Guys, bit of a dilemma. I'm currently running a 2560x1440 BENQ monitor but I'm in the process of sending it back due to light-bleed and dead pixels. The original thought fell around two screens: 1440 or 4k. I'm still tempted by 4k due to pixel density and the fact that a good monitor (Asus for example) is actually around the same price as a decent 1440p display. But to get to the meat of the question: to those who run 4k screens, are they worth it, despite the scaling issues? Also, I recently bought a 970 GTX to run at higher resolutions and I've been reading a lot about the 3.5gig issue. Will this affect my games at 4k? Sorry for the barrage of questions but I'm hoping to decide at the end of next week. Cheers!
4K is four times the size of 1080p, which means you'll need to cut down settings to get decent FPS rates with a single 970. In terms of the 970 controversy, personally it's overblown internets rage, but some games at 4K is when the issue starts to emerge (basically those few games that use all the VRAM). My recommendation would be to not go 4K. I would get a 21:9 ultrawide in the 3440x1440 resolution. Less demanding on the GPU, but still a honking big screen with a good resolution.
Personally, I believe that if you want to go 4K, you must also be prepared to pay for the best hardware to go with it if you want to play the latest games. As Cei says, there are only a few games at the moment that go beyond 3GB at 4K (Lords of the Fallen springs to mind) but everything else is okay. However, if you plan to stick to older games (such as Fallout 3, Mirror's Edge, Mass Effect 2/3) then a single 970 will be fine. P.S. Cei, I was hoping you'd post a response to my question about your Impact VI in this thread!
Thanks guys. Yeah, I thought about the 3440x1440p screens but they're a little out of my price range but also the screen just won't fit on my desk. They do look damn nice though (especially the LG screen.) I have to admit, coming from 1080 to a 1440 has really shown me what my games can look like. Things just appear much crisper and smoother despite not having AA. Asus do a really good 1440 IPS monitor and I think I may move over to that. @cei - totally agree regarding the 970 internet rage. I can't seem to see any issues with mine despite trying to push it as far as I can. @thestockbroker - yeah, having had TN panels in the past I'm thinking about moving over to IPS as larger screens really start to show the viewing limitations. The panel I'm looking at now is this Thanks again guys
Ah shame it won't fit on your desk - it is a problem as the only 3440x1440s out so far are in the 32"+ range. The smaller 28" models (2560x1080) are also pretty nice, but I'd prefer a 2560x1440 in those cases. That Asus looks pretty reasonable. IPS or variations on IPS are the only screens I have bought since 2003. Thankfully they no longer cost £1100 for a 20".
Yeah, they look seriously lovely for 32"+ monitors but I just can't justify the cost involved :/ Still, the 27/28 inch monitors are more than capable for what I need.
The 970 doesn't have the performance to play games at 4K. Already the 980 is borderline (assuming you want to play under high settings and trying to get 60fps with demanding titles). If you want to play games at 4K, it might be best to wait for next generation GPUs and buy the highest end model. However, that isn't to say that the 970 isn't a great card. It only ~350$, and you have near 980. Basically it is a 980 clocked down a bit, and disabled ROPs that failed production, hence the 3.5GB limitation of the 970 card. AnandTech has a great article explaining this after being in talk with Nvidia engineers about the issue. http://www.anandtech.com/show/8935/geforce-gtx-970-correcting-the-specs-exploring-memory-allocation Id you are willing to play some setting like textures set to medium, then the 970 should be OK at 4K (never tried, don't know anyone that tried, this is just personal analysis). If you want 4K for working more than gaming, then as 4K is 4x 1080p, setting the game resolution to 1080p should appear fairly fine. It must be noted that, for text (maximum sharpness), a 28/27inch 4K screen is too big, and will feel you are trying to read from a TV screen. (we can't forget the LCD panel grid which takes space), it won't be blurry like a lower resolution, but it won't be sharp enough for desktop usage. 24inch 4K should correct mostly this (I don't have a 24inch 4K, but from work, we do have a 4K 28inch monitor. That is how I know this.) Another problem is high-DPI. When you have a nice 4K, you are getting mostly for the high DPI ability. Much like your smart phone, and people wanting a high resolution screen. The text is easier to read, icons are more detailed, and nicer looking. The problem is that most Windows based software aren't yet high-DPI support. If you use Microsoft software, latest versions, then you are good. Latest Photoshop, FileZilla, you are good as well. For others... well I don't know every software on the top of my head, but it is to be tested. You can test now, increase the DPI of your system, restart, and see which programs appears fine or blurry under Windows 8. You may also want to try the other DPI mode (uncheck the box that you don't want per monitor DPI, this will use Windows 7 high-DPI engine, which more software should be compatible). Dell has some amazing looking 4K IPS 60Hz monitors. I have yet to read any in depth review, but looks promising. And the price is extremely competitive: -> Dell P2715Q - 27inch - true 8-bit IPS panel, color calibrated at manufacture with deltaE < 3 sRGB color profile, 4x USB 3.0 powered hub, fully adjustable stand. Only 700$ U.S (drops to 600$ on special) -> Dell P2415Q - 24inch - true 8-bit IPS panel, same specs and features as above: 600$ U.S (drops to 500$ on special)
Thanks for the reply GoodBytes, I think I've got my mind set on a high quality 1440p monitor. The quality of this one I have is great (aside from the screen issues) but I just wanted to get my mind settled on the issue of 4k.
Go 4k!! I just built my little brother a nice machine for 4k for cheaps and the results are fantastic. I got him a zotac 780ti ghz for £289, and an clearence AOC 4k monitor from overclockers for £299. The differance from 1080p is spectacular.
Overclockers still have the same monitor in stock in the clearance section for £299 still, runs 4k great.
What about the other thread? 4K is tempting but I still think I'd either go for a good 30" 2560x1600 or 27" 2560x1440, as these are mature technologies and they look fabulous, and the pixel pitch is about as small as I'd like to go for desktop use. Dell have a 32" 4K IPS monitor (UP3214Q) for "only" £899 if you buy it from NRG:IT, however there are firmware issues with these displays which is why the price has come down quite steeply...they were near enough £3K not so long ago.
I wouldn't go 4k after this news: http://www.techhive.com/article/288...consumers-more-than-pirates-meet-hdcp-22.html
