wain71 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 currently 1440 set up, supposed to be getting a new rig, monitor etc next year but not sure if I can wait that long, most of the current set up apart from the GPU are about 10 yrs old, anyways I am wondering if it's worth the cost of going to 4k, visually is it that much better? is it just one big headache? I don't do VR and aside from flight sim I mostly game in driving games on the PC, probably won't go any bigger than a 27-32 inch screen.....any thoughts from anyone who has stepped up to 4k would be helpful, last year I bought a new TV in the living room, 4k UHD and it was an amazing difference from 2k HD.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cooper Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Hello Wayne, I think you answered your own question in the last line. However, in my humble opinion, the smaller the screen, the less obvious is the improvement. In front of me here, I have a 43" monitor @4k and it is indeed excellent. At each side of it though, I have 32" monitors @2k and they are almost as good to look at. You do need a fairly strong PC to drive 4K as well. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dow Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Years ago I bought a 40" monitor, I'll never go back to smaller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 4 hours ago, Nick Cooper said: Hello Wayne, I think you answered your own question in the last line. However, in my humble opinion, the smaller the screen, the less obvious is the improvement. In front of me here, I have a 43" monitor @4k and it is indeed excellent. At each side of it though, I have 32" monitors @2k and they are almost as good to look at. You do need a fairly strong PC to drive 4K as well. yeah I suppose I did when I think about it, I'll compare prices of a new 2k and 4k system and see what they are.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Taylor Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 I have seen a lot of people turn back to 2k for flightsim prior to the 4090. Anything under a 4090 people aren't as happy with the fps. I can see why they do it and until got mine I was at 3440x1400 UHD for a long time. Initially 4k's difference jumps out at you. That detail! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dow Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 My 3060ti gives me more than enough fps at 4k, in dense cities such as London and NY, reducing the scenery detail slider to 200 can be necessary depending on the weather. In fact, fps basically doesn't change when I go back to 1080p, proving that performance limitations are mostly cpu related. It might be different if you insist on running 100% Ultra settings across the board, but I find I can't see any difference between mostly High and all Ultra settings anyway. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 8 hours ago, John Dow said: My 3060ti gives me more than enough fps at 4k, in dense cities such as London and NY, reducing the scenery detail slider to 200 can be necessary depending on the weather. In fact, fps basically doesn't change when I go back to 1080p, proving that performance limitations are mostly cpu related. It might be different if you insist on running 100% Ultra settings across the board, but I find I can't see any difference between mostly High and all Ultra settings anyway. now that's interesting, I am wondering do I just go for a new 4k monitor, maybe just upgrade the CPU and then the motherboard, maybe just a refurb of what I have and next year go for the new GPU.....what I have runs MSFS and XPLANE fine at 2k but the new CPU would I believe be required for the jump to 4k.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 10 hours ago, Milo Taylor said: I have seen a lot of people turn back to 2k for flightsim prior to the 4090. Anything under a 4090 people aren't as happy with the fps. I can see why they do it and until got mine I was at 3440x1400 UHD for a long time. Initially 4k's difference jumps out at you. That detail! yeah I guess what I am trying to find is about the detail, is it that much of a difference to warrant the cost and replace what is working nicely at 2k.....I have seen the difference with my new TV and I guess the same would be said for the PC.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Taylor Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 Yeah, there are too many variables when it comes to all this. As long as you are happy with what you are looking at, that's all that matters. I do run everything at max including all the LOD settings and line work and such are super detailed with those setting. I do it cause I have the 4090. This sim looks great across the board without all the setting totally maxed, though, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Harmes Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 I had been on a 24 inch 1080P monitor right up until about 2 weeks ago. I do also use VR, but a lot of the time I use a monitor, particularly with games other than flight sims and with XP11 and P3Dv4/v5. The only games/sims I use in VR the majority of