[buyingdecision]

Hi, I’m having a bit of a struggle deciding which direction to go with a new monitor purchase. My new PC has a 3090 gpu. My cpu is only an r7 3800x. I play a good amount of shooter/fps games. I know that having a high framerate is important for these games.

To my understanding, a 4k monitor can output 120hz and that any that advertise as 144hz are using chroma subsampling. How would this impact gaming performance?

I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to run games at 150+ frames on a 4k monitor with my cpu/gpu, so if I want the best performance, should I be looking at 1440p instead?

I also know that at some point, hdmi 2.1 will release at some point — should this be a factor in buying now/waiting/what I buy now?

any input would be appreciated!

[PCM2]

A lot of this comes down to your own personal preferences, the games you play and the settings you’re prepared to use. I don’t want to turn this into a GPU or system discussion as that isn’t really my area, although I do have personal experience with this seeing as I own an RTX 3090 myself. I also have a CPU which is relatively weak by today’s standards (Intel Core i7 7700K) and I have to say that and the rest of my system does drag down performance in some titles. I’ll by rectifying that by buying a new system in the not too distant future, but I bring this up because you might find you’re CPU limited (CPU bound/CPU bottlenecks apply) in some titles.

Depending on the monitor you’re used to and your own sensitivity, it may not be necessary to chase the very highest frame rate. And it’s also worth bearing in mind that a high pixel density can bring with it some competitive advantages as well, something we talk about in relevant reviews of such monitors (example). That same review points out the pitfalls of needing to rely on chroma subsampling (reduced chroma, 4:2:2). The good news is that there wasn’t any noteworthy impact when gaming under SDR – the performance impact only came into play under HDR. Some newer models also use DSC (Dynamic Stream Compression) which will allow you to take advantage of the highest frame and refresh rates offered by the monitor without needing to resort to reduced chroma. So you don’t need HDMI 2.1 to enjoy that sort of thing. A good example being the LG 27GN950, which is by many accounts quite a very capable and well-priced monitor for what it offers.

Depending on your budget it might be worth waiting for the upcoming ~32″ ‘4K’ models that are due to be released during 2021. Whilst the ‘4K’ UHD experience still has its perks on a 27″ model, ~32″ is something of a sweet spot for the resolution. It gives very much the same ‘high definition’ look from the excellent pixel density, with the same sort of clarity and detail from a normal viewing position. Whilst enhancing immersion and being more practical for productivity purposes – without necessitating the same level of scaling as a 27″ UHD model, if any at all. A few examples that are on my radar that should be relatively reasonably priced include the Philips 328M1R and ViewSonic XG320U. The former being VA and the latter being IPS-type (complete details not yet known). I’d expect to see these Q1 2021 and there will certainly be more choices of this sort from other manufacturers as well.

That’s the sort of monitor I’d personally want to get the most out of the Nvidia RTX 3090, because they tick the sort of boxes that are important to me. But I also found the Acer XB323U GP I recently reviewed surprisingly enjoyable to use for gaming. I prefer higher pixel densities myself, but the 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) resolution has its perks as well. It’s easier to drive even with an RTX 3090 and the monitor made excellent use of its 170Hz refresh rate. It also put Adaptive-Sync to very good use and offered an exceptionally vibrant palette. Not to everyone’s taste of course, but this worked particularly well under HDR where it was more appropriate for the gamut targeted there. And I certainly found the overall HDR experience very enjoyable, much more so than usual. In fact I found myself using it when playing Battlefield V semi-competitively. HDR is something I’d usually associate with more casual gameplay or watching video content, but I just found the colour reproduction and situational enhancements to contrast a compelling enough reason to use it for more competitive gaming as well.

Not to muddy the waters too much, but there is also the UltraWide path to consider. Quite a few discussions on such models in this thread, with the main focus on 3440 x 1440 UltraWides. I’m a big fan of those for gaming as well and the RTX 3090 can certainly deliver a very competent 3440 x 1440 performance. I haven’t come across one with the same sort of compelling HDR performance I just described on the 32″ Acer, though. Except for the Acer X35, which offered an exceptional HDR experience. But this is very much apples to oranges due to the pricing, panel type and responsiveness being very different. If you’re more interested in a responsive SDR performance and support for a nice high refresh rate, I feel the upcoming Acer X34 GS is one to watch as well. It’s a higher clocked Acer version of the LG 34GN850 with more powerful backlight. The 34GN850 or 34GP83A being my current choice in the ‘non-budget’ 34″ UItraWide category.

[buyingdecision]

Thank you for the detailed response. I’m going to read through the threads you linked. 🙂

[BlackFive]

I really appreciate the detail in your articles and responses!

