Question Appreciate the Assistance (Recommend me a QHD or 4K Display please!)

[bob4432]

Looking to update my display and wanted WQHD resolution paired with a small physical size (30" or less).

Use will be surfing, 3d modeling, movie watching, office, Adobe Suite & AAA gaming titles.

Machine Specs:
x570 MB, 5600X CPU, 32GB RAM, SK HYNIX GEN3 X4 2TB NVMe SSD & a SAPPHIRE RX580 8GB GPU (I plan to upgrade the GPU soon)

Now the kicker - I am cheap and want to stay as close as $200 as possible.

Thank you for all the suggestion!

After much thought and looking at a lot of minitors.

I think the best option would be to go with a 4K display. After all the looking, a 2560x1440 would still be giving my RX580 NITRO 8GB card issues, so I feel now I would be wasting $ @ that resolution.

My specs for a 4K display would be no larger than 30” (with a possible exception if the display is such a good deal), small/very small frame, all digital inputs, VESA mount, speakers - they will be used for zoom only, so importance is not a big deal, so please don't let them sway a suggestion. Last color - black w/ black stand w/ exception being if the brand is a different color, please no red/black or anything else black or even a charcoal grey works great for me.

Questions for the forum:

GSync / FreeSync - Necessary? Currently AMD or NVIDIA Specific?

TN or IPS Panel - Make much of a difference or is it even an option @ $300?

Refresh - 60Hz / 144Hz - option @ $300 and if so, can you really tell?

HDR - I will be watching UHD movies on this but again, $300 - is it an option and how much can you tell. I have all the movies or will be buying all the UHDs I watch, so the movies will not be compressed or if they are figure I will encode them @ ~5GB/HR

Would like to spend south of $300 if possible.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Bob

After an exhausting GPU & Display search, I opted for a 2560x1440 Acer Nitro VG270U which Newegg had for $220, which ended up being a bit more than I originally wanted to spend but seemed like a fair price (especially compared to Amazon 😳).

The GPU search really opened my eyes - I feel in the near future I can acquire a GPU that will push the display to what it can handle, but not a 4K display. I had a couple GPU prices over the past months and looking back now, should have jumped on them, but I did not - my bad.

Maybe in the future I can find an appropriate GPU, but that is a maybe and if that happens I will pick up 4K display then.

 

[Muadib]

Have you seen any of these?

The 3 Best 1440p Monitors - Spring 2025

The best 1440p monitor we've tested is the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED. It's a gaming-focused 27-inch display that's versatile for other uses.

www.rtings.com

 

[bob4432]

Those are all excellent choices, just ~$80+ over my budget.

Anybody have any comment on this unit - LG-27QN600-B-FreeSync

 

[bob4432]

Any others?

 

[Muadib]

Those are all excellent choices, just ~$80+ over my budget.

Anybody have any comment on this unit - LG-27QN600-B-FreeSync

I think you will have to buy it and see for yourself. Youtube has a couple of reviews on it. Don't expect much though, because it's a budget model.

 

[bob4432]

I think you will have to buy it and see for yourself. Youtube has a couple of reviews on it. Don't expect much though, because it's a budget model.

Thanks for the info. I am coming from a circa 2007 1920*1200 Soyo unit. It has served me well but I am sure today's budget will beat it.

Only issue I am grappling now is do I just get a budget 4K 144MHz model with only HDMI 2 & DP 1.4a on it since they are ~$250 and run it @ 1080p until I can acquire a new GPU? Too bad a RX2070 or AMD equivalent is so expensive 🤬.

 

[OlyAR15]

Thanks for the info. I am coming from a circa 2007 1920*1200 Soyo unit. It has served me well but I am sure today's budget will beat it.

Only issue I am grappling now is do I just get a budget 4K 144MHz model with only HDMI 2 & DP 1.4a on it since they are ~$250 and run it @ 1080p until I can acquire a new GPU? Too bad a RX2070 or AMD equivalent is so expensive 🤬.

If you are not playing games, there is no reason not to run it at native resolution. I run my 4k display with Iris graphics.

 

[bob4432]

If you are not playing games, there is no reason not to run it at native resolution. I run my 4k display with Iris graphics.

This machine will be used for games - Forza, Battlefield, Rust, MS FS & others, will be gamed on heavily, just don't know how big of an issue it will be w/ current card, but I am assuming I would dip too low fps wise to play @ 4k ESPECIALLY in fps.

Appreciate the thought though

 

[Muadib]

Thanks for the info. I am coming from a circa 2007 1920*1200 Soyo unit. It has served me well but I am sure today's budget will beat it.

Only issue I am grappling now is do I just get a budget 4K 144MHz model with only HDMI 2 & DP 1.4a on it since they are ~$250 and run it @ 1080p until I can acquire a new GPU? Too bad a RX2070 or AMD equivalent is so expensive .

Is there a problem with your current display? If not then you should wait until you can get a middle of the line model. A display is something that you will use for many years. You should get one that you will be happy with.

 

[bob4432]

Update OP

 

[Zor Prime]

Have Costco anywhere near you? Lately they've been selling 1440p 1MS 165Hz IPS LG 34" UltraStars for $250.

I have a 48" LG OLED, it's worth getting an extra job to get one, a loan, whatever you need to do to procure one. Sell a kid. Your mother. Whatever you can do. It's that drastic of a change. So if you're gonna go 4K, go big or go home, or get that aforementioned UltraStar and call it a day.

