The 4K Club

[Gulkeeva]

Since it seemed to be picking up traction in the FFXIV section, thought I'd just make a tech thread of it O_o

Since I've been for awhile wanting to get to where I can 4K FFXIV and various other games, I've been waiting for well over a year for something like the 980 Ti to come out. Now that I have it, and FFXIV can 60fps for the most part FFXIV (except mor dhona).

Now its time to decide on an actual 4K Monitor~

I came across 2 possibilities

Waiting on the PG27AQ which is a 27" G-sync 4K IPS monitor
https://www.asus.com/Monitors/PB279Q/

or going TN xb280hk 28" G-sync 4K TN monitor
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8910/a...monitor-review

either way I was looking to get a G-sync monitor because there will be moments in a game it won't be 60fps, and Nvidia doesn't plan to play with freesync or displayports freesync for probably years, so it leaves you with Gsync or tearing although seems minor.

Issues I've found sort of
The other thing I'm hesitant on, is using a 4K monitor before windows 10 comes out. I tried DSR'ing to 4K on my desktop and the font on my current 28" is microscopic, resizing the text really fucks up some programs menus.

Fraps doesn't want to take pics/record video in DSR ;/
Print screen doesn't either, you just see a big 4K black block for a pic qq

Unsure if true or not, but rumor has it windows 10 will possibly be needed for sync window mode/borderless window g-sync also.

[Deadgye]

After having an IPS monitor I don't think I can ever buy a TN panel again. 1920x1200 with 24" gives me a ppi of 94.34. 3840x2160(lol4k) at 30" gives a ppi of 146.86. 2560x1600 at 30" makes so much more sense to me, especially with a ppi of 100.63.

[Gulkeeva]

After having an IPS monitor I don't think I can ever buy a TN panel again. 1920x1200 with 24" gives me a ppi of 94.34. 3840x2160(lol4k) at 30" gives a ppi of 146.86. 2560x1600 at 30" makes so much more sense to me, especially with a ppi of 100.63.

yeah, TN's have a more washed out color to me, and boosting up the "vivid" whatever setting at times don't work well, or causes some... pixel "transforming" I guess you could call it where it seems to jump around colors (maybe bad old monitor). I've been using an IPS, and I like also the viewing angle. Sometimes I like to work out while watching a anime/movie, and I may be off to the side a bit, where a TN you may start seeing strange things such as color variations and such, that doesn't happen with a IPS.

[Kalmado]

While there is no question quality 4k monitors look great I can't personally justify the cost of it at this time. I'm currently running a Qnix QX2710 and I absolutely love it. The improvement over 1080p is incredible. When using a single GTX 970 I could get 60fps on older titles (ultra) but some newer titles were struggling to keep above 50. I decided to switch to 290X crossfire and it's been great. I'm not sure if I would be ok with getting sub 50fps (possibly as low as 30) on new titles even with getting the bump in resolution. It's also heavily suggested to have at least 6gb vram for 4k. Maybe DX12 gives CF/SLI users that (I've read so many different opinions or "facts" I don't know what's what)?

I think if a person has the financial commitment to making a great 4k machine then it could be amazing!

[Gulkeeva]

Yeah the main game I play is FFXIV, and the 980 ti by itself makes 4K 60fps gaming it possible with everything maxed out

(example pic using DSR)
http://forum.neko-sentai.com/attachm...6&d=1434244045

only a few places dip below the 60fps (down to the 30s), and it seems to be more of a dip on whats shaded in an area more so than players seen in an aera after some wondering and testing. DX12 from its "testing" shows it could probably make even a single 970 hit 60fps in some games at 4K that previously might of only been 20-25fps, but we'll have to see it in live action, not just numbers to be sure

[Gryffes]

Peasants.

[Kalmado]

Yeah the main game I play is FFXIV, and the 980 ti by itself makes 4K 60fps gaming it possible with everything maxed out

(example pic using DSR)
http://forum.neko-sentai.com/attachm...6&d=1434244045

only a few places dip below the 60fps (down to the 30s), and it seems to be more of a dip on whats shaded in an area more so than players seen in an aera after some wondering and testing. DX12 from its "testing" shows it could probably make even a single 970 hit 60fps in some games at 4K that previously might of only been 20-25fps, but we'll have to see it in live action, not just numbers to be sure

This is where for you personally I'd say it's worth the stretch because that's exactly what you want to make your gaming experience better. If say someone was mainly playing Witcher 3 and only had say a 970 or a 290(x) I'd say it's hard to justify it since a single gpu (sans 980 ti or titan x) will more than likely struggle at 4k.

Regarding the DX12+970 (just so we're on the same page I understand you're only relaying info you read from somewhere) I find it extremely hard to see a 970 performing like that with 4k based on the vram issue. It will be interesting to see what tests bring once DX12 is released.

edit: I just looked at that screenshot and there is so much crap going on there I think my head would explode!

[Gulkeeva]

Peasants.

Buy me a 2nd 980 Ti...!

I need to save money for a hopefully not obscene price IPS 4K g-sync monitor O_o

[Boyiee]

Go to hardforum.com, you might want a 4:4:4 monitor. They have a great display section and you'll get great advice there.

Also, pfft 4k. Gotta get that 21:9 ultra wide-screen gsync club.

If you have to have 4k, go above 32". It's almost not worth it to go below. The 40 inch class is amazeballs.

[Gulkeeva]

The 4:4:4 thing seems to only be a TV issue, not a PC monitor issue O_o

As for larger, I want to keep a decently high PPI to keep the color quality. Although larger is nice if you plan to sit far away and use a controller/sit on a couch/lay in bed, you'll be losing some of the quality that a 4K and a smaller res for high PPI can bring I think. ALthough too much ppi and you'd need a magnifying glass, as long as your sitting infront of a PC monitor, 30-32inch would probably be ideal.

