High refresh rate vs High resolution vs Ultra wide.

[Dio27]

I've been thinking about getting a new monitor as right now i'm using a 24 inch 1080p tn panel from Dell, which gets the job done but i want to upgrade. I have been looking at tonnes of different forums and websites and in each one there are people contradiction each other, some say 144hz makes a huge difference others say it makes none and resolution is better. So what do you guys think? I mainly use it for gaming and some web browsing and programming. My third option would be getting an Ultra wide monitor which is right in the middle of those 2 with a 2560X1080 resolution ,a 75hz refresh rate as well as an IPS panel. It is also $100 cheaper than the other 2. I would prefer not paying over $350 for a monitor but if you guys have any suggestions on what i should get please help me out. Any tips are appreciated.

Here are the 3 panels i'm thinking about...

Ultra Wide:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824025340

144hz:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824160177

1440p:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824160253&cm_re=2k_monitor-_-24-160-253-_-Product

 

[Supahos]

What is your rig? Just adding a better monitor does nothing if you can't push 100+fps or 1440p above 60

 

[Dio27]

What is your rig? Just adding a better monitor does nothing if you can't push 100+fps or 1440p above 60

I have an overclocked fx-8320, 16gb ram and a gtx 10603gb.
I usually play battlefield 1(which i get around 70fps on ultra but am willing to turn the settings down) and around 120 on battlefield 4. All my other games are simple like world of tanks or war thunder and i get 200+fps.

 

[Supahos]

Unless you plan to swap to Intel/ryzen soon I'd suggest going higher res with that build then. Honestly the resolution usually makes more difference to me. I like me some WoT too

 

[Multipack]

I wouldnt get 1440p with a GTX "1055" 😉 Not unless it has G-Sync. You wont be able to push out 60fps on some newer games at that res.

1080p 144Hz would be a more sensible decision if the FX can keep up at 1080p, which it should with that card. 60Hz 1440p would be ok too, and both are probably going to need G-Sync to reduce tear when you cant produce enough frames. Tbh the 1060 3gb is a 1080p/60 card.

 

[Dio27]

I wouldnt get 1440p with a GTX "1055" 😉 Not unless it has G-Sync. You wont be able to push out 60fps on some newer games at that res.

1080p 144Hz would be a more sensible decision if the FX can keep up at 1080p, which it should with that card. 60Hz 1440p would be ok too, and both are probably going to need G-Sync to reduce tear when you cant produce enough frames. Tbh the 1060 3gb is a 1080p/60 card.

I think i've narrowed it down to either the ultra wide or the 2k as i doubt i can reach 144 fps even if i turn down all my settings. However i can probably turn down my settings and reach 1440p/60fps but is that better than an ultrawide?

 

[Supahos]

I personally hate ultra wide for gaming. But it's a preference not a fact. Everything is distorted because I'm used to regular ones

 

[Supahos]

I personally hate ultra wide for gaming. But it's a preference not a fact. Everything is distorted because I'm used to regular ones

 

[Multipack]

I wouldnt get 1440p with a GTX "1055" 😉 Not unless it has G-Sync. You wont be able to push out 60fps on some newer games at that res.

1080p 144Hz would be a more sensible decision if the FX can keep up at 1080p, which it should with that card. 60Hz 1440p would be ok too, and both are probably going to need G-Sync to reduce tear when you cant produce enough frames. Tbh the 1060 3gb is a 1080p/60 card.

I think i've narrowed it down to either the ultra wide or the 2k as i doubt i can reach 144 fps even if i turn down all my settings. However i can probably turn down my settings and reach 1440p/60fps but is that better than an ultrawide?

1440p even at low settings might be a challenge, as settings arent everything when it comes to GPU's. The resolution is far more taxing, and settings usually wont make a huge difference, except maybe AA, but without that it'll look horrible.

I also dont personally like Ultra Wide displays, and you'd probably be better off with the 144Hz 1080p as thats about the most your GPU will be able to handle imo.

 

[Dio27]

I wouldnt get 1440p with a GTX "1055" 😉 Not unless it has G-Sync. You wont be able to push out 60fps on some newer games at that res.

1080p 144Hz would be a more sensible decision if the FX can keep up at 1080p, which it should with that card. 60Hz 1440p would be ok too, and both are probably going to need G-Sync to reduce tear when you cant produce enough frames. Tbh the 1060 3gb is a 1080p/60 card.

I think i've narrowed it down to either the ultra wide or the 2k as i doubt i can reach 144 fps even if i turn down all my settings. However i can probably turn down my settings and reach 1440p/60fps but is that better than an ultrawide?

1440p even at low settings might be a challenge, as settings arent everything when it comes to GPU's. The resolution is far more taxing, and settings usually wont make a huge difference, except maybe AA, but without that it'll look horrible.

I also dont personally like Ultra Wide displays, and you'd probably be better off with the 144Hz 1080p as thats about the most your GPU will be able to handle imo.

