Inexperienced user seeks advice on 24" or 27" monitor for gaming, is 2056x1440 required?

[MrBlackandWhite]

Hello. I am building a Gaming PC and wondered if someone could possibly give me your thoughts on screen size/resolution refresh rate etc. Here is my build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£157.38 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£22.90 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£105.59 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£74.00)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£82.95 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.98 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (£319.98 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Cooler Master 690 III ATX Mid Tower Case (£73.60 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£94.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£12.58 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£80.46 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor (£258.29 @ Scan.co.uk)
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard (£104.00)
Mouse: ROCCAT Kone XTD Wired Laser Mouse (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Mouse: ROCCAT Kone Pure Military Wired Optical Mouse (£50.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1547.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-03 13:06 BST+0100

So the choices for the 24, I have more or less made my mind up with the Asus VG248QE

I will mostly be playing BF4 maybe some other fps games, not using it for photo related stuff or much video.

I really would like to go with a 27" screen and if so would be sat approx 1metre away from it or slightly more if neccessary. However, several comments have been made on these forums that 27" would be a waste of money unless it is a higher than 1080p res, eg 2560x1440

I dont want to spend too much on a monitor at the moment, primarily becuase I think shortly we may be seeing more g-sync and hopefully (fingers crossed) freesync monitors coming onto the market. I dont want to spend £500 pounds on a montor to then have to replace it in 2 years or so.

I look forward to your replies. Many thanks indeed in advance!

 

[legend001523]

I would go 1080p, your card can go well on 1440p, but you'll get higer fps on 1080p and I prefer 24'', but if you're far away a 27'' might be better

 

[oxiide]

I really would like to go with a 27" screen and if so would be sat approx 1metre away from it or slightly more if neccessary. However, several comments have been made on these forums that 27" would be a waste of money unless it is a higher than 1080p res, eg 2560x1440

The concern is that on a 1080p monitor at 27", the pixels are going to be larger and coarser and more obvious. Pixel density is better the more pixels you cram into smaller physical dimensions.

But if that doesn't sound important to you, or you don't think you'd be bothered by it, then by all means get the one you like best. I do recommend going to an electronics store and taking a look at a 1080p/27" display in person before you buy, though.

 

[ss202sl]

Go to a store that has them on display, and look at them from a meter away. Everybody's eyes are a little different, and the only sure way is to look at them with your own eyes, and make the decision for yourself.

 

[MrBlackandWhite]

Hi guys thank you for your input. there are no stores nearby i.e. less than 2-3hrs driving distance away. I dont really like the idea of ordering on the internet but I may have to.

 

[RobCrezz]

Having moved to 27" 1440p recently my self, I say go for it. Honestly, 1080p looks crap next to 1440p.

 

[sora]

Having moved to 27" 1440p recently my self, I say go for it. Honestly, 1080p looks crap next to 1440p.

True, but 1080p isn't too bad at all.

 

[MrBlackandWhite]

Hi thanks for everyones advice! I am going with 24" but not even sure whether my build could utilise the 144hz in BF4 on ultra settings and get high enough frame rates

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Hi thanks for everyones advice! I am going with 24" but not even sure whether my build could utilise the 144hz in BF4 on ultra settings and get high enough frame rates

This may help:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290-review-benchmark,3659-6.html

BF4 should be easy enough at 1440p; some other games may not fare so well, but this is more down to bad optimisation than anything else.

 

[MrBlackandWhite]

Hello Mr bicycle repair man! Thank you for the link! Having read that it would appear it would probably also be pointless buying the 144hz asus as the 290 only got to 66ish fps at 1080p

Maybe it would be worth going with the Asus 144hz monitor if I dropped BF4 settings to high rather than ultra. No data about high settings in your link unfortunately.

What do you think?

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

A 60Hz monitor at 1440p does make sense, given that few games will run at more than 60 fps at that resolution. If you plan to Crossfire the R9 290, then you may want to stick with a 144Hz monitor.

