Should you buy a 4K monitor for your PC?

What are some reasons to go 4K?

The biggest reason you'll want to purchase a 4K monitor is for the huge increase in visual quality that you'll see when it comes to both movies and video games. The picture will be significantly sharper, and you'll be able to notice more details in your films or games that you never could before.

Another reason why 4K is a good idea is future-proofing. 4K is the future, and while standard 1080p displays are the default choice now, that is sure to change in the coming years thanks to the dropping prices of 4K monitors and the increasing number of companies making media for 4K. Therefore, buying now lets you get ahead of the curve, and you won't have to worry about buying a new display for a very long time. As long as you're prepared to pay for some serious PC hardware, 4K is definitely worth it.

What are some reasons to avoid 4K?

Though 4K monitors themselves have become cheaper, obtaining the power needed to use them effectively can become an expensive endeavour very quickly. Regardless of whether or not you're watching movies or playing games, you'll need a top-of-the-line GPU in your PC, such as the GTX 1080Ti, which will set you back several hundred dollars. That should be enough for films, but if you want to game in 4K, you'll likely need another 1080Ti or one of NVIDIA's new upcoming RTX 20-series cards in order to rise past 30 frames-per-second and get desirable framerates on modern games.

While they're not as important, you'll also need a strong CPU like the AMD Ryzen 5 2400G and a hefty amount of RAM in order to support your system when experiencing 4K media. This is especially important when gaming since it's more taxing on your overall system than watching movies. All of this can add up to over $1,000, and that's before you even buy your 4K display. Overall, if you're not prepared to pay a pretty penny, you should wait on 4K.

What are some great 4K monitors?

The market on 4K displays for PC is large and wide, but there are two that stand out from the competition: the LG 27UD68P-B and the BenQ PD3200U.

The LG 27UD68P-B is a fantastic choice if you want a monitor that's similar in size to the 1080p standard of 24 inches. At 27 inches, the 27UD68P-B is a little bigger, but not by much, and you still get all the advantages of rich 4K resolution. It also comes with a program that optimizes your game settings automatically for the best experience.

The BenQ PD3200U comes in at a whopping 32 inches, meaning that you'll basically be using your computer with a television. If you want to feel completely immersed in your 4K movie or game, then this monitor will give you that experience without a doubt. Additionally, it has a Darkroom mode, which adjusts the visuals whenever you experience media in the dark.