolution monitor. The pixels are sized for 1080p resolution. By scaling to 720p, a black dot uses 3 pixels instead of 1 pixel, so doesn't always come out right. Manual adjustments shrink the picture so that that single black dot still uses just 1 pixel in 720p resolution, so still looks nice and sharp, if smaller. By moving to a 720p monitor, you will only get the benefit of higher fps, but the picture will be using pixels for 720p, which are considerably larger than what's used in 1080p. Bye bye your clarity. Lines will loose their sharper edge, ultra detailing becomes more muddy etc. It's the entire reason ppl move UP in resolution, the clarity. If you figure 1080p is like watching a DVD, 1440p is like watching a blu-ray, and you are wanting to backslide to watching VHS.

I don't see you being happy with the results, and now stuck with a 720p monitor that nobody on ebay will buy now with 1080p so cheap new.

If anything, you'd be better off with a used 870k and a decent cooler and give it some OC. A good 4.3-4.4GHz OC would improve fps a good bit over what you have now

 

[Franklin_4]

I will do the opposite, 1050 should play at 1080p just fine.
I will upgrade your CPU instead. Very likely it is the CPU that bottlenecks you.
Get Ryzen 2200G, B450 MB and 2x4 gb ddr4 ram.
There is no point downgrading monitor......

why reccomend a 2200g if he has a 1050?

 

[tennis2]

Vapour is recommending the 2200G as a CPU upgrade, not as a GPU replacement.

 

[jankerson]

720p looks bad on 1080p due to scaling issues and I am debating on downgrading my monitor to a resolution around 720p to obtain a better FPS, extend the time between upgrades, and avoid the upscaling mess.

Currently this monitor caught my eye
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIABMT8GG4211

Any other monitors out there I should look at, new or old?





Long Version, May Answer Questions On Why If Your Interested Or Skip Over:
I no longer use my computer for web browsing or media consumption for the most part as I use an iPad and tv for that now.

So it’s stictly for gaming and my rule for gaming is playable above all else, which means preferably 60fps, though 30fps if it never drops below that with vsync is doable. I played around with 720p resolution on a 23.5in 1080p monitor and it looks bad as it doesn’t scale properly. So I tested a true 720p on there by turning off scaling, and switching resolution to 720p. It resulted in 15in of the screen being used which felt a little small but it resulted in a nice sharp image and more FPS. This is workable to demo test it but I’d prefer a couple extra inches to be displayed and the screen is backlit so the black glowing screen around my game is a little weird.

Currently use, AMD 750k, 1050gtx, 8gb ram (upgrade to 16gb soon probably), and a 1080p monitor. Most games can be played at 1080p without issue as of right now, though the poorly optimized fallout 4 is the exception (will be modded for performance soon) so I currently play that at 720p.

I’m thinking since 720p and 1080p are close enough for me in what they output, but the difference in displaying in native and nonnative resolution is great why not go for the less demanding of the two and reap the advantages.

You need a system upgrade, not a downgrade as all the others have stated.

Wasting money going backwards is not a wise investment.

 

[assasin32]

870k is pretty close in performance to my 750k. Upgrading to ryzen requires the mobo, cpu, ram, and at that time I would just finish the build and put in a new m2 ssd, psu, and a few other things. So that upgrade will escalate to $500 very quickly just to use the gpu to its full potential. It’s why I’d rather wait for AM5 and do a build than in a few years.

I understand that I’m most likely cpu bound, but the thought process on 720p was to avoid the bad scaling issues and keep a clear picture the last few years I use the computer before I upgrade as I don’t consider it time to upgrade till I’m unable to get a consistent 30fps at that resolution. And from experience it means I’m looking at probably a 2-3 year period of 720p gaming after I’m unable to do 1080p at an acceptable FPS. And I would most likely be using this monitor in future builds for the same reason.

On another note I’ve been swapping my screens resolution down to 720 which as stated before results in a 15in viewable screen from 23.5 and I must admit I’m getting more and more used to that too.

For the PPI I’m losing roughly 14PPI going from 94 to 80 by swapping monitors. My iPad in comparison is 264 PPI and while I prefer the screen on this for reading I think my monitor is acceptable as well.

I tend to let myself get absorbed into a game so screen size isn’t the largest concern, nor running things at max detail. What is though is smooth gameplay, and finding out I can make the games that I have to run at lower resolution clearer again without any performance hit sounds like a huge win.

