Question Fuzziness @ 1080p - Monitor issue, video card issue, or no issue at all?

[jradicus]

Some backstory before getting into it: I built a PC back in April of 2017 and for the longest time I was using it on my 55" 1080p 60Hz Vizio TV. I never noticed any graphics issues or fuzziness. Recently I unpacked my office and got my desk set up so I could game in there. I bought a cheap Acer monitor that had extremely positive reviews (23.8" @ 1080p / 4ms / 60Hz). I was playing Black Desert Online and just started playing The Division 2 (usually hovers around 57-60fps) and both games just look fuzzy/granular and not anywhere near what I'm used to. I tested out a friend's 24" @1080p / 1ms / 144Hz monitor and didn't notice a huge difference in graphical quality.

So there could be a few different problems...

1. Bad monitor
   • I think I've narrowed it down to "no" on this because I've tried multiple monitors and they're all the same.
2. Bad video card
   • I feel like it's unlikely, but this one is driving me crazy.
3. The problem could be me too (AKA "no issue at all")
   • I work as a designer so I'm used to staring at ultra crisp Mac displays all day every day.
   • When I had my setup on the TV I was sitting way back on the couch, so I was sitting further back
   • I haven't actually gamed at a desk with a monitor since like 2008/2009. Maybe this is just how 1080p looks?

My PC specs:
Ryzen 7 1700
Radeon RX580 Gaming 8gb
16gb DDR4 2400 memory
ASUS PRIME B350 motherboard
250gb SSD for OS / 1tb HDD for everything else

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I've been driving myself crazy trying to think of why it looks so bad, and have come to the conclusion that I think I am just a snob not used to 1080p anymore... so my real question has become should I purchase a 1440p monitor? They say the RX580 is built more for 1080p gaming, so I'd have to lower settings to high instead of ultra... but I was hoping someone with more knowledge than me on the subject could tell me if 1440p would help with the fuzziness or if I am better off staying with what I have until I can afford to upgrade the video card for 1440p/4k gaming.

Thanks in advance and I'm sorry if I sound crazy... in fact "you're crazy" is a perfectly valid response to this 😛

 

[jradicus]

https://ibb.co/c6Ff9dF - This is a screenshot of what I'm seeing with ultra settings in the division. Everything looks blury and fuzzy to me.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2t0r3te182egtnj/IMG_6354.MOV?dl=0 - Here's a video I took with my phone with another example of some other issues I'm seeing.

Is this an issue with my video card, monitor, or is this just what 1080p looks like and there's no issue?