4k Gaming! Thoughts?

[C7R35]

Hello guys!

So, as we plunge into a world full of ever-expanding and sweet technology.... lemme just get it to ya straight.

Lately, my paychecks have been pretty outstanding, and while my hours are where they are, I'd like to take advantage of this and upgrade my gaming experience. I've been looking at the AMD Radeon HD R9 290x, especially since a coworker of mine has offered to buy my 3-month-old 7870 GHz OC Edition. The reason that I'd like to get this card is so I can hook up a 30 inch Samsung 240Hz 4k TV to it. I've been reading about 4k gaming though, and how some higher end games, like Crysis 3, might not run as well. I really only play Source games and a little Battlefield 4.

Do you think the upgrade is worth it? I have a standard 1920 x 1080 monitor right now, and it's great, but I'd like to have that 4k TV for gaming as well as watching my regular movies and whatnot on it. Should I spend the $1200+ I'm digging myself into? Or should I wait for 4k gaming to be a bit more.... evolved?

 

[InkSix]

Good for you! Glad to hear you're doing so well for yourself!

I was under the impression that 4k wasn't very well integrating into everything yet though, for both movies AND video gaming.

I'm sure someone knows way more about this than me. Sorry to but in for no reason, lol.

 

[C7R35]

Nah it's all good! And yea, the holidays is where most businesses shine!

Everyone says 4k is a fad, which it isn't in my opinion. 4k TVs look so sharp, it's ridiculous. There are already quite a few movies that support full 4k resolution too.

Almost every latest game will go to a 4k resolution, it's just a matter of FPS. I'm thinking it might be worth it to pay $150 and crossfire my card with another 7870, instead of paying $500 for the R9.

 

[Captain]

(My opinion) 4k is still around 1500$ and most 4k monitors are still 30hz only which for me is eye splitting. So no! Not to mention I'd have to do a 4-way sli setup to play any of my games. Dual 7870s would not run Battlefield 4 on 4k at all unless you played on low and low has bad render distance. I would recommend that you try out 1440p, or 1600p (It's a 16:10 aspect ratio). Both of those aren't too demanding for source games.

 

[NewJersey]

dude just get this. Read the comments. Too funny. [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN85S9-85-Inch-Ultra-120Hz/dp/B00CMEN95U/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top[/ame]

 

[C7R35]

Oh my god the comments xDD

And I can afford it. With my employee discount a 40 inch Samsung 4k @ 120 Hz is $800. That's the TV I was going for. I read that most PCs will need two R9 280x or two R9 290x graphics cards to run maxed out games at 4k. I think i'll go ahead and grab the TV and one card, and if things really suck, then I'll pick up another card. In the meantime I'll sell me arm for money.

 

[Cloakedsphere]

Oh my god the comments xDD

And I can afford it. With my employee discount a 40 inch Samsung 4k @ 120 Hz is $800. That's the TV I was going for. I read that most PCs will need two R9 280x or two R9 290x graphics cards to run maxed out games at 4k. I think i'll go ahead and grab the TV and one card, and if things really suck, then I'll pick up another card. In the meantime I'll sell me arm for money.

I dont even suggest using a crossfired 7870 when you get to 4k resolution. You're not only stressing your GPU but you need to make sure the rest of your system can handle the amount of power its trying to push to the TV. I would highly suggest picking up 2 R9 290X's in crossfire if you're doing this. Other then that I see you wasting money on buying another 7870.

 

[$hy]

It is all about how many pixels are being pushed. 4K is fantastic, but the hardware to push the games on a 4k screen are just not here yet. You would need quad sli Titans or 780Ti's to even get close to 60 fps on one of those screens with a modern game. You would need to lower the setting's in most games drastically with the cards you are talking about.

This should give you a good idea of where the tech is right now. It will come, but not for another few years. If you just want it to watch movies then go for it. But even that is still very early stage and streaming services and ISP's are not up to the task, unless you live around some google fiber area.

Just my two cents.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7120/some-quick-gaming-numbers-at-4k-max-settings

 

[C7R35]

It is all about how many pixels are being pushed. 4K is fantastic, but the hardware to push the games on a 4k screen are just not here yet. You would need quad sli Titans or 780Ti's to even get close to 60 fps on one of those screens with a modern game. You would need to lower the setting's in most games drastically with the cards you are talking about.

This should give you a good idea of where the tech is right now. It will come, but not for another few years. If you just want it to watch movies then go for it. But even that is still very early stage and streaming services and ISP's are not up to the task, unless you live around some google fiber area.

Just my two cents.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7120/some-quick-gaming-numbers-at-4k-max-settings

A single R9 290x can do the job quite well for source games. Battlefield 3 and 4 on medium settings will run fine too, so people have been recommending 2 R9 290xs for maxed out 4k games.

 

[$hy]

A single R9 290x can do the job quite well for source games. Battlefield 3 and 4 on medium settings will run fine too, so people have been recommending 2 R9 290xs for maxed out 4k games.

I totally agree, which is why I specified modern games. Source based games are not particularly gpu intensive. And we both agree, you are going to have to run modern games at lower settings to get good performance out of the gpu's.

I was not trying to discourage you from getting a bad-ass screen, but there are going to be some drawbacks performance-wise. It would surprise me- in a good way- if two 290x could run a graphics intensive game with settings maxed on a 4k screen at 60 fps. For source games I think it would be fine, but for new releases it is going to be lower and lower settings, but at a higher resolution. It is a trade-off, but one you may enjoy greatly

 

[Cloakedsphere]

I still see it as a big waste of money. If you're that concerned get 3 like... 26'' monitors and run a tri screen setup. No reason to spend over $1000 in graphics cards and another $1000 on a monitor that is going to just make your computer bog.

