[SOLVED] Would 1440p be worth it with my PC?

[davidla553]

I have an HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Desktop Intel Core i5-4570 . Currently using an HP 25es monitor with a display port to HDMI adapter 1920x1080. My vision's not the best, and would like to have optimum monitor display (within reasonable $$). Currently pondering a
Acer V277U 27" LED LCD Monitor, which gets good reviews as budge 1440p monitor.
My question: could my current PC make use of 1440p, or would it not be an appreciable improvement?
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Dj0gany]

It should support 1440p 60Hz through displayport.

 

[hang-the-9]

I have an HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Desktop Intel Core i5-4570 . Currently using an HP 25es monitor with a display port to HDMI adapter 1920x1080. My vision's not the best, and would like to have optimum monitor display (within reasonable $$). Currently pondering a
Acer V277U 27" LED LCD Monitor, which gets good reviews as budge 1440p monitor.
My question: could my current PC make use of 1440p, or would it not be an appreciable improvement?
Thanks for any advice.

Vision not the best meaning you have a hard time seeing small text? A higher resolution monitor would make that worse as the text is smaller with the smaller pixels. You would need to set the scaling on it to 150% or higher to have the same size text as you would on a 1080. Windows and other things will look pretty sharp on it.

That HP monitor is perfectly fine to use, I have a version of that in 22" that is pretty good. What exactly are you looking to improve?

 

[robertbhart]

A lot is misunderstood about resolution.

There is a common misconception that a higher resolution means a more detailed image. The reality is far more complicated.

Take the DCI movie files used by theaters. These have bitrate of up to 250mbps regardless if they are output in 2k or 4k. In other words, a 4k movie at the theater has no more detail than a 2K one.

The point of 4K at the theater was to allow people to sit closer to larger screens before the pixel grid became visible. That is it.

A UHD Blu Ray is more detailed (than a 1080p Blu Ray) not because of the higher res but because it uses less compression. A UHD Blu Ray has a bit rate up 100mbps - way less than half the detail of 2k movie at the theater but over twice the size of a 1080p Blu Ray (up to 40mbps). 4k Netflix is 25mbps (on a good day) which is why it's a waste of money..

As a general point, a monitor or TV resolution should match native res of the majority of the content you watch. For 1080p content, 1440p would be a bad idea because scaling creates a softer image.

A lot of PC games allow you change the internal rendering to match your display but, IMO, the jump from 1080p to 1440p is not massively noticeable (especially on a tiny 27" LCD monitor).

I found far more benefit in increasing the framerate. Doubling the frame rate from 60hz to 120hz makes a far more noticeable difference to the perceived detail than the jump from 1080p tp 4k (or 1440p).

The concept of "motion resolution" is worth reading up on too. Basically, LCD is the worst display tech ever made. At the cheaper end of the market a lot of the 1080p and 4k models look like 360p on moving scenes.

If you have the cash, I highly recommend getting one of the LG CX series Oled TVs instead (if a superior image is the goal). There is no LCD display that can get anywhere near the contrast or pixel response time of an Oled display. The new CX series is superb for gaming.

 

[Endre]

I have an HP EliteDesk 800 G1 Desktop Intel Core i5-4570 . Currently using an HP 25es monitor with a display port to HDMI adapter 1920x1080. My vision's not the best, and would like to have optimum monitor display (within reasonable $$). Currently pondering a
Acer V277U 27" LED LCD Monitor, which gets good reviews as budge 1440p monitor.
My question: could my current PC make use of 1440p, or would it not be an appreciable improvement?
Thanks for any advice.

People have different opinions on this.
I’ll give you mine:
If you read a lot of text on your monitor, then the higher the resolution, the better!

For instance, I use a 27” 4K monitor with scaling set at 200%.
The image is extremely clear, I’d never go back to 1080p!

But keep in mind that:

1. Higher resolutions require a better GPU for gaming.
2. Not every program scales well in Windows (you’ll need newer versions).

 

[davidla553]

People have different opinions on this.
I’ll give you mine:
If you read a lot of text on your monitor, then the higher the resolution, the better!

For instance, I use a 27” 4K monitor with scaling set at 200%.
The image is extremely clear, I’d never go back to 1080p!

But keep in mind that:

1. Higher resolutions require a better GPU for gaming.
2. Not every program scales well in Windows (you’ll need newer versions).

