[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.

 

[druid157]

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.

This thread was emailed to me in Tom's weekly newsletter, and I found it interesting, so I'll add something OP may have missed- of course, your premise that things will look crisp, even on 720p with native resolution is correct. Now here's something to try, in case you didn't- the current monitor can be used to display 'native'/ crisp 900p or 720p at reduced screen size. Open Nvidia Control panel:

1. Under Display > Change resolution: To 1366 x 768, apply- as you usually would, with the screen all blurry now

2. Under Display > Adjust desktop size and position, Scaling tab:
a. Choose current resolution 1366 x 768
b. Choose Scaling Method: No scaling
c. Perform scaling on: GPU, apply.

And there you have effectively a smaller monitor with 720p or 900p native and crisp.
In my case a 21.5" 1080p display becomes 15.25" 720p or 18" 900p display (I just measured).
The reduced size can be compensated somewhat by pulling in the monitor closer, unless you sit far away on a couch.
Regarding performance cost of this scaling at the GPU, I would guess it to be quite small, only marginal. But test it out for yourself. If things are to your satisfaction, this may save you the cost of buying a new monitor!

 

[winwiz]

1440p monitor scales 720p content perfectly. So instead of of burning your money on an old technology 720p monitor I would recommend a 1440p monitor. This would give the option to play at 720p or 1440p depending on how demanding a game is. And you would be able to keep enjoying the 1440p monitor if you upgrade you system in the future.

 

[Evshrug]

Hey @assasin32 ,
I hear you, I’ve got an old windows machine I built a long time ago, with an intel i3 and a GTX660, and I also have a backlog of Steam games I want to finish before I upgrade (my PS4 Pro is for the “current” games, honestly it gets the most playtime).

One option you might consider is an old 720p TV. Obviously it matters to research which ones have less than 50 ms display lag, but I feel like you’ll have more chances of finding an old tv on the secondary market than an old monitor. I still use a 720p Panasonic plasma TV, 42”, as my main tv, and it does great double-duty for gaming. Just another option to consider.

I will echo what the others here said though... Buy Cheap, Buy Twice! Adding the GTX 1050 when your CPU was already that old/slow, and trying to play new games, that probably wasn’t the most efficient use of money, and a 720p monitor now is the same kind of financial drain/setback from getting what you really want. I bought the fastest i3 chip on the market at the time, because games didn’t make much use of multithreading (still don’t, right?) so single thread speed was the most important purely for gaming. It’s been enough and lasted me a really long time! I’m trying to catch up on old games on an old computer... I could upgrade my GPU, but at some point my CPU isn’t going to be enough even if I upgrade everything around it.

With that said (if you’re still reading with me), I’ve always heard that one of the AMD platform strengths is the motherboards use the same CPU socket for a few generations. I’m not the most AMD knowledgeable, but are there any newer/faster CPU upgrades available for your motherboard?

Good luck,
EvShrug

 

[assasin32]

There are new CPUs for the motherboard but their very comparable to what I have. I ended up upgrading to an old i5 4570, so I had to replace the motherboard as well. That was about $120-130 for Mobo, CPU, heatsink. I will end up adding another 8gb of ram when I get around to it.

I just got the notification a few hours ago my new 1080p g sync compatible AOC g2590fx monitor has arrived but I'm not home to bring it in. It was always down to these two monitors, I couldn't find any 720p monitor I was fully happy with and the one I linked was the best I could find. I figure I could always turn off scaling and display the picture at a lower resolution and I think the gsync will still work. Figured my current monitor has lasted me 10 years, and is now going to my wife to do a dual screen setup. With any luck this one will serve me just as long.

It really did come down to I know I could get a quality 1080p monitor with all the bells and whistles I wanted except being IPS. Or gamble on a monitor with just a few user reviews for half the price. And I could still make the 1080p display the other monitors resolution when needed and still only lose a few inches of screen real estate between the two.

 

[assasin32]

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.

This thread was emailed to me in Tom's weekly newsletter, and I found it interesting, so I'll add something OP may have missed- of course, your premise that things will look crisp, even on 720p with native resolution is correct. Now here's something to try, in case you didn't- the current monitor can be used to display 'native'/ crisp 900p or 720p at reduced screen size. Open Nvidia Control panel:

1. Under Display > Change resolution: To 1366 x 768, apply- as you usually would, with the screen all blurry now

2. Under Display > Adjust desktop size and position, Scaling tab:
a. Choose current resolution 1366 x 768
b. Choose Scaling Method: No scaling
c. Perform scaling on: GPU, apply.

And there you have effectively a smaller monitor with 720p or 900p native and crisp.
In my case a 21.5" 1080p display becomes 15.25" 720p or 18" 900p display (I just measured).
The reduced size can be compensated somewhat by pulling in the monitor closer, unless you sit far away on a couch.
Regarding performance cost of this scaling at the GPU, I would guess it to be quite small, only marginal. But test it out for yourself. If things are to your satisfaction, this may save you the cost of buying a new monitor!

Late reply, but doing this in Nvidia control panel is what sparked this thread as I saw how good 720p while gaming really was when it was pixel perfect.

1440p monitor scales 720p content perfectly. So instead of of burning your money on an old technology 720p monitor I would recommend a 1440p monitor. This would give the option to play at 720p or 1440p depending on how demanding a game is. And you would be able to keep enjoying the 1440p monitor if you upgrade you system in the future.

It still doesn't scale perfectly and won't be as clear as native resolution. It's encountered a lot more with people on 4k monitors trying to play 1080p.

Going after the pixel perfect resolution my options are native, or turn off scaling and decrease resolution. For that I found having 15in or more of screen is adequate which is roughly what I had with my 23.5in monitor. With the 24.5in monitor I ordered I have a little bit more room and if I up it from true 720p resolution I was using to 1366x768 I should have around 17in of the display in use if I remember correctly when I did the math.