Advice for 1440p monitor and GPU upgrade (gaming) please!

Freddy1765

Senior member
May 3, 2011
389
1
81
I'm itching for a hardware upgrade.. The plan was to wait until next year and buy a Broadwell/Maxwell setup, but it's clearly going to be a while before they're introduced to the market. Now I'm wondering if there isn't a point in upgrading my 24'' 1080p Samsung to a 27'' 1440p, and my GB 670 WF3 to a 1440p-capable card (780, 290, 290X) instead of waiting for that long.

Due to exams I better wait until mid-January before buying anything, or I'll wind up not studying sufficiently :p
The idea is this will give me something to ponder over the holidays!

My current setup is in sig, and I currently only plan to change monitor and GPU as the benefits of 4670k over 2500k seem marginal at best (I predominantly play BF4, as well as an assortment of other current-gen games).
Gaming is really the only taxing thing I use my PC for, so it is with that in mind I'm choosing parts.

I'll be buying the parts in Denmark, from either www.komplett.dk or www.proshop.dk for an amount equivalent to ~$5-600 (that is, twice that total for 1x GPU and 1x monitor), or something like DKK 3500-4000.
For reference, the Asus 780 DC2 costs DKK 3500, the same as the Sapphire TRI-X 290, and the Sapphire 290X is 4500, which is more than I'm willing to spend.

I have been wondering of couple of things:
1. My PSU, the SeaSonic G-550, has 45A on the 12V rail, which I do believe is sufficient for basically any single GPU (according to various reviews I've read), but please do let me know if that isn't the case.

2. I do plan on overclocking the GPU as much as it's able - my 670 crashes the drivers if the core is clocked higher than 1098 MHz, which is a little pitiful.. With that in mind, is there any point in for instance going with a 780 MSI Lightning over a Gigabyte or Asus, when the MSI is ~400 DKK (10%) more expensive? I won't tamper with cooling solutions other than what ships with the card (i.e. no water).

3. In terms of the monitor, it appears there are really only two alternatives (according to various forums) - the Dell U2713HM or Asus PB278Q - the Dell costs ~DKK 3500 and the Asus ~3900. I've read Dell has a great return policy for dead pixels and such, as well as great colour accuracy out of the box (I don't own or plan to acquire a colorimeter). For that reason I feel inclined to go with Dell (at least if those are indeed my only options).

Here's a link to one of the websites I mentioned, with search parameters already entered:

http://www.komplett.dk/search?bn=10...min=229.0&q=*:*&subcategory=10488_PCI-Express

I do believe all the relevant information is included above, but if not, I'll do my best to answer any questions :)
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
 

KingFatty

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2010
3,034
1
81
1. yes
2. no, from a value perspective. But if you simply must have the best performance, maybe it is worth paying the extra premium. I just feel like the additional cost is not worth the additional performance, unless you want the 'uber' hardware because it is the best.
3. I'm not sure I agree that there are only 2 alternatives. I would, instead, vote for the unwritten 3rd choice, of getting a Korean display, and save the money.
 

Majcric

Golden Member
May 3, 2011
1,388
52
91
I'm in a similiar boat as you, but I've pretty much talked myself out of the Dell and Asus. I'm seriously thinking about the Viewsonic.
 

Freddy1765

Senior member
May 3, 2011
389
1
81
I hadn't really considered a Korean monitor. Never bought anything from eBay before, guess I'm a little apprehensive. Are there any particular brands or models that stand out?

Edit: Hmm, I'm not sure whether it's really worth it going for a Korean monitor. There's not a tremendous price difference once import taxes and VAT are added. Buying something from a local outlet comes with some sense of security in case there's an error in the panel.. hmm..
 
Last edited:

IEC

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Jun 10, 2004
14,440
5,429
136
Korean monitors are inexpensive in the US due to lack of VAT and lack of significant import duties.

Since the OP mentioned DKK is his currency it won't necessarily save him money.
 

Freddy1765

Senior member
May 3, 2011
389
1
81
Do the Korean displays have anything going for them apart from price? Is there any reason to think they're superior to, say, the Dell U2713HM?
 

Sohaltang

Senior member
Apr 13, 2013
854
0
0
Do the Korean displays have anything going for them apart from price? Is there any reason to think they're superior to, say, the Dell U2713HM?

Pretty easy to get 120hz out of them. That said the color and black light bleed can be a huge turnoff.
 

Freddy1765

Senior member
May 3, 2011
389
1
81
From what I've read, the backlight bleeding is common to get on those panels. I'd rather pay a bit more for the piece of mind, knowing I can return a Dell or w/e.

I guess that just leaves the GPU. The reviews I've read of aftermarket 290s look promising, but apparently they don't ship until late January in Denmark, meh.