The good news is that the second problem has been getting better, and with Windows 11’s interface, scaling is actually pretty good. There are still a few apps that do not play well with scaling but overall, the experience has improved. Also there has been a solid push of larger screens for 4K with monitors now up to 43” and higher refresh rates available. Add to this the fact that new displays at 4K are pushing new technologies such as Micro Quantum Dot LEDs and OLED, the display technology has finally reached the point of being a very compelling consideration.
This however still leaves the cost of the hardware needed to drive 4K gaming. The price of a GPU with the horsepower to drive modern games at a high detail level and play at 4K is in the upper range. This is something which has implications in today’s GPU market. With pricing so out of control how can I justifiably say that I think 4K Gaming might finally be here?
Well before we dive into the GPU tech lets focus on the display tech. The addition of HDR to gaming was heralded as a game changer (pardon the pun) but it never realized it’s potential as displays at the time could not make full use of HDR. This has changed drastically with the new technologies pushing HDR monitors that can now make full use of it’s potential and it is amazing. OLED and high-end Quantum Dot displays can produce incredible color and contrast, the impact of which is to be seen to be believed. The first time I saw HDR in a game I was not impressed. The first time I saw an OLED produce HDR in a game I was blown away.
This technology, in itself, is not something that would make the push to 4K that big of a deal, except 4K is where the tech is. We might eventually see it trickle down to 1440P and maybe even 1080P but that is some time off. To get these new, and amazing image quality techs you need to go 4K. Also, we have seen that TVs have begun to offer very viable options for monitor replacements. LG with its C1 has really made people sit up and take notice. Incredible image quality, fast response (often faster than many monitors) and a price point that is not crazy. HIGH END 4K displays are here and look amazing.
A great monitor though is still not enough; you need something to drive those pixels. However, a card with the brute force horse power to drive those pixels at reasonable frame rates can really empty the wallet. This is further exaggerated as we have changed what we consider be to reasonable frame rates. For a long time if you could stay near 60 FPS, you could be happy with the gaming experience. However, as more people have gotten higher refresh rate monitors the desire for higher frame rates has grown. Now people are looking for closer to 100 FPS to achieve what they consider a great gaming experience. It takes a lot of GPU horse power to push those frame rates at 4K.
The solution for making 4K gaming more viable has not come from massive horsepower increases on the GPU but rather from software. New solutions like FSR, RSR and SAPPHIRE’s TriXX Boost allow games to play at 4K resolutions while rendering the game at a lower resolution. With the introduction of these new approaches to render scaling, we are seeing this solution move from being game specific to more broadly available and this means more games can now run on less GPU brute force while still enjoying a great 4K gaming experience.
I know, there are some image quality snobs out there that will show you a comparison of these techs and claim there are better options, notice how the comparisons work however. They take a still image from the game and then zoom in, often as much as 200X to show you a small section of the game to point out the differences. If you need to take a live action game, freeze it and then zoom in crazy amounts to see difference, there is no difference that matters.
At 4K these new rendering solutions are incredible, the image quality is outstanding, the performance is at levels to ensure smooth game play and with the new monitor technologies they look amazing.
Even with these new techs you will not be able to get a budget GPU and expect 4K gaming to be a great experience with modern games. You will, however, be able to avoid buying the halo products or even the top of the line to have a great 4K experience.
All of this adds up to their finally being, for gamers, compelling reasons to look at 4K and make the jump. What about 1440P? Well, 1440P remains a good middle ground and if the new display tech makes its way into 1440P displays soon then it could have some real life left in it. Currently with the blurring of the lines between TV and monitors and all the advancements focusing on 4K, it is looking like 1440P might be seeing it’s being skipped over when a lot of gamers move away from 1080P.
