1440p monitor or 120hz 1080p????? (For gaming)

Quasty

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Jan 4, 2014
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Hi, I am looking in on buying a new monitor and don't know wether to get a 1440p monitor or a 120hz 1080p one!
So far I have read that 120hz is better for shooters (Which I love to play), but I don't really play the competetively (I mostly play single player games). My graphics card can easily handle 1440p (r9 290), so what should I choose??
 
Solution
I personally find higher frame rates to be very immersive. They make it so the view changes feel more connected to my hand. It also allows you to turn off V-sync and not notice the tearing as much (still there).

If you can wait a few months, there are going to be some 1440p @ 120hz monitors with G-sync and the responsiveness of TN to go with it. While TN panels aren't as crisp with color shift, they have much better latency and pixel response times.
http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/CES-2014-ASUS-ROG-SWIFT-PG278Q-120-Hz-G-Sync
It also comes down to budget. A quality 2560x1440 monitor will cost more.

I absolutely love my Dell U2711 2560x1440 monitor, though I might not buy the same one today. You must research these CAREFULLY as many have issues. If you had an NVidia graphics card I'd suggest buying a G-Sync monitor which runs very smooth with minimal lag at even 40FPS but you don't. While I play most games at 1920x1080 since they look basically IDENTICAL to higher resolutions (like Skyrim) some games greatly benefit from 2560x1440. mostly top-down games with small text/HUD elements like:
- Starcraft 2
- Diablo 3 (if I played it)
- Torchlight
- CIV5

I find 60FPS to be pretty smooth for most games. In fact, the problem with a 60FPS game which is NOT smooth is usually not due to the frame rate specifically but an issue with stuttering, and pop-in.

I went back and played HALF LIFE 1 at 60FPS with VSYNC ON and it was far smoother than other modern games at 60FPS. I'm not saying 120FPS can't be smoother, just that I don't need it to be better than 60FPS.

*It's also important to note that you need to generate above 120FPS in a game if you wish to synch to 120FPS VSYNC otherwise it resynchs to 60FPS anyway, and I don't like VSYNC OFF due to screen tearing (which gets worse at higher frame rates, not better).

It's VERY difficult to get above 120FPS consistently in a modern game, unless you sacrifice some visual quality which to me isn't a good trade-off.
 

Quasty

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Jan 4, 2014
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Then I'll go for 1440p, but what one would you recommend other than the Dell U2711 ??
 
I personally find higher frame rates to be very immersive. They make it so the view changes feel more connected to my hand. It also allows you to turn off V-sync and not notice the tearing as much (still there).

If you can wait a few months, there are going to be some 1440p @ 120hz monitors with G-sync and the responsiveness of TN to go with it. While TN panels aren't as crisp with color shift, they have much better latency and pixel response times.
http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/CES-2014-ASUS-ROG-SWIFT-PG278Q-120-Hz-G-Sync
 
Solution