Ignorant to monitors. Written an essay. Need educating.

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syrus123

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Hello.

I am currently in the process of giving my system a little upgrade and am deciding which GPU to buy (it's a shoot-out between an R9 390X and a GTX 980). I am also contemplating a new monitor which has decent gaming performance but find monitor tech' and the choices available rather confusing so i have a few questions for you all regarding my current, and perhaps future, display.

I will be playing open world/open world fps games like FarCry 4, The Forest, GTA, Minecraft and The Witcher. I also like the ocassional simulator or RTS. I will also use a console on the display.

Current display
My current display is a Samsung SyncMaster 2333HD which i think is one of those mediocre 'do all' type of displays. I am currently playing The Forest at 1080p which according to Fraps was running at a steady 35fps. If my current display is 60mhz, why am i getting terrible multiple screen tears at once? It's my understanding that tearing occurs when a screen can't keep up with the GPU. Surely if my screen is 60mhz then it should keep up with 35fps? Am i not understanding the relationship between display refresh and the FPS output of the GPU?

Future display
I wouldn't mind getting a monitor that gives me the option of 1440p in the very near future. I think i'm right in thinking that both the R9 390X and GTX 980 should be able to acheive this.

Does open world gaming benefit from 1440p?

Which is king....FPS or res?

Which would be better, 120mhz or 144? Am i right in thinking that you need Mhz headroom to minimise tearing? Won't that create stuttering though if the card can't keep up with the display? Again, am i not grasping the relationship between output FPS and display refresh?

Is Nvidia's Gsync worth the extra price premium?

The vibrant colour reproduction of IPS panel or the refresh of a TN? (Bearing in mind the games i play).

Do IPS panels still suffer input lag and blurring/ghosting?

Any recommedations of which monitor(s) to buy at varying price points?


Many thanks for replies.





 
Solution
Basically, 1440p is quite a huge upgrade from 1080p. It does not matter for which game.
27" is the ideal size for 1440p.
Just make sure you upgrade the GPU too. GTX980 is not nice or not considered as the best buy, it is better to get GTX970 for budget solution or GTX980Ti. (equivalent from AMD will do too)

120Hz and 144Hz do not have big difference in my eyes.

As for IPS, IPS today can go 144Hz too e.g. Acer XB270HU and ASUS MG278q. You have both IPS benefits like viewing angle, excellent color+contrast reproduction, etc. and the speed very near to 144Hz TN.
There is no ghosting or whatsoever on 144Hz IPS :)
144Hz IPS is expensive but worth every penny in my opinion. (I am not talking about you GSync!)
For gaming fps/refresh rate...
Basically, 1440p is quite a huge upgrade from 1080p. It does not matter for which game.
27" is the ideal size for 1440p.
Just make sure you upgrade the GPU too. GTX980 is not nice or not considered as the best buy, it is better to get GTX970 for budget solution or GTX980Ti. (equivalent from AMD will do too)

120Hz and 144Hz do not have big difference in my eyes.

As for IPS, IPS today can go 144Hz too e.g. Acer XB270HU and ASUS MG278q. You have both IPS benefits like viewing angle, excellent color+contrast reproduction, etc. and the speed very near to 144Hz TN.
There is no ghosting or whatsoever on 144Hz IPS :)
144Hz IPS is expensive but worth every penny in my opinion. (I am not talking about you GSync!)
For gaming fps/refresh rate (TN) is king for video editing/watching color+contrast (IPS) is king.
With 144Hz IPS, you have 2 kings.
I have XB270HU, if you wanna know.

Monitor refresh rate is the max fps, which the monitor can display. The real fps is still depending on the GPU.

GSync is not really worth the money for now but it is really a good technology. Get if you want it bad and can afford it, otherwise just go with 144Hz monitor.
On 144Hz, the screen tearing are not noticeable and, on monitor with GSync/FreeSync, no tearing at all.
No need to pay premium price to get complete free from tearing if you can get non-noticeable tearing.
Tearings are really noticeable on 60Hz monitors, try to get rid of the tearing using VSync, adaptive VSync and/or triple buffering.
Tearing will be always there if the GPU and monitor are running unsynchronized, it does not matter which one is faster.
Tearing are more frequently or have more probability plus more noticeable if the GPU is faster than the monitor, this is why 60Hz monitor has the bigger issue.
On 144Hz monitor, the tearing is not noticeable.

Stuttering can be caused by the game itself, by your GPU+proc if they are not strong enough, but can also caused by having VSync active and your fps falls below the screen refresh rate.
Deactivate VSync and the stutters should be gone.

GSync (nVidia) and FreeSync (AMD) depends on your GPU selection, both are the ultimate solution to screen tearing.
FreeSync monitor is quite noticeable cheaper than GSync.

No ghosting, no noticeable input lag or whatsoever on 144Hz IPS.

The best available monitor with Gsync are XB270HU and PG278Q. Both are in €700-€800 price level.
 
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