1080p to 1440p, same monitor size: "Is sharper better" for gaming?

[Gun Tech]

I.e. in what way is 1440p better than 1080p for gaming at the same display size? Does it affect the impression at all? I think 1080p looks perfect, but what do I know?

I have a 1080p, 27", 120Hz gaming monitor, and I'm afraid if I pay for a higher resolution the image will just be sharper, and may in fact reveal texture resolution lacks in some objects - even in quite recent games.

Some AAA titles will be 30-40GB and have textures and geometry resolutions beyond complaint. But what if I mostly don't play "the standard big names"?

So I'm asking 1440p monitor owners: did the sharper image add visual impression or other value to your favorite games? Are you happy you went to 1440p? Did it make you go "wow"? Was 1440p worth it?

 

[PatrioticPickle]

Before getting a 1440p monitor you would need to check if your rig has enough gpu power to be able to play games at 1440p at good framerates.

Would you be looking at a 120-144hz 1440p monitor as well? Because your existing 1080 120hz monitor will give a much smoother experience when playing games at 100fps+
Whereas on a 60hz monitor you are essentially only seeing 60fps no matter how much fps you are pushing due to the monitor only refreshing 60 times as second.

 

[SBMfromLA]

I have a 1440 monitor I just bought a few months ago. As for my games, not much of a difference except a slight FPS drop. If you want a huge impact, I suggest you look into getting an Ultra Widescreen monitor.

 

[photonboy]

Hey,

1) 1440p helps the DESKTOP be sharper (text etc)

2) 1440p for GAMES mainly helps reduce the jaggies (anti-aliasing) even more. You can do anti-aliasing on a 1080p as well, but the higher the resolution the better the results.

3) see "issues" due to higher resolution?
Not really, and not in games. Mainly that would be if watching low quality video and that's more about how CLOSE you sit to the monitor not the resolution.

4) Texture packs etc:
You should always use the highest your GPU allows you to use and still have a good frame rate. Don't get hung up on the details, but rather TWEAK the game settings until you get the best BALANCE between FPS and visual fidelity.

5) If you sit far enough away you can't see the difference anyway but that's more applicable to 4K HDTV's as it's pretty rare that you sit far enough from a 1440p monitor that it looks the same as a 1080p.

Summary:
There is NO benefit I can think of to go with a lower resolution monitor if simply comparing resolution (not price, refresh rate etc).

Is 1440p worth it?

To me, absolutely. It's the most important part of my computer. I have little desire to go higher than this, but especially for games with small HUD/Text elements (i.e. Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, CIV5 etc) it makes a HUGE difference.

Conversely, for games like SKYRIM with larger hud/text it doesn't make as much difference to go from 1080p to 1440p (though running at 1920x1080 on a 27", 2560x1440 monitor looks slightly better than running 1920x1080 on a 27", 1920x1080 monitor. Although processing at the same resolution the extra pixels do help slightly when viewing the final product. Mainly to avoid seeing the GAP between pixels.)

 

[SBMfromLA]

One thing to take into consideration is... text will appear much smaller in games and programs.

 

[photonboy]

One thing to take into consideration is... text will appear much smaller in games and programs.

Not always.
I use 125% scaling for Windows. You should also use Scroll+CNTRL to adjust web sites.

Not all games get smaller HUDs, and if it is a problem you can always set the game to a lower resolution anyway.

I've never be in a situation where I wished I had a lower resolution monitor.

 

[SBMfromLA]

I also have the DPI scaled to 125%... but some text in games will be smaller and hard to see. Another thing to take into consideration is... Windows 10 Live Tiles only work with preset DPI settings, (125, 150, 175)... so if you use a custom one like 140 or 155... the Live Tiles will no longer work...

