Monitor buying guide (mega-thread)

Bob, Bob

I need some advice on which monitor to pick for this build.
Ideally, I want a 27-inch 1440p 144Hz setup.
Not sure if this rig can actually handle it though. Maybe sticking to 1080p 144Hz is the smarter move? I mostly play CS:GO, League of Legends, and RPGs like The Lord of the Rings, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Mass Effect.

Here are the specs:

Mobo: ASUS ROG B550M
Cpu: Ryzen 5 1600 3.4/3.6 (planning to overclock)
CPU Cooler: Raijintek Leto PWM, RGB
Ram: Corsair 2x8Gb 3200 c16
SSD: Transcend 240gb
PSU: Fortron Raider II PSU 550W 80+ Silver
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3080
Case: MS CYCLOPS V
Cooling: ARCTIC COOLING 120mm, Xilence 120mm blue LED

Adobe Premiere: Just to be clear, I only need that 144 fps for CS:GO and League of Legends. For everything else, 60+ is plenty.

Running anything under 1440p with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 is just a massive waste of potential—it’s total overkill to stay at lower resolutions. You definitely need to go with 1440p. An i5 might give you higher FPS, but those differences start to shrink once you bump up the resolution. Plus, definitely overclock as much as you can like you mentioned; it'll help a lot.

Adam Moore3 said:Running anything under 1440p with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 is just a massive waste of power. It's total overkill to stay at 1080p. Go 1440p. Your i5 might pump out more frames at lower res, but that gap shrinks once you crank the resolution up. Also, definitely overclock as much as you can like you mentioned—it’ll help.

Looking at these Dell S2716DG G-sync monitors, but man, they're pricey. Even if they are futureproof $1667 for a monitor, it feels like too much..
So 1440p is a definite move. If I go that route, I'm definitely aiming for 144Hz
Will my NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 struggle on a 144Hz screen?

ironcyclist40 said:I'm looking at this Dell S2716DG G-sync, but man, it's way too expensive even if it is $1667futureproof for a monitor..
so I definitely want to go with 1440p, and if I do, I’ll definitely aim for 144Hz
will my NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 give me any trouble running at 144Hz?

From what I can see online, that specific model isn't even getting much praise, especially if you're dropping five grand on it...

As for the 1080, why would it cause problems? I mean, once you start gaming at >60FPS, practically no GPU is "overkill," but since you basically have one of the best cards out there, I don't see any issues popping up.

CS and Dota 2 easily stay above 150FPS; now, whether you can crank every single setting to max and still stay north of 150 is something you'll have to see for yourself... But regardless, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 was built for 1440p gaming, because at 1080p, it's just overkill unless you're specifically aiming for that 144Hz refresh rate.

Adam Moore3 said:From what I can see online, people aren't even hyping up that thing you mentioned, even if it's $5 million...

Regarding the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, why would it cause you issues? If you're aiming for >60FPS gaming, basically no card is overkill, but you're running nearly the best hardware out there, so I don't see any problems occurring.

CS and Dota 2 easily stay above 150FPS. Whether you can crank every single filter to max and still hold 150, well, you'll have to see. Either way, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 was built for 1440p gaming; at 1080p, it's total overkill unless you're doing 144Hz gaming.

That's what I meant 🙂
My budget for a monitor is max $1333. From what I can tell, I won't be able to squeeze in G-sync at that price point. It's a bummer because I'm planning to upgrade my GPU in a few years, so I want something that lasts. Any monitor recommendations for that kind of money?

ironcyclist40 said:That's basically what I was getting at... 🙂
my max budget for a monitor is $1333, and from what I can tell, I won't be able to squeeze in G-Sync at that price point. It's a bummer because I'm definitely planning on upgrading my GPU in a few years, so I'd love something that stays relevant. But hey, if you have any recommendations for that kind of cash, let me know.

I don't think you can go wrong with a Dell, though with a $400 limit, there aren't a ton of options to choose from anyway. This S2417DG is essentially the little brother to the one you linked. I've seen plenty of solid reviews for it everywhere I look, so it seems like a great pick for your budget. CLICK

What screen size were you actually looking for, by the way? Because this one is 23.8 inches.

A 24" monitor at 1440p? That’s a waste of money. It's way too small for that resolution—he might as well just stick with 1080p. He needs a 27" screen. That's the sweet spot.

If you're dead set on an IPS panel, don't expect to find any bargains... (1440p, 27", IPS, G-Sync).

Let's go. Acer XF270HUAbmiidprzx What's a decent 1440p, 27", IPS monitor with FreeSync for around $400?$1.50Look, you’re going to have to sacrifice one of those four things to stay within budget, and honestly, I think the G-sync is the least of your worries. FreeSync won't kill you, and who knows what the future holds? Maybe AMD will actually surprise us for once and finally drop something that actually works. 😬

Google it and check out that Acer monitor. If the reviews look solid to you, just grab it.

I'm not looking for anything under 27 inches here.
And honestly, I'd rather have a modern TN panel with a 1ms response time and less motion blur than an IPS.

In my opinion, if you're stepping up to 1440p, you don't really need 144Hz either, unless you're strictly playing CS:GO or Dota 2.

Essentially, you have two budget-friendly paths: go with a 27" 1440p monitor without the 144Hz refresh rate (just make sure it's not a TN panel), or stick with a 24" 1080p setup that features both a non-TN panel and 144Hz. Using an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 isn't overkill at all for 1080p if you plan on running at 144Hz.

