Should we have a 4k monitor at home or can we settle for Full HD? Is 4K always better in any situation? There are many questions that we ask ourselves when choosing a new screen for our office or for our home office and it will depend on many factors that we bet on one resolution option or another.
Screen Resolutions
The resolution is what we will mainly look at in this text and you should know what the options are when choosing a monitor:
- 1280 × 720 – HD / 720p.
- 1920 x 1080 – Full HD 1080p.
- 2560 × 1440 – QHD / WQHD 1440p.
- 3840 × 2160 – Ultra HD or 4K 2160p.
- 7680 × 4320 – Full Ultra HD) or 8K 4320p
In general, we might think that if we are not clear if Full HD or 4K, it is enough that we bet on the intermediate option: QHD or 1440p. But we will focus on the main differences between these two monitors or what to choose if we have doubts between one and the other, what we should take into account, etc.
What should we keep in mind?
Not only the resolution is important. When choosing a monitor we also have to look at other fundamental aspects such as the size of the screen that we are going to choose, the hardware that we already have, the use that we are going to give to this monitor, the number of screens that we want to have on the table…
Use that we are going to give it
The first thing we must take into account is what use we are going to give to the monitor that we buy. If you are simply going to write emails, it will not make much sense to bet on a screen with a cost much higher than a UHD format. Or if you just use the computer once a week or have it for emergencies. In that case, maybe you can settle for any more affordable model.
Number of screens we want to have
We have to take into account the number of screens we want to have when setting up our office. It will not be the same to use three 1080p screens, much cheaper than three 4K screens. We can have more screens for less money and perhaps it pays us to prioritize having more monitors with worse resolution than fewer monitors with better resolution.
Screen size and distance to the screen
The screen size you need is essential to know if it is worth betting on 4K, 1440p, or 1080p.
Are you going to watch movies?: HDR
If you are looking for a monitor to watch movies, series, or multimedia content, HDR can be a good addition that improves the quality of what you are going to reproduce. HDR is High Dynamic Range or High Range Dynamic and is a technology that makes what we see on the screen is as close as possible to what we see in reality. The image on the screen is as close to the actual image as possible, the differences between light and dark areas are more prominent, there is more contrast, there are more colors.
Refresh rate and FPS
The refresh rate at which the screen updates is measured in Hertz. The higher the number of hertz on the screen, the more images per second it will show us. If it has 60 Hz, in a second it will show us 60 frames. The higher the number, the more frames per second. What does this mean? That we will need a high refresh rate if we want to play and we want to have a satisfying experience.
The refresh rate of the monitor is therefore essential. Is 4K better than Full HD? It depends. If you are going to play, for example, it will be better to bet on a Full HD monitor at 144 Hz than a 4K monitor at 60 Hz. Or even a 1440p monitor with more Hz. That is why we must take into account all the factors and not just think that having a 4K screen already means having something better, neglecting everything else.
Compatibility
Although the catalog and available options are increasing year after year, it may be that what we use every day is not compatible with 4K. Almost all videos, games, and any content have 1080p support, but some games may not be ready for it and you have to take into account the possible compatibility issues.
Advantage
We can definitely say that 4K technology is fully established in the market, although there is still a long way to go. And like everything else, we find some excellent advantages that will make us opt for a 4K monitor.
- It is clear that, if we speak merely of a matter of resolution, there is not much more to talk about. On a 4K resolution monitor with its 3840 x 2160 resolution, we will appreciate every detail in a spectacular way. They also tend to reduce the emission of blue light, which will improve eyesight.
- With Full HD resolution, we get to 10 bits per color. Meanwhile, in the case of 4K monitors, up to 12-bit can be achieved.
- The use of the HEVC codec (H.265) is another important aspect to take into account. In this case, the code is capable of compressing a file in less than half the space that the H.264 codec does. And as a result, it maintains the same image quality. H.265 also allows up to 300 frames per second, compared to 60 for its predecessor.
Buy Full HD if …
Buying a monitor to play requires some specific features designed for gaming and that makes 1080p monitors continue to be the most popular in this sector. Why? Because we generally take into account other aspects beyond the resolution: the response time, the FPS, or the refresh rate. In this case, it is more convenient to go for 1080p monitors or a 1440p model that has the necessary gaming features. As we have explained in previous paragraphs, it will be better to bet on a Full HD at 144 Hz than a 4K monitor at 60 Hz if you are going to play.
Size Matters: If you can’t afford a very large monitor, you might not want to make the leap to 4K resolution. That is, if the space you have on the table is insufficient or you cannot move too far from the monitor place, it may not be worth this jump. For a monitor less than 27 inches, it may be worth more to go for a 1440p resolution monitor or a 1080p resolution monitor since you will not take full advantage of its capacity.
More screens can also be synonymous with buying Full HD. 4K monitors are more expensive (usually over 200, 300 euros) and we cannot always have three screens or two screens if they are with 4K resolution. If you need several monitors to work or to design, betting on 1080p models can allow us to have a larger total size and a lower price.
Buy 4K if …
4K monitors are an excellent option in most cases if we take into account current recommendations when choosing a screen for gaming, for example, which would require more power. But if you don’t need it to play and you do need it for other tasks, it can be a totally successful recommendation. To edit photos or video montages, to watch series or movies if you have a monitor in your bedroom and want to enjoy Netflix from the bed or sofa, to multitask with more comfortable ultra-wide monitors … They are an excellent idea and we will notice the difference with respect to Full HD models.
Are you going to play and can you afford it? Buy a 4K monitor. There are 4K 144 monitors with G-Sync and HDR, although they can cost around 2,000 euros, as is the case with the 27-inch Acer Predator X27 4K and with 155 Hz. If you have enough power and hardware … Betting on 4K resolution if you are going to play is something that involves a lot of demand and high-end specifications. If you have it, the normal thing is that you take advantage of them to enjoy the game with the best experience and that you do not waste the power with lower resolutions