While I’m not getting a 3090, I am expecting a 3080 in a few days. I’m also looking in detail at some of the upcoming 32″ UHD 144hz monitors, whether from Asus (PG32UQX), Viewsonic (ELITE XG320U), or others should they appear in the first quarter of 2021.

I’m currently on a high quality 1920×1200 60hz IPS, and looking for a full upgrade. I typically sit about a meter from the screen b/c any closer and I start to see the spaces between pixels (a bit closer during games for immersion). I prefer IPS and flat panel b/c I do some design work, and a LOT of typing. Any new monitor will do double duty work/gaming. I’ve read many articles about UHD in 32, and have a couple of follow up questions:

* Given that at UHD a 32 is running about 138 ppi, how does that work out for text? Much of what I’ve read suggests that Windows and other text (especially legacy apps) don’t present well above 110 ppi. In some articles (27s) you’ve written that sometimes scaling isn’t necessary. Does the added size of the 32″ monitor compensate for the pixel density, or is there a scaling you recommend for work at this size/resolution?
* Does the larger size contribute to eye strain? Is eye movement at 60fps/hz distracting (this from reading one of your articles) — or is it really only noticeable below 60fps?
* How noticeable is the IPS glow – does the larger size cause it to be more noticeable, or is this really panel-dependent?
* Finally – from what you’ve seen, how does the overall user-experience change between a high quality 27″ 1440p vs a high quality 32″ UHD? (Pixel density of 1440p at 27 is @ 109, vs @ 138 for 32″ UHD)…

In other words – would it really be worth waiting for the new 32’s or to just go ahead and get a nice 27″ 144hz IPS?

[PCM2]

“Much of what I’ve read suggests that Windows and other text (especially legacy apps) don’t present well above 110 ppi.”

That’s the first I’ve heard of it and I have no idea why there would be a particular cut off point with pixel density after which things suddenly “present themselves badly”. Sounds like nonsense to me and is contradicted by my own experiences which are clearly presented in our reviews of such models. Unless you’re specifically referring to image-based UI elements on some applications. That’s only a tiny portion of the text you’d see on a screen, actual ‘normal’ text (not based on a lower resolution image) benefits from a high pixel density in the expected way. I’d recommend reading the relevant section of the BenQ EW3280U review, for example, because it answers your questions. Text clarity is excellent, without scaling (as I prefer) or a low level of scaling or application-specific zoom. The screen size is immersive and not overwhelming. I pointed towards this section of the review and made some comments to the effect of 32″ on a UHD screen being something of a sweet spot in my first reply on this thread as well. If that doesn’t make it clear what I think of the experience and the advantages it brings then I don’t know what to tell you. Perhaps it would be worth taking a gander at the video review (below) for further commentary, but it will be more of the same. Models like the EW3280U provide an excellent combination of screen size and resolution in my view.

Our reviews also make it clear that a high refresh rate is advantageous when it comes to a reduction in perceived blur, provided you’ve got a suitably high frame rate as well. Whether it’s a viewing comfort issue is entirely subjective, as covered in our article on the topic. ‘IPS glow’ is stronger if you sit closer to a screen so having a 32″ screen can invite more of it from your typical viewing distance. But it also varies between individual models and depends on brightness and uniformity of the sample – moderate to strong clouding brings it out more strongly.

[BlackFive]

Thank you very much for the timely response!

I’m unfortunately at the mercy of reviews with regard to 32s – as there are no shops nearby which carry high quality displays. I say ‘unfortunately’ because other sites have given me pause about what I’d determined was the best upgrade for me (a UHD 32 at 144). Until now I’ve been dithering over whether 1440 at 27 was really the best choice, despite thinking that UHD 32 might be what I actually want. Your reviews have consistently spoken to 32 as a ‘sweet spot’ for 4k, and this gives me confidence with my upcoming purchase.

I’m quite looking forward to your reviews of the ViewSonic and Asus 32 high refresh IPS‘s when they come out (hopefully q1)!

[PCM2]

A few additional models of interest that haven’t been specifically mentioned earlier on this thread:

Acer XB323QK NV (31.5″ 144Hz UHD)
ASUS PG32UQ (32″ 144Hz UHD)
Acer XV282K KV (28″ 144Hz UHD)
ASUS VG28UQL1A (28″ 144Hz UHD)

[PCM2]

Another option that has just been ‘unveiled’ (unofficially) is the Acer XB323K. Like the ViewSonic XG320U and ASUS PG32UQ this one has a very generous gamut (Quantum Dot LED backlight) and supports VESA DisplayHDR 600.

We’ve also published our review of the Acer XV282K KV – and I found that worked very nicely with my RTX 3090 due to its strong high refresh rate performance. 🙂

[PCM2]

Our review of the ASUS PG32UQX is now live. For those interested in an exceptionally dymamic and visually exciting HDR experience in particular. And happy to pay more for the monitor than for the already pricey RTX 3090. 😉

[Palmik777]

Hi, first of all i would like to mention Im confused with all details, offers and differences between monitor.