Here I am again, before I even had a chance to think it through. So, we survived Easter, but now there's a birthday on the horizon—the big fifteen—plus the end of the school year, and my teenager's expectations are set firmly on a 27-inch screen.

Just as a heads-up, we're working with a laptop that has an Nvidia GTX 960, and I'm honestly worried that might be a sticking point.
The monitor needs to have height adjustment—ideally just a simple vertical slide. I’m definitely not interested in a TN panel, and it feels like everyone is pushing for curved screens these days.

What should I go with? My biggest headache right now is the resolution. I feel bad buying something that's just Full HD at that size, but I'm terrified that 2560x1440 might be overkill for our current graphics card. If the monitor has specs that the GPU can't fully utilize, I don't care—that's fine. Eventually, we'll get a new laptop and a better card anyway. The real issue is if the monitor has features the card simply *can't* handle—like, in layman's terms, causing visual glitches or something similar.
I'm passing on G-Sync because the price tag is just too high.

So, here's the checklist: 27 inches, height-adjustable, non-TN panel, whatever resolution you guys recommend, and preferably a curved screen.

By the way, I stumbled upon this

http://www.samsung.com/hr/monitors/c27h80/

What do you all think? I haven't had time to dig much deeper into my research, and frankly, I still have no clue which resolution is actually safe to aim for.

Like you mentioned, that laptop is running an Nvidia GTX 960—it’s just not a powerhouse by today's standards. Once you start pushing resolutions beyond 1080p, things get tricky (especially when we're talking about gaming). It really all comes down to what kind of games your kid is playing and how high they crank up those graphics settings. Honestly? Even sticking to 1080p might be a struggle, let alone trying to push 1440p. There are just so many variables involved, you know? Personally, I wouldn't drop that much money on a monitor—especially since the price tag is actually higher than the laptop itself—only for them to never truly see its full potential. But then again, as you pointed out, there'll be a new computer in the mix eventually anyway.

Back in the spring, I mentioned that a 23-inch Dell with Full HD resolution works perfectly fine without any issues at all.
Personally, I’ve never been one to regret dropping a bit more cash on a high-quality monitor—I tend to keep my screens much longer than I keep my actual PCs.
Right now, he’s playing something that sounds like Fortnite or some similar thing. Look, I don't know the first thing about gaming, but you shouldn't be picking out a monitor based on just one single game.

So, if we're sticking with his current laptop, a 27-inch monitor shouldn't go higher than Full HD, right? It doesn't matter if it's 144 Hz or 60 Hz—his graphics card probably won't even notice the difference. Am I right?

First off, spending three grand on absolutely nothing is a joke—just a basic 60Hz 1080p monitor. I mean, this Lenovo model at least hits 144Hz, though even that feels a bit overpriced.

Also, going with a 27" screen at 1080p isn't exactly the sweet spot if you sit close to the desk; you start losing clarity because the pixel density just isn't there on a larger panel.

Anyway, here is a more budget-friendly alternative with similar specs (27" 1080p, 144Hz, VA panel), though it lacks an ergonomic stand.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Acer+ED273Awidpx

I took a look at that Acer, too, but honestly, the ergonomics are just a mess. I mean, it’d only work if the height happened to be exactly where he prefers his screen to sit—but let's be real, the price tag is absolutely astronomical.
Like I mentioned before, for a screen that size, I’d much rather go with 1440p resolution. My main hang-up is whether an Nvidia GTX 960 can actually handle it. That’s the real sticking point here. If I knew for a fact it wouldn't choke, I wouldn't hesitate to drop the cash on a monitor like that.
Also, I saw someone mention somewhere—on a forum or some other corner of the internet—that you can't really pair a curved screen with a 144Hz refresh rate. 🤔 Is there any truth to that?

The Nvidia GTX 960 simply can't handle 1440p under any circumstances; its only real niche is playing Solitaire or games with that level of simplicity. Even pushing 1080p becomes a struggle once you get into demanding titles (and no, I'm not talking about Fortnite), which you can clearly see here if you scroll all the way down to the game benchmarks
.
As for that claim about the curvature, it's complete nonsense—just plain wrong.

Alright, look. Curved screens might work, but 1440p is a non-starter here. If I weren't so obsessed with specific settings, I bet we could actually find a decent list of candidates.

Also—is it even worth trying to swap out a GPU in a laptop? Or am I better off just selling the whole thing and putting more cash toward a new machine? That’s my Plan B, anyway.

Generally speaking, you can't just swap out a GPU in a laptop. Even if you could, where would you even find one? And more importantly, would the rest of the hardware be able to handle it—specifically the cooling system?

Honestly, if portability isn't a dealbreaker for you, it's better to just skip the laptop altogether. You'd end up shelling out a massive premium for a machine that delivers mediocre performance compared to what you'd get from a desktop setup.

Look, I get it—for most of the year, portability isn't even a factor. But once summer hits, or when those spring and fall weekends roll around and we're bouncing between the beach and trips out to the mountains, suddenly my laptops are basically traveling companions.

I tracked down this adjustable Dell model that actually got some decent buzz last year.
https://www.cyberport.de/pc-und-zube...-4ms-hdmi.html

On Amazon, I can grab it with shipping arriving around $900.

So, between this one and that Lenov?

From what I could tell, the Lenov features an IPS screen while the Predator uses a VA panel. Which one is actually better if I'm just trying to game?

IPS panels offer more vibrant colors and wider viewing angles, whereas VA panels deliver deeper blacks and better contrast. Honestly, just go with whichever one is cheaper or comes with a longer warranty.

Thanks.