 

[frank_hnd]

I went from 27" 1080p to 27" 1440p.
I was happy with 1080p but after trying out 1440p at the same size... 1080p felt pixelated and the icons suddenly felt big and ugly!
games look so sharp and beautiful. going from 1080p to 1440p wowed me more than changing my GTX660 to GTX1070

 

[WREQD]

I went from 27" 1080p to 27" 1440p.
I was happy with 1080p but after trying out 1440p at the same size... 1080p felt pixelated and the icons suddenly felt big and ugly!
games look so sharp and beautiful. going from 1080p to 1440p wowed me more than changing my GTX660 to GTX1070

but what if u had to chose between going from 1080p @ 60hz to 1440p or a 144hz monitor ... which one do u think would be better for gaming experience?

 

[frank_hnd]

overall, higher resolution is more noticeable than higher refresh rate. although the combination of both would be ideal!

 

[WREQD]

overall, higher resolution is more noticeable than higher refresh rate. although the combination of both would be ideal!

but they are all around $600 .... is there anything under $400?

 

[Gun Tech]

Before getting a 1440p monitor you would need to check if your rig has enough gpu power to be able to play games at 1440p at good framerates.

Would you be looking at a 120-144hz 1440p monitor as well? Because your existing 1080 120hz monitor will give a much smoother experience when playing games at 100fps+
Whereas on a 60hz monitor you are essentially only seeing 60fps no matter how much fps you are pushing due to the monitor only refreshing 60 times as second.

I'm looking only at 144Hz+ gaming monitors in either resolution. If framerate drops below acceptable levels in a specific game that I love, I'll upgrade to GTX 1080.

I'm choosing between the Dell S2716DG (1440p) and the Acer Predator XB271Hbmiprz (1080p). I know the tech, I just don't know if 1440p will wow me so I wanted gamers' reactions.

I don't play Warcraft type games where I can see it could fit more icons/text, as in desktop.

 

[frank_hnd]

overall, higher resolution is more noticeable than higher refresh rate. although the combination of both would be ideal!

but they are all around $600 .... is there anything under $400?

how much is this one in your region? https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PB278Q-2560x1440-DisplayPort-Monitor/dp/B009C3M7H0/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1477296482&sr=1-4&keywords=27+1440p+monitor&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A3547807011%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_two_browse-bin%3A6570749011

 

[WREQD]

overall, higher resolution is more noticeable than higher refresh rate. although the combination of both would be ideal!

but they are all around $600 .... is there anything under $400?

how much is this one in your region? https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PB278Q-2560x1440-DisplayPort-Monitor/dp/B009C3M7H0/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1477296482&sr=1-4&keywords=27+1440p+monitor&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A3547807011%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_two_browse-bin%3A6570749011

its only 1440p ... I'm wondering if there is a 1440p and 144hz one for that range

 

[Gun Tech]

overall, higher resolution is more noticeable than higher refresh rate. although the combination of both would be ideal!

but they are all around $600 .... is there anything under $400?

how much is this one in your region? https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PB278Q-2560x1440-DisplayPort-Monitor/dp/B009C3M7H0/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1477296482&sr=1-4&keywords=27+1440p+monitor&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A3547807011%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_two_browse-bin%3A6570749011

its only 1440p ... I'm wondering if there is a 1440p and 144hz one for that range

The Acer XG270HUomidpx has that + Freesync. I've just looked at G-Sync ones cos I have an NVidia card, and G-Sync adds $200 for some godforsaken reason. (Oh yes, I remember, the chip! "The chip" costs $200!)

 

[Gun Tech]

Yeah, sorry for late reply. Got a $700 144Hz 1440p monitor which had excellent picture quality, but ULMB and G-Sync didn't do a thing for any of my games, and framerate was almost halved. $700 crap

Luckily I already had one of the very best 1080p gaming monitors (SA950) so I got a GTX 1080 instead and now I'm rocking 120+ FPS and 120Hz in almost all my games - does a hell of a lot more to get rid of the overall blurry impression! I'm in heaven and I won't need a need a new monitor ever Well if this one fails I'll get the exact same monitor or one just like it - 1080p low response time and 85+ Hz is all you need to get what I have.