Monitor Upgrade for Casual Gaming on a Radeon RX 580 4GB - Deciding Between Refresh Rates

[achtung_kid]

Hi All!

I am currently using a 5 year old 24" Asus 1080p 60Hz monitor for gaming. It was not a high end gaming model or anything to begin with. I am looking at upgrading my monitor because a) I want to go to a 27" model and b) I want to take better advantage of the RX580 4GB card that I bought last year. I mostly play RPG and RTS games and I am looking to get the best bang for buck with my purchase - I don't believe I want to spend more than 300$ CAD before tax. As for future proofing, I am entering my late 20s and to be honest, I don't know how much gaming I will be doing once I enter my 30s, so I don't feel a strong need to ensure this monitor needs to be able to support a subsequent rig/graphics card upgrade.

My relevant system specs:

OC'd Core i5-2500k at 3.8GHz
Gigabyte Radeon RX580 4GB
8GB DDR3 RAM

I have taken a variety of factors into my decision and wanted to run them by the community to help me make a final decision. Here are the different parameters I have looked at and where I stand on my decision for each one.

1) Refresh Rate: ? - This is where I am a little confused. I can't decide whether to go with a 75Hz Freesync monitor (~250$ CAD), 144Hz (~325$) or 144Hz Freesync (~$350). Is the 144Hz worth the extra money? Will the RX 580 that I have be able to sustain high enough frame rates to justify 144Hz? Is Freesync more important than maximum refresh rate? Any feedback on this is really what I am looking for.

2) Resolution: 1080P - I don't believe the 4GB RX580 will have the chops to game at 1440p based on the reviews I read. I also plan on using this setup for at least 2-3 years for casual gaming and I really don't think it will be able to sustain good performance at 1440 for games that come out in the next year or two.

3) Response Time: 4ms or 5ms From everything I have looked at, the gain in noticeable performance from 4/5ms to 1ms is negligible and that Motion Blur reduction technology in monitors do a good enough job of making the gap even less noticable, so I don't think I need 1ms response.

4) Size: 27" - I want to upgrade for size and given desk space etc. I don't feel as though I need anything bigger than 27".

Here are the best examples of monitors that I have found on Newegg.ca:
75Hz Freesync: https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824025552
144Hz: https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824112040
144Hz Freesync: https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116871CVF

Please feel free to disagree if you feel there my conclusions on any of these parameters are not correct! And of course - any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

 

[SkyBill40]

Once a gamer, always a gamer. I'll be 44 this year and I still play (much to my wife's dismay). You just need to balance your hobby and your regular responsibilities.

As for the recommendation you're after, bear in mind that it's going to be somewhat subjective. That said, here's what I would say:

Refresh: Get the fastest refresh Freesync monitor you can afford. Why? Because you never know if you will upgrade your card at some point just because or should it die. Better to have the extra refresh and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Resolution: You're pretty spot on about this one. Sticking with 1080p would probably be your best bet.

Response: The lower the better. Though, as mentioned, you're not likely to notice a significant difference between 4/5ms and 1ms.

Size: If you're going to stick with 1080p, there's no sense in moving to a 27" as the pixel density won't be as tight and thus images won't be as sharp. The closer you look, the more you'll notice. Then again, you may not see a visible difference in sharpness and/or perhaps it won't matter all that much to you personally.

Something that you didn't mention is the panel type. There's three popular ones: TN, IPS, and AH-VA. Each has pros and cons such as off angle viewing and color reproduction. Only by sitting in front of one and getting to experience each will you be able to decide what looks best to you.

 

[achtung_kid]

Once a gamer, always a gamer. I'll be 44 this year and I still play (much to my wife's dismay). You just need to balance your hobby and your regular responsibilities.

As for the recommendation you're after, bear in mind that it's going to be somewhat subjective. That said, here's what I would say:

Refresh: Get the fastest refresh Freesync monitor you can afford. Why? Because you never know if you will upgrade your card at some point just because or should it die. Better to have the extra refresh and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Resolution: You're pretty spot on about this one. Sticking with 1080p would probably be your best bet.

Response: The lower the better. Though, as mentioned, you're not likely to notice a significant difference between 4/5ms and 1ms.

Size: If you're going to stick with 1080p, there's no sense in moving to a 27" as the pixel density won't be as tight and thus images won't be as sharp. The closer you look, the more you'll notice. Then again, you may not see a visible difference in sharpness and/or perhaps it won't matter all that much to you personally.

Something that you didn't mention is the panel type. There's three popular ones: TN, IPS, and AH-VA. Each has pros and cons such as off angle viewing and color reproduction. Only by sitting in front of one and getting to experience each will you be able to decide what looks best to you.

This was an excellent answer. Thank you very much! I will go in store to see the difference between the same monitor at 24" & 27" as well as to check the differences between TN, IPS & VA. I know colour depth goes VA > IPS > TN and response goes TN > IPS > VA. Viewing angle shouldn't be an issue given my setup. But regardless, thank you again for your detailed answer!

 

[SkyBill40]

No worries. Good luck.

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