And yeah there is definitely slim pickings for 720p, I would love an IPS freesync monitor that was g sync certified. But there is no market understandably, couldn’t even find 1 freesync 720p monitor. I would have thought someone would try to cater to the esports people who want the highest FPS they could get at that native resolution.

 

[jankerson]

870k is pretty close in performance to my 750k. Upgrading to ryzen requires the mobo, cpu, ram, and at that time I would just finish the build and put in a new m2 ssd, psu, and a few other things. So that upgrade will escalate to $500 very quickly just to use the gpu to its full potential. It’s why I’d rather wait for AM5 and do a build than in a few years.

I understand that I’m most likely cpu bound, but the thought process on 720p was to avoid the bad scaling issues and keep a clear picture the last few years I use the computer before I upgrade as I don’t consider it time to upgrade till I’m unable to get a consistent 30fps at that resolution. And from experience it means I’m looking at probably a 2-3 year period of 720p gaming after I’m unable to do 1080p at an acceptable FPS. And I would most likely be using this monitor in future builds for the same reason.

On another note I’ve been swapping my screens resolution down to 720 which as stated before results in a 15in viewable screen from 23.5 and I must admit I’m getting more and more used to that too.

For the PPI I’m losing roughly 14PPI going from 94 to 80 by swapping monitors. My iPad in comparison is 264 PPI and while I prefer the screen on this for reading I think my monitor is acceptable as well.

I tend to let myself get absorbed into a game so screen size isn’t the largest concern, nor running things at max detail. What is though is smooth gameplay, and finding out I can make the games that I have to run at lower resolution clearer again without any performance hit sounds like a huge win.

And yeah there is definitely slim pickings for 720p, I would love an IPS freesync monitor that was g sync certified. But there is no market understandably, couldn’t even find 1 freesync 720p monitor. I would have thought someone would try to cater to the esports people who want the highest FPS they could get at that native resolution.

Actually your logic is backwards.

Dropping to 720P will make the CPU bottleneck WORSE, not better and you only have a GTX 1050... Something that isn't exactly burning down the house fast in the 1st place.

If you wait a few years longer you won't be playing any games at all because the system won't be able to handle any of the games.

So as I said you logic is backwards and you are overthinking in the completely wrong direction.

And the CPU wasn't exactly a barn burner either back when it was new 7 years ago. It was slow, real slow even when it was new compared to other comparable CPU's.

So yeah you do need a complete system upgrade.

The issue is you built a low end machine back when it was 1st built and you are still running it now for some reason and have for way too long. And are trying to get something out it that just isn't going to happen, it's just not realistic. That thing was slow when it was NEW..... Over 6 years ago.

 

[Karadjgne]

That's assuming there's an am5 that's a different platform. AMD historically just added a + to successful platforms and did only minor changes, am3, am3+, fm2, fm2+ etc. So you may end up waiting years only to find out you wasted time for really no gains. AMD probably won't have another major platform upgrade until DDR5 is available.

 

[assasin32]

720p actually made the FPS better, the absolute minimum FPS jumped up by 10-15FPS easily, and it now holds at 45fps over 90% of the time which used to be what I got under ideal conditions. So while I probably do have a CPU bottleneck it's not as severe to make 720p useless. And seeing the areas that I do drop to the mid 30s for FPS tend to be heavy firefights in foggy areas. I'm thinking removing the fog will help raise it, and the texture optimization pack probably will too I just haven't gotten around to missing the game yet.

At 1080p my fps ranged from I think it was 17 or 22 all the way up to 57fps. At 720 37-45fps because I got fed up with the wild fluctuations and put in an fps cap back when it was at 1080p and haven't taken it off, though now I'm staying so close to 45fps (the fps cap) I don't notice any drop in fps unless I'm watching the counter.

While 720p will make the CPU bottleneck more apparent it won't decrease my fps. If I were capped at 40fps at 1080p because of the CPU I probably be capped around there at 720p. Though in a different scenarios the GPU may now be pushing more fps in 720 compared to 1080 that the CPU now becomes a bottlecap. Either scenerio I either come out even or on top, I won't notice a degredation in fps.

Edited in:
Forgot to mention I usually wait till games go on a very big sale before getting them so I'm usually 1-2years behind the times. So that makes the idea of waiting till my next build a lot easier.

 

[jankerson]

You can keep telling yourself that all you want, but in the end you were behind from the beginning when the system was 1st built.

And as time went on it got worse and it will continue to get worse.

Maybe if you keep telling yourself this stuff you might even believe it after awhile.

However nobody else will.