Or if you want a larger screen, buy a projector and a projector screen. They have HD projectors that are GREAT for watching movies and playing games on. I played a few games at my local movie theater on their screen and that was by far one of the most fun experiences I have had, gaming wise.

 

[_Sushi]

I still see it as a big waste of money. If you're that concerned get 3 like... 26'' monitors and run a tri screen setup. No reason to spend over $1000 in graphics cards and another $1000 on a monitor that is going to just make your computer bog.

Or if you want a larger screen, buy a projector and a projector screen. They have HD projectors that are GREAT for watching movies and playing games on. I played a few games at my local movie theater on their screen and that was by far one of the most fun experiences I have had, gaming wise.

I agree with you, but some people just have the money to burn. Not me.

 

[C7R35]

Yeah, I prefer one screen just because of bezels. But it is expensive. I should probably put the money towards my rainy day fund and buy two regular monitors like you said. I'll still need another card because my 7870 won't do, but hey. It was a $150 card.

 

[milkdud657]

I've done 4K on my grandparents TV with my 7970. Struggled some with demanding games but i prefer one solid mid sized monitor. looks beautiful tho

 

[Captain]

What's the input lag on this TV? That's a good reason why gamers use Monitors. I'm guessing around 15ms input lag. But if you were gaming on a TV in the past on PC it shouldn't be noticeable to you.

 

[Cloakedsphere]

Yeah, I prefer one screen just because of bezels. But it is expensive. I should probably put the money towards my rainy day fund and buy two regular monitors like you said. I'll still need another card because my 7870 won't do, but hey. It was a $150 card.

Just buy a really good HD projector and project it onto your wall. Just wipe down your wall every now and then or put a white blanket/sheet up. You got yourself a huge screen that I guarantee will look great if you do it properly.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824219179

Allows for 3D too. Just spend another $300-$400 on a graphics card and you're set. You can easily pick up a nice Nvidia card or a high end (but noisy. lel) AMD card. Your choice on that one.

 

[Putty]

( I would recommend that you try out 1440p, or 1600p (It's a 16:10 aspect ratio). Both of those aren't too demanding for source games.

This.:thumbup1:

 

[C7R35]

Just buy a really good HD projector and project it onto your wall. Just wipe down your wall every now and then or put a white blanket/sheet up. You got yourself a huge screen that I guarantee will look great if you do it properly.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824219179

Allows for 3D too. Just spend another $300-$400 on a graphics card and you're set. You can easily pick up a nice Nvidia card or a high end (but noisy. lel) AMD card. Your choice on that one.

Except all of my walls are orange and blue, and I wouldn't have a spot to put a screen. My walls have shelves, posters, pictures, etc on them. I'll stick with a monitor for now ^^

 

[bad_ip]

Hello guys!

So, as we plunge into a world full of ever-expanding and sweet technology.... lemme just get it to ya straight.

Lately, my paychecks have been pretty outstanding, and while my hours are where they are, I'd like to take advantage of this and upgrade my gaming experience. I've been looking at the AMD Radeon HD R9 290x, especially since a coworker of mine has offered to buy my 3-month-old 7870 GHz OC Edition. The reason that I'd like to get this card is so I can hook up a 30 inch Samsung 240Hz 4k TV to it. I've been reading about 4k gaming though, and how some higher end games, like Crysis 3, might not run as well. I really only play Source games and a little Battlefield 4.

Do you think the upgrade is worth it? I have a standard 1920 x 1080 monitor right now, and it's great, but I'd like to have that 4k TV for gaming as well as watching my regular movies and whatnot on it. Should I spend the $1200+ I'm digging myself into? Or should I wait for 4k gaming to be a bit more.... evolved?

This actually wouldn't work as you'd think and you'll be highly disappointed.

a) You would have to have a graphics card that can output in 4K.
b) Because most TV's only output 59 or possibly 60 hz, you would never realize definitions high enough to even tell a significant difference.

B Continued...
120Hz is the refresh rate needed in order to achieve any definition higher than 1080P (1920x1080).

While "4K Gaming" does sound attractive, I would not bet on that working as planned.

Instead, you should continue with purchasing your desired graphics card and purchase two monitors which output with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Just my opinion.

 

[C7R35]

This actually wouldn't work as you'd think and you'll be highly disappointed.

a) You would have to have a graphics card that can output in 4K.
b) Because most TV's only output 59 or possibly 60 hz, you would never realize definitions high enough to even tell a significant difference.

B Continued...
120Hz is the refresh rate needed in order to achieve any definition higher than 1080P (1920x1080).

While "4K Gaming" does sound attractive, I would not bet on that working as planned.

Instead, you should continue with purchasing your desired graphics card and purchase two monitors which output with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Just my opinion.

a) Most graphics cards available today output 4k resultion easy. It's whether or not they can handle gaming at such a high res. Lucky, the AMD Radeon HD R9 290x is built for 4k gaming. It can handle most intense games running low-medium settings just fine. Two cards would be needed for a maxed out experience when playing games like Battlefield or Crysis.

b) My monitor only runs at 60 Hz, and 120 Hz is definitely a noticeable improvement. Now, Samsung has a technology in their 4k televisions called "Clear Motion" which utilizes a basic 120 Hz panel, but emulates a 240 Hz refresh rate. Their standard 1080p televisions do this as well: 60Hz panel emulates 120Hz rate, and so on.

We have three 4k TVs set up at Best Buy; two 55 inch and one 85 inch. The 55 inch models are insanely beautiful, and the computer that's hooked up to it to play our demos can easily display video at a 4k resolution. They're only packing Core ix processors with onboard graphics.