 

[BoomerD]

Update OP

I can only add that if you think a QHD monitor will give your video system problems...doubling the resolution will be even worse...MAYBE if you get one that's 60hz refresh rate instead of 144, 1665, 170, 240 hz, you'll get by, but it won't be impressive.

 

[bob4432]

Have Costco anywhere near you? Lately they've been selling 1440p 1MS 165Hz IPS LG 34" UltraStars for $250.

I have a 48" LG OLED, it's worth getting an extra job to get one, a loan, whatever you need to do to procure one. Sell a kid. Your mother. Whatever you can do. It's that drastic of a change. So if you're gonna go 4K, go big or go home, or get that aforementioned UltraStar and call it a day.

FWIW I do have a Costco close.

Appreciate the suggestion, but not quite ready for the big 4k as the 50” 1080p is still working well, plus I couldn't get 2 nickels for the mother-in-law & I don't think she would pass the psych test!

I can only add that if you think a QHD monitor will give your video system problems...doubling the resolution will be even worse...MAYBE if you get one that's 60hz refresh rate instead of 144, 1665, 170, 240 hz, you'll get by, but it won't be impressive.

Figure I will just run it @ a lower res, sell some other stuff I have (probably firearm related as their cost are still through the roof for parts & ammo) and then pickup a used 3070 - 3080or higher or the AMD equivalent.

I have been building this machine, or should I say getting parts for quite sometime (over 9mos) and it will be the most up-to-date machine I have had since a 1995 Packerd(so?) Bell, so wanting to really enjoy it.

There is also the supply chain issue (whether real or conveniently made up, inflation, etc) that may or may not effect us, but will definitely give the stores a reason to add 20% give or take (my complete speculation) but I am not wanting to be dealing with even a hint of that if everybody is going OOS as sh!t sits out in the ocean on both coasts (maybe propoganda?).

At the very least my UHD movies will look spectacular 👍😀!

Again, thanks in advance,
Bob

 

[Zor Prime]

Appreciate the suggestion, but not quite ready for the big 4k as the 50” 1080p is still working well, plus I couldn't get 2 nickels for the mother-in-law & I don't think she would pass the psych test!

haha. I gotta admit 48" is a bit insane, got a desk with 30" depth and spent like $320 on an Ergotron HX monitor arm just to get the screen a couple inches further away from my face so it's 3 foot away. Completely insane, but not all good things are cheap. Plus that monitor arm is built like a tank, it'll last literally forever so it's a lifetime item. But, uh, yeah. It's been worth it.

I have been building this machine, or should I say getting parts for quite sometime (over 9mos) and it will be the most up-to-date machine I have had since a 1995 Packerd(so?) Bell, so wanting to really enjoy it.

I completely understand. I've been building my own computers since I was 13. I'm in my 40s these days. After all these years I've reached a pinnacle, have things I forever lusted after. Main machine is a 5800X with a 3090, 48" OLED, nvme storage. At least on the PC front (and elsewhere) life is good.

I DID look at that UltraStar at Costco in person. To me just from a quick look if I didn't have the OLED I could totally see myself owning one outside the OLED space if I wanted an IPS monitor that excelled at gaming and elsewhere. They have 27" version also.

Enjoy the build my man!

 

[bob4432]

haha. I gotta admit 48" is a bit insane, got a desk with 30" depth and spent like $320 on an Ergotron HX monitor arm just to get the screen a couple inches further away from my face so it's 3 foot away. Completely insane, but not all good things are cheap. Plus that monitor arm is built like a tank, it'll last literally forever so it's a lifetime item. But, uh, yeah. It's been worth it.


I completely understand. I've been building my own computers since I was 13. I'm in my 40s these days. After all these years I've reached a pinnacle, have things I forever lusted after. Main machine is a 5800X with a 3090, 48" OLED, nvme storage. At least on the PC front (and elsewhere) life is good.

I DID look at that UltraStar at Costco in person. To me just from a quick look if I didn't have the OLED I could totally see myself owning one outside the OLED space if I wanted an IPS monitor that excelled at gaming and elsewhere. They have 27" version also.

Enjoy the build my man!

I was into cpus from back in the commodore 64/128 and trs80 days - actually played my first sim on a trs80 - the days of line art graphics on a monochrome screen rocking the cassette deck tape recorder as the storage medium 👍.

Bringing things current, the last 12mos I have had to build 2 machines that were necessary (I owe a big thanks for the RaspberryPi 4b that took over the HTPC duties until I got that machine running - performed like a champ!! 🏆) and then I opted a new rig for myself. I was running i5-2500ks on the 2 rigs and they just showed their age and had been on 24/7 for atleast 7yrs, so definitely got my $$s worth out of them - too old for too long.

I was able to break the remainder of a mining rig apart and get 1 8gb rx580 & 2 4gb rx570 which saved me a good amount of $$. If I would have had 2 8gb rx580s I may have stayed the 4k route using a crossfire setup but knew 4gb was not enough vram.

Now I am on the lookout for a couple gpus - rtx3080ti or faster (or AMD equivalents) gpus so when I do acquire a 4k screen (which I have a feeling will be very close in time to each find 😳😉) I will be able to put one in my HTPC and another in the my dedicated machine (I know, I am thinking years ahead here...🤔).

Will definitely enjoy the builds, have always been a cathartic time for me 😁.

Good times coming!!