DIM: 1440p gaming (over 1080p)
Posted by PasonJatrick@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 100 comments
Deinfluence me. I have been on the rabbit hole of putting together and fantasizing about a list of PC parts for 1440p gaming that I can't afford. Maybe playing in 1080p might not be so different.. Right?
TechnoGMNG589@reddit
1440p is a big jump up from 1080p tbh. Whats your budget? you may be able to afford it
Aarcin77@reddit
Native is huge agreed. But not if you have high quality monitor with good sharpening and image enhancement like MSI has with it's gaming intelligence.
withoutapaddle@reddit
Yes, I personally find the difference between 1080p and 1440p more enjoyable than the difference between 1440p and 4K.
I use a 800p, 1080p, 1440p, and 4K display all almost every day.
4K is great, but it rarely feels "worth it" when I think about how much better my performance could be changing only resolution.
I'd actually prefer to play a game at 3-3.5K supersampling on a 1440p screen to create an incredible sharp image rather than the opposite and use DLSS to upscale a 1200-1440p image to make an iffy 4K finale output.
DreamWeaver2189@reddit
3440x1440 @ at least 144Hz is my comfort zone. I honestly don't think 4K is worth it, at least not right now.
I know some people don't like Ultrawide, but it's a great experience for me and I'd rather keep it than going 16:9 4K.
withoutapaddle@reddit
I've definitely been tempted by ultrawide in the past, but I've seen so many people complaining or looking for advice to get so many games to work properly in ultrawide. That keeps me away.
It's the same reason I own common cars. I want to be the top of the bell curve as far as market demographic, so my experience is the one developers are most likely to target. So every time I work on one of my cars, I find 8 different youtube videos showing me exactly how to do the thing I'm trying to do, and 3-5 reputable sources for buying the parts.
DreamWeaver2189@reddit
I've never had any troubles with games. They either are compatible with ultrawide, or they aren't and I have to play them with 2 black bars at each side. No big deal for me.
But I haven't come across a game yet that hasn't allowed me to play it at all.
Speed-Significant@reddit
Look, 1440p is nice, but the internet way overhypes it to sell expensive GPUs. The reality is that 1080p on a good 24-inch IPS monitor still looks incredibly crisp, and it is so much cheaper to build for.
If you are playing fast-paced stuff like Apex Legends or League of Legends, or even jumping into crowded MMOs, frame rate is way more important than pixel count anyway. A solid 1080p build lets you easily max out your refresh rate and actually enjoy buttery smooth gameplay without emptying your bank account.
Plus, a 1080p rig will last you years longer before you feel the need to upgrade again. Save your money, build a killer 1080p setup, and I promise you won't even think about the extra resolution once you are actually playing instead of watching benchmark videos.
Bigfarter867@reddit
When you move to a 27’ 1440 life is a different ballpark
Speed-Significant@reddit
True, but he literally said they can't afford the parts for it. Sure it's a different ballpark, but so is the price of the GPU you need to actually drive those pixels. A 24-inch 1080p monitor actually has almost the exact same pixel density as a 27-inch 1440p screen anyway. Playing at a buttery smooth 144fps on a 24" 1080p setup is a way better gaming experience than struggling to hit 50-60fps on a 1440p screen just for a slight bump in sharpness. Don't let people make you go broke for resolution
Aarcin77@reddit
24.5 inch 1080p with image enhancement is very close to 27inch 1440p if you get used to over sharpening.
Octaive@reddit
That isn't the performance gap.
LoL doesn't need a high end GPU, neither do most esports games and will play at 144Hz no problem at 1440p even on mid low range GPUs like a 5060.
Pixel density isn't everything. Actual detail is also, you know, nice.
1440p produces a much more stable and anti aliased image. It's not a slight bump in sharpness, but a rather drastic one.
Jakememe124@reddit
i went from a 24 inch 1080p panel to a 27 inch 1440p mini led one, and even having to use dlss on my old 3060ti, the difference was staggering
Bigfarter867@reddit
I agree that if you can’t afford it don’t but I just wanted to say that there is a difference rather than overhype
Tee-hee64@reddit
It’s still enough of a PPI bump to notice and 1440p scaling is so much better than 1080p which looks oversized.
