Opinions: 1080p on 4k Monitors.

[rambo919]

I have been thinking of getting a larger monitor for work (spreadsheets mostly but large buggers) but beyond 24" 1080p apparently looks terrible in games.

I don't want to run games at 2k or 4k because that would mean upgrading my GPU and running up my power bill... and that's just too expensive.

Looked around further with this in mind it seems that 1080p on 2k monitors is so ugly it gives people nightmares but on high DPI 4k monitors it's "inferior but good" because it's 4 times rather than 3 times 1k which just makes it look abnormal apparently. So the question is, just how bad or good is 1k resolution on 4k monitors? Is it actually noticeable or is it just something that irks a subset of hyper focused people?

In addition to that, is the difference more noticeable on a certain size of screen? Is there a point of getting 27" 4k over 32" 4k if you are going to be running 1k resolutions on it?

 

[Switch]

Off the cuff, 1080p on 4k results in a much sharper image as you're using 4 pixels instead of 1 pixel to build the image per "pixel representation drawn". One issue with 1080p on 4k is that normally 4k monitors are 27" or bigger, and 1080p on that physical size results in the image looking "bloated" or overly large or magnified, even though it will look sharper than a native 1080p at those physical sizes, of course this is subject to personal opinion and eyesight, some people don't see any problems with using native 1080p at 32".

A dual screen solution running 4k for work and 1080p for games sounds like a better option given your constraints.

 

[rambo919]

A dual screen solution running 4k for work and 1080p for games sounds like a better option given your constraints.

I have considered that but it could be a problem on the desk.... neither would sit in the centre. Either way I am curious about what the differences are.

 

[Oj0]

I have considered that but it could be a problem on the desk.... neither would sit in the centre. Either way I am curious about what the differences are.

It can actually work - I worked like that for years. Have your gaming monitor front and center, and the spreadsheet monitor off to the side. It seems weird at first, but you get used to it in no time.

 

[yourang]

I tried big , ultrawide, ultrwide with small on side etc, just went back to 27 inch 1440p x2

 

[BanditZA]

You could consider running games in 1080p/something close to it in a borderless window if you get a larger monitor.

That way the fidelity isn't really affected

I ran windowed ultrawide for a while on a LG C1 48" and it worked well enough

Btw there are some damn power efficient + beefy GPUs on the market that could even drop your power bill, undervolting is pretty easy to implement as well.

Besides, power management is pretty good these days right? I don't imagine spreadsheets would spin up the ol GPU...

 

[rambo919]

You could consider running games in 1080p/something close to it in a borderless window if you get a larger monitor.

That way the fidelity isn't really affected

I ran windowed ultrawide for a while on a LG C1 48" and it worked well enough

Excluding games that have issues with windowed mode that's not a bad idea.

Btw there are some damn power efficient + beefy GPUs on the market that could even drop your power bill, undervolting is pretty easy to implement as well.

Besides, power management is pretty good these days right? I don't imagine spreadsheets would spin up the ol GPU...

I dunno why but the idea of undervolting makes me nervous.

No for spreadsheets it wont draw much but I am trying to think holistically and save money here.

Currently I have a 1050ti and if I upgrade it wont be from 1k to 2k those GPU's are just way too expensive and draw more power. On the other hand the current nvidia models are over-expensive insults to the consumer and the amd models slavishly follow nvidia standards in many ways so it's wait and see what happens to the coming generation.... but so far all replacement models at the least double power requirements nvm tripple with 700W+ PSU's recommended (dunno if that's just for 2k or 1k as well).... I don't find the idea of buying a new R1-1.5k PSU because of an already R8-12k GPU upgrade attractive.

So whatever I upgrade to it will be running at 1k for games which means a 2k monitor is not the best idea.

One thing I am vasilating on is 32" vs 27" 4k. It's so damn difficult to know what to get because I cannot test anything beforehand.

 

[BanditZA]

I dunno why but the idea of undervolting makes me nervous.

I mean if you're not comfortable with it - you probably shouldn't undervolt - but I'd at least take a look at this guide before deciding

The cheapest 4k monitor in stock at Woot is 10k and that's a seemingly lacklustre TV... If I was trying to limit my spend + if I considered a 27" monitor a size upgrade I'd probably do 1440p at that size. 4k at 27" likely wouldn't accomplish much for your spreadsheets vs 1440p...

If you spend a ton of time at your PC both for work and play, it would probably be worth the effort of replacing a part or 2 (I know replacing a PSU is a bitch which is why I overshoot a bit with my builds)

Overall my 2c is to take a look at your overall budget and lay out what's most important to you. There are a ton of great used GPUs with warranties sold by respected sellers here on Carb that are BIG upgrades from a 1050ti which also don't break the bank (and could possibly be supported by your PSU). Have you used a PSU calc? Do you have any idea how much headroom your current build has?

Edit: res -> size

 

[rambo919]

Overall my 2c is to take a look at your overall budget and lay out what's most important to you. There are a ton of great used GPUs with warranties sold by respected sellers here on Carb that are BIG upgrades from a 1050ti which also don't break the bank (and could possibly be supported by your PSU). Have you used a PSU calc? Do you have any idea how much headroom your current build has?

Yeah the thing is whether or not I can justify the price of an upgrade to a larger monitor for work and as you noted at the prices atm... it's very difficult to do. It's pointless to get a cheaper TV because it's for text as well as gaming.

The calc goes to about 400W... which I over-compensate for with a 700W (it was cheap at the time) OEM PSU.... the problem is the power draw of new GPU's is up to three times that of what I have now which pushes it up to 600W.... odd somehow I remember it calcing 670W in the past ... anyway I might be able to get away without a PSU upgrade but with modern power greedy GPU's I have gotten paranoid regarding OEM PSU's.

At best now I can either do a GPU or monitor upgrade end of the year but not both because for 2k I would need a GPU upgrade anyway but with 4k I could potentially get away with running at 1k. People look at me funny when I say the little 1050ti that could actually manages Starfield at a playable pace.... it's just slightly ugly.