Source
r/Monitors•
zero_space

1080p at 144FPS or 1440p at lower refresh rates?

Discussion

I'm running a decently powerful system with a Ryzen 5 3600 and a 5700XT. After looking at benchmarks it looks like I could on average achieve about 144FPS in most games out today at 1080p. At 1440p its closer to about 85FPS on average. Max settings. Using Shadow of The Tomb Raider as an example I'd get about 110FPS at 1080p but only 75FPS at 1440p.

I could turn down settings to get higher refresh rate at 1440p, but that seems silly if I'm paying for a high resolution display.

My concern is that I have the money for exactly one monitor and I've heard downscaling from 1440p to 1080p is really gross so I wouldn't even have that as an option if I can't manage upgrade my components in a few years.

Posted Jan 21, 2020, 3:46 PM UTC

03
ChocolateMorsels•

If you want 1440P then you should do 1440P 144hz.

Sure, on Tomb Raider you might only push 75 frames on all ultra settings. But what about other games you play that are less demanding? With that rig 75 frames is about as low as you're going at ultra/1440P save for the most demanding games.

I could turn down settings to get higher refresh rate at 1440p, but that seems silly if I'm paying for a high resolution display.

I know that this an issue that divides us PC gamers, but except for a few specific settings, Medium isn't much different than Ultra. And you can boost your frames by 30-50% going down a bit. That's what I always do with no regrets. But that's personal preference.

2
PalebloodSky•

If you're playing fast paced competitive type games like shooters (CSGO, PUBG, Apex, R6, etc.) they you will absolutely want higher framerate for a smoother image with lower response time.

If it's slow paced games like Tomb Raider then probably the sharper image and lower framerate would be preferred.

1
Whokam•

If you watch any of the Digital Foundry content, they really do emphasis that ‘1440p at high’ graphics look better than ‘1080p at ultra’.

Obviously the ‘high’ and ‘ultra’ there are just examples, but you get the gist. There’s an element of clarity that higher resolutions bring that just can’t be matched by lower res displays.

Ultimately I guess it comes down to the games you play too and if you really need those extra fps, or if you’re after an overall nicer looking experience.

1