It’s why I’m also excited about 5k panels for retina displays with 1:1 1440p UI scaling.
Speed-Significant@reddit
Oh for sure, for general desktop use and UI scaling you are 100% right. 1080p definitely feels a bit cramped and oversized if you are doing actual work or multitasking. And yeah, those 5k panels are going to be insane. But keeping OP's situation in mind, if the main goal is just gaming on a tight budget, the desktop scaling argument kinda goes out the window. When you are actually in-game, sacrificing solid frame rates just for a slight PPI bump isn't worth it if it means going broke. Gotta work with what the wallet allows!
wafflesareforever@reddit
Well at 27 feet I'd imagine every extra pixel matters
isotope123@reddit
And here I am humming and hawing about moving to the curved 1440p ultra wide qd-oled life.
Alternative_Tank_139@reddit
You can just get a 32 inch 1440p monitor, and run it in a 24 inch window for 1080p.
Speed-Significant@reddit
that sounds like a nightmare for gaming tbh. why would you pay for a huge 32 inch 1440p panel just to play in a tiny window with giant black bars around it? you’d lose all the immersion and basically be staring at a postage stamp. plus 1080p looks kinda blurry when it’s not running at native resolution on most monitors. if op is on a budget, buying a giant monitor just to use 60% of it makes no sense lol.
iPain3G@reddit
It depends and you don't have black bars when you use fancyzones to create a 1080p zone for your games. I tried it on my 32inch screen and will use this solution when i switch to a 48 inch TV as my main.
semidegenerate@reddit
It is at native res. It just uses 1920x1080 pixels in the middle of the screen and blacks out the rest. And as for why, you get a larger screen space for lighter games and non-gaming stuff, while keeping a good pixel density, and you can upgrade the GPU down the road without swapping monitors.
Honestly, I think it's a bit janky. I personally wouldn't be thrilled with this solution. But for someone on a tight budget, I admit it makes sense.
Alternative_Tank_139@reddit
You clearly haven't heard of integer scaling. 1080p won't be blurry if you are using exactly 1920 by 1080 pixels on a 1440p display. It's an option you have if you want 1080p without the blurriness. Windows don't ruin immersion for everyone, I'm proof of that.
Dathouen@reddit
The most important part is the screen size. 1080p can look just as crisp as 1440p if the screen is small enough, due to them having similar pixel density.
The pixel density of a 24" 1080p panel is about 92 per square inch, while for a 27" 1440 panel it's about 108/sq in. While that's a bit of a difference, it's not so huge as to make it objectively worse.
A 21.5" 1080p panel has a pixel density of about 102.
If you if you want more screen real estate, 1440p or 4k are better, since you can have much bigger panels and maintain good pixel density, but for most gaming situations 21-24" is plenty.
In fact, I know people who are super into high precision competitive games like Valorant, CSGO, DOTA, etc, and they specifically go for 21" 1080p monitors because for the price of a regular ass 4k monitor, you can get one that's 1080p 240hz. They play on minimum settting and max out their FPS anyway, so anything above 1080p is excessive.
1440p and 4k are great, don't get me wrong, but past a certain point the price rises exponentially.
Forrice1@reddit
I play on 1440p 24-inch. The sharpness is almost unreal. You have better ppi than any 27inch monitor
-haven@reddit
If you said 4k was overhyped by the internet I would agree. 1440p has more than accessible for a while now outside of high-end cards. Necessary? No.
Also for OP you can buy a 1440p monitor and run your games in 1080p resolution. But get the extra space benefits when not gaming. Both 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 are both 16:9 aspect ratios.
Octaive@reddit
You do not want to run non native. Never do this. Use upscaling.
Lugo_888@reddit
4K resolution is amazing for games. And on top of that, higher resolution makes DLSS work better too. 1440p is a new full hd, while 1080 becomes the new 720p. And following that logic 720p is now new 480.
I've been sceptical about some of the new technologies and hardware before I tried them myself. It's an expensive hobby especially now. But higher resolutions, higher refresh rates, good quality OLED/microOLED make a huge difference in experience:)
Duckdxd@reddit
“overhyped” like I get it people have different budgets, but it is not overhyped, it is just objectively better in 2026.
