This holiday season I may finally splurge and replace my current system - which I have kept longer than any computer since the original IBM personal computer. If so I may also go for a high end monitor just because.
I would use it mostly for gaming - MMO gaming. Things like Pantheon testing when alpha comes out, old ones like LOTRO, newer ones like Black Desert Online (supposedly crappy game but pretty) etc. Not shooters. Color quality and general prettiness more important than the best possible reaction time.
Questions that come to mind - and I may not know enough to have the right questions:
1. Is a single fairly high end new video card enough to support what I want. Something near the top of the new NVidia line. Not a Titan and not two linked cards?
2. Is something in the range of 32" a reasonable choice (ignoring cost for the time being)? I don't expect other people to know much room I have or what I like to look at but perhaps people have been very happy with monitors in this range or perhaps at this size the resolution doesn't work well for gaming usage except for games optimized for it which MMOs generally would not be.
3. Is any particular format better than the others? Keeping in mind that the goal is an impressive display not competitive gaming. So the "best" response time or a really high refresh rate doesn't much matter unless it visibly impairs the way things look while playing a relatively undemanding game which pretty much all MMOs are.
4. For this usage are any particular features especially worth getting? Does VSYNC matter for LOTRO/BDO/Unity class games?
I know this has come up now and then but things have been changing rapidly and for off-topic I see no reason to necro an old thread.
Oh heck while I am asking
5. Does anyone have good or bad experiences with relatively high end computer assemblers like Digital Storm or Falcon Northwest or the like? Not Dell they have gone so far downhill IMO. Not "you can save a fortune putting it together and it isn't that hard". With my technical skills and reflexes yes it *is* that hard.
I can help with some of your questions. The NVidia 1080 runs my 4K monitor fine. (27inch BenQ) via DisplayPort connection. I think you will see "4K capable" on the right ones.
"4K" is a specific format (aspect ratio) and resolution. I suppose you can get a similar "dots per square inch" in another aspect ratio, but it won't specifically be "4K"
Be prepared to mess with the scaling options to make text and icon size usable. This usually is not a problem with games, as they adapt to different resolution/aspect ratios usually.
I don't know enough about your other questions to be of help.
Well with Bitcoin miners the graphics cards went through the roof. Don't know what they are now, but I do remember seeing computers assembled together being way better deals than actually getting the pieces separately.
I can answer a few of your questions.
1. Yes. I think Virtual Reality's minimum requirement is a 1050 gx video card. So a 1050 or higher should be able to run the games very well with what you said. I currently got a 1080ti Nvidia..so it is just under the titan.
2. Depends on your playstyle...but I would recommend looking into a duel monitor setup. Makes it much easier to have guides/or music/ or funny youtube videos/ or w/e on one screen and the game on another.
3. Don't know
4. Dont know
5. Don't know, but a recommendation would be to look into Power specs...which are only sold at Micro Center, I think, and if you have one near you that you can get to I would suggest looking at some of there prebuilt stuff and asking these questions. Micro Center employees are very knowledgable.
@dorotea
Congrats. I went 4K about 3 years ago? It has been amazing. The single most impactive change to my PC experience since SSDs were introduced.
An actual "WOW" moment. So many games look spectacular in 4K, and few know it.
I currently have two 4K (tv's) I use. I have never gone for a 4k "monitor". My preferred tv are the Samsungs. Their menu options allow me the degree of tuning and control I want. I have found others such as Sony and LG to be lacking.
With a TV you will be locked to 60hz, but unless you are a professional FPS player this is not going to be an issue. And if you were you would not be going 4K.
My most serious recommendation is to TRY out a 4K TV first. Many stores such as Best Buy have a return policy of 14 days, full refund. So you can purchase say a 40" 4K and 40" is the best size imo. Try it and return it easily if you hate it. My guess is you won't.
A couple important notes. Most video cards these days only have one HDMI port and multiple display ports. Make sure you get some Display port cables in advance. Not that $$ on Amazon.
DO NOT GET an mini MHMI to Display Port adaptor. That will most likely lock your display at 1920. Make sure to get a full HDMI to Display Port cable.
If you are building a new system the most important thing you can do is make sure it is M.2 motherboard, and do not scrimp on the M.2 speed. It is a game changer. I recommend nothing smaller than 500GB M.2.
Also 32GB RAM, highly recommended. Having a LOT of RAM solves many problems.