May I ask you to advise which monitor should i Buy? Definitely I want to Best Beast for below:

Primary monitor, I would like to have bountiful details for games and of course speedy performance. I have RTX 3080 TI Gainward Phoenix 12 GB, I7-12700 DDR4. Size should be somewhere 27-28″, my budget 620-830 USD.

Why am I confused? Because I read lot of sources like toms hardware, also read https://pcmonitors.info/recommendations/gaming-monitors/ but still I cannot decide as so many option and so many differences.

My last choice based on Toms hardware was LG 27GN950-B but it was smashed again with this forum…..

Thank you !

[PCM2]

Hi Palmik777,

I’ve merged your thread with this one and re-purposed it so it doesn’t just focus on the RTX 3090 but powerful Nvidia RTX GPUs more generally. So that would certainly include your RTX 3080 Ti and many of the upcoming RTX 40 Series models etc. The pointers and recommendations I’ve already given in this thread certainly still apply.

You need to remember that monitors are very subjective and everyone will have their own preferences and opinions. I don’t think the LG 27GN950 (or version with HDMI 2.1, the LG 27GP950) are bad monitors, but at the same time they do have some niggling drawbacks which make me hesitant to personally recommend them. The asking price has certainly dropped since I last commented on them so that does make them more attractive possibilities. The LG models are compared to some others you should consider in this thread. As reinforced in that thread and elsewhere on the site, regardless of what I may or may not personally recommend this is all very subjective and you may really enjoy the experience the 28″ models offer. But you need to weigh up the pros and cons for yourself, because it’s you who has to enjoy the experience and who will need to tolerate their potential drawbacks. Potential is an important word here, as you may not find these drawbacks bothersome in the slightest and can focus on and enjoy the positive aspects of the experience instead.

A key selling point of the LG compared to some competitors, really, is its HDR performance. But it’s really not particularly strong in that regard even amongst displays in a similar HDR tier. If you can stretch your budget to the Sony INZONE M9 (SDM-U27M90), then that will offer a superior experience in my view. That’s actually a monitor that ticks enough boxes with a sufficiently low number of drawbacks that I would be tempted to recommend it. But the availability needs to improve in the US, where a large number of our visitors come from – and I’d quite like to review it at some point which would help me give a more solid recommendation. If you’d really like to stick more strictly to your budget then my advice would simply be to see what the cheapest 28″ model covered in that thread I mentioned earlier is and give that a try. This is often the Gigabyte M28U, but it can vary depending on the market and some of the other models may go on sale from time to time.

[Palmik777]

thx, i read all article, unfortunately most I didnt understand. Anyway I understand your last topic to choose between Sony M9 or M28U. The M28U is within my budget and seems fine for me. The M9 cost twice more and its reason why I pick M28U for now. So last question for today – is there any better than M28U with similar price tag for my 3080ti?

[PCM2]

I agree with that. The M28U would be the one to try and the best option for you – hopefully you’ll enjoy it. 🙂

[EsaT]

If you’re not confused at some point, then you’re not looking into choises and actually researching them.

Listing only 60Hz 27″ 4K monitor that guide can be considered outdated on that part and in need of update:
Unlike with CRTs you can’t increase refresh rate of LCD when dropping resolution below native and 60Hz monitor will never do more than 60Hz.
So for gaming recommendation should be 144Hz now that those have been easily available for year or two.
That way user can choose between native resolution at lower fps and scaled from lower resolution at higher fps.

And LG actually has quite good 27″ 4K monitors with proper contrast for IPS.
(unlike 2560×1440 “Nano-IPS” panels, which have had contrast from 15 years ago)
Also response times are good and basing on reviews you have overdrive setting quite good for most refresh rates/down to 60Hz level.
Innolux panels push more toward agressive overdrive settings leading to harder to avoid overshoot at low refresh rates.
Also while LG has completely surrendered colour gamut contest to AUO, LGs cover DCI-P3 pretty well in greens giving vibrancy to foliage/vegetation in games.

[PCM2]

Good points, EsaT. Per my previous replies and the threads linked to, I haven’t felt entirely comfortable giving any of the 144Hz 27-28″ ‘4K’ options my personal, absolute recommendation. But at the same time, I don’t want to discourage people from trying them out and seeing for themselves – because monitors are ultimately very subjective. The locked and aggressive pixel overdrive on the 28″ models for example bugs me, personally, and I consider it a really odd quirk. If a user is not particularly sensitive to overshoot, doesn’t use VRR or can stick to high frame rates a lot of the time it’s much less of an issue. People don’t generally comment on it, so I’m probably just being too fussy. The LG doesn’t have that issue, but it has some others to consider.