KingBasten@reddit
~DIM~ Dim me
CommandShot1398@reddit
It all depends on the monitor size. If you get a 27 inch 1080p, you will not have a good time. However, if you go 24 inch and 1080p, you'll get a very high quality output. If you desk is small go for smaller monitor and lower resolution.
miroljubni-rom@reddit
1440p is not that demanding to run these days thanks to upscaling, so unless you want 1440p native with everything maxed out..?
PasonJatrick@reddit (OP)
It's odd how I've only heard of upscaling today. I guess all of the builds I've been finding build for 1440p native instead of something optimal for upscaling.
If you don't mind, what parts or cpu-gpu combination would you suggest for that?
miroljubni-rom@reddit
Any decent cpu gpu combo should do it, for the gpu a 9060xt 16gb is a really good choice and can be had for a decent price, if you have more money to spend then a rtx 5070 or a 9070/9070xt are the next step.. the 5070ti used to be really competitive but afaik prices have jumped a lot in the last few months, but if you can get it for not much more than a 9070xt it is the better card.
lichtspieler@reddit
Lets be real here for a second, a higher resolution matters only for some gaming genres and those will require a lot of CPU / GPU performance aswell to utilize the higher resolution monitor with still reasonable / ideal FPS for the genre.
I enjoyed 1080p gaming in the past and I enjoy 4k gaming now.
I am just a gamer and never understood the pixelpeeping mentality. If a game struggles with FPS performance, it gets very quickly annoying or a deal braker for the whole game.
If your hardware is not good enough for a higher resolution, 1080p is still great and perfect if you use a competitive sized \~24" monitor.
To make you feel better, console (even PS5 pro) gamers experience 480-520p native resolution with dynamic renderscale and call it 4k-120Hz gaming. You are hopefully aware how far above them you might still be with just "1080p gaming" on a PC.
goonertone75@reddit
My advice is to get out that rabbit hole and don't go back until you can afford it or you will just drive yourself crazy with envy and buy it anyway lol, once you go 1440p, you won't wanna go back to 1080p that's for certain.
onion2077@reddit
Honestly i'm not a stickler for resolution. I can enjoy playing on 4k, 1440p and 1080p screens alike. If the game is good and performs decently, i'll play it
tidytuna@reddit
That's the spirit
AspiringHippie123@reddit
I play 1080p and am very happy with it. Granted, I’ve never played higher resolutions, and I imagine my indifference is due to this. Ie I was perfectly happy with a refresh rate of 60, but since I switched to 120 I’m completely unable to go back.
oSyphon@reddit
Sorry bro
AspiringHippie123@reddit
Nah man it’s on purpose, I know as soon as I try out 2k or 4k I’ll basically NEED a new monitor and gpu. Gotta abstain till I got that extra cash lying around.
oSyphon@reddit
I tried 120fps a few weeks ago and it was so fucking responsive and smooth that I had to turn it off because I would rather better graphics than 120fps. But I'm slowly considering dropping graphics to medium and going 120
AspiringHippie123@reddit
Tbh with frame gen (I might get a bunch of hate for this) but you can get best of both worlds. I’m playing Crimson Desert right now and get 60 real frames, and 2x it to about 120. So you get the quality of playing 60fps, with the smoothness of 120. Latency has not been an issue if frames stay above 30-45 which they always do.
Funny enough, I only recently even realized I could run my monitors at 120hz. I had them for years, and my dumbass never checked the settings to see if it was actually using the highest refresh rate. Genuinely thought that any refresh rate above 60 just looked the exact same and was a scam😂
DreamWeaver2189@reddit
Happened to me when I discovered you had to unlock the higher refresh rate manually on Windows. I thought my 144Hz monitor was a scam as I never noticed a difference.
A year later or so I'm tweaking some settings and I realize my monitor has been set to 60Hz the whole time. Felt like and idiot. Then I almost vomited from playing Overwatch at 144Hz. The difference was huge and there's no going back.
