Monitors are getting cheaper, and this is especially true for 4K gaming monitors. Over the past few years, many brands have launched their own stripped-back 4K gaming displays, each driving prices down, and proper 4K gaming displays are now cheaper than ever.
The fall in prices is also not minor. The most popular 4K gaming display over the past several years has been the LG 27GN950-B, which launched for $800. Now, if you buy something that costs more than $650, you’ll have to pay more. Samsung’s market-defining Odyssey Neo G8 launched just last year for $1,500. Now? You can buy it on sale for $1,000.
This is only for high-end 4K gaming monitors. You can buy a display like the Lenovo Y32p-30 right now for $600, which is $150 less than its launch price. And if you shop at Newegg and Best Buy, you can find 4K gaming monitors like
For around $500. It wasn’t that long ago that you’d be lucky to get a proper 4K gaming monitor for under $1,000.
These days, 4K is within reach of gamers who don’t have an unlimited budget, but I’m still not upgrading. Although 4K may be the ultimate destination for many, it wastes most of the space if you’re a PC gamer.
Let’s talk about pixel density
There’s a joke among my friends that I’m the “pixel density guy”, and it’s a title I hold proudly. The reason 4K is so popular on monitors is that it has extremely high pixel density. This is the number of pixels squeezed into the size of your display, measured in pixels per inch (PPI).
I won’t pretend that high pixel density isn’t important. But the pixel density you’re offered at 4K (or higher, such as on Creator displays that offer 5K resolution) matters more on desktop than in games.
The high pixel density is most apparent with fine details such as text, and many of the benefits of extremely high pixel density begin to fade when playing games. Techniques like anti-aliasing can further remove fine detail, and upscaling tools like AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 (FSR2) can negate some of the benefits of a higher resolution display, especially if you’re not running powerful hardware.
There is an advantage in games, but it’s not as pronounced as you see on desktop. For sports, you just need a high Sufficient Pixel density, and this is where 1440p comes into play. This resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 is the sweet spot for PC gaming, not only because of the pixel density, but also because of the hardware required to push that resolution.
With a 27-inch, 1440p monitor like the LG UltraGear OLED 27, you’re missing out on 110 ppi. This is exactly where you want the monitor to be. For reference, larger 4K displays like the Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ have a lower pixel density despite having a much higher resolution. At the same viewing distance it will appear less obvious (though not by much).
This is an extreme example, but it’s a good example of the role of 4K. This is for larger displays, primarily TVs, and the resolution advantages start to fade with smaller monitors.
demanding games
For PC gamers, 4K has issues on the hardware front as well. A few years ago, the RTX 3080 was launched as a 4K champion capable of towing the most demanding games at 60 frames per second (fps). And before that, the RTX 2080 Ti did the same. And before that, the GTX 1080 Ti… I hope you see where I’m going here.
The bar for games is constantly rising, and you’ll need to continue investing in high-end hardware to run 4K displays. The RTX 3080 that was the 4K star child a few years ago can’t maintain 60 FPS in new games Starfield On that resolution.
Additionally, we’re seeing more games than ever before implementing ray tracing, with some titles, such as cyberpunk 2077, Moving on to full path tracing. Ray tracing technology is incredibly demanding, but the performance hit multiplies at higher resolutions.
Ultrawide in wings
At 1440p, you have a lot more options, especially when it comes to aspect ratio. Instead of buying a solid 4K gaming display, Alienware offers a premium panel with something like the 34 QD-OLED with an immersive 21:9 aspect ratio.
For gaming, it’s hard to beat an ultrawide display. As in larger games the wider field of view is more intense cyberpunk 2077 And starfield, And this can give you a slight edge in competitive titles like Overwatch 2. When using the full display, an ultrawide monitor fills your peripheral vision in a way that a 16:9 monitor can’t (assuming you don’t buy a huge display like the LG C2 OLED).
It’s also great for productivity. In apps like Premiere Pro and Photoshop, the wide view gives you more room to spread out your toolbars and fit everything on your screen. For my purposes, I like to use Windows 11’s Snap feature to orient multiple windows at once on my screen, giving me access to multiple windows that would look cramped on a 16:9 display.
I mentioned the Alienware 34 QD-OLED as a premium option, but there are dozens of other, much cheaper ultrawide monitors available.
It’s around $330, and it comes with a solid 120Hz refresh rate. And if you’re on a tight budget,
The 100Hz, 34-inch ultrawide display is just $260.
1440p is even cheaper
The effect of 4K gaming monitors being cheaper is that you can buy 1440p displays for even less. A few years ago, you could expect to spend between $400 and $600 for a solid 1440p monitor, and although you can still spend that much, you can get a lot of monitors at much lower prices.
For example, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 launches for $600 and features a 27-inch curved panel with a 240Hz refresh rate. Now, Samsung offers its Odyssey G6, which comes with similar features for $400. If you shop for open box models, you can find models for as cheap as $320.
This is definitely on the high end even for a 1440p gaming display.
It costs $300 with a 144Hz refresh rate, and Gigabyte’s G27Q comes in at just $230 for the same resolution and refresh rate. You can also find some great deals, like
, which is a 27-inch, 170Hz display that’s on sale for $200 at the time of writing. Even a lot of 1080p gaming monitors cost $150 to $200.
Over the past few years, there has been a growing trend for gamers to choose 1440p as the sweet spot resolution. According to the Steam Hardware Survey, 1080p still makes up the overwhelming majority of gaming displays, but 1440p gains more users month over month. Monitor brands clearly see that trend, and the price of 1440p displays has dropped drastically as a result.
no need for 4k
There is a small group of ultra-premium gamers who should use a 4K gaming monitor. If your rig is packing an RTX 4090 and one of the latest high-core CPUs from Intel or AMD; Yes, you should probably pair that beefy rig with a 4K display. For everyone else, which is the majority of the PC gaming population, 4K is not the place to be.
Over the years, 4K has been built Premium PC gaming experience. It does offer that when paired with the right hardware, but 1440p really isn’t far behind. In some cases, as we’ve seen with QD-OLED ultrawide displays, the lower resolution can even outweigh what many 4K displays offer.
Things can’t always be like this. In the future, when we start commonly watching 8K TVs in the living room, 4K monitors may be more practical. For now, 1440p remains the preferred resolution for the balance of pixel density and how demanding it is on your hardware. Falling prices certainly don’t hurt, either.
