Improve gaming experience with a curved disp or a 4k?

[javierdl]

Hi there!
I need to get a monitor. I can afford about $500 CAN. I know it's not much, but then again, with the affordable monitors nowadays, I can see that I could either get a 28" 4k, or a even a 31.5" curved monitor!

Which one should be more fun and a better buy in the long run?

Thanks guys,

 

[volkgren]

High Refresh rate will do the best to improve your gaming experience.

What are your system specs?

 

[k19_window_maker]

usually 4k monitors come with lower refresh rate . depends if you want that 4k or if you prefer higher refresh rate at 1440p

 

[javierdl]

I am so glad I asked. I had not thought about the balance between resolution and refresh rate.
Acer Desktop Predator G3 710, i5-6400 2.70 Ghz, 16 GB ram, GeForce GTX 950, Windows 10

 

[DSzymborski]

Honestly, you don't have the GPU to push 1440p gaming comfortably, let alone a 4k monitor. A GTX 950 is the entry-level GPU from the 2015 900 series and it's pretty strictly a 1080p-at-most GPU.

I wouldn't recommend the curved monitor, either. 1080p gaming does not look good when stretched that large. I personally wouldn't even go to 27" for 1080p gaming.

 

[javierdl]

Sharing from another forum:
By camerongrey
I'm not really a gamer so can't hugely comment on that side of things but it's worth thinking about everything you need the PC for. For example, a 4k display will look great and give you loads of screen space for running multiple applications at the same time, however, ...
read more here https://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php?topic=167294.0#msg977379

 

[DSzymborski]

Sharing from another forum:
By camerongrey
I'm not really a gamer so can't hugely comment on that side of things but it's worth thinking about everything you need the PC for. For example, a 4k display will look great and give you loads of screen space for running multiple applications at the same time, however, ...
read more here https://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php?topic=167294.0#msg977379

Yes 4K looks great and you can run a productivity PC at 4K with a 950. But gaming is a different matter; in most recent games, you'll likely be in single digit FPS at 4k with that GPU. If you're gaming at 4K, you need to be looking at a 1080ti or waiting for the next generation to see whether the 1180/2080 has hit the sweet spot.

 

[javierdl]

Yes 4K looks great and you can run a productivity PC at 4K with a 950. But gaming is a different matter; in most recent games, you'll likely be in single digit FPS at 4k with that GPU. If you're gaming at 4K, you need to be looking at a 1080ti or waiting for the next generation to see whether the 1180/2080 has hit the sweet spot.

Fair enough!
Thank you so much for your input ZIM

 

[javierdl]

Hey, what about getting a 4k monitor, and then just decreasing the resolution in the games, for those that needed it?
I guess I'm still toying with different ideas to get a better grasp of limitations in different scenarios.