I play at 1440p ultra wide now with 165Hz now that I have a beefy build. But I'd probably rather go back to 1080p at high refresh rate, than staying 1440p at 60fps. I'd rather my game runs smoothly than it looking pretty and running like crap.
Craftingphil@reddit
my issue with frame gen (AMD 6700xt so only fsr3 for me) is... meh. There are many artifacts, especially in fast-paced games. I am not really a fan of it.
On Nvidia-GPUs its supposedly better tho :)
AspiringHippie123@reddit
See I play on linux so i never know if stuff’s eemnñ by are issues with Nvidia or Linux
semidegenerate@reddit
I haven't used an AMD GPU recently so I can't speak for their implementation, but my experience with DLSS frame gen has been very positive while playing AAA games like Cyberpunk. I can't feel any input lag or see any visual degradation. I generally start with a base framerate of 90+, though.
BlastingStink@reddit
I have even worse news: Anything higher than 120 will ruin 120 for you.
I recently went from 180hz to 300 and I don't think I could go back.
MountainDoit@reddit
Don’t try it until you can go all out for sure, I went from 1080p144 medium settings to 1440p180 max, I literally cannot go back. The clarity of 2K on a 27” screen combined with high refresh rate has spoiled me so badly lmao. Totally worth it but yeah it’s a pricy jump.
SoftShock0@reddit
1080p is totally fine, but I will also say this, I have 1080p and 1440p monitors side by side and the 1440p is so much crisper
realWulfLives@reddit
1440p is the way.
Monitor for both resolutions are basically the same now. If parts are expensive, I would advise getting the best GPU you can and sacrifice the CPU a bit. So instead of a 7700x you get a 5600.
If that's not enough, turn down game settings a bit. 1440p isn't that much more demanding over 1080p.
I switched to 1440p when I had a 1660 super and I barely noticed the fps drop but I certainly noticed the improvement in graphics.
heydanalee@reddit
1080p was fine for me. Went to 1440p and it was definitely a little nicer. But it ruined 1080p for me. Like, the step up felt like a tiny baby step. The step down feels like a sheer cliff now.
Knowing what I know now, I’d stick to 1080p and enjoy cheaper parts and/or better frames.
adanceparty@reddit
Doesn't matter if it's worth it not. You said you can't afford it, so you answered your own question.
ShainPK@reddit
1440p is gamechanging
Azicec@reddit
I can’t ever go back to 1080p. I’d honestly save up and go that route.
GuessWhoItsJosh@reddit
If you can't afford it, you can't afford. Just enjoy what you got. I still play on 1080p and it's fine. Would 1440p be nice? Sure but I can manage fine without it. Honestly I care more about refresh rate than resolution. I've hooked my PC up to my 4k tv and while it looked nice, going back to 60fps was not it.
senorjc@reddit
What's your budget? What games/settings do you want to be able to play? 1080p is generally cheaper but nowadays there are some great budget options for 1440p gaming. If you share some details, we might be able to help you achieve that goal.
rooofle@reddit
I'd say it depends on the games you play. You'll notice the image quality upgrade immediately going to 1440 with a decent monitor like an IPS, but I've played on every standard resolution and tbh 1080p is fine. Especially if you're playing shooters it becomes a boon to run games at high refresh rates.
On the other side of the coin with most new games you'll most likely be running with some kind of upscaling even with a newer card. imo it's better to play on a bigger resolution in this case since you'll be upscaling from 1080p and below anyway to your targeted resolution (1440, 4k.)
draven33l@reddit
I wouldn't do it personally. I'd just wait. 1080 honestly looks fine on a 27" monitor, but it's going to be noticeably less sharp. It's acceptable, but it's a noticeable downgrade. How much that matters, is personal preference.
