Need help with a new 27'' 1440p monitor

[MauriciusRex]

Hello everyone

I was looking to buy a new monitor, and wanted to go with a 27'', and learned that 1440p would be better for that size, as 1080p is supposed to look rather silly on such a large monitor.

I looked around a bit, and I frequently saw the Samsung S27A850D and the ASUS PB278Q pop up, but most people seem to lean towards ASUS's monitor.

Problem is, my budget is fairly tight, and the price on ASUS's monitor is stretching it quite a bit, which is why I'm hesitant and undecided, as I just don't know if it's worth the money.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[ubercake]

1080p does not look bad at all at 27". I ran that for 3 years on my main gaming machine and just recently switched over to a 1440p 27" Asus PG278Q. Both look great at 27".

What kind of GPU setup do you have?

 

[Brighttail]

The Asus is a very robust monitor. If your budget is tight, i might wait if you can cause this monitor is worth the price.

 

[MauriciusRex]

1080p does not look bad at all at 27". I ran that for 3 years on my main gaming machine and just recently switched over to a 1440p 27" Asus PG278Q. Both look great at 27".

What kind of GPU setup do you have?

I have a single GTX 770.

 

[Brighttail]

I'm going to be getting the ROG Stirix gaming monitor in a month or so, but that is probably way over your budget. Your gtx 770 should be able to run 1440p

 

[ubercake]

I would say stick with 1080p with a single 770. It will give you the capability to run with most details maxed and AA at 2 or 4x as necessary.

Your frame rates will be over the 60 fps mark with most AAA titles. The Philips 1080p 27" G-sync monitor is available for $200 less than the Asus Swift and is currently available on Amazon. G-sync really is the way to go as you'll be able to use it through generations of Nvidia cards and it offers tear-free and lag-free gaming performance. With G-sync as the frame rate varies, the video is consistently smooth and you don't notice.

On the other hand, if you're looking to save coin and upgrade to a 27", the best way to go is the 27" Asus VG278HE 144Hz monitor. Higher refresh rates is kind of the way to reduce perceivable tearing if you don't want to fork out the coinage for G-sync. And as games get more demanding on the hardware, you may have to add another 770 (if your system can accommodate it) to keep the framerates well above the 60 mark.

 

[MauriciusRex]

Isn't the ASUS Swift an entirely different monitor, though? I was looking at this one. I just cannot afford G-Sync at all.

But damn, I just got so hooked on the idea of 1440p, haha. I was thinking that if my GPU couldn't handle a game on 1440p, I could keep the game settings on 1080p. I was planning on upgrading my computer to run SLI, as I built it to support that, I just haven't found it necessary to do it yet.

Regardless, the 1080p monitor you suggested looks pretty good. I'm not opposed to using 1080p on a 27'' monitor, but I have been itching for a higher resolution for some time. Going with 1440p seemed like a pretty good deal to do now, as I intend to keep my current computer and monitor for at least 5 years.

 

[Brighttail]

Personally for myself, I will not buy a 27 in monitor with 1080p. Seems not worth it. I will be going with the ROG Swift this month, but what you are asking about the two monitors, the Asus is better.

 

[Bighairyman]

Do not buy a 1080p 27 inch monitor...you will always being thinking about having that 1440p monitor. A 970 will run 1440p at normal settings just fine but upgrading it to SLI in the future is highly recommended. The Asus is a good deal, $450 is not a lot of money for a 1440p monitor.

 

[MauriciusRex]

Yeah, that's the line of thinking I was having, Bighairyman. I will also definitely be upgrading to run SLI in the future. Which is why I was thinking a 27'' 1440p monitor would be a sensible upgrade to begin with. So I'm still pretty set on getting one. I just want to be sure that the ASUS PB278Q is definitely worth the price, compared to other, cheaper alternatives.

 

[Brighttail]

Yeah, that's the line of thinking I was having, Bighairyman. I will also definitely be upgrading to run SLI in the future. Which is why I was thinking a 27'' 1440p monitor would be a sensible upgrade to begin with. So I'm still pretty set on getting one. I just needed to be sure that the ASUS PB278Q was definitely worth the price, compared to other, cheaper alternatives.

I think you will be happy with it like i said originally. Asus is a pretty solid brand when it comes to monitors. SLI you are going to love it even more

 

[ubercake]

Isn't the ASUS Swift an entirely different monitor, though? I was looking at this one. I just cannot afford G-Sync at all.

But damn, I just got so hooked on the idea of 1440p, haha. I was thinking that if my GPU couldn't handle a game on 1440p, I could keep the game settings on 1080p. I was planning on upgrading my computer to run SLI, as I built it to support that, I just haven't found it necessary to do it yet.

Regardless, the 1080p monitor you suggested looks pretty good. I'm not opposed to using 1080p on a 27'' monitor, but I have been itching for a higher resolution for some time. Going with 1440p seemed like a pretty good deal to do now, as I intend to keep my current computer and monitor for at least 5 years.

The reason I throw the whole G-sync idea out there is it's a little like an investment. A good monitor you can count on for 5-10 years.

I like the higher res too, but I use the Asus PB278Q for work (the PG278Q is for play) and while the PG278Q is great for work, I get blur even just moving windows around. You'll also have to deal with the tearing on the slower monitor. If you turn on v-sync, you get increase input lag and stutter.

