[SOLVED] Upgrading to 1440p and 144 Mhz Monitor

Jan 3, 2021
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0
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Built my pc some years ago and have only upgraded my graphics card (gts 450 to gtx 1070). Unfortunately, I'm not ready to drop a couple grand on a whole new set up right now. I am comfortable spending a couple hundred on minimal upgrades, mainly just increasing RAM. I'm using an Asus VN247 monitor and looking to switch to the LG 27GN850-B. I feel like going to 1440p and 144hz with the below specs will overwork it? Nothing is OC. Mainly playing Apex, occasionally ESO, The Witcher.

MB: Asus Z87- plus
CPU: i7-4770k
GPU: Asus Dual GTX 1070
RAM: 8GB Corsair Dominator Platinum 1866MHz (2x4GB)
PSU: Seasonic Focus plus 650W gold

I know the CPU is fairly old but feel like my RAM is the bigger bottleneck. Is it worth getting the monitor? Both monitor and RAM? Or just wait for a whole new build?
 
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Solution
That's not a 1440p monitor, that's an ultrawide that's 3440x1440. No way your current configuration will support that, unless you are willing to make SIGNIFICANT reductions to the in game quality settings.

1440p is 2560x1440. That ultrawide has about 34% more pixels to drive. Your RAM is definitely NOT the bottleneck driving a 3440x1440 display, or even a 2560x1440 display for that matter. That GTX 1070 is the biggest bottleneck there.

With a significant reduction in quality settings, to maybe high or some combination of medium and high, depending on the game, THEN your CPU and memory may start to become the bottleneck. 8GB of RAM is definitely low for a modern system, but I really have a hard time recommending that you spend the...
I'd wait for a whole new build. Getting more than 8GB of RAM would definitely help increase the FPS a little but the 1070 won't reach past anywhere close to 144FPS at 1440p on witcher or ESO. Even my 2080 Ti struggles to keep above 100 (granted I have a bunch of mods), though Apex is well optimized so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch. But then that's what you'll have to rely on if you get a 1440p monitor with a 1070... that the game is optimized. Though I will say it's worth the upgrade going from 1080p 60Hz to 1440p 144Hz - it's the sweet spot in gaming.

Conclusion, wait a little longer to upgrade. a 5700XT, rtx 2070, or 3060Ti are current top low budget 1440p gaming cards to upgrade to. But I highly recommend you upgrade everything else before ascending higher in glorious PC gaming.
 
That's not a 1440p monitor, that's an ultrawide that's 3440x1440. No way your current configuration will support that, unless you are willing to make SIGNIFICANT reductions to the in game quality settings.

1440p is 2560x1440. That ultrawide has about 34% more pixels to drive. Your RAM is definitely NOT the bottleneck driving a 3440x1440 display, or even a 2560x1440 display for that matter. That GTX 1070 is the biggest bottleneck there.

With a significant reduction in quality settings, to maybe high or some combination of medium and high, depending on the game, THEN your CPU and memory may start to become the bottleneck. 8GB of RAM is definitely low for a modern system, but I really have a hard time recommending that you spend the money on it unless you can get a 16GB kit for fairly cheap. It's probably money that would be a lot better spent going towards a newer platform. That not being possible, then sure, it would help, IF you lower the settings.

I'd forget about that display though. It's HORRIFICALLY expensive anyhow. If you want a 1440p display, I'd look at this instead. An EXCELLENT display. I have three. You cannot go wrong for the price and it supports both G-sync and Freesync.

PCPartPicker Part List

Monitor: LG 32GK650F-B 32.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor ($368.00 @ B&H)
Total: $368.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-03 23:36 EST-0500



Review:

 
Solution
Jan 3, 2021
6
0
10
That's not a 1440p monitor, that's an ultrawide that's 3440x1440. No way your current configuration will support that, unless you are willing to make SIGNIFICANT reductions to the in game quality settings.

1440p is 2560x1440. That ultrawide has about 34% more pixels to drive. Your RAM is definitely NOT the bottleneck driving a 3440x1440 display, or even a 2560x1440 display for that matter. That GTX 1070 is the biggest bottleneck there.

With a significant reduction in quality settings, to maybe high or some combination of medium and high, depending on the game, THEN your CPU and memory may start to become the bottleneck. 8GB of RAM is definitely low for a modern system, but I really have a hard time recommending that you spend the money on it unless you can get a 16GB kit for fairly cheap. It's probably money that would be a lot better spent going towards a newer platform. That not being possible, then sure, it would help, IF you lower the settings.

I'd forget about that display though. It's HORRIFICALLY expensive anyhow. If you want a 1440p display, I'd look at this instead. An EXCELLENT display. I have three. You cannot go wrong for the price and it supports both G-sync and Freesync.

PCPartPicker Part List

Monitor: LG 32GK650F-B 32.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor ($368.00 @ B&H)
Total: $368.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-01-03 23:36 EST-0500



Review:

Sorry I listed the wrong monitor, it's the LG 27GN850-B. Either way, I think I'm going to wait. Thanks for the advice.
 

Fiorezy

Notable
Jul 3, 2020
376
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If you go to 1440p, your GPU will hold you back especially in newer games even on 60Hz unless you play on a lower preset so it is not worth it to be fair, and if you upgrade to 1080p 144Hz, your CPU will be a bottleneck. However, the best upgrade that you can do right now is getting another 2x4GB Dominator Platinum 1866MHz and maybe an SSD if you don't have one.
 
You won't get a significant performance increase with just a RAM upgrade. Save your money for a full new build.
What drive(s) are you using? ...HDD or SSD?

If you want to find out where the bottleneck is, run HWiNFO64 (sensors only, logging on) in the background while you game for at least 20 mins. In the logs, look at the CPU, RAM, GPU, drives, etc. to see if any of those components are consistently at 97+% (doesn't need to be 100).