Hi all, Having just got married I thought I would treat myself to a new monitor and GPU to power it. I currently have a Dell SP2309W that runs at 2048 x 1152. I bought this monitor in 2010 after it was recommended by BT. It runs fine and I've had no problems with it and I will either keep it as a second monitor or sell it on at a later date. I'm currently powering it with a 680 but am looking to hopefully upgrade it to a 980ti with the help of the marketplace. I don't have the funds or willingness to support a 4k monitor and multiple GPU set up to power it so I am looking towards a 1440p (2,560 x 1,440) IPS panel. I'm also not up to speed with G-Sync and other newer panel technologies but from what I've seen they are in their fledgling states and add significant cost to the panel. However, I am open to all suggestions as this is really not an area that is covered in any considerable depth, that I can see, on BT. I have no real preference on size other than 27" being the maximum. I'm happy to go with the most common aspect ratio and size. I'll be using the panel for gaming and general use. Any and all recommendations are welcome and appreciated, I really don't have much experience within the monitor field. Thanks! As an aside, is it likely that my CPU and/or RAM will bottleneck my system at 1440p with a 980ti? (the i5 2500k is clocked at 4.6 GHz)
Hi i have a dell p2416d 24inch https://pcmonitors.info/reviews/dell-p2416d/ Good monitor and i run it @75hz with no problems
So I've been doing some further digging and the majority of current monitors at the moment support either G-Sync or FreeSync. My hope is to go with a 980ti which would push me towards G-Sync if I was to go down this route. Whats the general consensus on G-Sync vs FreeSync?
I have a Asus VX24AH which I'm really please with. I got it "like new" from Amazon warehouse for about £132 which seems to have been a bargain as its over £200 normally. WIth a R9 390 8GB Gaming GPU its been playing the BF1 Beta on ultra settings. 24 inch is a good size too at 1440p.
2500K CPUs are starting to show there age to be honest, but it shouldn't cause too much performance loss in games that demand GPU power. More CPU demanding games will of course suffer the most, things like GTA V spring to mind. I would however suggest it be on your list of things to next upgrade. Do you have a budget in mind out of interest? If you are going with a single GTX980Ti then I would suggest G Sync as while it has the performance for most titles there are some current ones (and plenty in the future) where the frame rate smoothing of G Sync will help. G Sync will mean your experience won't suffer as much or as quickly if you are not able (or willing) to upgrade your GPU on a regular basis.
Thanks for the input Speed. Budget would be around ~£400. I'd like the monitor to last and wouldn't intend on changing it for at least 5+ years. In terms of GPU, I tend to have about a 3ish year upgrade cycle, normally buying the high-end previous gen at a reduced price. I've had my 680 for 4+ years but haven't been gaming in the last 12 months and it's done me fine. My concern, probably shared by a fair few others, is that buying a G Sync monitor will constrict me in my choice of GPU upgrade in the future. I know Nvidia are some way ahead of AMD atm but I'm hoping for them to make a comeback to try and bring some competition to the market.
It is a concern I had myself when I was shopping for a new monitor a few years back, but when you think about it there isn't really an issue locking yourself into nVidia GPUs. Even if AMD released something amazingly good (which they won't because that isn't how the GPU market works these days).... What would nVidia do in response? Lower their prices. The performance per £ has always been very close in the past 5 years or so and that is of course no accident. It doesn't matter what one company does, the other one will counter quickly and that will mean there is very little to choose between the two. G Sync at least in my research worked out to be the better technology and with that in mind that is what I went with. I've no regrets looking back at making that decision. If the £400 budget is for both the GPU and Monitor you might struggle to even consider G Sync. If the £400 budget is for just the monitor I'd suggest the Dell S2716DG. Basically the Dell version of the very well received Asus PG278Q without Asus's awful returns setup. Yes it is a TN panel and before getting the Asus version (same panel) I was a IPS fan boy, but frankly it was and still is the best TN panel I've ever used. So close to IPS that it almost makes no difference. You can often pick them up for around £400 2nd hand or B Grade and with Dells excellent warranty, if there are any issues you can get it swapped out with the doorstep exchange service no problem.
Thanks Speed. The budget of £400 was solely for the monitor. I will certainly look at G Sync monitors now as I had previously discounted them from my search. I've never seen IPS in the 'flesh' but by all accounts the technology is far better than TN. However, given you say you were an IPS fanboy and you're impressed by the TN panel that gives me some food for thought. £470+ for a TN panel though, I didn't know they went up that high!
