QHD vs UHD

[Acornbread]

Hello everyone. I'm considering my next upgrade step which will be a 32" 4K monitor (coming from a 32" 1440p).

Now the sensible thing to do is to upgrade my GPU too, but I'm wondering whether that isn't something I can put off for a while. I very recently got the RTX 4070 and I'm very happy with it. It is running anything I throw at it with high fps. I'm just finding the pixel density on my current screen a little low, and after seeing what 4K looks like for general desktop and productivity use, it's quite a leap in clarity. I'm aware that general consensus is that the optimal size for 1440p is 27" but given the size of my space, anything smaller than 32" would have been a downgrade, and when I got my current monitor I couldn't afford 4K with high refresh rate.

Given what DLSS is capable of these days and being quite happy running many newer titles in DLSS quality mode, I'm wondering whether a 4K screen with DLSS wouldn't actually be perfectly fine with my current GPU. I've read that upscaling from 1080 to 2160 results in a cleaner image than 1080 to 1440, but I haven't actually seen this for myself. Has anybody found themselves in a similar situation? Any thoughts or suggestions?

What I need in a screen is (1) high refresh rate (120Hz is perfect, anything higher is nice but diminishing returns make it pointless for me, especially since I cap at 120fps anyway) and (2) variable refresh rate (FreeSync or G-Sync is fine). What I would like is proper deep blacks (current OLEDs are very appealing but too pricey, and I honestly haven't seen a proper implementation of HDR so I'm not sure what to think about that). My current VA screen is not bad in that regard, it's certainly better than IPS screens that I've seen.

 

[Dr. Kraken]

I would keep your current panel rather than a 4K 60fps panel imo. If you do decide to go with a 4K panel, your 4070 will be able to handle it no problem with DLSS / FSR. Personally speaking, I find DLSS pretty much indistinguishable from native, unless you're actively looking for artifacts and stuff. In normal everyday gameplay, you won't be able to tell.

 

[Acornbread]

Ditto, DLSS quality mode is so close to native that it makes sense in most scenarios. I'm wondering whether I'll still feel the same on 4k with my current setup though.

I'm not considering 60Hz, it's an eyesore after being accustomed to higher refresh rates and frames. There are plenty of 4k screens with high refresh rates available these days at good prices....

 

[Acornbread]

Just giving this a bump... Has anybody upgraded to 4K / UHD with a theoretically too weak GPU? What's been your experience?

 

[goldfritter]

Lol. I'm running a 3070Ti at 4k60. The most demanding game I've played on it is Forza Motorsport, I get a smooth 60fps on medium settings and DLSS (I think Quality mode but not 100% sure).

If you're not too hung up on maxing out the settings then you'll be fine, probably.

Just forget about ray tracing.

 

[Acornbread]

Lol. I'm running a 3070Ti at 4k60. The most demanding game I've played on it is Forza Motorsport, I get a smooth 60fps on medium settings and DLSS (I think Quality mode but not 100% sure).

If you're not too hung up on maxing out the settings then you'll be fine, probably.

Just forget about ray tracing.

Thanks, sounds very promising. I rarely max any settings out, in general the difference for me between high and ultra is less fps. I also don't use ray tracing, not worth the fps hit. I've heard the new FM is pretty badly optimized, so if you're getting that performance, I'd be okay too. What screen are you using?

 

[Nyt Ryda]

You may be better off keeping your current monitor.

You're used to VA black levels, so you probably won't want to make the move to IPS - and most of the affordable 4K/144 monitors are IPS. 4K OLED is the best of both worlds but very pricey.

You're used to 32", so 27" is going to feel very weird even though it has a higher ppi.

Not every game has DLSS either, so you'll need to brute force native at some point. Like Helldivers 2, doesn't even hit 4K/60 on a 4070 Super at 4K Ultra. You will start having to drop settings a lot. DLSS is excellent at 4K though but you have to bear in mind that the performance hit at 4K DLSS Performance is even higher than DLSS Quality at 1440p as it's 1080p vs 960p.

And 4K with a 12Gb GPU is also cutting it a bit fine for the future.

 

[Acornbread]

You may be better off keeping your current monitor.

You're used to VA black levels, so you probably won't want to make the move to IPS - and most of the affordable 4K/144 monitors are IPS. 4K OLED is the best of both worlds but very pricey.

You're used to 32", so 27" is going to feel very weird even though it has a higher ppi.

Not every game has DLSS either, so you'll need to brute force native at some point. Like Helldivers 2, doesn't even hit 4K/60 on a 4070 Super at 4K Ultra. You will start having to drop settings a lot. DLSS is excellent at 4K though but you have to bear in mind that the performance hit at 4K DLSS Performance is even higher than DLSS Quality at 1440p as it's 1080p vs 960p.

And 4K with a 12Gb GPU is also cutting it a bit fine for the future.

Indeed, can't go smaller than 32" because it wouldn't really be an upgrade.

Good point about the VRAM. When I got the card I wasn't even considering 4K.

I wish it was possible to rent a 4K screen so that I could see for myself whether the tradeoffs are worth it. 😂

 

[Petester]

[For Sale] - AOC U28G2X (4K 144hz HDR IPS) | Monitors

Item: AOC U28G2X (4K 144hz HDR IPS) Age: Probably a year or so Price: R7500 Payment Method Accepted: Cash/EFT Warranty: Yes, 1 Year Warranty Holder: Hollandtech Packaging: Yes, Full Condition: 99.9%, might have one dead or stuck pixel but I can't find it Location: Cape Town, Southern Suburbs...

carbonite.co.za

28" so probably not gonna cut it but great price and upstanding guy - R 7k is a bargain!
His link is wrong though.
Not for consoles - No HDMI 2.1 but is 4K 144hz over DP

Evetech Custom Computer Systems, Gaming Computers, Desktops Gaming PCs

www.evetech.co.za

 

[goldfritter]

Thanks, sounds very promising. I rarely max any settings out, in general the difference for me between high and ultra is less fps. I also don't use ray tracing, not worth the fps hit. I've heard the new FM is pretty badly optimized, so if you're getting that performance, I'd be okay too. What screen are you using?

Using my TV. Hisense 55U8H. This is my "second" PC, which I use for games that work better with a controller, like racing games and RPGs, and couch co-op.

At my desk I have another PC with a 3060Ti and a 1080p 165Hz monitor, for games that require KB + mouse, like FPS and strategy games.

 

[Acornbread]

[For Sale] - AOC U28G2X (4K 144hz HDR IPS) | Monitors

Item: AOC U28G2X (4K 144hz HDR IPS) Age: Probably a year or so Price: R7500 Payment Method Accepted: Cash/EFT Warranty: Yes, 1 Year Warranty Holder: Hollandtech Packaging: Yes, Full Condition: 99.9%, might have one dead or stuck pixel but I can't find it Location: Cape Town, Southern Suburbs...

carbonite.co.za

28" so probably not gonna cut it but great price and upstanding guy - R 7k is a bargain!
His link is wrong though.
Not for consoles - No HDMI 2.1 but is 4K 144hz over DP

Evetech Custom Computer Systems, Gaming Computers, Desktops Gaming PCs

www.evetech.co.za

That is a great price but that size... 😭 It would be a sidegrade unfortunately. Thanks though!

 

[Acornbread]

Using my TV. Hisense 55U8H. This is my "second" PC, which I use for games that work better with a controller, like racing games and RPGs, and couch co-op.

At my desk I have another PC with a 3060Ti and a 1080p 165Hz monitor, for games that require KB + mouse, like FPS and strategy games.

That's a great setup, covers all bases. 😁