Bottom line is the system was slow from the start when the CPU was new and now it is very out of date, worse because of what the CPU is.

So you can keep trying to convince yourself, but it's only you whom you are fooling.


You need to grasp reality and bite the bullet and upgrade to a new platform.

Your CPU is a lot slower than even a 1st Generation I5 that is 3 years older than your CPU.

That's how far behind you are performance wise, you lost from the beginning.

 

[vapour]

you can justify all you want. You are like 5-10 years behind now. If you really enjoy 720p gaming, do whatever you want, vapour out.

 

[jankerson]

you can justify all you want. You are like 5-10 years behind now. If you really enjoy 720p gaming, do whatever you want, vapour out.

And struggling at that...

What can you do you know....?

The reason why I normally don't get involved in recommending low end (Budget) systems, they end up in threads like this down the road.

This is a classic example of why I don't.

That system should have been upgraded 3 to 4 years ago.

 

[assasin32]

Actually I know my CPU is the bottleneck, knew it from the get go when I upgraded the GPU. It just didn't favor the price/performance to do a full rebuild when the GPU prices were high to get full use out of it when I did the upgrade.

I have no interest in doing an upgrade, setup is not ideal but it works for now. Everything I've thrown at it will do 1080p just fine giving me 60fps or very close except one game.

What I've been trying to gauge is if someone knew of a better monitor or solution with 720p gaming as the scaling issue causes blurriness. A 720p monitor where you get a proper output to the monitor is ideal but it's slim pickings in that resolution so I was searching for other alternatives as well as advice on the monitor.

 

[jankerson]

Actually I know my CPU is the bottleneck, knew it from the get go when I upgraded the GPU. It just didn't favor the price/performance to do a full rebuild when the GPU prices were high to get full use out of it when I did the upgrade.

I have no interest in doing an upgrade, setup is not ideal but it works for now. Everything I've thrown at it will do 1080p just fine giving me 60fps or very close except one game.

What I've been trying to gauge is if someone knew of a better monitor or solution with 720p gaming as the scaling issue causes blurriness. A 720p monitor where you get a proper output to the monitor is ideal but it's slim pickings in that resolution so I was searching for other alternatives as well as advice on the monitor.

Not in any AAA games it's not, not with that CPU.

Not in any that came out in recent memory at even reasonable settings.

 

[logainofhades]

720 will make your CPU bottleneck even more apparent, as the lower resolution will be more CPU dependent.

 

[jankerson]

720 will make your CPU bottleneck even more apparent, as the lower resolution will be more CPU dependent.

Exactly.

That system was over 3 years out of date when it was built performance wise.

Even a Core 2 Quad 8400 beats that CPU, and that is 10 years old now.

 

[tennis2]

If you insist on downgrading your monitor, go to your local e-waste recycling center and buy a 720p or 900p monitor for $20.

 

[Rogue Leader]

All,

We got it. A better use of his money is to update the system. He doesn't want to do that, we have been over it 4 times. Lets answer his question or leave it alone. Got it?

 

[Franklin_4]

Vapour is recommending the 2200G as a CPU upgrade, not as a GPU replacement.

haha im aware and its a terrible suggestion...which suprised me because vapour normally has great suggestions and has helped me a couple times over the years.

Such a waste of processing power to get an APU if you already have a discrete GPU

 

[tennis2]

Why do you say that? Basically all Intel's CPUs have been "APUs" since Sandy Bridge.

The 2200g is a good budget CPU to use with a dGPU.

 

[assasin32]

I would argue for current gen processors the 2200g would be a solid choice. It would be what I would get if I were to go with a current gen processor.

Decided to do an upgrade when I looked up what others were getting out of a 1050gtx for Fallout 4 and it was more than I expected, enough to pursue an upgrade.

I will probably switch to the 720p monitor, FPS boost is possibly too good to avoid the benefits when the difference between 720p and 1080p is close enough for picture quality I don’t care much. I’ve been playing around with gaming at 720p and even what to do to make 30fps vsync gaming look better and so far I would say I don’t think I regret it as long as the monitor I get is decent and free of dead pixels.

But let’s this thread be on monitors I have another one going on the actual upgrade to keep them separated, avoid the mess this one became a bit, and honestly thought this one died.

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3881064/upgrading-1050-gtx.html



Edited In:
And for the record I originally had no intent to do the upgrade till I looked into the performance more. It was about twice as bad as I expected. Still wanted to maintain this thread as closely as possible concerning the monitors as that’s completely different set of comcerns with what to get, scaling, etc.