JustArandomGuy_-_@reddit
Have you ever use a 1080p monitor? Did you hate it? If not then you'll be fine. Just upgrade based on your needs, not on what is trendy. I think 24 inch and below is the ideal size for 1080p because of pixel density
Gex2-EnterTheGecko@reddit
Depends on the size of your screen and how close you are to it. 1080p looks terrible on any screen bigger than 24 inches IMO.
thatoneguyy22@reddit
1440p is nice, same with 4k don't get me wrong, but you have to keep updating your parts to keep that high frame rate at that resolution. I had that same debate in my head building my current pc. Could I run 1440p? Most definitely, do I want to spend that money on a monitor, not really. Instead this 9070xt will play 1080p on max settings at 185fps for the foreseeable future with no downgrading, no frame gen, no ai bullshit.
dcixk@reddit
For me it's really not a very noticeable difference, especially during actual gameplay. I am running older hardware, so I don't play super demanding games though. But I'll sit and change resolution/graphics settings back and forth for an hour just comparing lol. Even when you're just staring at leaves and shadows, it's still hard to notice much of a difference. But as soon as you quit doing that and start actually playing the game, the difference becomes basically zero and for me, I stop thinking about the graphics anyway.
almbfsek@reddit
honestly big screen makes more difference for my taste. 27 inch 1080p is more preferable for me compared to 24 inch 1080p eventhough pixels are noticable.
STRYED0R@reddit
Had a 2070 Super and a 1080p monitor. Upgraded to 1440p and with framegen I actually got more FPS and more fluidity. At 1080p, my CPU was an issue.
KajMak64Bit@reddit
Don't listen to anyone mate
I have a 3440x1440 ultrawide monitor paired with RTX 3060 12gb and i'm satisfied with the performance i get for the most part and when i'm not satisfied it's because i need to use more agressive upscaling so the game looks a bit worse and more blurry but runs okay-ish
So if you can get anything better than a 3060 you'll have amazing time... for me... RTX 4070 would be peak ( coz it's the best thing that requires a single 8pin connector and no new fire connector )
Justisaur@reddit
I just went 1440p. I'm regretting it. First thing I played was Dark Souls 3. I was "Wow this looks amazing." A few days later, I was in settings for controller and happened to flip past the graphics settings and noticed it was at 1080p. I changed it. Didn't look at all different.
I chalk it up to being the new monitor had IPS vs. the old one. Save your money, if you've got an old crappy monitor just upgrade to a better 1080p.
WizardMoose@reddit
1080p is fine. I've been playing at 1440p for the last year or so. When I occasionally use my laptop for gaming, I notice a difference but doesn't change in how much I enjoy my games.
ArseholeryEnthusiast@reddit
1440p is nicer than 1080p. That's just a fact. Does it make gaming more fun? Not really. If you can get a high refresh rate 1080p monitor cheap I'd go for that. Your competitive games would be fast and you'll be able to turn up some settings which often would make a bigger difference to immersion.
PubertPimpleton@reddit
you might not need such high end parts for 1440p, check out this daniel owen video: https://youtu.be/dbPsOmHSj1A
ego100trique@reddit
Went from a burned VA Samsung 144hz to an Alienware Oled 1440p 360hz.
I'll probably stop using my computer if someone tells me to go back to that first monitor.
semidegenerate@reddit
1440p 360hz OLED is a life changing experience. I have the MSI 271QRX, which probably uses the exact same panel as yours. Last I checked, Alienware was using QD-OLED and not WOLED, but they might be offering both now.
ego100trique@reddit
I've the QD OLED panel yeah, the only minor bothering thing is the magenta tint and text clarity but it's really not that annoying
semidegenerate@reddit
Yeah. I've gotten used to the text clarity, but I've thought of setting up my old 27" 1440p 165hz IPS panels next to it for productivity, but I would need a bigger desk.
I rarely ever notice the magenta tint. I think it's the lighting in my den. My desk is in the corner of the room with my back to the wall. The only light behind me is a floor to ceiling lamp that I usually keep off unless I'm doing paperwork.
Juusto3_3@reddit
Just get 1440p and use upscaling. 1080p is not great in comparison. Looks better but performs the same, depending on chosen upscaling
VeraFacta@reddit
1080p is over 27 years old. Regardless of settings, screen size, or distance, it looks atrocious. If you can’t afford a system that will run 1440p then you need to focus on financial success rather than gaming more.
Harry_Yudiputa@reddit
1080p in 2026 is a crime.
1080p is reserved for fps pros
deeeep_fried@reddit
1440p is noticeable when you’re going for a monitor that’s 27” or larger in my experience. If you’re okay with less than that then I think stay with 1080p while you can.