The PB278Q has great colors and is a decent multi-purpose monitor, but if you're looking for a monitor to specifically game with, I'd go a 144Hz or G-sync.

That being said the PB278Q is definitely better than a cheap no-brand panel.

You may be a great candidate for an Overlord Tempest which is an up to 120Hz 1440p monitor? It's around the same price as the PB278Q.

 

[MauriciusRex]

So you're saying that a 1440p monitor will have tearing without G-Sync? Or am I misunderstanding?

But I also have been talking a friend of mine about it, and his counter-arguement to getting a 1440p is that it's not really necessary, as I won't be able to notice the difference much, if at all. And I do use my computer mostly for gaming, so judging by what you're saying, it sounds like I should be settling on a 1080p monitor with 144Hz instead, like the one you suggested.

So while a 1440p monitor would be nice, it might just be more rational for me to go with the VG278HE instead.

I do appreciate all the input I'm getting, I just have a hard time deciding on what's the best choice for me. :S

 

[Brighttail]

If you want the 144MHZ the Asus VG248QE is a fantastic monitor, i have one of those now and love it. the V-sync plus the 144Mhz along with my GTX970 has reduced stuttering and tearing nearly down to zero. If you are going to 27 inch, I would pick the one we talked about earlier or save up for the ROG Swift

Find a local computer store and go into it and see if you can find a couple of these models and see for yourself, nothing like looking at the colours and such before hand.

 

[ubercake]

So you're saying that a 1440p monitor will have tearing without G-Sync? Or am I misunderstanding?

But I also have been talking a friend of mine about it, and his counter-arguement to getting a 1440p is that it's not really necessary, as I won't be able to notice the difference much, if at all. And I do use my computer mostly for gaming, so judging by what you're saying, it sounds like I should be settling on a 1080p monitor with 144Hz instead, like the one you suggested.

So while a 1440p monitor would be nice, it might just be more rational for me to go with the VG278HE instead.

I do appreciate all the input I'm getting, I just have a hard time deciding on what's the best choice for me. :S

For sure. Any monitor will give you a degree of tearing without G-sync. The fast refresh Acer monitor will reduce perceivable tearing as the frame rates with your 770 will keep you well over the 60Hz mark for most games.

Just another note about G-sync though (I know... It's expensive)...
Because the video is smooth whether the framerate is 30 or jumping to over 100, you don't need to run an SLI setup to get great tear-free lag-free performance. This is another reason and argument for G-sync as an investment. I just wanted to throw that out there so you are as informed as possible. I went from running two 780s to a single 780 with G-sync and then to a 980 and I'll only need one GPU from this point forward. You'd be able to run with a single 770 on the 1080p monitor and not have to get a second 770 until games demand the upgrade. Then you could sell the 770 and get whatever the x70 or x80 is for that particular generation.

I think the VG278HE Asus monitor is good for your situation.

Another thing to keep in mind is you may be hitting some RAM limitations with the 770 in the near future as new titles are requiring increasing amounts of RAM. So SLI with a 770 may not be the best option the next time you're shopping for a video card.

 

[MauriciusRex]

You both raise some excellent points, and I appreciate the note about G-Sync. It certainly sounds very useful. But about SLI, I may end up waiting so long, a flat out better card may be available by that time, making two 770's in SLI kind of redundant anyway (unless I want to save). But I'll worry about that when I feel like an upgrade is needed.

All in all, I feel like I'm about ready to make a decision. The way I see it now, if I want a 1440p monitor, I may want to wait until I can afford a G-Sync monitor. By that time, it'll hopefully be less expensive. Until then, I think it'll be wisest for me to settle on the VG278HE, as that is economically better for me.


Thank you, ubercake, Brighttail, and Bighairyman for your great answers.

 

[Brighttail]

Good luck to you sir, hope we helped ya out and happy gaming. Let us know what you do in the end.

 

[ubercake]

You both raise some excellent points, and I appreciate the note about G-Sync. It certainly sounds very useful. But about SLI, I may end up waiting so long, a flat out better card may be available by that time, making two 770's in SLI kind of redundant anyway (unless I want to save). But I'll worry about that when I feel like an upgrade is needed.

All in all, I feel like I'm about ready to make a decision. The way I see it now, if I want a 1440p monitor, I may want to wait until I can afford a G-Sync monitor. By that time, it'll hopefully be less expensive. Until then, I think it'll be wisest for me to settle on the VG278HE, as that is economically better for me.


Thank you, ubercake, Brighttail, and Bighairyman for your great answers.

G-sync prices should come down if they ever release more than a supply of simply one model at a time. Hopefully, this time next year (and thereafter for that matter) there will be more than one model of G-sync monitor available at the same time and pricing will be lower.

 

[MauriciusRex]

Hopefully, that's the case.

Anyway, I went ahead and ordered the VG278HE, mostly because it was cheaper, and I have to think about my budget. As I said, the price on the PB278Q was stretching it quite a bit. And getting 144Hz is a nice upside to not getting 1440p.

I did also take a look at the Overlord Tempest, and while it looks solid, having to have it shipped across the Atlantic is not something I'm sure about for such an expensive monitor. The shipping price alone is hard to swallow. If it wasn't for those two things, I'd have got it in a heartbeat.