the time are MSFS and DCS. I had never really considered a 4K monitor, but around the start of this year I built a new PC with specs to suit a new VR headset (Pimax Crystal). For some reason, a couple of weeks ago, it felt really lacking to be flying in P3Dv5 on the 24 inch 1080P monitor. Maybe it was because it seemed so small and probably less clear than in my new VR headset. P3D is still not good in VR, so I don't use it much for that. Anyway, I bought a 32 inch 4K monitor, and made sure to get one that was G-Sync compatible, and it has been a gamechanger. Surprisingly my performance is as good or better in P3D, especially with regards to smoothness, with frames still being very high. G-Sync (and AMD's FreeSync) works really well to match the sim's FPS to a variable refresh rate on the monitor, to keep things smooth. I don't know why I was never really tempted or even considered a 4K monitor, but since getting this new one I am blown away by the change in clarity. You can actually reduce or remove a lot of post processing filters (AA and AF) which can help frame rate at 4K. I think I just have my P3D set at 4 x MSAA and 8 x Anisotropic right now, and there are zero jaggy lines. I could probably even reduce it more if it wasn't for slight shimmering. The monitor I bought was the "Gigabyte M32UC 31.5" 4K UHD 144Hz/OC 160Hz Curved Gaming Monitor". I know my old monitor was 1080P, so not the comparison you were after Wain, but I was blown away by the improvement going from 1080P to 4K. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 thanks both for the replies, yeah I think I may initially get the monitor and then later upgrade the PC, I will benefit from use with my PS5 / XBOX which are both 4k, also being able to look at the visuals of MSFS on the XBOX should hopefully show the difference, now to go and understand all the techy things that are needed for a good monitor.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dow Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 You can also run a 4k monitor at intermediate settings like 1440p and I think there's one more before 4K 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Harmes Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 3 hours ago, wain71 said: thanks both for the replies, yeah I think I may initially get the monitor and then later upgrade the PC, I will benefit from use with my PS5 / XBOX which are both 4k, also being able to look at the visuals of MSFS on the XBOX should hopefully show the difference, now to go and understand all the techy things that are needed for a good monitor.... Make sure to get one that is G-Sync compatible, assuming you are going to keep with an Nvidia card in the future. I see you have one now.. I had a bit of trouble finding info on that, because it was hard to find a monitor with the specs I wanted (4k, curved, 32") on the Nvidia compatible list. In the end I pretty much had to ignore that list, because despite the monitor I wanted not being on it, I found out from another source that it was compatible. Here's a really good review site that gives A LOT of info on the monitors they review. I used this site to make sure the one I got was G-Sync compatible, and also to compare with other monitors to find the best one out of the few I was looking at. This page is the review for my monitor. To search for any others they have tested just type the model in the search bar. You can find info on G-Sync compatibility about 2/3 of the way down under "Variable Refresh Rate". If they haven't done a review you can also always contact support for the company that makes the monitor you're interested in to ask them about the features. I did that with a couple of monitors I was looking at and they replied back informing me that their monitors were not G-Sync compatible. https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/gigabyte/m32uc Cheers, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Taylor Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 I looked at the gigabyte as well @Scott Harmes I cant recall why I chose the LG Ultragear 32" over it. But both are really good ones. I think I didnt want the curved. Cant remember now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted March 15 Author Share Posted March 15 HDMI? or is DP better? What about HDMI2.1 V2.0? TV or monitor? so many questions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 @Scott Harmes @Milo Taylor just a few more questions, I don't really understand how the refresh rates work in relation to my gpu?.... it also seems that to get HDMI 2.1 I will need a 4k, I was looking at a G7 from Samsung, what will happen if either my GPU/CPU or the game I am playing doesn't do 4k, will it just display 1440p?.... and finally if I ended up sticking with just 2k is a 32 inch screen to big? I have a feeling 32 up is really only for 4k..