Why Do Many 4K Monitors Have Low Refresh Rates?

Sep 22, 2018
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So basically, I'm looking for a 4K monitor for some PC and console gaming and also watching things in 4K. I have been looking at monitors but I have noticed that many 4K monitors have only about 60Hz refresh rates and I'm wondering why this is the case, is it that 4K monitors don't need as high of a refresh rate or what? Thanks for any replies.
 
Solution
4k resolution is not mainstream yet. 4k also requires fast driver circuits (read pricey) to display the HDMI/DP you plug in. 60Hz is the de facto refresh rate for monitors, no ones gonna buy it if you sell monitors with 30Hz.

There are few manufacturers who have 4k at higher refresh rates (Asus for example). But, you have to pay a premium price since the buyer pool is limited(You have to pay for their R&D too).

If you can buy 2x 1080Ti to play at high refresh rates in 4k, why not buy a 4k 100Hz monitor for the price of one 1080Ti?

Once 4K becomes mainstream, more and more people start going for 4k, mass manufacturing and divided R&D costs will make the 4K cost less. Then you can see the 4K 144Hz come into market at a lower price.

Dunlop0078

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Because 4k 144hz is a hell of a lot of data to try to send through a cable DP 1.4 is required and they are just hard to engineer. Not to mention that there is no 4k 144hz content besides games and it's very hard to run a modern game at 4k 144fps.

The PG27UQ is 4k 144hz, one of the first. It released just a few months ago.
 

ARAN_108

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Aug 11, 2016
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4k resolution is not mainstream yet. 4k also requires fast driver circuits (read pricey) to display the HDMI/DP you plug in. 60Hz is the de facto refresh rate for monitors, no ones gonna buy it if you sell monitors with 30Hz.

There are few manufacturers who have 4k at higher refresh rates (Asus for example). But, you have to pay a premium price since the buyer pool is limited(You have to pay for their R&D too).

If you can buy 2x 1080Ti to play at high refresh rates in 4k, why not buy a 4k 100Hz monitor for the price of one 1080Ti?

Once 4K becomes mainstream, more and more people start going for 4k, mass manufacturing and divided R&D costs will make the 4K cost less. Then you can see the 4K 144Hz come into market at a lower price.
 
Solution
Cost is probably the biggest issue...and they are expensive. I found a TV worked well for me as I got 4K at 60Hz 50 inch panel that works for me at a super low cost £350 roughly $400...High refresh rate 4K panels are now out, especially from ASUS but cost an arm and a leg and it needs tremendous GPU horse power to push so factor in at least a 1080ti but probably the 2080ti to really get it working properly and even then you are at the very limits...

I find playing my types of games like racing sims, Project Cars 2, Assetto Corsa etc. work very well at 4K 60 Hz and even Battlefield One works for me at 4K 60Hz though I have to drop down the ye candy a bit..But the TV does a great job overall and boy does it save money..
 
Because the market is not ready for the jump yet, which makes the move unprofitable. 4k monitors with high refresh rates are expensive and will also require 2 1080 ti in SLI to hit high frames, when SLI is not really supported by a large majority of games
 
Sep 22, 2018
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Thanks for the replies, ok so if I buy a 4K monitor at 60Hz, will I see an advantage over a standard TV while playing on console, as in will I see things quicker and will there be less ghosting.
 

Dunlop0078

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Depending on the monitor it will likely have better response times and less input lag than your standard HDTV. How noticeable this will be on a console I don't know. You would need a PS4 pro or xbox one x to actually get a 4k resolution in games or checker boarded 4k or whatever they do on console.
 
You don't need anything more than 60hz if you 're on console either way. They are capped. 4k is useful if you are having a fair distance from your monitor, where the sharpness of 4k helps. Quicker? No, but you should look at the response time of the TV instead, not the resolution. Anything below 5ms should be good for gaming
 
Sep 22, 2018
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Yeah exactly, the PS4 is capped at 60Hz anyway and tbh I don't game much on PC but I would like to have a 4K monitor for watching things and also for a PS4 PRO when I get one. The only thing is, would it be a better idea to get a 1080p monitor with a higher refresh rate or not, I dont see why it would be if I can only game at 60Hz.
 

Dunlop0078

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A high refresh rate 1080p panel would be pointless on console.

If you do get a 4k monitor make sure it supports 4k 60hz over HDMI 2.0. Consoles don't have display port to my knowledge.
 

boju

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I would have thought consoles were capped regardless, unless theres a way around it? Most TVs are 60Hz, i'd say consoles in this era are designed for this refresh rate otherwise it'll just screen tear and be very unappealing. Maybe next gen consoles will have better luck now that TVs are making the move to higher refresh rates.
 
Sep 22, 2018
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Yeah I agree, I think I will go with a 4K monitor as it will allow me to watch things in 4K and also play console on the highest refresh rate. Thanks.