24" 1080p or 27" 1440p monitor for gaming

[sakete]

I'm building a new system soon and am debating between a 24" 1080p monitor or a 27" 1440p monitor. (currently don't have a monitor, only a laptop)

Besides the fact that to properly drive a 1440p monitor you need a more capable GPU, is it really such a better experience? Or would a 1080p monitor be sufficient?

 

[RussianSensation]

The monitor is something you keep for 5+ years and its benefits extend far beyond gaming. It also helps with media consumption and productivity. For that reason, larger screen size combined with more pixels is the better choice here assuming you are looking at a good quality 27" 1440P monitor. Of course if you cannot afford a GPU to drive that monitor or can't afford to upgrade often, then the 1080P would be your only option. If this is a non-factor, get the 27" 1440P.

 

[sam_816]

I would suggest benq xl2430t for 1080p(24") and overlord (I think they only have one offering these days) for 2k(27") if you have more budget then you can go for gsync monitors. I don't have much knowledge about them.

 

[sam_816]

Beg ur pardon. I am not certain about overlord tempest's resolutions. Please check their site.

Somehow cant edit my post through tapatalk.

 

[sakete]

The monitor is something you keep for 5+ years and its benefits extend far beyond gaming. It also helps with media consumption and productivity. For that reason, larger screen size combined with more pixels is the better choice here assuming you are looking at a good quality 27" 1440P monitor. Of course if you cannot afford a GPU to drive that monitor or can't afford to upgrade often, then the 1080P would be your only option. If this is a non-factor, get the 27" 1440P.

Yeah, I do agree with you that 1440p on 27" is better for media consumption. And one of my hobbies is photography, and using Lightroom will be quite a breeze on a big screen like that.

I think I'm just being impatient. Just recently bought a case and PSU and will be getting all my other hardware within the coming months, but I suddenly got the impulse to get everything next week.

I would wanna wait for the 27" Asus Freesync monitor that will hopefully come out soon (but wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't come out until June at computex) and the new AMD GPUs to see what those look like.

Well next question then, say I go for a 27" monitor, such as the Dell U2715H, how big is the difference between these Freesync/G-sync monitors and between a regular old 60Hz monitor. Will I in practice notice anything different when playing games? (I'm not a competitive gamer by any means, I casually play games ranging from FPS (think FarCry 4) to RPG to racing games and to open world games like GTA V)

 

[Freddy1765]

I game on a Dell U2713HM with a single GTX 970, which works quite well for me. I will say that ghosting becomes an issue in twitchy shooters (might be partially from the 60 fps limitation, though I think mainly from the IPS panel), but since I don't play those anymore, it isn't something I really notice.

 

[RussianSensation]

Well next question then, say I go for a 27" monitor, such as the Dell U2715H, how big is the difference between these Freesync/G-sync monitors and between a regular old 60Hz monitor. Will I in practice notice anything different when playing games? (I'm not a competitive gamer by any means, I casually play games ranging from FPS (think FarCry 4) to RPG to racing games and to open world games like GTA V)

Do you care for screen tearing in games? GSync/FreeSync is there to reduce the issue of screen tearing/stuttering when the monitor and the GPU frame delivery is out of sync. Normally we would use VSync but the problem is VSync halves the FPS from 60 to 30 fps. Even if we have dynamic VSync where the drop in FPS is gradual, there can be jutted/stuttering in the motion. GSync/FreeSync solve both of these issues and are actually a lot more important in the 30-60Hz range than than the 60-120Hz range.

You should judge for yourself how much stuttering matters to you. Personally I think if I were buying a new monitor today to keep for 5+ years, I would try to get one with the technology.

FreeSync demo - 3 min shot summary with video of what I just typed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFLDpqIT6MY

FreeSync vs. GSync explained:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BVtz0w32rY

Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of the tech. One of the downsides is because you also have a hobby in photography, if accurate colours are important to you, this makes the 27" FreeSync/GSync solution more expensive if you do decide to get an IPS monitor instead of a TN one. In that case, the choice is less clear cut because there are much more affordable 27" IPS panels without FreeSync/GSync. Maybe wait 1-1.5 months to see where R9 300 series drops and make your decision.

 

[sakete]

Do you care for screen tearing in games? GSync/FreeSync is there to reduce the issue of screen tearing/stuttering when the monitor and the GPU frame delivery is out of sync. Normally we would use VSync but the problem is VSync halves the FPS from 60 to 30 fps. Even if we have dynamic VSync where the drop in FPS is gradual, there can be jutted/stuttering in the motion. GSync/FreeSync solve both of these issues and are actually a lot more important in the 30-60Hz range than than the 60-120Hz range.

You should judge for yourself how much stuttering matters to you. Personally I think if I were buying a new monitor today to keep for 5+ years, I would try to get one with the technology.