I will say I love the way 1440p looks, I have 2 monitors at that resolution and things look amazing
Tee-hee64@reddit
Once you go 1440p you won’t want to go back and the same is true for 27 inch. Usually 1080p panels are also 24 inch which will also look small coming from a 1440p 27 inch panel.
Balthanon@reddit
This is not uniformly true. I have 27+ inch 1080p and 1440p monitors right next to each other and most of the time I don't even care which one I'm using for gaming. It's just whichever direction I want to face or what I want to have on the other monitor at the time. I'm not necessarily in the majority with this opinion, but it's definitely something to try for yourself before you spend extra on 1440p if possible.
Tee-hee64@reddit
Considering I can notice the pixels on a 1080p 24 inch I don’t really need to do that experiment on 27 inch.
Higher PPI is better, especially retina on iPhones and Mac but there’s a cost to that so I deal with 1440p just now.z
Balthanon@reddit
I assumed you probably notice the difference, this was more for the OP and others to let them know it's not something that everyone is going to really see or care about.
Crytaz@reddit
It’s a pretty big upgrade. Be patient and save up.
Junkhead187@reddit
I thought the jump to 144hz was a way bigger deal than 1440p. Don't get me wrong, 1440p is better, but I didn't really knock my socks off.
ElectricGhostMan@reddit
Perception of pixel density shifts based on how far you sit from the screen usually. If you are further away from the display, it will become on average harder to distinguish between the two resolutions to the human eye. I think if it's more than 2ft most people on average won't be able to tell the difference at the same size monitor. It also makes a lot of windows applications and text smaller by default. You'd also benefit much more from the frames you get at the lower resolution, then most people who still play at 1080p today state that color and frame ratestand out more to them than resolution.
SatisfactionKlutzy18@reddit
I second this and I will also add this.
People often see pixels at 1080p when they get a larger (like 27 inches or larger) screen and then pixel peep about 6 inches away from the screen. You won’t see the pixels at all if you just sit back in your chair like a normal person or in typical use. You will notice frame rate and color much more though in my opinion.
Before anyone says anything I have a good 1440p inch and 1080p 27inch gaming monitor in a duel setup. Both are crispy when you sit a normal distance from either. The 1440p is a bit crispier and the 1080p is a bit softer. But I fail to see how I would have a bad experience using either one for gaming. 1080p is still great and was great when it was released. It did not become any less great when higher res stuff came around.
ElectricGhostMan@reddit
getting away from this specific case, I think in general some people are getting away from playing games for fun and more to just see they get a specific performance.
Balthanon@reddit
>> It also makes a lot of windows applications and text smaller by default.
This can honestly be really annoying-- the options available in Windows to boost text size aren't always uniformly used across all applications, so if you have a program that is older or just not programmed with this taken into account you can end up with absolutely minuscule text that you would need a microscope to read.
TOPBUMAVERICK@reddit
Judging by comments, i guess im the only one who went from 27' 1440p back down to 24' 1080p. Just couldnt get used to the bigger monitor, and having stable 144hz felt so much smoother than the marginal increase in quality.
TheJoker9999@reddit
Well, For me, I was always playing on 1080p but on a 22 inch monitor, Then about last year i upgraded like my whole pc and now playing on 1440p but on a 27 inch monitor, And i don't really notice almost any difference anyway
So i guess it all depend on how big the monitor is and what is the resolution of that monitor, And that's why it's always being said that the bigger the monitor the higher resolution you should get for that bigger monitor of course, Well, I mean, 1080p on a 22 inch absolutely won't be the same as 1080p on maybe 27 or maybe 32 inch for example
And that's why, Yes, 1080p can be really good of course, But depend on how big or small your monitor is in the end of course
virusdancer@reddit
Perhaps you can't do QHD because of budget concerns, but what about trying WHFD as an interim - 2560x1080p with 29-30" monitors...this will probably be horribly downvoted, and I wouldn't blame them. Depending on what you're playing, you're probably going to find that you wish you had a 4K setup or you'll realize you're perfectly fine at 1080p.
crazyates88@reddit
It all depends on the size of the monitor, and how far away your face is from the monitor.