Thanks very much for the input. I don't play games, so my sole interest is clarity of text.
I don't know much about GPUs, so I don't know if the GPU build into the CPU, or wherever it is in this box, is robust enough to drive a 1440p monitor to make a difference.

 

[davidla553]

Vision not the best meaning you have a hard time seeing small text? A higher resolution monitor would make that worse as the text is smaller with the smaller pixels. You would need to set the scaling on it to 150% or higher to have the same size text as you would on a 1080. Windows and other things will look pretty sharp on it.

That HP monitor is perfectly fine to use, I have a version of that in 22" that is pretty good. What exactly are you looking to improve?

Thanks for the reply. That helps me grasp the concept.

 

[davidla553]

A lot is misunderstood about resolution.

There is a common misconception that a higher resolution means a more detailed image. The reality is far more complicated.

Take the DCI movie files used by theaters. These have bitrate of up to 250mbps regardless if they are output in 2k or 4k. In other words, a 4k movie at the theater has no more detail than a 2K one.

The point of 4K at the theater was to allow people to sit closer to larger screens before the pixel grid became visible. That is it.

A UHD Blu Ray is more detailed (than a 1080p Blu Ray) not because of the higher res but because it uses less compression. A UHD Blu Ray has a bit rate up 100mbps - way less than half the detail of 2k movie at the theater but over twice the size of a 1080p Blu Ray (up to 40mbps). 4k Netflix is 25mbps (on a good day) which is why it's a waste of money..

As a general point, a monitor or TV resolution should match native res of the majority of the content you watch. For 1080p content, 1440p would be a bad idea because scaling creates a softer image.

A lot of PC games allow you change the internal rendering to match your display but, IMO, the jump from 1080p to 1440p is not massively noticeable (especially on a tiny 27" LCD monitor).

I found far more benefit in increasing the framerate. Doubling the frame rate from 60hz to 120hz makes a far more noticeable difference to the perceived detail than the jump from 1080p tp 4k (or 1440p).

The concept of "motion resolution" is worth reading up on too. Basically, LCD is the worst display tech ever made. At the cheaper end of the market a lot of the 1080p and 4k models look like 360p on moving scenes.

If you have the cash, I highly recommend getting one of the LG CX series Oled TVs instead (if a superior image is the goal). There is no LCD display that can get anywhere near the contrast or pixel response time of an Oled display. The new CX series is superb for gaming.

Thanks for the response. I'm not interested in games, just crisp text, so I'm not sure a TV is the way to go.

 

[Endre]

Thanks very much for the input. I don't play games, so my sole interest is clarity of text.
I don't know much about GPUs, so I don't know if the GPU build into the CPU, or wherever it is in this box, is robust enough to drive a 1440p monitor to make a difference.

Thanks very much for the input. I don't play games, so my sole interest is clarity of text.
I don't know much about GPUs, so I don't know if the GPU build into the CPU, or wherever it is in this box, is robust enough to drive a 1440p monitor to make a difference.

Alright!
I think the same way.
But if you’re using the iGPU of your CPU instead of a discrete graphics card, please search for the specs of you CPU to see if it can handle 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) at 60Hz!

 

[Windows22]

Alright!
I think the same way.
But if you’re using the iGPU of your CPU instead of a discrete graphics card, please search for the specs of you CPU to see if it can handle 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) at 60Hz!

Good clarification, the specs are important any day.

 

[davidla553]

Alright!
I think the same way.
But if you’re using the iGPU of your CPU instead of a discrete graphics card, please search for the specs of you CPU to see if it can handle 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) at 60Hz!

HP says supports through Display Port:

2560 x 1600​

60 Hz​

Seems like that should handle 1440p monitor, right?

 

[punkncat]

Intel® Core™ i5-4570 Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz) Product Specifications

Look down to the processor graphics info. The specific resolution you are asking about isn't listed, but others that are close are rated at 60hz.

 

[davidla553]

Intel® Core™ i5-4570 Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz) Product Specifications

Look down to the processor graphics info. The specific resolution you are asking about isn't listed, but others that are close are rated at 60hz.

Cool! Thanks for the link. Looks like it should handle 3840x2160@60Hz through the Display Port.

 

[itsdigger]

Maybe you just need to change to high contrast mode in Windows..

 

[punkncat]

Cool! Thanks for the link. Looks like it should handle 3840x2160@60Hz through the Display Port.

