Nice gaming monitor(s) or 4K TV?!

[Paintrain84]

So, i'm building a new house and I have a decently sized bonus room upstairs. I want to make an incredible setup and I have a great gaming PC already, with all the consoles etc. but one thing is driving me crazy. I just dont know if I should really sink the $$ into purchasing a really nice ultra wide gaming monitor for my main gaming display or have a beautiful larger 4k TV to game on up there.

I have a great PC with 2x GTX 980Ti's SLI, plenty of horse power and I currently am using the Asus ROG Swift P278Q. I recently bought a new 55' Sony Bravia 4k TV that I love playing my console games on and think often of how nice it would be to play a PC game on but 144hz refresh on this monitor is killer even though it says 120hz on my TV (idk if it would work for gaming that way). Would it be silly to have a TV mounted above my monitor for gaming or should I just go with what I have and maybe get a second or even the new ASUS Rog PG348Q Curved Ultra wide? Its driving me nuts! I love a big tv to play games on but the smoothness of a monitor is great too, any recommendations? I just cant decide!

 

[photonboy]

1) You have a GSYNC monitor so the refresh rate isn't an issue. In fact, it's less of an issue than on a 60Hz panel.

You don't need to use VSYNC and maintain a constant 60FPS to avoid screen tear (VSYNC ON to avoid) and stutter (VSYNC ON but can't maintain 60FPS).

2) Your 120Hz TV comment is confusing. Did you mean 144Hz on the Asus monitor but 120Hz on the Sony 4K HDTV?

I'm not sure what's going on if it's the TV because motion smoothing should still be applied after the 60Hz signal input. So you should be capped at 60FPS if using VSYNC.

Note that you should NEVER use motion smoothing as it adds a lot of latency (it samples several frames, then processes those to create new ones).

3) 4K HDTV requires you to choose either 1080p or 2160p as the resolution. You can't choose 2560x1440 AFAIK which is the perfect size for most people.

4K gives you about HALF the FPS as 2560x1440 but looks about the same, though that varies a lot by the game.

4) 4K HDTV is problematic for content in general as you need to sit closer than 1.5X the diagonal distance to benefit if you have 20/20 vision.

That's closer than SIX FEET for a 48" screen.

And, when you do that normal video looks worse or even downright crappy so you don't want to sit that close unless all you watch is amazing video.

Even 1080p BLURAY artifacts show up at this distance for a lot of titles.

5) Viewing distance for high-res, 16:9 is optimal at roughly 1:1. So about 27" plus or minus depending on preference for a 27" display.

6) Ultrawide - I did a lot of research and then gave up on it because of the lack of gaming support. As well, when I sit about two feet which I find optimal for my 27" (which is about the same height as a 34" ultrawide) I moved my head too much to the left and right as text at the sides is only in my peripheral vision.

Moving back from the monitor defeats the purpose a bit of having such a large monitor so in the end I find 27 to 30", 2560x1440 to be the optimal setup.

So...

*My advice is keep the GSYNC monitor and if you really want something better then WAIT another year of so. What you have is awesome, however we're getting HDR monitors with much better color capability with deeper contrast coming.

Even if HDR is too expensive at first, prices on GSYNC will drop if you want a different monitor.

**I really wouldn't want to game on a 4K HDTV when I could game on a GSYNC monitor. The GSYNC monitor gives a much smoother experience.

At 4K you'd have to maintain about 80FPS average in many games if you want to synch to 60FPS (VSYNC ON to avoid screen tear), but again you'd get about HALF the frame rate at 4K.

At 2560x1440 and GSYNC you can get a great experience with 50FPS average since there's no screen tear issue.

Thus for example with a particular game your FPS might be on ultra settings (especially if no SLI support)->

1440p GSYNC-> 50FPS (fine)

4K-> 25FPS (but need 80FPS)

 

[Hlsgsz]

144Hz and G-Sync is unbeatable. I wouldn;t even think about gaming on the TV.
Plus, your TV most likely doesn't allow 4K or 120HZ imput. It'll only take 1080p 60Hz through HDMI and upscale it to 4k so..

 

[UKRsoldier]

144Hz and G-Sync is unbeatable. I wouldn;t even think about gaming on the TV.
Plus, your TV most likely doesn't allow 4K or 120HZ imput. It'll only take 1080p 60Hz through HDMI and upscale it to 4k so..

He bought a new 4K Bravia tv, so why wouldn't it allow a 4K input via hdmi? But yeah, it's probably limited to 60hz only.

