Deciding on UHD ("4k") vs HFR (120/144hz) for gaming?

[cakedotavi]

Hi folks.

 

I can safely assume my PC will push either UHD or HFR at a workable framerate, (60 for UHD, 120+ for HFR) but of course I can't really do both. My budget for a new panel is about $800, give or take, and I am heavily biased towards the color reproduction of IPS panels; I likely won't consider a TN panel.

 

How best can I decide between the two technologies? 

 

- Are there any shops that routinely have both available for an in-person demo in a game? (I live in Vancouver Canada but visit the Seattle area reasonably frequently)

- Are there any recommended write-ups comparing the benefits of the two directly for gaming? (I've already read these two HFR articles) 

- Do you have any personal thoughts regarding the differences between the two technologies for gaming?

 

Thanks!

[Vulpes Absurda]

My thought is to wait a year and then check on 4K again. What I've read about them is that they're almost there but not quite. However it sounds like if you want a big (30+ inchs) monitor then 4K is the way to go, where as if you want a smaller one HFR is what you want.

 

Having said that if you can find a good deal on a monitor that fits into either category then you may as well go for it. Black Friday will be good for this I imagine.

[Vorlonesque]

I'm a CRT guy personally, but if I were going to get an LCD right now for my PC I'd probably get one of these:

 

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/acer_xb270hu.htm

 

That said I'm rocking one of these right now (a GDM 5411 manufactured in 1999 with no input lag with a resolution of 1920x1440 @ 75Hz for most stuff):

 

[slime]

If the games you play are able to run at high framerates, it's very hard to go back to a 60 Hz display after using a 120+ Hz one for a little while (from personal experience looking at / using my friend's 144 Hz monitor.) Even just moving windows around on the desktop looks like a stuttery mess at 60 Hz compared to buttery smooth at 120/144 Hz, once your eyes adjust.

 

High pixel density is also nice, but I'd say it's more useful / noticeable for things other than gaming (e.g. reading a lot of text or programming), whereas in games antialiasing can somewhat mimic what a high pixel density display will do, and depending on the game a high refresh rate will make things feel comparatively amazing.

 

Of course, different games benefit differently from each. Higher refresh rates are the most noticeable in FPS games, I think.

[cakedotavi]

My thought is to wait a year and then check on 4K again. What I've read about them is that they're almost there but not quite. However it sounds like if you want a big (30+ inchs) monitor then 4K is the way to go, where as if you want a smaller one HFR is what you want.

 

Having said that if you can find a good deal on a monitor that fits into either category then you may as well go for it. Black Friday will be good for this I imagine.

I'm targeting 27 inches, with a viewing distance of about 73cm and very close to 20/20 vision. After doing some research yesterday it sounds like 1440p is *just* shy of being "good enough that more pixels will make no difference" for me. That certainly gives me something to think about. (As an aside, I likely will wait for Black Friday to see what happens over the coming months, and perhaps snag a deal on something like the Acer Predator XB270HU as Vorlonesque and others have suggested if I do decide to forgo 4k)

 

If the games you play are able to run at high framerates, it's very hard to go back to a 60 Hz display after using a 120+ Hz one for a little while (from personal experience looking at / using my friend's 144 Hz monitor.) Even just moving windows around on the desktop looks like a stuttery mess at 60 Hz compared to buttery smooth at 120/144 Hz, once your eyes adjust.

 

High pixel density is also nice, but I'd say it's more useful / noticeable for things other than gaming (e.g. reading a lot of text or programming), whereas in games antialiasing can somewhat mimic what a high pixel density display will do, and depending on the game a high refresh rate will make things feel comparatively amazing.

 

Of course, different games benefit differently from each. Higher refresh rates are the most noticeable in FPS games, I think.

 

Most of the games I play do support high framerates. I'd really like to see 144hz in person before I decide to figure our if it's for me, so I'll probably delay for a bit to try and make that happen. As I reference above, I've changed my mind from heavily favoring 4k to seriously considering 1440p 144hz; I'd just really like to see a HFR display before I pull the trigger and forgo those sweet, extra pixels

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts!