5 reasons 1440p is still the best resolution for PC gaming

Declaring one

resolution
as the best for gaming is sure to ruffle some feathers. As an enthusiastic PC gamer, I know we have all poured a lot of time, effort, and resources into our builds, and a lot of thought has gone into each and every aspect. 4 years ago, after going all out on my PC build, I decided to buy a

1440p monitor
and return the 4K one I had initially purchased, and I haven’t looked back since.

I firmly believe that 1440p is the best resolution for most

PC gamers
, particularly those of us not working on an unlimited budget, which I’d venture to say is most of us. Considering value, performance, and longevity, these are the reasons I think 1440p is still the wisest choice.

5

1440p still looks great

Sharper visuals without the performance hit

1440p is a huge upgrade over 1080p gaming, and its 3.6 million pixels provide a more than adequate canvas upon which to lay the stunning visuals of modern AAA titles. While it’s understandable that you’d want a visual boost beyond 1080p, you’ll end up in a game of diminishing returns on most standard-sized gaming monitors by chasing higher and higher resolutions.

Most of us are sitting 2 to 3 feet from our monitors, and 27″ remains the most popular monitor size for most consumers and a mainstream choice. At that size and distance, 1440p will provide plenty of detail, though gamers with larger monitors may get more out of a 4K rendering. Going from 1440p to 4K will cost you a massive performance hit that most average PC builds don’t have to spare.

4

Game without DLSS

Better to play at native 1440p than faux-4K

DLSS remains a touchy subject among gamers, but skepticism abounds, and insisting on 4K gaming is a good way to end up playing with DLSS-upscaled images just to achieve barely acceptable frame rates. Most visually stunning AAA titles these days are insanely demanding graphically, and it seems with each passing year the games get less optimized for those of us with average or even above-average graphics cards.

Even someone rocking a 4090 may find themselves having to enable DLSS just to achieve barely passable frames in games like Cyberpunk, Flight Simulator, or Hogwarts Legacy. I certainly prefer my games at way above 60 fps, with anything above 120 fps being a fairly common sweet spot for most gamers. But if the choice is between native 4K at 59 fps or DLSS-enabled 4K at 110+ fps, I’m going to reject the choice entirely and just stick with a native 1440p at my desired frame rate.

DLSS introduces visual artifacts, increases latency, and encourages a trend of poorly optimized games.

Related

4 reasons why Nvidia’s DLSS is ruining PC gaming

DLSS works like magic, but it’s actually making your games worse

3

High frame rate gaming

1440p is still better optimized for ultra-high frame rates

There is a paradox that needs to be quickly explained when it comes to 4K and ultra-high frame rates. Using Nvidia as an example, only the most recent 50-series generation GPUs support a native 4K resolution at frame rates above 120Hz. Cards like the 30-series or 40-series Nvidia GPUs support native 4K resolution up to 120Hz while leveraging DSC (Display Stream Compression) to achieve 240Hz. The newer cards support rendering in native 4K at 240Hz since they use DisplayPort 2.1b, which supports 80 Gbps of bandwidth. However, there are extremely few titles that even a 5090 can run at maximum settings while maintaining 240hz in 4K.

For those who prefer to play FPS games or any other competitive style of game that requires high frame rates, you’ll find that 1440p supports much higher frame rates natively without the need for any special monitor settings like DSC or spending a fortune on a current-day graphics card. For a few examples, the 3080 and 3090 support 1440p up to 240Hz natively, and the 4080 and 4090 support native 1440p up to 360Hz.

Related

3 reasons why your PC build should be optimized for FPS over fidelity

Ultra settings are ultra-overrated.

2

More affordable

Why blow your budget just for 4K

This should go without saying, but choosing 1440p means far more flexibility in your CPU and GPU choices, helping you stay within your budget while still building a relatively powerful PC. GPUs truly capable of native 4K gaming while maintaining decent frames without the use of upscaling or frame generation are few and far between, and the cost difference between those models and the average GPU on the market is substantial.

Instead of blowing the majority of your budget on a 4090 or 5090, get yourself that second monitor or high-performance peripherals. Your money can go a lot further in your build if you stick with 1440p.

1

Future-proof your gaming visuals

Extend the useful lifespan of your build

I’ve been using my RTX 3080 since December 2020, and over four years later I’m still running almost every single game in my Steam library (shakes fist at Cyberpunk 2077) at maximum or close to maximum graphics, without DLSS enabled, while maintaining more than 120 fps, and that’s because I game at 1440p. Even as I’ve upgraded my CPU, motherboard, and RAM, I know my 3080 still has years to go before it truly struggles across the board with modern releases.

Since the GPU is the most expensive component in my build, there’s enormous peace of mind in knowing that my upgrade cycles are long, going easily five years before needing something new.

1440p is still the best value and optimization

If you were to start gaming in 4K today and spent a fortune on a GPU that could just barely handle it, inevitably the Cyberpunk of tomorrow will be around the corner, and you’ll find yourself struggling for performance at max graphics before you know it. Instead of flying so close to the sun, give your system some breathing room, and your wallet a break, and enjoy striking visuals at steady frame rates without leaning on DLSS or similar technologies. This is entirely achievable at 1440p, and you’ll end up enjoying your system for much longer.