Measure the distance from your monitor to your face in a normal gaming position and input that distance into an online calculator for your current monitor size/resolution. I like Display distance, retina and dimension calculator.- RodrigoPolo.com You enter your screen size and resolution, and it tells you the distance at which the screen becomes "retina" or when a higher resolution won't benefit you.
A 21" 1080p monitor is "retina" at a distance of 32" which is pretty far away and honestly will be pretty small and not a great gaming experience. I'm at work right now using a pair of 27" 1440p monitors, which the website says is retina at \~32", but I sit closer to 24" away so I would technically be able to see a difference if I upgraded to 4K but it's good enough for me and it's way better than the 1080p monitors I was using. I used to have a 32" monitor for work, and since it was 1080p I could see individual pixels from like 4ft away.
I had a 27" 1440p gaming monitor, and I upgraded to a 32" 1440p monitor. It was too big and extended past my field of view, and I ended up pushing it all the way to the back of my desk so I could see the whole thing at once. I use this calculator Viewing Distance and Field of View | Online-Calculator | FF Pictures GmbH to determine FOV.
TL;DR
Step 1: Measure distance from your monitor to your eyeballs.
Step 2: Enter that distance into DISTANCE CACULATOR and play around with screen size to find the ideal screen size for your distance, aiming for 45-50deg
Step 3: Enter the distance and screen size into RETINA CALCULATOR to determine the resolution you should be looking for.
If the end result is between 1440p and 4k, don't worry about going down to 1440p since it'll still look pretty good, and is noticeably better than 1080p.
Saranodamnedh@reddit
It's well worth it. Sorry!
VoraciousGorak@reddit
Upvoted and seconded. Nice thing about 1440p monitors is they can still work at 1080p, either through DLSS/FSR upscaling, in-engine scaling, or just setting the monitor resolution to 1080p and dealing with the occasionally weird pixel scaling, but there are very few PCs that can game acceptably at 1080p that can't also be made to work at 1440p with very few settings adjustments.
Alternative_Tank_139@reddit
Can you not save up? 1440p is worthwhile upgrade over 1080p.
Feeling_Photograph_5@reddit
If you're on a laptop, 1080p is fine. Especially if you're on a 14" laptop.
If you're on a 24" monitor, 1080p is fine. At 27" 1080p starts to look a little blurry sometimes, but it depends on the game.
For a little while I had a mini pc with 780m graphics. I found that if I stuck to older titles and indie titles, I could actually get to 1440p on integrated graphics, it was awesome.
Some older titles I had success with were Mass Effect Legendary, Doom 2016, Tomb Raider 2013, Mortal Kombat Komplete, Space Marine, and Pillars of Eternity. There are undoubtedly many more that would have worked. The Witcher 3, Diablo 3, etc.
All of the arcade style games like Hollow Knight and Ori also worked wonderfully.
So if you've got anything as powerful as a 780m or better, just pick games that will work with your system while you save up for an upgrade.
mfdoombolt@reddit
I played 1080p for a long time thinking it would be fine. it wasn't.
Jay467@reddit
1440p is nice and all, but don't spend money for gaming that you don't have or can't afford to not have. It's not really worth it in that case and online influencers don't give a damn about your (or my, or anyone else's) budget situation.
If you really want a new upgrade and can afford to spend some cash, you could consider something like a 2560x1080 ultrawide monitor if your current setup can manage that. That would be much cheaper than a new build or overhaul plus a monitor and net you some more screen real estate. But even then, regular 1080p is just fine
drumcid@reddit
I play in both because i have 2 pc’s. Sure 1440 is better no contest about that but the fun i had in the 1440 is the same with playing in 1080. Upgrade only when you have the money, no one is rushing you to buy a new monitor and system for 1440
Own-Jeweler3169@reddit
I had the same thing but 4k vs 1440p, I ended up with a 9800x3d + 5080 + Oled and I am happy with it, I prefer high frames, so you gotta think about what you prefer; clarity vs frames, first thing is to decide your budget, then it's a binary decision, can you afford it or can't you.
sexraX_muiretsyM@reddit
I play at 720p dawg