Single GTX 970 for 1440p gaming?

[k15]

Hello,

Here is my dilemma: I am planning to upgrade my GPU in about 1-2 years, but I have to buy a new monitor right now because my old one broke. Do I opt for a future proof 1440p screen and risk not being able to run some of the latest triple A titles at 60 fps, or do I buy another 1080p monitor? Also, would a game downscaled to 1080p on an 1440p display look noticeably worse compared with a 1080p display?

Thanks.

 

[Termie]

First things first: If you buy a G-Sync 1440p display, you can have a better gaming experience than you had on your 1080p screen.

No, do not buy another 1080p screen if you can afford a 1440p model. G-Sync TN-based models are the same price as standard IPS-based models. Yes, 1080p will look fine on either, so if IPS is a must and you only have $400, you should still go 1440p.

 

[k15]

First things first: If you buy a G-Sync 1440p display, you can have a better gaming experience than you had on your 1080p screen.

No, do not buy another 1080p screen if you can afford a 1440p model. G-Sync TN-based models are the same price as standard IPS-based models. Yes, 1080p will look fine on either, so if IPS is a must and you only have $400, you should still go 1440p.

If I do buy a 1440p model, it will almost certainly be g-sync like this one to make up the difference when my card drops a little below 60 fps.

It's good to hear that downscaling to 1080p is viable, as it means that there are no real downsides to buying a 2k monitor other than the price which at $500 is still fairly reasonable.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

60 fps in the latest AAA titles at 1440p with a 970 isn't realistic. Witcher 3 will only do 45-50 fps on my 970 at 1440p medium. It's stupid to have to try to play every game at ultra but when you start having to put some settings to low to get a reasonably high framerate maybe you have to ask if the gain in resolution is worth it. Still I say this as someone who has never used a GSync monitor and thus I don't know how 45 fps looks on one. But on a standard 60 Hz panel I can't play a game at 55 fps much less 45 fps, I have to turn settings down to give a locked 60 fps with vsync on. Since I play at 1080p with a 970 that usually means putting a few things at high.

 

[Termie]

If I do buy a 1440p model, it will almost certainly be g-sync like this one to make up the difference when my card drops below a little below 60 fps.

It's good to hear that downscaling to 1080p is viable, as it means that there are no real downsides to buying a 2k monitor other than the price which at $500 is still fairly reasonable.

Excellent choice, although price is lower at Amazon.

If gaming is your primary concern and you have this budget, there's no reason to buy anything else. Your 970 will do fine with it.

 

[yh125d]

I've been gaming at 1600p with my 970 and have been happy. I'd rather play at 1440/1600 with a couple settings turned lower than maxed at 1080p, even if only because of the productivity/normal use factor. Worst case, you just run at 1080 for top end games

 

[k15]

I've been gaming at 1600p with my 970 and have been happy. I'd rather play at 1440/1600 with a couple settings turned lower than maxed at 1080p, even if only because of the productivity/normal use factor. Worst case, you just run at 1080 for top end games

Thanks for the reply. Question: do you find that games downscaled to 1080p on a 1440p monitor still look reasonably good (i.e. not too blurry)?

 

[yh125d]

Thanks for the reply. Question: do you find that games downscaled to 1080p on a 1440p monitor still look reasonably good (i.e. not too blurry)?

I don't actually downscale personally, but it looks alright. Here's two screenshots at 1600p and 1200p scaled to 1600p

 

[Beer4Me]

Yea, 970 isn't really suitable for 1440p with all details maxed. I have a 980 (non Ti), and it's adequate for 1080p, all details and AA maxed just fine so far. Before that, I had a 970, and I would have to turn down/off AA in titles to get best framerates. You might as well just wait and step up to the 1070 once prices and supply stabilize.

 

[k15]

Yea, 970 isn't really suitable for 1440p with all details maxed. I have a 980 (non Ti), and it's adequate for 1080p, all details and AA maxed just fine so far. Before that, I had a 970, and I would have to turn down/off AA in titles to get best framerates. You might as well just wait and step up to the 1070 once prices and supply stabilize.

Can I ask what games you found yourself having to turn down the AA in? And waiting for the 1070 was my original plan, but the problem is that my monitor broke and so I have to buy something right now.

 

[R0H1T]

Can I ask what games you found yourself having to turn down the AA in? And waiting for the 1070 was my original plan, but the problem is that my monitor broke and so I have to buy something right now.

