27" Gaming Monitor, recommendations?

[SimonPeters116]

I'm looking for a 27", 1440p, 144+fps monitor, at around the £500 mark, or less. This is to be matched with a brand new, close to £1500 computer from PCSpecialist.
Total budget, around 2k, so the less spent on the monitor, the more available for the computer. Hoping it'll all be good for about 10 years, by which time I'll be 75yo and probably completely off my rocker I recently bought the 2019 game Days Gone. It's a Sony console game ported to PC. It turns out my computer is totally inadequate to do the game justice. But despite that I've totally loved the game, so want to play it on a machine that's capable of playing it in all its glory. Along with the computer, I'll need a suitable monitor, obviously.

That MSI MAG274QRF-QD, as recommended by HUB, sounds good. But reviews by buyers aren't that great. Stuck or dead pixels on a half grand monitor?
They also complain that it isn't set-up well straight out of the box, not even close. It takes quite a bit of adjustment to get it right. It sounds like their gear is great if you get a good one, but their QC on Monday morning or Friday afternoon can be a bit hit or miss.
I also quite like the idea of a curved screen, 1800r to 1500r at the greatest curve. I think the Samsung normal 1000r is a bit too much for a small size monitor, but I'm open to persuasion. I am aware the MSI is a flat screen, I would be happy with a flat screen, but a curved screen sounds like a nice idea too and would look cool as ???

Other monitors on the, to be considered, list include;
Asus Tuf Gaming vg27aq
and
Acer Nitro VG271USbmiipx
These 2 are at the top of my list, but there are plenty of other equally good (looking at the sales 'brochures') 27" 1440p monitors, so I'm open to constructive suggestions. Both about £300 as well, which would leave me a bit more for the box of bits to drive it

 

[Steveyg]

Good option here too if you wanted a save a few £ mate but the VG27AQ would be one of my picks too, I'd go with this due to the good price at the minute though

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/gigabyte-g27q-quad-hd-27-ips-lcd-gaming-monitor-black-10239447.html?istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istFeedId=4d7eb93e-055f-499d-8ee5-1cdcc50d67d1&istItemId=rtxrwixpr&istBid=t&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~2053%20(PLA)%20SBRE%20PC%20GAMING%20HW%20SBRE~2053%20(PLA)%20SBRE%20PC%20GAMING%20HW%20SBRE%20ad%20group~Exact~71700000069775194~&mctag=gg_goog_7904&kwid=GOOGLE&device=c&ds_kids=92700072345611653&tgtid=2053%20(PLA)%20SBRE%20PC%20GAMING%20HW%20SBRE&gclid=CjwKCAjw6MKXBhA5EiwANWLODC-15uxrQwVJ5LQEJznSusjxzBg3UeGv3dyBpNm1JOA28-z-LMRLaRoCya8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[SimonPeters116]

Good option here too if you wanted a save a few £ mate but the VG27AQ would be one of my picks too, I'd go with this due to the good price at the minute though

gigabyte-g27q-quad-hd-27-ips-lcd-gaming-monitor-black

Cheers Steve.
That one is slightly further down my 'to be considered' list
Most of the 27" gaming monitors are on that list, the two I mentioned are my top 2, after the MSI (which I'm wary of)
I don't fancy the Samsung Odyssey due to the 1000r curved screen, too curved for me to be comfortable buying it.

That MSI seems a fantastic monitor, if only the buyers reviews were more positive. It possibly majored on negative reviews because buyers who were totally happy didn't bother saying so, only the relatively few who weren't. But that's made me a bit wary, and the fact that it's right at the top end of my budget. A good monitor will still be pretty good in 10 years time. A computer can be upgraded, and would probably have to be to still be good in 10 years time. So getting the right monitor now is probably my best starting point.

(Edited to the correct name for the Samsung, rather than my faulty memory )

 

[Steveyg]

Cheers Steve.
That one is slightly further down my 'to be considered' list
Most of the 27" gaming monitors are on that list, the two I mentioned are my top 2, after the MSI (which I'm wary of)
I don't fancy the Samsung Galaxy due to the 1000r curved screen, too curved for me to be comfortable buying it.

That MSI seems a fantastic monitor, if only the buyers reviews were more positive. It possibly majored on negative reviews because buyers who were totally happy didn't bother saying so, only the relatively few who weren't. But that's made me a bit wary, and the fact that it's right at the top end of my budget. A good monitor will still be pretty good in 10 years time. A computer can be upgraded, and would probably have to be to still be good in 10 years time. So getting the right monitor now is probably my best starting point.

No worries mate, @SpyderTracks is a man who knows his monitors I'm sure he could recommend a very good one if you want to aim for the higher end

 

[SimonPeters116]

Yes, his enormous Samsung monitor is impressive 😊

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yes, his enormous Samsung monitor is impressive 😊

What are the full specs that this is pairing with, or do you not have a pc in mind as yet?

 

[SimonPeters116]

What are the full specs that this is pairing with, or do you not have a pc in mind as yet?

Well I did have a PC in mind, but was told to wait a bit for the next generation of hardware to drop, around now.
I've seen that AMDs new CPUs are available, so I'd guess Intel will be along very soon now.
As I'm waiting for the computer hardware, I figured I'd settle on a good monitor. So when you ask what monitor is this for?
I can say a 27" 1440p .........
The only thing unchangeable just now is my total budget of £2000, including monitor. There's a bit of give there, up to 10% if pushed, but 2k is what I'm aiming at.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I've seen that AMDs new CPUs are available, so I'd guess Intel will be along very soon now.

They haven't been announced yet, expected announcement end of this month with release around 15th September.

But basically, I wouldn't choose a monitor now, as basically, my guess is the hardware available with next gen will facilitate a whole higher resolution tier but we won't know anything until 3rd party reviews are out.

I'm guessing, although may be completely off, that the current £1500ish for 1440p system with 3070 will get you a pretty capable 4k 144Hz system with next gen with a 4060ti. There's questions over if DDR5 will reduce enough at launch or take some months for the price to come down.

If you absolutely want to get a monitor now, then I wouldn't aim for 1440p, for me it would be Ultrawide as a minimum, Superwide or 4k 144Hz.

My guess is 1080p will lose all support in the mainstream tiers, with a couple of rebranded current gen cards released in a year or so.

 

[SimonPeters116]

Ah, it was a pre-announcement announcement I saw, maybe.
Wait to get a monitor as well then I was hoping to spread the costs a bit, which could potentially bump my budget up a bit.

I had no intention of going 1080p, I've got an old 1080p, 60Hz locked. It's fine, but I'm thinking the same as you on 1080p.
Just from being old, and experienced in the way of these things. Not from any expertise or knowledge btw
4k ? They're at the top of, and over, my budget just now, so I'll bide my time and carry on waiting and fidgeting then 😇
😢

 

[SpyderTracks]

Wait to get a monitor as well then I was hoping to spread the costs a bit, which could potentially bump my budget up a bit.

No, it's a good idea to do, and certainly what I would choose to do.

It's difficult though, I certainly wouldn't get standard 1440p, I think that will be fairly weak at your budget and the paired GPU will be far more powerful.

So I would strongly suggest if keeping to the £500 top end budget, you can factor in a pretty capable Ultrawide.

If you're unsure, Ultrawide is 3440 x 1440, so it's 1.5 x 1440p across and 1 up.

To give some visual representation:

It may not look like that much more real estate but it makes a huge difference in gaming generally.

There are some great Ultrawides out there for pretty small cash these days but there's one that leaps out of the rest for the budget for me which is the M34WQ from Gigabyte (head up @Martinr36 who has this one):

Gigabyte 34" M34WQ 3440x1440 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync KVM Widescreen Gaming Monitor

Order Gigabyte 34" M34WQ 3440x1440 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync KVM Widescreen Gaming Monitor now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/gigabyte-m34wq-wide-quad-hd-34-ips-lcd-gaming-monitor-black-10235555.html

But another contender is this Dell which cuts the cost quite a lot without sacrificing too much performance:

Dell 34 Curved Gaming Monitor – S3422DWG | Dell UK

Dell 34 inch WQHD curved gaming monitor with DCI-P3 90% color coverage, a 144Hz refresh rate providing a truly immersive gaming experience.

www.dell.com

 

[Martinr36]

There are some great Ultrawides out there for pretty small cash these days but there's one that leaps out of the rest for the budget for me which is the M34WQ from Gigabyte (head up @Martinr36 who has this one):

Gigabyte 34" M34WQ 3440x1440 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync KVM Widescreen Gaming Monitor

Order Gigabyte 34" M34WQ 3440x1440 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync KVM Widescreen Gaming Monitor now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Yeah great monitor, I use it as my main monitor with a G5 above as a secondary monitor

 

[Bhuna50]

I bought this one back in December for just under £300 and have been pleased with it and would buy it again if I had to.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08NFBKNMY

 

[SimonPeters116]

🤔 Decisions, Decisions. Who'd a thought spending money would be so difficult, flippineck 😆


I was just thinking of a slightly bigger monitor at 1440p, but just your standard 16:9. Then Spyder Tracks put an ultrawide idea into my head with his suggestions. Cos the new graphics cards should run them easily, which seems perfectly sensible and reasonable to me (I'm paraphrasing here). After all, this gen' mid/higher end graphics cards do, so next gen' middle of the road should take ultrawide in its stride.

So the question now is, do I spend the money on an ultrawide monitor now, which potentially means more money available for the 'box of computer parts'? It also simplifies the build component choices, when the time comes, because it'll be to match "this" monitor. Or should I wait, find out what the box of bits in my budget is capable of, then buy the monitor to match? There's going to be a wait of a few weeks while my computer is being built, tested etc. So I can buy the monitor then, it'll still be here before the computer is.
Where is the 'exploding head' smiley when you want one? 🤪 😂

 

[SpyderTracks]

🤔 Decisions, Decisions. Who'd a thought spending money would be so difficult, flippineck 😆


I was just thinking of a slightly bigger monitor at 1440p, but just your standard 16:9. Then Spyder Tracks put an ultrawide idea into my head with his suggestions. Cos the new graphics cards should run them easily, which seems perfectly sensible and reasonable to me (I'm paraphrasing here). After all, this gen' mid/higher end graphics cards do, so next gen' middle of the road should take ultrawide in its stride.

So the question now is, do I spend the money on an ultrawide monitor now, which potentially means more money available for the 'box of computer parts'? It also simplifies the build component choices, when the time comes, because it'll be to match "this" monitor. Or should I wait, find out what the box of bits in my budget is capable of, then buy the monitor to match? There's going to be a wait of a few weeks while my computer is being built, tested etc. So I can buy the monitor then, it'll still be here before the computer is.
Where is the 'exploding head' smiley when you want one? 🤪 😂

It's really challenging as it is such a long term investment, and it's all down to the overall pairing from psu to monitor as to what performance you'll get.

If it were me, bearing in mind that it's an overall long term investment, I would do it like this:

1/. Purchase the main rig sans GPU (as new GPU's on horizon nearer October ish) Use your current GPU in the meantime

2/. Purchase monitor. Overbuy, if possible, if there's a larger gap between PC and GPU that you can fit this into, can you spread it over a few payments like with PayPal or Klarna or something like that to increase the overall spend (note, neither of these require credit at all and doesn't affect credit rating).

3/. Purchase GPU on pre order. From the current leaks, we're looking roughly a 3080 being on par with a 4060, so what cost £800 on release may cost around £300 (assuming 4000 series will equate to 3000 series launch prices which they undoubtedly won't, they'll be slightly more expensive, maybe £50 more). But that equates to 4k 144Hz performance for current 1080p performance tier.

NVIDIA RTX 4080 to be >70% Faster than the RTX 3080, RTX 4070 on Par with the RTX 3090 [Report] | Hardware Times

NVIDIA’s Lovelace lineup has started racing to the starting line. Leveraging the TSMC 4nm “N4” process and a core count of over 18,000 cores alongside (up to) 48GB of GDDR6X memory, these chips are expected to crack the 100 TFLOPs barrier. While the RTX 4090/4090 Ti will be 2x faster than the...

www.hardwaretimes.com

You'd obviously have to do without serious gaming performance for a few more months, but in the longer term, it's going to make a good matching throughout.

And I realise this is a huge commitment to staggering the parts and eventual entire build in this way, but it's a good way to maximise the performance, even moreso with such large generational improvements in so many areas all at one time.

 

[Martinr36]

I was just thinking of a slightly bigger monitor at 1440p, but just your standard 16:9. Then Spyder Tracks put an ultrawide idea into my head with his suggestions. Cos the new graphics cards should run them easily, which seems perfectly sensible and reasonable to me (I'm paraphrasing here). After all, this gen' mid/higher end graphics cards do, so next gen' middle of the road should take ultrawide in its stride.

I run my ultrawide on the berserker spec in my signature

 

[SimonPeters116]

SpyderTracks reacted 🤣

It's all right for you to laugh young man 😜
I'm old (63), I've had a stroke, so my brain has broke, it might even actually explode 🤣

You know the only reason for this upgrade?
I bought a game from Steam. I had Steam because I had Tomb Raider 2013 on disc. When I installed it, I was directed to Steam for the updates. That led to the other two games in the TR series. Eventually to Days Gone from 2019.
My computer matched the barely explained requirements. 4GHz cpu, graphics card, 8GB ram etc for Days Gone
It wasn't until I started playing it, when it would stutter a bit and the picture would fill in, in stages, that I delved more into the required specs.
Oops, my FX 8300, 16GB ddr3 ram, gtx 750ti, is a generation below.
By this time I'd spent enough time in the game to decide I had to upgrade, so Days Gone could run properly.
That's the whole reason for starting down this road. A game 😲
No doubt there'll be more games in the future, once I have a much more capable computer to play them on.

 

[Martinr36]

SpyderTracks reacted 🤣

It's all right for you to laugh young man 😜
I'm old (63), I've had a stroke, so my brain has broke, it might even actually explode 🤣

You know the only reason for this upgrade?
I bought a game from Steam. I had Steam because I had Tomb Raider 2013 on disc. When I installed it, I was directed to Steam for the updates. That led to the other two games in the TR series. Eventually to Days Gone from 2019.
My computer matched the barely explained requirements. 4GHz cpu, graphics card, 8GB ram etc for Days Gone
It wasn't until I started playing it, when it would stutter a bit and the picture would fill in, in stages, that I delved more into the required specs.
Oops, my FX 8300, 16GB ddr3 ram, gtx 750ti, is a generation below.
By this time I'd spent enough time in the game to decide I had to upgrade, so Days Gone could run properly.
That's the whole reason for starting down this road. A game 😲
No doubt there'll be more games in the future, once I have a much more capable computer to play them on.

@SimonPeters116 , oh there will be more games down the line, this from another 63 year old who started on here with editing videos, then @AgentCooper came along, and the rest is folk lore, I mean he even christened the Berserker 😂

 

[SimonPeters116]

I run my ultrawide on the berserker spec in my signature

I've seen it, looks good
I was thinking; AMD Ryzen 7, 16GB 3200 RAM, RTX 3070, something along those lines.
But I've been convinced to wait. So I'm sitting here waiting and wondering if there's something I can do to help.
The box of components culminates in the monitor. Soooo, if I can get the monitor now.....
I prefer AMD cpu's, I can't remember why, but it might have been 'dodgy' practices by Intel. Nothing illegal, but nasty tricks, a long time ago. But just to be converse, I prefer nvidia graphics cards.

It's kinda strange how forums like these can develop into a community. I joined a truck drivers forum, many years ago, TrucknetUK. That's similar to here. We even had a Christmas party, 7 parties over 9 years.

It's really challenging as it is such a long term investment, and it's all down to the overall pairing from psu to monitor as to what performance you'll get.

If it were me, bearing in mind that it's an overall long term investment, I would do it like this:

1/. Purchase the main rig sans GPU (as new GPU's on horizon nearer October ish) Use your current GPU in the meantime

2/. Purchase monitor. Overbuy, if possible, if there's a larger gap between PC and GPU that you can fit this into, can you spread it over a few payments like with PayPal or Klarna or something like that to increase the overall spend (note, neither of these require credit at all and doesn't affect credit rating).

3/. Purchase GPU on pre order. From the current leaks, we're looking roughly a 3080 being on par with a 4060, so what cost £800 on release may cost around £300 (assuming 4000 series will equate to 3000 series launch prices which they undoubtedly won't, they'll be slightly more expensive, maybe £50 more). But that equates to 4k 144Hz performance for current 1080p performance tier.

NVIDIA RTX 4080 to be >70% Faster than the RTX 3080, RTX 4070 on Par with the RTX 3090 [Report] | Hardware Times

NVIDIA’s Lovelace lineup has started racing to the starting line. Leveraging the TSMC 4nm “N4” process and a core count of over 18,000 cores alongside (up to) 48GB of GDDR6X memory, these chips are expected to crack the 100 TFLOPs barrier. While the RTX 4090/4090 Ti will be 2x faster than the...

www.hardwaretimes.com

You'd obviously have to do without serious gaming performance for a few more months, but in the longer term, it's going to make a good matching throughout.

And I realise this is a huge commitment to staggering the parts and eventual entire build in this way, but it's a good way to maximise the performance, even moreso with such large generational improvements in so many areas all at one time.

I'm going to think about this for a while.

 

[SimonPeters116]

Well, after thinking about it for a while, I believe you are absolutely right. That would be the best way for me to get the best rig, for the amount of money I want to spend.
BUT, and that is a big but , the whole reason for this spend is to play a computer game in all its intended glory. I wouldn't be in the slightest bit surprised if other games follow 😇
I'm giving my daughter and her family this computer, once I have the new one in my hands, and I'd include the graphics card. I don't think any of them like delving 'under the bonnet'.
Sooo, if I leave it until October(ish) and the new graphics cards launch, then buy with a GPU so I can play this game?
I can manage to sit on my hands until October, using this rig. I don't think I could with my, almost ready but not quite, brand new rig sitting there in front of me, staring at me, going 'ner ner ni ner ner'. Unless I put something like a 1060 or 2060 in initially, then upgrade later?

I'm a little bit confused though. Am I buying a 'new generation' computer, for this money? Or am I buying a 'present generation' computer?
Present generation makes sense. Because the new generation, with it's predicted jumps forward, will mean present generation equipment will become less desirable, so prices will drop. At the moment £2k will buy a 'middle of the road(?)' rig, whereas once the new generation comes on stream, £2k will buy much better present generation stuff. But a fairly low spec' new generation computer would be upgradeable, whereas a present generation computer won't have that much headroom, for upgrading to be worthwhile.
Like waiting to buy a PS5 Super, for the same money as a PS5 basic, once the PS6 comes on stream?
Or buying a PS6 basic, because a PS5 super will be so far behind?

Financially, I'm in an entirely new position for me. I've got some money in the bank. I'm 63 and until now I've never had money in the bank. Several years ago, I started refurbishing my '81 motorbike, a Honda CB900F, (predecessor to the Fireblade, not the Hornet). I spent about 2K on stage 1, over a year, and had to save that money to have it to spend. £2k is an arbitrary number I'm aiming at for this computer. I could go a bit higher, but it would have to be justified, to my mind. Why £2k? I don't know, it just seems about the right amount to me, to spend on a toy. A very versatile toy, but what I've got now is perfectly adequate for what I do on a computer generally. It's only this game which has prompted me to upgrade, therefore it's a toy. Also, I'm a Scot, World renown for being 'careful' with our money 😆
I want to get back to work, to find out about how much wages have increased, in comparison to how much the cost of living has increased. I've been off work for a little over a year and on benefits for over half of that time. Wages in my sector have jumped this year, but so have energy costs, etc. Once I'm back at work, I'll be able to see how I'm doing and will be better able to judge if I can spend more on this new toy . I'm waiting for DVLA, so how long I'll have to wait is like asking, how long is this piece of string?

 

[SpyderTracks]

At the moment £2k will buy a 'middle of the road(?)' rig, whereas once the new generation comes on stream, £2k will buy much better present generation stuff. But a fairly low spec' new generation computer would be upgradeable, whereas a present generation computer won't have that much headroom, for upgrading to be worthwhile.

This isn't quite correct, with new generation you get far more performance for the same money.

The cost of the same tiers is roughly the same but the performance were expecting is roughly extra 50% on CPU, 70% on GPU and 100% on SSD. So you may pay £50 more per CPU level, but you're getting significantly more performance pef £.

I would always recommend getting current gen. This upcoming generation is such a big step up in so many areas at once, it's a major platform upgrade.