 

[Hlsgsz]

144Hz and G-Sync is unbeatable. I wouldn;t even think about gaming on the TV.
Plus, your TV most likely doesn't allow 4K or 120HZ imput. It'll only take 1080p 60Hz through HDMI and upscale it to 4k so..

He bought a new 4K Bravia tv, so why wouldn't it allow a 4K input via hdmi? But yeah, it's probably limited to 60hz only.

I don't know if the Bravias have HDMI 2.0 and accept 4k, but, even if they do, it'll definitely only be 60Hz as that is teh limit for HDMI 2.0.

 

[Paintrain84]

144Hz and G-Sync is unbeatable. I wouldn;t even think about gaming on the TV.
Plus, your TV most likely doesn't allow 4K or 120HZ imput. It'll only take 1080p 60Hz through HDMI and upscale it to 4k so..

He bought a new 4K Bravia tv, so why wouldn't it allow a 4K input via hdmi? But yeah, it's probably limited to 60hz only.

I believe it is limited to 60hz especially at 4k, I only plugged the PC up to it for a very short time just to see what I would get, and the selections that were available were kind of....weird? Anyway the HZ seemed to be more focused for TV and nothing to do with gaming.

 

[Paintrain84]

1) You have a GSYNC monitor so the refresh rate isn't an issue. In fact, it's less of an issue than on a 60Hz panel.

You don't need to use VSYNC and maintain a constant 60FPS to avoid screen tear (VSYNC ON to avoid) and stutter (VSYNC ON but can't maintain 60FPS).

2) Your 120Hz TV comment is confusing. Did you mean 144Hz on the Asus monitor but 120Hz on the Sony 4K HDTV?

I'm not sure what's going on if it's the TV because motion smoothing should still be applied after the 60Hz signal input. So you should be capped at 60FPS if using VSYNC.

Note that you should NEVER use motion smoothing as it adds a lot of latency (it samples several frames, then processes those to create new ones).

3) 4K HDTV requires you to choose either 1080p or 2160p as the resolution. You can't choose 2560x1440 AFAIK which is the perfect size for most people.

4K gives you about HALF the FPS as 2560x1440 but looks about the same, though that varies a lot by the game.

4) 4K HDTV is problematic for content in general as you need to sit closer than 1.5X the diagonal distance to benefit if you have 20/20 vision.

That's closer than SIX FEET for a 48" screen.

And, when you do that normal video looks worse or even downright crappy so you don't want to sit that close unless all you watch is amazing video.

Even 1080p BLURAY artifacts show up at this distance for a lot of titles.

5) Viewing distance for high-res, 16:9 is optimal at roughly 1:1. So about 27" plus or minus depending on preference for a 27" display.

6) Ultrawide - I did a lot of research and then gave up on it because of the lack of gaming support. As well, when I sit about two feet which I find optimal for my 27" (which is about the same height as a 34" ultrawide) I moved my head too much to the left and right as text at the sides is only in my peripheral vision.

Moving back from the monitor defeats the purpose a bit of having such a large monitor so in the end I find 27 to 30", 2560x1440 to be the optimal setup.

So...

*My advice is keep the GSYNC monitor and if you really want something better then WAIT another year of so. What you have is awesome, however we're getting HDR monitors with much better color capability with deeper contrast coming.

Even if HDR is too expensive at first, prices on GSYNC will drop if you want a different monitor.

**I really wouldn't want to game on a 4K HDTV when I could game on a GSYNC monitor. The GSYNC monitor gives a much smoother experience.

At 4K you'd have to maintain about 80FPS average in many games if you want to synch to 60FPS (VSYNC ON to avoid screen tear), but again you'd get about HALF the frame rate at 4K.

At 2560x1440 and GSYNC you can get a great experience with 50FPS average since there's no screen tear issue.

Thus for example with a particular game your FPS might be on ultra settings (especially if no SLI support)->

1440p GSYNC-> 50FPS (fine)

4K-> 25FPS (but need 80FPS)

Thank you so much for such a detailed answer, I really appreciate the time and effort you took to inform me. I agree on a lot of levels. I think the real reason I question having a TV for gaming is because im not really a huge "twitch" gamer (except maybe when Star Citizen is complete) but I am a big story lover, The Witcher, games like that where they are very cinematic . I think the main reason I consider a TV is because I like the immersive large screen. But this monitor is really nice, I just haven't been able to grasp all of these crazy resolutions with the other details involved like Gsync, aspect ratios with V Sync, HZ etc. I thought about mounting a larger TV above my monitors and maybe switching when I felt like laying back? Idk, but I feel like I lost a lot of functionality by not having two monitors so should I get another ROG swift as a second monitor?