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cooper Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Hello Wayne, my own view is that 2k is ideal for a 32" monitor. My 4k monitor is a 43" monitor, not a TV as is often used and for me, that is also the ideal. The monitor's maximum refresh rate is 144hz, but I can't really tell the difference. I gather that would be more useful for action games, where things move much faster. A 4k monitor will commonly operate in a range of resolutions, up to 4k. All lower resolutions will look worse than the "native" 4k resolution, just as they do at lower resolutions than 2k on an up to 2k monitor. I can say that 4k is much harder work than 2k for any GPU and that a capable GPU may well cost far more than any other component in your PC. I was quite happy with 2k on a 32" monitor, until I found the means to change my 1070ti card for a 3080ti and that's when the 4k monitor became a credible option. It was a lot of pennies to spend, but the improvement was as spectacular as yours is on your new 4k TV and for me, worth every one of those pennies. In the end, it is of course a decision that only you can make. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Taylor Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 4 hours ago, wain71 said: and finally if I ended up sticking with just 2k is a 32 inch screen to big? I have a feeling 32 up is really only for 4k I used a 34' UHD which is wide screen for years at 1440p and loved it. I think lots of people still run 1080p with 3 32" monitors or 3 similar size at 2560x1440. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Harmes Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 13 hours ago, wain71 said: it also seems that to get HDMI 2.1 I will need a 4k Hi Wain, I think it's the other way around (in a way). To get 4K at higher frequencies (eg 120 Hz or 144Hz) your monitor and graphics card will need to support HDMI 2.1. HDMI 2.0 supports 4K up to 60Hz. My monitor supports up to 144Hz, but I just have mine set to 60Hz at the moment, mainly because it was suggested in settings to get the best smoothness with variable refresh rate in P3D. Your current graphics card supports HDMI 2.1, and most new monitors do also, especially those with frequencies greater than 60Hz. The other limiting factor is the cable, it also needs to support HDMI 2.1 (which reminds me I need to check if my cable is actually HDMI 2.1!) 13 hours ago, wain71 said: I was looking at a G7 from Samsung, what will happen if either my GPU/CPU or the game I am playing doesn't do 4k, will it just display 1440p? Yes. The resolution and frequencies are adjustable up to the limit that is stated (Samsung Odyssey G7 seems to have a limit of 4K at 144Hz). If you wanted you could set your PC or game resolution to 1280 x 720 @ 60Hz (not sure of the lower limit, some will go down to 30Hz) or even lower, and all the way up to 3840 x 2160 (4K) @ 144Hz. Your PC or games won't be limited to a set resolution based on the monitor. 13 hours ago, wain71 said: and finally if I ended up sticking with just 2k is a 32 inch screen to big? I have a feeling 32 up is really only for 4k As Nick says, I think 32 inch would be perfect for 2K. Of course it "might" make more sense to get the 4K monitor and just set it to 2K if you have issues with performance depending if you use it for other games apart from flight sims or also depending on if you plan on upgrading your PC or even just your GPU. You'll find most other games are easier on your system to run at 4K than flight sims are, as is always the way. Flight sims are the ultimate PC stress tests. Check out that website I linked above for the info on the monitor you're looking at, and others. it's great for comparing which monitors have which features. Here are the links for two 32" G7s I found, and they are both listed as Nvidia G-Sync compatible: https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/samsung/odyssey-g7-c32g75t https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/samsung/odyssey-g7-g70b-s32bg70 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 thanks for taking the time to respond with your views and experience, also Scott thanks for those links, very interesting reading for sure.....just seems to me now to decide on budget, PC upgrade will be next year, I get a small lump sum pension from the Army then, so I'll just need to decide on whether to take advantage of 4k for my consoles or just stick with the 2k which still does look fine, was just concerned about upscaling to 32 inch but you have all alleviated my concerns...my understanding is it maybe good to go DisplayPort route PC and HDMI for consoles.....what ever route I take now will be 'old' by next year I should imagine... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 as an update I bought a 27 inch LG Ultragear, only 2k though as I am staying with that, 27 is actually the correct size for my setup, just have to work out the best settings and also the best option for sound from my 2 consoles, going to try and get the PC speakers to play somehow...this has transformed my visuals, no tearing and better detail....even though the old monitor was 1440p it was 9 years old, HDMI was 1.4, now using Dsiplayport...well happy and only think the wife said was she thought I was upgrading next year, 'yes the PC' I said... Thanks for all your input.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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