I am currently using a Nvidia 1070 (not ti) to run two 4K tv's working perfect. I have a 55" and a 40". The 55" is a little large but I still love it. 40" is perfect.
Here is a bonus pic of my home setup. I just finished that custom wraparound, two level corner desk. :)
#2 I have seen a 32" 1920x1080 and unless you have poor vision I recommend against it. I was using a duel 24" screen setup and loved it but last year I got Samsung LC49HG90DMNXZA Curved 49-Inch Gaming Monitor and while I have my complaints playing a mmo that supports it is really cool. I am glad I got it and really like it but some quick complaint. Switching between display modes can take time and can be annoying if you are bouncing between games requiring different settings.
#5 I normally build my own but I have heard good things about AVA Direct and have considered trying them on my next system.
Thanks for the comments.
I guess I wasn't clear in the question about format - I meant TN versus IPS versus any other formats out there. Some reviews will say "gamers" should get one thing or the other but very likely they are thinking of first person shooters rather than we more sedate MMO players.
dorotea said: Is a single fairly high end new video card enough to support what I want. Something near the top of the new NVidia line.
Two things to keep in mind when picking a GPU.
1) Do you need 4K or is 1080p good enough. Obviously if you want 4K you will need to look at the higher end of the spectrum. Same goes for VR as Watemper mentioned.
2) How many Monitors are you going to be using and what are the ports on those monitors. You will need a GPU that can support the number of Monitors your going to be using.
Zewtastic in his response mentioned making sure you use the correct ports to make sure you are getting the full value of your awesome monitor. But you can sometimes run into problems with lower end GPU's not having enough ports of the types you need. So if you are going to have a Multi-montior setup, you need to make sure you get a GPU that has enough of the right ports, or you will need to sacrifice potential on some of the monitors due to using adapters that convert from one to another.
But to answer your basic question. Yes a single GPU at the higher end is enough to handle what you have said you want from it. I use a 1070ti and it handles 3 displays at 1080p (I don't have 4K) and I haven't had any trouble with all the games I have been playing. And I can record and stream with no framerate problems in the games.
dorotea said: Is something in the range of 32" a reasonable choice
I would say 27" is the minimum I would go and I have been pretty happy with that size. With 32" and above you need to consider how far away from the monitor you are going to be sitting. If you are at normal monitor distance, at 32" you might start needing to turn your head more than just look with your eyes, which may not seem a big a deal but over time can actually cause strain on your neck and such. People do notice it.
If you can put your monitor back a little bit more than average, then that problem goes away and you don't need to turn your head much anymore so 32" is just fine. I wouldn't go much higher than this though.
Also, again with Multi-Monitor setups, you need to consider the size difference between each monitor in your setup. It may seem like not a big deal, but there are advantages to keeping Display sizes the same.
I personally use 2 27" Monitors + 1 32" TV giving me 3 total displays. The left 2 being the 27" and the 32" is off to the right. Having the 2 main monitors the same size makes the transition from one to the other a lot easier. So my Apps and Games tend to stay on the 27" displays while the larger 32" screen then gets used for Video's and Images that look better at bigger size. I also have a PS4 linked in with a game capture card which then displays on the 32" TV. I can swap between PC desktop or PS4 just by using the remote on the TV.
Some people use the larger size Display as their main display with the smaller ones off to either side, but as I mentioned before, with 32" at normal distance I end up turning my head to see everything, so I keep the main gaming Display at the 27" size. When I play PS4 I can just roll my chair back a bit and turn towards the 32" TV to the side since I'm not needing the keyboard and mouse.
Your milage may vary.
starblight said: last year I got Samsung LC49HG90DMNXZA Curved 49-Inch Gaming Monitor and while I have my complaints playing a mmo that supports it is really cool
These Ultra-wide monitors are also an option, but as Starblight hinted at there are some downsides to the extra wide displays. Lots of games don't fully support them yet and those that do may not do it well. But they do look really amazing when they do.
Some games like FPS's don't want to support these kinds of displays because they don't want to give you the advantage of a wider field of view, since it means you might see things on the screen without needing to turn in the game whereas another player needs to actually turn his character to see that same thing. Some might think this is an unfair advantage just because you can afford an ultra-wide screen.