 

[Hlsgsz]

The PG348Q along with the Acer X34 Predator are widely considered to be the best gaming monitors ever made and for good reason: they hit the perfect balance of features: 34" 21:9 1440p 100Hz IPS with G-sync(which is a must!).

 

[Paintrain84]

The PG348Q along with the Acer X34 Predator are widely considered to be the best gaming monitors ever made and for good reason: they hit the perfect balance of features: 34" 21:9 1440p 100Hz IPS with G-sync(which is a must!).

I def considered an ultrawide (I actually have an LG one but its 1080p with Freesync...didnt even know it had that when I bought it lol) but not sure if I want to spend that kind of cash on another monitor if im already using this ROG Swift. What would be the point? I would only use one for gaming right? Be a shame to not use this one

 

[Hlsgsz]

The PG348Q along with the Acer X34 Predator are widely considered to be the best gaming monitors ever made and for good reason: they hit the perfect balance of features: 34" 21:9 1440p 100Hz IPS with G-sync(which is a must!).

I def considered an ultrawide (I actually have an LG one but its 1080p with Freesync...didnt even know it had that when I bought it lol) but not sure if I want to spend that kind of cash on another monitor if im already using this ROG Swift. What would be the point? I would only use one for gaming right? Be a shame to not use this one

Well, i'll just say that if i could afford oen these days, i would get one. And not just for gaming. Ultravwides are awesome for work aswell. It's likne having two 4:3 monitors side by side, but without the nasty bezel

 

[rustigsmed]

Firstly while most brands do not, Sony bravias 4K do play 1080p 120hz natively.
Look up the model at rtings.com for people who want some proof.

you need to update the tv firmware then go to the tv settings and choose - external inputs - choose the correct HDMI port and then choose enhanced format. It also makes it support 4K 60hz at 4:4:4

Input lag is probably the biggest issue for you to consider. It's playable but not a gaming monitor. Playing at 120hz is an improvement over 60hz

 

[Paintrain84]

Firstly while most brands do not, Sony bravias 4K do play 1080p 120hz natively.
Look up the model at rtings.com for people who want some proof.

you need to update the tv firmware then go to the tv settings and choose - external inputs - choose the correct HDMI port and then choose enhanced format. It also makes it support 4K 60hz at 4:4:4

Input lag is probably the biggest issue for you to consider. It's playable but not a gaming monitor. Playing at 120hz is an improvement over 60hz

I didnt know they were native like that, I thought you had to use the image smoothness selection. I wonder why it wouldnt display a menu selection to just choose was HZ you want to use? It just makes you use some weird selection.

 

[rustigsmed]

Firstly while most brands do not, Sony bravias 4K do play 1080p 120hz natively.
Look up the model at rtings.com for people who want some proof.

you need to update the tv firmware then go to the tv settings and choose - external inputs - choose the correct HDMI port and then choose enhanced format. It also makes it support 4K 60hz at 4:4:4

Input lag is probably the biggest issue for you to consider. It's playable but not a gaming monitor. Playing at 120hz is an improvement over 60hz

I didnt know they were native like that, I thought you had to use the image smoothness selection. I wonder why it wouldnt display a menu selection to just choose was HZ you want to use? It just makes you use some weird selection.

its hard to find the proper info because tv companys and 4k tvs in general are full of sooo much marketing BS. websites like rtings are really how we know for sure what tvs can do what. which is a shame esp with the rise of hdmi 2 from gpu's they really have a new market - and have been failing so bad in exploiting it with the benefits that tvs do actually have.

a lot of the newer tvs are quite capable - especially the sonys when it comes to resolution and hz (without interpolation or judder) - samsungs for example require interpolation on 60hz playback (and sometimes 24 and 30 as well to avoid judder).

you would be right on a lot of tvs, but this is not the case with the newer sony models.
you need to make sure also that you are in game mode (pc mode is acceptable as well but has a slightly slower input lag).as it removes processing and interpolation. also set up your nvidia control panel to go wide colour gamut either through rgb (and wide colour gamut) or YCbCr 4:4:4 (similar but i found going the YCbCr that it would switch off when going 1080 120fps).

anyway good luck i'm not saying the tv is better just trying to provide factual information with what it can do, which is a lot more than was possible a couple of years ago, the biggest issue now is really only input lag - which isn't so terrible unless you are super competitive in first person shooters.i play star wars battlefront on the couch with a controller and get between 20-30 kills a go, while im not breaking any records it demonstrates that it is playable.

again you should read the review of your tv on rtings.com make sure you have the right model as it does vary in the older ones.