Its semi one the reasons why I'm hesitant maybe to get a 27inch G-sync 4K monitor. Great for 4K gaming but I'll have to use the magnifying feature for desktop items which currently can/does cause problems in windows 7. HOWEVER these issues arn't apparent/fixed in windows 10, which isn't released yet... so its going to pretty much be a waiting game ;/

Currently on a 28inch monitor using DSR 4K desktop, increased magnification from 100% -> 120% and its readable from a distance but makes the text oh so slightly fuzzyish in windows 7.

[Boyiee]

The 4:4:4 thing seems to only be a TV issue, not a PC monitor issue O_o

Yes, because most people agree that 4k is only worth using at larger screen sizes, with 40" being the sweet spot for use as a computer monitor.

[Josiahkf]

Yeah that's what I'm doing, 28" 4k acer and I love it but usually default browsers to 150% zoom. Screen is just too small to support 4k natively without the desktop defaults blinding me

Wish I had gotten 32" or 35

[Odesseiron]

I was seriously considering a 65" samsung JS9500 til this week. Then sanity prevailed. I'm gonna wait for more content and price drops before dropping money on one.

[Gulkeeva]

After some searching...

I came across another reason Monitor > TV

http://www.displaylag.com/display-database/
http://www.rtings.com/ <-- great site to lookup input lag/blur tests

4K TV input lag, where as LED monitors are in the 9-11ms range (11ms for 4K), a TV is 17ms and up (lowest 17ms, but they average 30ms for the cheaper models).

the 17ms 4K TV is about $2,800 where as the 11ms 4K monitor is $540

scouring a thread about HDTV 4:4:4 4K HDMI 2.0 thread
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1837209

I came across this
un50ju6500

4K HDMI 2.0 40 inch TV for about $700
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...11b-20&ie=UTF8

however, this has a measured input lag of nearly 27ms and suffers from ghosting from high motion

now there IS a better model with noticeably reduced ghosting/blur compared to un40ju650 the unJU7100 model but retails at $1000 for for a 40 inch (has 4:4:4 etc etc)

-Note these input lag measurements are in gaming mode, in PC mode its 40ms+

O_o


So tl;dr
TV monitor = huge but suffers blur/input lag unless you throw thousands at it
PC monitor = low input lag/blur but a lot smaller than a tv

[Boyiee]

The 40inchers are the sweetspot for PPI, but I prefer the ultrawide 21:9 3440x1440 monitors for gaming MUCH more. Really depends on your use and application.

40 is too big for my computer desk, and for many peoples, and after having a 30" for so long getting 4k below 30 wouldn't work for me. Dat 21:9 tho.

[Gulkeeva]

I watch a ton of anime on my pc also, and its all pretty much 16:9 format so they upscale nicely to 4K. Don't think I've seen any anime releases in wide format. I was looking at the possibility of a 40inch PC monitor for 4K, which is cheaper than a TV, and lower input lag and less bluring/ghosting... however this can lead to a few other issues mentioned before.

One the main things though would be screen tearing. Although I'd love to buy a 2nd $650 video card and then a $800-$1,000+ monitor so I can 60fps 4K games without any dips below 60 to have no screen tearing, its not actually in my budget to do so, small font doesn't bother me as much as screen tearing while playing a game. I could probably disable font scaling if I had a 32inch monitor though, I'm using 120% scaling on a 28inch monitor atm

a 32 inch IPS g-sync 4K monitor would be great >.>

[Purrrfect]

I haven't tried watching a movie yet, but as far as xiv, 21:9 is amazeballs. I didn't notice how much I had gotten used to it the last couple weeks I've had it, but I looked at my brother's 27" 1080p xiv last night and it was like looking at win3.1... http://www.wsgf.org/dr/final-fantasy...ealm-reborn/en has some good info about games/ratios.

[Fairy-Killer]

So as a 4k user for about 3 or 4 months and IPS user for over 3 years now, I could never go back to anything else. In fact, I tried out the Asus ROG Swift in a side by side comparison with my Dell P2715Q and returned it within a few days of comparing. I tend to lean back in my chair which causes massive discoloration on TNs and while the 2560x1440 resolution was nice, there were small details missing that made the resolution less enjoyable. Screen tearing was non-existent on the Asus and next to none on my Dell. I do not use V sync unless I am hitting 60FPS 90% of the time and tend to just cap the frame rate at 60 when given the option.

As for screen size, I sit about 2' - 3' foot from my computer and find 27" to be near perfect. Things are a little small, but still can be seen fairly well. I do not have perfect eye sight either. Also, text is not fuzzy at all in Windows. It must be the rescaling of DSR that is doing it.

If you can find a Dell P2715Q on sale for around $500, I'd say pull the trigger. Dell makes amazing IPS monitors, but not much else.

[Gulkeeva]

"Average" FPS Fury X vs 980 Ti

http://techreport.com/news/28501/her...-x-performance

Looks nearly identical for most games, with a few only 5 or less fps apart. So nearly comparable fps. There is rumour that the cards lack HDMI 2.0, this means no 4K TV usage unless that TV has displayport

[Kalmado]

Necro but relevant. Took the plunge just now and ordered a AMH A399U UHD 39.5" 3840X2160 16:9 4K LED Monitor. I had really considered a tv, but I'd have to switch to Nvidia and right this minute I cannot stomach cost selling my xfire 290x for a single 980 ti. Tek Syndicate had compared it to the Samsung UD590 series and said they would prefer the AMH A399U hands down. Here is the youtube video of the review. Via displayport it does 4:4:4 Chroma if that is important. I'm very excited to get this and see how it enhanced my gaming experience as well as helping me with my work. Can't wait!