I guess the question you need to ask yourself is do you want higher frame rates or higher resolution? Personally, I'd be happy with a maximum of 60 fps and would go for a higher resolution, but that's my choice.

 

[oxiide]

Hi thanks for everyones advice! I am going with 24" but not even sure whether my build could utilise the 144hz in BF4 on ultra settings and get high enough frame rates

Based on my own experiences with a slower GTX 770, I think your R9 290 at 1080p in BF4 will be over 60 FPS much of the time. No, not 144 FPS, but I'm thinking 60-90. And as long as you're over 60, you're getting value from that fast refresh rate. Its an AMD-sponsored title and Hawaii cards really shine in it.

And I think its worth mentioning that many games will run better than BF4.

 

[legend001523]

I would say a 60hz will be fine, a r9 290 will roughly get 40-60fps on most games on ultra, so you won't be getting any advantage by getting a 144hz when you can only display up to 65fps ish

 

[MrBlackandWhite]

Hi Legend, yes kind of makes sense but when I overclock I may see 70-80fps on ultra. Neverthless I may well crossfire in the future if neccassary so it would be nice to have the option of higher fps which will give me a smoother picture on the 144hz. Or Perhaps lower the grahpics settings in game to see if a smoother (higher fps/higherrefresh rate) is nicer than playing the game with ultra.

Think I will go with the Asus 144hz :/

 

[legend001523]

sound sgood

 

[deadsmoke84]

1440p or 1080p is a matter of preference. 1080p might get you better fps, while 1440p might look better. the 144 Hz monitor on your parts list is good enough for the rig your building. also if you go into your graphics card properties menu you can change the refresh rate.

 

[RobCrezz]

Its worth bearing in mind that at 1440p you really dont need to use as much AA if it all.

i.e 1440p with 2x MSAA looks way better than 1080p with 8x MSAA

 

[MrBlackandWhite]

Helo Rob

AA= anti aliasing?

2xMSAA?

Sorry I'm a noob

 

[oxiide]

Helo Rob

AA= anti aliasing?

2xMSAA?

Sorry I'm a noob

Yes, AA is anti-aliasing. MSAA is multi-sample anti-aliasing, not that that makes a difference.

Rob's point is that 1440p will have better pixel density (smaller pixels) than 1080p, making jagged, aliased edges less noticeable. You should be able to use lower AA settings, use cheaper effects like FXAA or SMAA, or turn it off entirely in some games.

 

[James Mason]

Having moved to 27" 1440p recently my self, I say go for it. Honestly, 1080p looks crap next to 1440p.

and your 1440p looks like crap compared to the 1600P i was using from 6 years ago.

@OP, stick with 1080P, you'll get better performance, but also go with the 24", as it will make it easier to add a 2nd monitor later.

Once you have 2 monitors you won't go back.

 

[MrBlackandWhite]

oki doki sounds like fun :/

I perhaps should elaborate? I played half life 20+ years ago . I now feel incredibly old having outed myslf

I am literally commng back to 's having not really touched computers since then. Yes thats right! No smart phone, no pc or laptop, infact not much technology for a long time. No I have not been in jail

the last OS i have had exprience with is Win 98e. So please be gentle!

PS I have just taken reciept of an Asus vg248qe

Many thhanks indeed!!

Please bear in mind, this build is not finished, not close! I am finding it difficult to say the least..

Bearing lso in mind I have playd the xbox 360 someyears ago. I really am not familiar with the current lingo re comps/consoles

 

[RobCrezz]

Having moved to 27" 1440p recently my self, I say go for it. Honestly, 1080p looks crap next to 1440p.

and your 1440p looks like crap compared to the 1600P i was using from 6 years ago.

@OP, stick with 1080P, you'll get better performance, but also go with the 24", as it will make it easier to add a 2nd monitor later.

Once you have 2 monitors you won't go back.

Not really though. 1440p to 1600p is hardly noticable, its just 16:9 to 16:10.

1080p: 2073600 pixels
1440p: 3686400 pixels
1600p: 4096000 pixels

Not really the same difference is it.