FreeSync demo - 3 min shot summary with video of what I just typed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFLDpqIT6MY

FreeSync vs. GSync explained:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BVtz0w32rY

Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of the tech. One of the downsides is because you also have a hobby in photography, if accurate colours are important to you, this makes the 27" FreeSync/GSync solution more expensive if you do decide to get an IPS monitor instead of a TN one. In that case, the choice is less clear cut because there are much more affordable 27" IPS panels without FreeSync/GSync. Maybe wait 1-1.5 months to see where R9 300 series drops and make your decision.

Yeah, accurate colors are definitely important to me. I'm looking forward to the new Asus MG279 which should be a Freesync IPS monitor. The rumors are it will be cheaper than the currently only 27" IPS Gsync monitor out there from Acer, which retails at about $750. Since for Gsync the monitor requires an extra hardware module and for Freesync it doesn't, it seems quite likely that indeed an otherwise equivalent Freesync monitor should be cheaper.

I just hope it doesn't take forever to launch. I suppose it's worth the wait, but with technology there is sometimes a point where you just have to have a cutoff and buy what's available now, as there's always something right around the corner in the technology world. I will for instance probably not be waiting for Skylake as Haswell is good enough for my purposes. But with the new Asus monitor hopefully coming to market very soon and the launch of AMD's 300 series next month, I think I'll just hold off for a bit and continue using my laptop for now.

 

[Rudee]

I recently bought a Dell U2515H. A 25" 1440p monitor. Absolutely gorgeous screen. I highly recommend it.

 

[Igo69]

I am also now looking at 27" 1440 monitors with above 100Hz refresh rate after reading many people say it is a great experience and stumbled across Asus pg278Q but after reading reviews (a lot of bad reviews) on it I am thinking of waiting. What were the Asus thinking? I am also looking at all purpose monitor not just gaming.

 

[sakete]

I recently bought a Dell U2515H. A 25" 1440p monitor. Absolutely gorgeous screen. I highly recommend it.

Isn't the font size really small when at 100% scaling?

 

[sakete]

I am also now looking at 27" 1440 monitors with above 100Hz refresh rate after reading many people say it is a great experience and stumbled across Asus pg278Q but after reading reviews (a lot of bad reviews) on it I am thinking of waiting. What were the Asus thinking? I am also looking at all purpose monitor not just gaming.

For an all purpose monitor you'll want to look at an IPS monitor. I sort of like the Acer XB2770HU, but it's expensive and only has a 1 displayport input (it's a G-Sync monitor).

I'm looking forward to the Asus MG279Q, which will be another 1440p 27" IPS monitor, but a FreeSync version with refresh rates up to 144Hz. But that will only work with AMD cards (that is, the FreeSync feature only works with AMD cards, it will otherwise work with any graphics card), and odds are I'll go with an Nvidia card.

 

[Igo69]

For an all purpose monitor you'll want to look at an IPS monitor. I sort of like the Acer XB2770HU, but it's expensive and only has a 1 displayport input (it's a G-Sync monitor).

I'm looking forward to the Asus MG279Q, which will be another 1440p 27" IPS monitor, but a FreeSync version with refresh rates up to 144Hz. But that will only work with AMD cards (that is, the FreeSync feature only works with AMD cards, it will otherwise work with any graphics card), and odds are I'll go with an Nvidia card.

Thanks, I will consider that monitor though I agree on the cost.

 

[Insomniator]

I recently bought a Dell U2515H. A 25" 1440p monitor. Absolutely gorgeous screen. I highly recommend it.

This is exactly the size/res I want and I've been eyeing that screen since it came out a few months ago.

I just really want some other feature to be included (120, f/g-sync etc)

 

[PliotronX]

Get that 1440, it is probably the highest resolution per inch before you should pragmatically go with upping the DPI settings in Windows (which makes things look terrible). In between the sharpness of 4k and 1080, it is a great middle ground.

 

[Rudee]

Isn't the font size really small when at 100% scaling?

No, not at all.

 

[Rudee]

This is exactly the size/res I want and I've been eyeing that screen since it came out a few months ago.

I just really want some other feature to be included (120, f/g-sync etc)

The Dell U2515H has a gorgeous screen, you'll love. Gaming on it is awesome as well. It's got a higher pixel density than the 27" version, as it's packing that 1440p in 25" of screen. Can't say enough good things about the U2515H.

 

[BFG10K]

I'm building a new system soon and am debating between a 24" 1080p monitor or a 27" 1440p monitor. (currently don't have a monitor, only a laptop)

You could do the best of both worlds: 27" @ 1080p. Big and immersive while still having a lightweight resolution to power.

Don't believe the "lego bricks pixels" nonsense posted online. I was on 30" 2560x1600 30" for 5.5 years before it died so I have a direct comparison, and it's simply not true.

 

[BFG10K]

No, not at all.

At what font size, and at what viewing distance?

I had my 30" / 2560x1600 about a meter away with no scaling reading 8 point font, but I certainly wouldn't want the screen to be any smaller.