What about this monitor?:https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824475001

Its kind of a mix of both as it has the immersion of a 21:9 due to the curve as well as the 144hz refresh rate. The only this is whether or not it would be to big for gaming and if the ppi is high enough.

 

[Multipack]

Well 27" is obviously getting quite big for 1080p but it's a v good monitor and has a 3000:1 contrast ratio so not that far off the top end spec and yeah the curve will be nice. You'd need really high AA with a scrren that size for it to be really good, so that may hold you back with a 1060 3GB but personally I'd rather a slightly bigger screen with slight aliasing than a tiny one that looks sharper. Read up some reviews on it and see what they say. Ideally when buying a monitor it's good to see it in person so you can judge it with your own eye.

 

[Dio27]

Well 27" is obviously getting quite big for 1080p but it's a v good monitor and has a 3000:1 contrast ratio so not that far off the top end spec and yeah the curve will be nice. You'd need really high AA with a scrren that size for it to be really good, so that may hold you back with a 1060 3GB but personally I'd rather a slightly bigger screen with slight aliasing than a tiny one that looks sharper. Read up some reviews on it and see what they say. Ideally when buying a monitor it's good to see it in person so you can judge it with your own eye.

Would you say that highet ppi or higher screen size would be better? For example the 25 inch ultra wide monitor has a ppi of 110 while the 29 inch version has a ppi of 96 which is the same as my current 24 inch 1080p monitor. So i'm just wondering if I should get a bigger monitor or sacrifice size for some more ppi. PS:How much of a difference do you think there is between 95 and 110 ppi?

 

[nikoli707]

i would just get the best 2560x1080 monitor you can get. your 1060 3gb cannot really handle higher resolution.

this one is on sale... $210 after coupon code EMCRBCR29. its still only 60hz but a great price.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?sdtid=9692200&SID=67f73c5cdf8b11e688db0e8fadf098540INT&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16824025112&cm_sp=

otherwise it costs quite a bit more money just to add 15hz getting to 75hz. im not really sure for gaming or overall computing that its worth it for you with a 1060 3gb that is going to already need game settings fine tuned to sustain 60fps anyways at 2560x1080.

 

[Dio27]

i would just get the best 2560x1080 monitor you can get. your 1060 3gb cannot really handle higher resolution.

this one is on sale... $210 after coupon code EMCRBCR29. its still only 60hz but a great price.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?sdtid=9692200&SID=67f73c5cdf8b11e688db0e8fadf098540INT&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16824025112&cm_sp=

otherwise it costs quite a bit more money just to add 15hz getting to 75hz. im not really sure for gaming or overall computing that its worth it for you with a 1060 3gb that is going to already need game settings fine tuned to sustain 60fps anyways at 2560x1080.

Unfortunately I live in Canada so that monitor isn't even available and if it was it would probably cost around $400. But would you recommend higher screen size or higher ppi for an ultra wide?

 

[nikoli707]

well the first lg 25" ips that you looks like a good all around monitor if you want ultrawide.

 

[Firmus]

go for an IPS panel and go for the ultra wide.

but buy the newer and 29". i believe it was LG 29UM58-P or LG 29UM68-P. and make sure to use the HDMI1 if you want it 75hz+, im not sure about the display port variant but i chose the one with HDMI 2.0 for overclocking(this is only based on my experience)

in terms of height/vertical
21:9 25" = 16:9 20"
21:9 29" = 16:9 24"

Ultra wide have huge advantage over 16:9 or any triple monitor set up. specially on MMORPGs, Racing and MOBA. and some FPS but some of the FPS games doesn't support 21:9 so you should be wary of that.

in my opinion since i like games with a lot of cinematics and immersion like The Witcher 3. as well as MMORPG like PSO2 and Moba like DoTa 2.

there difference between 16:9 vs 21:9 is huge. tho i quited on some games that doesnt support 21:9 such as Paladins because they stopped supporting 21:9 displays(u get black bars on right and left side)

 

[xeonox]

To answer your specific question, BOTH are important.
The Refresh rate will give you less blur/screen tear/ lag. its more responsive as the screen "refreshes faster"

The resolution is more of the sharpness/clarity of the picture, the problem here is the higher the resolution the less frames per second you will be getting, so in if the resolution is too high and your GPU (video card) cant handle the graphics you will have low frames per second (fps) therefore it defeats the purpose of having a high refresh rate.

As for the best price point for serious gaming without going too too far overboard, IPS 1440p @ 144 to 165Hz sounds like the holy grail of gaming as of the time of this writing. As video cards and CPU gets better so will the "gaming industry standards/holy grail".

If you do light gaming then go with better image resolution, if its for gaming you should probably find one with both good resolution and refresh rate.

Other things to consider is monitor SIZE and DPI, the bigger the monitor inch size means the less DPI and the more "blurrier" the picture will be if at same resolutions, and scaling will play a factor, but thats a whole other topic. Good luck to your endevours.