2 1080p monitors want to add a 4k monitor, bad idea?

[Umeed]

Hi there.

(skip to bottom for tl;dr)

So, I would like to add a third monitor to my set up. I have two samsung 27" monitors, one is on display port, the other is running hdmi. I want to get a 4k monitor, hoping to run at minimum at 1440p.

I currently have a gtx-970, but I want to upgrade to a new video card so will take recommendations on what will enable this setup.

What I'll be doing, 3D character modeling on a light side (will probably just buy the assets lol), but a lot of environment design using Unreal Engine---maybe some Blender for objects as well (i know a quattro card would be more suitable but too expensive and i think the scope of its usability is narrowed down to just rendering).

I'll also be playing a bunch of games, mostly in the RPG genre (FF Zodiac Age, FF15 soon i hope lol) but action games like battlefield/starwars/mass effect/Nier as well. For the games I'm just trying to get more view. Right now I tend to play with one monitor having the game and the other monitor having my desktop visible because two monitor gaming setup feels odd to me.

I do not mind AMD gpus, I'm a big fan of Sapphire....just hearing to many issues lately with drivers/games using AMD so I'm wary of it.


Current specs:
i7 4970k
16gb ram
MSI gtx 970 OC Edition



tl;dr::::::

1.Can I run 2 monitors at 1080p with 1 monitor at 1440p/4k ? Or will I have issues with this? They'll all be same size 27".

2.What video card would you recommend to run 3 monitors, 2 at 1080p, 1 at 4k (minimum 1440p)?

3.Will a gtx-970 suffice if I'm doing 1440p on one monitor, with 2 at 1080p?

Thanks!

 

[Herc08]

Well yes it is possible. But the thing is, if you are trying to play on all three screens, the quality will have to be drop down to 1080p to match the other matters. You can't have one part 1080p, and one part 1440p...at least not that I know of. The GTX 970 SHOULD be able to handle it, but that's a strong should. To fully to take advantage of 4K, you want to look at the GTX 1080 Ti. It is a hefty price tag, but that's for a reason. The GTX 1080 can also handle it, but only for light 4K gaming.

 

[Umeed]

Well yes it is possible. But the thing is, if you are trying to play on all three screens, the quality will have to be drop down to 1080p to match the other matters. You can't have one part 1080p, and one part 1440p...at least not that I know of. The GTX 970 SHOULD be able to handle it, but that's a strong should. To fully to take advantage of 4K, you want to look at the GTX 1080 Ti. It is a hefty price tag, but that's for a reason. The GTX 1080 can also handle it, but only for light 4K gaming.

oh for real??? ah damn, I got excited because at my work I am able to run the monitors in different resolutions so I was hoping that would work for games as well. But it does make sense if its for the sake of keeping the quality consistent and not overworking the gpu trying to match different resolutions. Hmmmm.....I'm kind of tired of 1080p after working on 1440p displays at work.

 

[Herc08]

Well yes it is possible. But the thing is, if you are trying to play on all three screens, the quality will have to be drop down to 1080p to match the other matters. You can't have one part 1080p, and one part 1440p...at least not that I know of. The GTX 970 SHOULD be able to handle it, but that's a strong should. To fully to take advantage of 4K, you want to look at the GTX 1080 Ti. It is a hefty price tag, but that's for a reason. The GTX 1080 can also handle it, but only for light 4K gaming.

oh for real??? ah damn, I got excited because at my work I am able to run the monitors in different resolutions so I was hoping that would work for games as well. But it does make sense if its for the sake of keeping the quality consistent and not overworking the gpu trying to match different resolutions. Hmmmm.....I'm kind of tired of 1080p after working on 1440p displays at work.

I work with 1440p too, but at home I have a triple 1080p screen, and it doesn't really bother me. I still enjoy my games, and still maintain a decent FPS.

 

[Umeed]

Well yes it is possible. But the thing is, if you are trying to play on all three screens, the quality will have to be drop down to 1080p to match the other matters. You can't have one part 1080p, and one part 1440p...at least not that I know of. The GTX 970 SHOULD be able to handle it, but that's a strong should. To fully to take advantage of 4K, you want to look at the GTX 1080 Ti. It is a hefty price tag, but that's for a reason. The GTX 1080 can also handle it, but only for light 4K gaming.

oh for real??? ah damn, I got excited because at my work I am able to run the monitors in different resolutions so I was hoping that would work for games as well. But it does make sense if its for the sake of keeping the quality consistent and not overworking the gpu trying to match different resolutions. Hmmmm.....I'm kind of tired of 1080p after working on 1440p displays at work.

I work with 1440p too, but at home I have a triple 1080p screen, and it doesn't really bother me. I still enjoy my games, and still maintain a decent FPS.

Do you game with all three monitors?
It would be going way over budget but do you think a 970 (or a 1080) could handle 3 1440p monitors?

 

[Herc08]

Don't know about 3 at all time. I would say now. I don't even think the 1080 could. You would have to go in SLI mode to be able to handle the power. But that means upping your PSU as well. At the end of the day, I don't think it's worth it. not to mention that not all games support it.

And yes I use surround when I game, especially in Watch Dogs 2 and GTA V.

 

[Umeed]

Don't know about 3 at all time. I would say now. I don't even think the 1080 could. You would have to go in SLI mode to be able to handle the power. But that means upping your PSU as well. At the end of the day, I don't think it's worth it.

And yes I use surround when I game, especially in Windows 10.

Awesome, thanks for the help Herc08!