I currently have a GTX 980 Gaming 4G (x2 SLi) with a Samsung S24C450B. I'm considering going for a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition with a 4K monitor. I have seen the Asus ROG Swift PG279Q 27" in the latest Custom PC issue as it's the priciest but it's only 2K. 1) Will a single 1080 Ti beat a 980 SLi (x2)? 2) If yes to the above, which 4K monitor should I go for? Thanks.
4k needs a screen bigger than 30 inches to show any benefit over the 1440p screen you linked. And the cheapest 4k IPS monitor is above a £1000 with such requirements. HDR will change 4k in monitors but the cost will be insane north of 2k if correct.
I went from 40" 4K to the PG279Q and I'm pretty smug about my decision. Fantastic panel and g-sync is soooo worth it.
If you can drive the panel at a decent refresh rate, I have to say Gsync really is great. I genuinely think a 90fps/Gsync combo has made me better at Battlefield.... now to get it to 165mhz... What I'm trying to say, is that I would take high refresh rate and Gsync over 4k any day.
A single Ti will beat 980 SLI in performance and feel particularly as games want for more RAM at 4k, the Ti will drive a 4K screen lovely, I am of the opinion that 4K needs a larger screen size to gain any benefit from it beyond image quality ( as in useful screen real estate ) My 12.5" 4K screen has a lovely image but the scaling I have to run it essentially becomes a fancy IQ 1080p screen Its is lovely but such a resource hog as non native even at that size games wise doesn't look great. My 43" 4K PC Gaming and Work screens on the other hand can be set with no scaling, amazing screen real estate, so I get to use all the space with many application windows, big CAD workspace not cluttered with snap in toolsets etc and gaming on it I can see the detail in all the high res textures with it a couple of feet from my face , its lovely, fully immersive with your vision full of it. RTS type games with lots of menus are great on this too if the UI isn't scaled up for people with silly 27" 4k screens as you get a great play area and nice small menus. Most of my friends who have played on it have followed me down this path, upgrading from smaller high res screens. As mentioned by someone else above a 27" 4K would be like my 12.5 screen after scaling just a fancy pants 1440p screen really, when you run native on games it'll look nice sure with no AA needed but really pixels will be tiny. My max comfort level is around 120 Pixels Per Inch (PPI) for something I want to be able to use without scaling some are happier with more, some less, my sweet spot being 110PPI though my current screens are 104PPI, the laptop is 352PPI hence the 250-300% scaling I require, don't recall what is set. I'd be tempted to go to a bigger screen again but need more pixels than 4K as going lower than 100PPI is a bit crap for me as you can see the pixels so image is full of jaggies which AA can help with to some extent but would prefer smaller pixel. FYI your Samsung 1080p 24" is 92PPI. Can't help you with monitor choice as it all comes down to what your targets are, as there are so many variables and compromises that can be made, so really about what your set of needs and compromises are, for gaming I use a 4k HDR TV for PC and PS4Pro, for work a 4K monitor, whilst the TV is not much worse than a monitor, it is very comparable, the TV has some undefeatable processing even in PC mode, neither are high frame rate, 60hz is all that is there, some will baulk at that, doesn't bother me.
If you want a high refresh rate then you have to forget 4K as all 4K screens are currently hard capped at 60hz. Also that Asus you linked at Scan has a TN panel and for a TN panel is really expensive, you can get a 2560x1440 165hz IPS G-Sync screen from AOC for less. Or if you want the same from Asus and (what you probably intended to link) https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-PG279Q-Gaming-monitor-G-SYNC/dp/B017EVR2VM (note the absent R at the end of the product name, very confusingly named, but massive difference in the product). If you want a decent 4K screen with G-Sync like for example the Asus PG27AQ then you are looking at a pretty significant price. Plus there is the problem that you may want to hold off for a month or two, cause HDR screens are supposed to show up in stores any day now.
This. Had a 4K IPS LG screen, and while it was very pretty and great for watching movies and general PC use, going to a 166hz G-Sync monitor was a revelation for gaming. I would find a 1440p monitor and make use of DSR to run games at 4K, I do it on my 1080p Predator and the IQ difference is quite remarkable.
Thanks very much guys, you've definitely helped me make my mind up! Yeah my mistake I meant to link ROG SWIFT PG279Q. After reading the replies here and discussing with colleagues today. I had a crash course in the latest monitor technology! Didn't realise IPS and the high refresh rate would make such a difference. At the end of the day I'd like to get the most visually out of gaming. Going for something like the PG279Q makes the most sense. Good thing it was my birthday recently. The HDR monitors will be even more expensive and I'll be happy with the above. Especially as there'll be a big difference seeing as I've been using DVI-D! Thanks again .
No worries, Monitor product names are just too bloody confusing. Yeah IPS and TN are worlds apart. With refresh rate you hit diminishing returns, but the problem is that the biggest selection of screens is stuck at 60hz, then you have very little to choose from until you hit 144hz and above where the high refresh rate ones really kick in (and they of course are all pretty expensive like the PG279Q, nothing wrong with it from a technical point of view, just the price is ouch). Personally I made the sacrifice of 60hz in exchange for a sweet sweet ultrawide aspect ratio and tbh every day I regret it a little bit more while aching for a higher refresh rate.
I really wouldn't go 4k yet. 1440p with a stupid refresh rate would be much easier for any GPU to manage. 4k really is just totally brutal and in many cases not even worth it.