Of course you can nit-pick with any monitor really and it’s easier to accept some of these potential issues given the current prices. And it is indeed good that the LG doesn’t have particular issues with static contrast like the 2560 x 1440 Nano IPS options. 🙂 The 28″ models have certainly come down in price significantly since I reviewed some of them – the M28U is currently a bit above $500 USD which is actually a very good price for it! So yes, I need to reconsider my position with this in mind.

Edit: Have indeed reconsidered. Since I seem to generally recommend the M28U via email and social channels (as well as on the forum) and the fact most feedback I receive on it is positive, it seems only right to add it to the gaming recommendations.

[EsaT]

There’s something not so good in basically every single product of every single product type.
(Including new 5000+€ eBike I got last week… After starting to look into choices last summer)

You actually forgot these 4K Gigabytes having half-baked marketing HDMI 2.1 with only 24 Gbps bandwidth, instead of real HDMI 2.1’s 48 Gbps.
With DSC supporting signal sources that isn’t issue, but with DSC lacking PS5 that might cause some limits.
(What was Sony thinking…)

Again LG’s 27GP950 has real HDMI 2.1. (as update from HDMI 2.0 27GN950)
And “Normal” overdrive has been measured to be in practise overshoot free at 60Hz level.
So would be very good choice for gaming with eye candy maxed and fps staying lower/heavily varying fps games.
Again “Fast” mode could have used little more aggressiveness with overshoot comparable to M28U at overdrive “Off”…

[PCM2]

All else being equal, of course a fully capable HDMI 2.1 port without DSC (yes – thanks, Sony) would be preferred. But this hasn’t been “forgotten” (have also added a note in this comparison post for clarity). It’s simply that it makes very little difference when viewing ‘4K’ video or game content and is not something I’d use as a key reason to chose or avoid a given model over another. This is based on my own personal observations of both signals and also feedback from other reviewers and regular users who came to the same conclusion. Most people will simply assume this sort of thing will make a significant and readily noticeable difference, but that is absolutely untrue. It makes a minor difference in very specific scenarios and most would absolutely fail to see the difference even in a side by side comparison. From the M32U review:

“The HDMI 2.1 ports of this model offer a bandwidth of 24Gbps with DSC (Display Stream Compression) used to extend its effective bandwidth further. For example, enabling Full Range RGB or ‘4:4:4’ without chroma subsampling at the maximum refresh rate. Unlike many PC GPUs or the Xbox Series X, the PS5 doesn’t support DSC – so it would require a higher uncompressed bandwidth for its maximum supported ‘4:2:2’ signal for ‘4K’ UHD @120Hz. As that isn’t available here, a ‘4:2:0’ reduced chroma signal is instead used for ‘4K’ UHD @120Hz on the PS5. In practice this works very well for ‘4K’ gaming or movie content with minimal visual impact in either SDR or HDR. Many people would struggle to see a difference even with a direct side by side comparison, so it isn’t something we’d worry about. But we appreciate some people would ideally like to be able to leverage the full capability of their system without a reduced chroma signal.”

[PCM2]

Did you manage to settle on one of these models yet, Palmik777?

Just to note here that LG has now discontinued the 27GP950 in Asia and replaced it with the 27GP95R. This is also listed in the US and it’s possible the GP950 will be discontinued there and in various other regions shortly. The 27GN950 will presumably remain as a cheaper alternative for those who just want to use the monitor with a PC and don’t care about HDMI 2.1 support. Aside from the loss of the ‘Sphere Lighting 2.0’ RGB LED system, it isn’t clear what has changed with the 27GP95R. Initial retail price if $800 USD. It’s very possible some ‘under the hood’ tweaks have been made. Perhaps it uses a slightly newer version of the panel, maybe the pixel responsiveness has been slightly improved (agree with EsaT that they’re perfectly fine for most people with the ‘older versions’ anyway), perhaps the HDR local dimming algorithm has been tweaked. Or perhaps there are more significant changes. It’s really tough to say, but either way I do like that these LG models are now priced more attractively than they were initially.

I may recommend the M28U currently (at $600 USD) as it has some advantages or potential advantages over the LG such as shifted peak of blue light to enhance viewing comfort for some, a more measured saturation boost some will prefer (less extreme gamut), slightly less grainy screen surface, better reflection handling, superior pixel responsiveness at high refresh rates, lack of fan. But here are also some advantages to the LG such as the superior gamut delivering higher vibrancy and creativity potential for work within the DCI-P3 colour space, lighter screen surface which some may prefer, better HDR support, ‘full fat’ HDMI 2.1, hardware calibration, better overdrive tuning for lower refresh rates and slicker ‘4-sided borderless’ (dual-stage at all sides) design. Will be interesting to see how the new version differs from the older models and if it does, or whether they just wanted to strip out the RGB LED lighting. 😉

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