So your monitor broke & you wanna buy a GPU, alongside a newer 1440p monitor I presume? If I were you I'd wait for the 1070 to be in stock & the prices to settle down a bit, there's too much FE bs floating around & I think you should wait for better (AIB) cards & lower prices especially if 1070 is the only option you're considering.
The 970 would be the last thing I'd buy for 1440p, mainly due to the partitioned memory.

 

[JimmiG]

GTX 970 is still good for 1080p in the latest games, perhaps with one or two settings turned down from Ultra to High (but this usually doesn't affect the graphics quality noticeably). However, for running the latest games at 1440p and higher, I'd say it's not enough any more, unless you're willing to turn down detail settings (but then it would look worse than 1080p at higher detail).

That said, you'll probably be keeping your new monitor for many years, so if you go with another 1080p monitor, you might regret it later. Better to go with a 1440p monitor and live with a few compromises (downscaling, lower FPS or lower detail settings). GPU prices will hopefully be more sensible in 2017, so you'll probably only have to live with the 970 for another 6 - 8 months.

 

[k15]

GTX 970 is still good for 1080p in the latest games, perhaps with one or two settings turned down from Ultra to High (but this usually doesn't affect the graphics quality noticeably). However, for running the latest games at 1440p and higher, I'd say it's not enough any more, unless you're willing to turn down detail settings (but then it would look worse than 1080p at higher detail).

That said, you'll probably be keeping your new monitor for many years, so if you go with another 1080p monitor, you might regret it later. Better to go with a 1440p monitor and live with a few compromises (downscaling, lower FPS or lower detail settings). GPU prices will hopefully be more sensible in 2017, so you'll probably only have to live with the 970 for another 6 - 8 months.

That's pretty much my reasoning, I just hope that the compromises in the meantime won't be too severe. The good news is that the GTX 970 seems to perform well enough on 1440p for most of the games that I play: Overwatch, Starcraft II, Heroes of the Storm, DOOM, Dark Souls 3, etc. I'll have to downscale on a few others like Warhammer Total War and The Division, but I don't mind as long as it doesn't look too much worse than native 1080p (I'm obviously not too thrilled about black bars either, but I can live with those too)

 

[Beer4Me]

Can I ask what games you found yourself having to turn down the AA in? And waiting for the 1070 was my original plan, but the problem is that my monitor broke and so I have to buy something right now.

The Division was one, and R6: Siege is the other title. I stopped playing the Division.

 

[poohbear]

I'm surprised a couple of ppl r saying they don't game @ 1440 on a gtx970. I game at 1440p with my 970 &, with my system, runs all the games like butter. I never turn on AA though, but there's no need at this high a resolution. I always max out all other settings, and I get 45-60fps depending on the game which is more than enough for me. I don't play fast paced FPS games though, just rpg, RTS, & action (tomb raider, batman arkham knight etc). Witcher 3 runs smooth 50ish with general AA off but hair works x2. Just my .02 cents.

 

[amenx]

poohbear, same here. With demanding games, lower settings on 1440p still looks better than higher on 1080p. The vast majority of games however I run maxed out with no problem. Been on 1440p since my gtx770 days and even then would not go back to 1080p. And figuring that less than 20% of my PC time is spent on gaming, 1440p is a no brainer.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Hello,

Here is my dilemma: I am planning to upgrade my GPU in about 1-2 years, but I have to buy a new monitor right now because my old one broke. Do I opt for a future proof 1440p screen and risk not being able to run some of the latest triple A titles at 60 fps, or do I buy another 1080p monitor? Also, would a game downscaled to 1080p on an 1440p display look noticeably worse compared with a 1080p display?

Thanks.

I would recommend buying the nicer monitor and just turning down settings at 1440p to achieve your desired framerate. A monitor can last for many, many years; GPUs are upgraded fairly quickly.

 

[wanderica]

I was facing a similar decision a couple of years ago. Ultimately, I opted for the better monitor, and it was a good decision. If you go with the 1080p now, you may regret not having gone with 1440p later when you have the card to drive it. I did have to run at 1080p on that nice 1440p monitor for a few months, but it was certainly tolerable. Many here would advise against that, but I couldn't see enough of a difference (running 1080p on 1440p native) to warrant changing my plans for the future.

This round I was able to buy that same Dell monitor you're thinking about and a Gaming X 1070 at the same time, so I didn't have to choose. If I had the same decision to make all over again, though, I would do the same. You're likely going to have that monitor for the life of multiple GPUs, after all. The downside is that it takes more GPU, and thus more money, to fully utilize it for that period of time.

 

[postmortemIA]

There's no good advice getting 1080p monitor for gaming or any work in this year.