4k monitor

[Chaosy]

I was thinking of getting a 4k monitor soon.

At the moment I am running a dual monitor setup and got two options:
1. Keep both my current ones and just add a third monitor (the 4k one)
2. Swap the oldest monitor with the new one (4k)

Obviously keeping my current two would be ideal but I've heard the using a 4k monitor impacts your FPS somewhat heavily so it might be too heavy for my graphics card with 3 monitors while running one 4k.
I don't want to lose 40 FPS or something silly like that.

 

[The_Silent]

What are your graphic card specifics?

 

[Chaosy]

Ah, GTX 960

 

[Dr Super Good]

Chances are it will not be able to max most games at that resolution with 60 fps, either stand alone or with 2 other monitors. You will probably need to run at non-native resolution for good frame rate in modern demanding games.

 

[Chaosy]

So it'll basically be shit no mater if I keep one or three monitors.

That sucks. I guess I'll have to go with two graphic cards as well in the future then.. sigh..

 

[Dr Super Good]

It should be fine to run old games like WC3 at 4k. However running new games (like Final Fantasy 15) is unlikely as game developers purposely create their games to look good on consoles (where they are not even 1080p) so rely more on pixel quality rather than quantity. That said you can always choose to not run such games at 4k, instead using the capability for games that are sufficiently old that they do perform well.

 

[Chaosy]

Well I rarely play the newest flashiest games so that's no big issue most of the time.

 

[The_Silent]

As far as I'm aware it also depends on Graphic Card memory.
If it only has 2gb, for one, you'll have no chance running a 4k monitor. (Some article said 2fps for 2gb, lel.)

 

[Velmarshal]

At 4K, expect 25~40% of the frame-rate you get on 1080p, with a 960, that limits you to older games, as the 960 wont be able to handle any recent AAA titles at playable frame-rates, regardless of the level of details. GTX 960, simply doesn't have the raw GPU power, memory or memory bandwidth to handle gaming at 4K properly, heck even nvidia specifically advertised it as a "1080 card".

On the other hand, 4K to 1080p is a 2:1 ratio, so you will be fine running more demanding games at 1080 on the 4K monitor as the resolution will scale perfectly without any approximations (that happens when the ratio isn't exactly 2:1, 4:1 and so on, it results in a blurry image, for example using 720p resolution on a 1080p monitor will result in a blurry image, but on a 1440p it will look fine as the ratio is 2:1)

Overall, if you are getting a 4K monitor for productivity, go for it. The extra screen "real estate" is awesome.

If you want it purely for gaming, don't expect much from the 960.

Important note: Do not bother with 4K monitors smaller than 28", at smaller sizes the pixel density starts approaching smartphone levels and you don't really want that on your monitor as you're looking at it from a further away than the phone.

 

[Chaosy]

That hurts.
Thing is, my motherboard does not support two graphic cards so I'll need to get that AND a new graphic card to support the 4k monitor with decent frame rate.

My wallet hurts.

 

[WhiteFang]

Yeah,this is going to really hurt your wallet xD
Why do you want a 4K monitor though?

 

[Velmarshal]

That hurts.
Thing is, my motherboard does not support two graphic cards so I'll need to get that AND a new graphic card to support the 4k monitor with decent frame rate.

My wallet hurts.

Or just play most games at 1080p and get a card later.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

You may want to reconsidera nd invest in a RX 480 - performs will increase by quite a bit and will allow for more monitors in the future. The 960 is not capable of anything past 1080p gaming.