Also of note, don't get discouraged if it just doesn't feel right at first. When you first start using an ultra-wide display it may seem like everything is just stretched out and squished down, but it's just your mind trying to adjust to the longer display. It's not actually any shorter than a normal monitor and if you put it side by side with a similar sized non-wide monitor it will be the same height. Once you use it for a week or two, you adjust to it and it no longer feels squished. But again, pay attention to how close you sit to the monitor as it may cause you to turning your head back and forth as you play. But if it gets too far away it may cause you to strain to see, since it's not actually making things bigger like a larger normal display would, it's just giving you more realestate on the sides.
These monitors also cause trouble if you are planning to do any streaming or want to record your gameplay and upload to Youtube. Since most people will be watching your videos on Normal displays, it needs to be cropped and they won't see the extra field of view that you do. Or if you don't crop it, they'll end up with the black bars on the top and bottom of your video and everything seems really small.
You also need to consider gameplay streaming or videos when dealing with 4K, since this adds huge file size to your recordings and you usually don't want to stream at 4K either (not sure if twitch even supports 4K) which means your computer would need to downscale your video to 1080p or less before it saves and/or streams it which puts more load on your GPU. Of course if you have Tons of HD space and want your Youtube videos to be 4K, then that's a different story.
PS. You may want to check out Linus Tech Tips on Youtube. Even just doing a search on youtube for 'Linus Tech Tips Monitor' or 'Linus Tech Tips Tn IPS' might get you some good videos that answer some of your questions.
GoofyWarriorGuy said:Zewtastic in his response mentioned making sure you use the correct ports to make sure you are getting the full value of your awesome monitor. But you can sometimes run into problems with lower end GPU's not having enough ports of the types you need. So if you are going to have a Multi-montior setup, you need to make sure you get a GPU that has enough of the right ports, or you will need to sacrifice potential on some of the monitors due to using adapters that convert from one to another.
What Goofy says here is accurate. I had this exact experience.
I was using a 4K tv with a sub standard video card. I did not realize it and thought I was seing true 4k. But it was not. I think it more 2160.
Then I updated my GPU to a 980TI and wow! I was blown away. All of a sudden I was seeing real 4K. And it was vastly different. Learning all the nuances and settings for 4K can be a pain but so worth it imo.
Ultra-wides I feel are more for use at the office. Do not confuse ultra wide monitors with the amazing picture 4K delivers. There is no comparison. Ultra wides are still low res.
The reason I say 40" is that there are not really any good 4K tv solutions at less than 40".
I did try a curved 4K, but did not care for it in the least. I thought I would love it. So was surprised. The curved screeens seem to be more a personal taste thing. Some love them.
I 1000% urge you to at least try a 4k tv if you can get hold of one to test with.
Thanks for the additional good replies.
The plan is to use one monitor and I have room to put it at a reasonable distance. No uploading - just me looking at the thing. Games not movies no interest in wide screen formats for movies. Maybe curved maybe not the one time I looked at curved I wasn't impressed but that was a while ago.
I also use a Galax Hall of Fame Nvidia GTX 1080, at 4k resolution on a 40" white bezel Crossover 405k . I don't think this monitor is made anymore, but the equally speced black bezel 404k is. Its a Korean brand, around $ 600-750 including shipping. Be aware of "perfect pixel" options too. Happy with both the card and monitor.
I would say that if you do get new gear, don't skimp, but get the biggest monitor that fits your needs and desk. You'd be surprised at how enormous a 40" seems at first, and how quickly you get very used to it, so after a few days you don't even notice its size. Text scaling IS an issue, so games you may play (like say Project 1999 or World of Warships), handle game text size very differently in ways you may be happy with...or not.
Finally, with my gear I found that ONLY using the DisplayPort gave me satisfactory results. I have only the one DisplayPort so that's a quibble.
Finally there are a lot of DisplayPort cables out there, and maybe 90 % are crap. Be absolutely sure you buy a certified cable...or it may not work at all. Ask me how I know this...and it was Amazon's #1 rated cable. Sheesh.
TN panels generally cost less. It's easier for them to get a faster response time. They can have pretty good brightness too. The main catch is viewing angle. If you have windows or other lighting in the area/ room it may cause glare or relections. Look at the layout where it will be and see if that is an issue. If it might be of concern, spend the extra money and get an IPS monitor. Also, don't forget to review the monitors:
Response time
Brightness
Color accuracy.
Don't trust their advertised stats (especially for response time). It's crap. Go check out a review (Hardware Unboxed on yourtube does a lot of monitor review).