In my own case, I am also dealing with eyesight. It happens as we age, ;/

I have been using a 27" 1080P monitor for years. It's contrast is a bit crappy due to the size, and of course going larger makes it worse. I opted to stay 27" but move up to 2K and am hoping that I can make adjustments to scaling and text size to make work easier without glasses on (that I don't need for not reading). I tend to agree in large part with some of the argument made above about said.

Let's hope we can alleviate some eye strain.

 

[LolaGT]

I've been on a 27" 1080p for years. Higher res isn't going to help, a bigger screen will.
I switched to a 32" 1440p, that didn't make any change, in fact without doing anything else it was unusable compared to the previous display. What that allows is for one to scale up everything on the screen without losing real estate on the desktop, and without losing any sharpness.
That makes the improvement.
A 27" from a 25" is going to be negligible.

 

[Endre]

HP says supports through Display Port:

2560 x 1600​

60 Hz​

Seems like that should handle 1440p monitor, right?

That’s correct!
It can’t handle 4K resolution, but it can handle 2K resolutions:
2560 x 1600 @60Hz (AR 16:10);
2560 x 1440 @60Hz (AR 16:9).

 

[robertbhart]

In my own case, I am also dealing with eyesight. It happens as we age, ;/

I have been using a 27" 1080P monitor for years. It's contrast is a bit crappy due to the size, and of course going larger makes it worse. I opted to stay 27" but move up to 2K and am hoping that I can make adjustments to scaling and text size to make work easier without glasses on (that I don't need for not reading). I tend to agree in large part with some of the argument made above about said.

Let's hope we can alleviate some eye strain.

Contrast has little to do with size or resolution. It's most impacted by the type of display and the panel design.

CRT, Plasma and Oled are capable of significantly better contrast than LCD because they light pixels individually and the phosphor glow is the actual light source. One group of pixels can be brightly lit while the ones next to it can be left off creating the potential for excellent real world contrast.

LCD uses backlights instead of lighting phosphor pixels individually. This makes it impossible to produce super bright areas next to pitch black ones without light bleeding over, blurring edges and washing out the image. Later models have improved blacks by adding dark filters but they're still inferior.

I don't believe any of the above will help with age-related eye strain though. Going up in resolution usually makes text smaller unless you change the font size. I struggle to read text on my 77" 4K Oled because it's so small. I had no issues on the similar size 1080p display I used before.

If you can't read text, step 1 is increase the font size in Windows. If that doesn't help, make an appointment at the optician to get stronger glasses.

If the eye strain is in the form of headaches from staring at the screen, try turning down the brightness and / or using Window's high contrast mode. This basically flips the colors so you're reading white text over a black background instead of the usual black on white.

If you park the eye-strain issue and say you simply want to treat yourself to a nicer monitor (there nothing wrong with that). Moving to a 1080p (or 4k ) 120hz will produce better results IMO than going from 1080p 60hz to 1440p 60hz. This applies equally to text reading applications as it does to graphics.

If you want to see for yourself the effect of raising the framerate, try lowering it on your current monitor from 1080p 60hz to 1080p 30hz. Then try reading text. You'll notice immediately that it's blurry by comparison. You'll get a similar improvement going from 60hz to 120hz.

Above all, go see a monitor in person before buying if possible. For all the general advice you'll get here, each monitor is different and there's only one way to tell what works best for you....

 

[punkncat]

Contrast has little to do with size or resolution. It's most impacted by the type of display and the panel design.

I think I meant to say sharpness. That "fuzzy" look you get when you stretch 1080P past 24". Lack of pixel density at that resolution and close distance.

I find a 27" 1080 to be quite acceptable to work on, but it does lead into issue on some pages not being able to see the whole page in a split view, and some of the portals I have to utilize for work simply won't do on a 1080 split, it requires the full screen.
Of no doubt that in my own case I will be adjusting scaling and font size to make the most of the new found real estate.

As far as glasses...yeah...PITA. My eyesight is still very good at arms length and beyond. I have readers which work well for something about 2' away. My monitor is typically about 30-40" away....the bigger issue is when I about kill myself forgetting I have them on and attempting to (for instance) stand up and walk away without taking them off. Very uneasy sick, vertigo feeling instantly. Thus, I try not to wear glasses while I work unless reading printed pages.

 

[Endre]

Contrast has little to do with size or resolution. It's most impacted by the type of display and the panel design.

CRT, Plasma and Oled are capable of significantly better contrast than LCD because they light pixels individually and the phosphor glow is the actual light source. One group of pixels can be brightly lit while the ones next to it can be left off creating the potential for excellent real world contrast.