 

[Valantar]

If you care at all about colours and image quality, go for a Dell Ultrasharp. They aren't the fastest monitors around (refresh rates, ghosting), but unless you're very sensitive to this you shouldn't notice. Viewing angles (especially on a monitor as large as 27") are MUCH more important (with a 27" TN panel you might see distorted colours along the edges even if you're looking right at the centre of the display). And did I mention that the colour reproduction of the Ultrasharp series is amazing?

My daily driver is an U2711 - it's a few years old now, but still looks amazing, and works perfectly for both desktop usage and gaming (both PC and Xbox). For me (I'm slightly farsighted) the scaling at 100% is perfect - smaller than "standard" PC scaling (~110 v. 96 DPI), but the screen is lovely and sharp and fits everything due to the size and resolution.

My GF's newer U2713HM is sitting right next to mine on the desk, and is just as good. The anti-reflective coating on hers is slightly less "coarse," so images are a bit sharper. It's also considerably slimmer and takes up less desk space. Colours look slightly less saturated (when both are in the pre-calibrated sRGB mode), but still look amazingly good. I haven't tried gaming on it, but from what I've seen, it might be ever so slightly quicker than mine. And it's cheaper to boot. Of course, if you're serious about photography, you have the more expensive U2713H which has a wider gamut (99% Adobe RGB, 120% CIE1976 and 100% sRGB v. the 99% sRGB and 91% CIE1976 of the HM) and a few extra premium features.

Oh, I just checked the Dell website, and it looks like the U2713HM has been replaced with a model called U2715H. Similar specs, but it looks even nicer, with thinner frames and a more modern design, as well as some additional inputs. Should be just as good, probably better.

 

[sakete]

If you care at all about colours and image quality, go for a Dell Ultrasharp. They aren't the fastest monitors around (refresh rates, ghosting), but unless you're very sensitive to this you shouldn't notice. Viewing angles (especially on a monitor as large as 27") are MUCH more important (with a 27" TN panel you might see distorted colours along the edges even if you're looking right at the centre of the display). And did I mention that the colour reproduction of the Ultrasharp series is amazing?

My daily driver is an U2711 - it's a few years old now, but still looks amazing, and works perfectly for both desktop usage and gaming (both PC and Xbox). For me (I'm slightly farsighted) the scaling at 100% is perfect - smaller than "standard" PC scaling (~110 v. 96 DPI), but the screen is lovely and sharp and fits everything due to the size and resolution.

My GF's newer U2713HM is sitting right next to mine on the desk, and is just as good. The anti-reflective coating on hers is slightly less "coarse," so images are a bit sharper. It's also considerably slimmer and takes up less desk space. Colours look slightly less saturated (when both are in the pre-calibrated sRGB mode), but still look amazingly good. I haven't tried gaming on it, but from what I've seen, it might be ever so slightly quicker than mine. And it's cheaper to boot. Of course, if you're serious about photography, you have the more expensive U2713H which has a wider gamut (99% Adobe RGB, 120% CIE1976 and 100% sRGB v. the 99% sRGB and 91% CIE1976 of the HM) and a few extra premium features.

Oh, I just checked the Dell website, and it looks like the U2713HM has been replaced with a model called U2715H. Similar specs, but it looks even nicer, with thinner frames and a more modern design, as well as some additional inputs. Should be just as good, probably better.

Yeah, already had my eye on the Dell u2715. And it's not dell ultrasharp per se that will have great colors and viewing angles, it's the ips panel technology.

The soon to be forthcoming Asus mg279q is also an ips based display and should have similarly good colors and viewing angles, but at a much higher refresh rate.

I'm not super serious about photography in the sense that it's just a hobby. I don't earn my living doing that. So I don't need to get a wide gamut screen. Srgb color gamut is good enough for my purposes.

 

[darckhart]

I switched to 27" 1440p 120Hz IPS when the Catleaps were popular and there's no switching back.

I've always used IPS panels and it's a quite noticeable difference between that and the others MVA/PVA and certainly TN.

The extra real estate and pixels are totally worth it as well. How far away you sit from the screen and how picky you are about sharpness will be a factor. Most flat panel dot pitch is 0.25 to 0.27 whereas CRT were 0.22 to 0.25.

Because my catleap can OC from 60-120Hz, it still doesnt guarantee smooth tear-free experience in games because the GPU sometimes can't handle it and sometimes the game design can't handle it. For example, take Diablo 3. Even at 120Hz, with all vfx on low or high (doesn't matter), there will be slowdown/speedups as well as screen tearing. Wolfenstein New Order is also giving me screen tearing now. Imo, Freesync/gsync simply becomes a MUST HAVE, but with the current market offerings and prices, the premium is quite steep for the early adopters.

Clearly, waiting a bit and seeing what else comes out is the best, but if you can't wait, I agree with the options thrown out so far. I'd also add that the Monoprice 27" IPS monitors are a really great deal.

For example:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=10509