Upgrading to a high-res monitor can deliver a better viewing experience but not necessarily improve the gaming performance. What matters more is the refresh rate, which makes the overall experience buttery smooth. And if you are still on a 60hz display, the upgrade to 144hz will be pretty massive.
You’re going to love that extra bit of fluidness while scrolling through web pages or getting more FPS (Frames Per Second) in your favorite games. 60hz screens will look a lot choppier after getting used to 144hz. So, whether to get 1080p 144hz or 1440p 144hz depends on your resolution needs and budget.
1080p 144hz or 1440p 144hz Refresh Rate Monitor – Which Should Be Considered?
Is 1080p 144Hz Worth it
If you are on a tight budget, a 1080p 144hz screen is hands down the best you can get for whatever use case. And paired with a blazing 144hz refresh rate, it is more than enough to sail through your gaming sessions.
However, it has now become a standard for smaller screens like smartphones. So, you might not enjoy watching content on a large screen, considering most of them are now in 4K. But for all the gamers out there, it can get the job done.
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Less GPU hungry
- Compatible with older graphics cards
- Texts don’t look pixelated from a distance
Cons
- Subpar content watching experience.
- Lower pixel count.
Is 1440p 144Hz Worth it Over 1080p 144Hz
If your budget allows, upgrading from 1080p to 1440p is worth it. You will notice the higher pixel count while playing demanding titles or binging through your favorite tv series. Best of all, it allows you to get the most out of your games by switching off anti-aliasing.
Besides, the difference in resolution is pretty high, offering a 33.3% upgrade over 1080p. Yet, it is not so drastic unless you’re pixel peeping. Also, GPUs that support 1440p 144hz gaming are pricey. Considering the already high cost of 1440p monitors, the price to performance ratio is somewhat low.
Pros
- 33.3% better resolution.
- Offers smooth gaming with sharper in-game graphics.
- Supports anti-aliasing deactivation.
- Texts are easy to read.
- Easy on the eyes.
Cons
- Expensive.
- Requires powerful GPUs.
1080p 144hz or 1440p 144hz
Although both feature a 144hz, there are a few other things to consider aside from the resolution.
Pixel Count
Pixel count is the main differentiating factor between the two displays. While a 1080p screen has a pixel count of over 2.07 million, a 1440p one has a whopping 3.6 million.
A high-res screen makes anything you’re viewing, whether text, videos, or stills, look sharp and crisp. Likewise, a 1440p resolution provides a better viewing experience, causing little or no eye strains.
Anyhow, if you’re going for a smaller screen, you can consider a 1080p instead. It is still sharp and clear for most regular tasks like watching YouTube videos or gameplay motions.
Gaming Experience
Not a lot of casual gamers care about the resolution as much as they want more FPS. And that is justifiable as the difference in gameplay between a 1440p and 1080p screen is not night and day. Still, opting for 1440p will provide you with better graphics than regular 1080p. Characters will look more detailed, with clear highlights.
Anyhow, you can still game on a 1080p screen since the resolution is enough for most of the titles out there. Plus, you won’t have much to complain about unless and until you compare it side by side with a 1440p one.
GPU Requirements
In terms of gaming, going for a 1440p screen does not make a huge difference unless you’ve got the latest graphics card. Most older GPUs are not very good at handling both 1440p and 144hz together. So, chances are you’ll notice a few hiccups here and there as the GPU struggles to cope up.
But if you’ve got a relatively newer and powerful GPU like the MSI RTX 2060 or EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, 1440p 144hz is ideal. In that case, it will be a better long-term investment since games are getting more resource-hungry each day.
Nevertheless, a moderately powerful GPU, paired with 1080p 144hz, will deliver smooth enough gameplay. For the price, it is a great deal which lets you spend on other upgrades. Hence, choose whether or not to splurge on a new graphics card only to get more pixels.
The Takeaway
Once you switch to a higher refresh rate, there’s no going back. The same thing applies to the 1080p 144hz or 1440p 144hz battle as well. If you want a smoother gaming experience for the money, 1080p 144hz is the way to go. But if you can stretch the budget and prefer watching content, feel free to choose 1440p 144hz.
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