LCD uses backlights instead of lighting phosphor pixels individually. This makes it impossible to produce super bright areas next to pitch black ones without light bleeding over, blurring edges and washing out the image. Later models have improved blacks by adding dark filters but they're still inferior.

I don't believe any of the above will help with age-related eye strain though. Going up in resolution usually makes text smaller unless you change the font size. I struggle to read text on my 77" 4K Oled because it's so small. I had no issues on the similar size 1080p display I used before.

If you can't read text, step 1 is increase the font size in Windows. If that doesn't help, make an appointment at the optician to get stronger glasses.

If the eye strain is in the form of headaches from staring at the screen, try turning down the brightness and / or using Window's high contrast mode. This basically flips the colors so you're reading white text over a black background instead of the usual black on white.

If you park the eye-strain issue and say you simply want to treat yourself to a nicer monitor (there nothing wrong with that). Moving to a 1080p (or 4k ) 120hz will produce better results IMO than going from 1080p 60hz to 1440p 60hz. This applies equally to text reading applications as it does to graphics.

If you want to see for yourself the effect of raising the framerate, try lowering it on your current monitor from 1080p 60hz to 1080p 30hz. Then try reading text. You'll notice immediately that it's blurry by comparison. You'll get a similar improvement going from 60hz to 120hz.

Above all, go see a monitor in person before buying if possible. For all the general advice you'll get here, each monitor is different and there's only one way to tell what works best for you....

“I struggle to read text on my 77" 4K Oled because it's so small.”

Sir, a 4K monitor needs the usage of Windows scaling!
Didn’t you know that?
I use my 27” 4K monitor with Windows scaling set at 200%.
Without the scaling option, of course, that the text will be too small!
But with scaling on, a 4K monitor has incredible clarity, especially when reading text!

 

[robertbhart]

“I struggle to read text on my 77" 4K Oled because it's so small.”

Sir, a 4K monitor needs the usage of Windows scaling!
Didn’t you know that?
I use my 27” 4K monitor with Windows scaling set at 200%.
Without the scaling option, of course, that the text will be too small!
But with scaling on, a 4K monitor has incredible clarity, especially when reading text!

Everyone knows that.

 

[robertbhart]

I think I meant to say sharpness. That "fuzzy" look you get when you stretch 1080P past 24". Lack of pixel density at that resolution and close distance.

I find a 27" 1080 to be quite acceptable to work on, but it does lead into issue on some pages not being able to see the whole page in a split view, and some of the portals I have to utilize for work simply won't do on a 1080 split, it requires the full screen.
Of no doubt that in my own case I will be adjusting scaling and font size to make the most of the new found real estate.

As far as glasses...yeah...PITA. My eyesight is still very good at arms length and beyond. I have readers which work well for something about 2' away. My monitor is typically about 30-40" away....the bigger issue is when I about kill myself forgetting I have them on and attempting to (for instance) stand up and walk away without taking them off. Very uneasy sick, vertigo feeling instantly. Thus, I try not to wear glasses while I work unless reading printed pages.

Obviously going up in resolution while keeping the screen size the same will increase pixel density and that can make a difference in some rooms.

I have my doubts whether going from 1080p to 1440p would make much of a difference when it comes to text on a 27" monitor but there's no harm in going to a Best Buy to see for yourself.

As I've already explained, the relationship between resolution and quality / clarity is far more complex than "more dots = better". There is a lot of factors and a number are far more important to perceived quality.

If it was as simple as 4k means better quality than 1440p or 1080p, there wouldn't be a huge variation in price between displays. Nobody would buy a $25,000 1080p Sony PVM broadcast LCD or OLED when they could buy a $250 one from Walmart.

A general point (that I've found to be almost universally true) is that a high end 1080p display of 5-10 years ago will usually look noticeably better than an entry level 4k ones of today.

All this is a long way of saying DON'T BUY DIPLAYS BASED ONLY ON SPECS. It's a rookie mistake. Go and see them yourself and choose the one you like the best.

Manufacturers specs should be considered a marketing message that is often designed to mislead customers into thinking they are upgrading more than they really are...

 

[Endre]

Everyone knows that.

OK.
So, if “everyone knows that”, then why did you say that you’re struggling to read the text on a 4K display?
Normally, you should be able to read text a lot easier than on a 1080p display.