My current 24-inch 1080p monitor has developed dead pixels, so I need to replace it. I'm considering moving up to 1440p, but my PC has an RTX 4060 with 8GB of VRAM. Would 1440p be a sensible choice for gaming, or should I stick with 1080p for better performance? I'm also wondering whether refresh rate matters more than resolution and whether features like DLSS make 1440p practical in newer games.
4 Answers
I’d lean toward 1440p if the price is reasonable, preferably a 27-inch model with at least 100–165Hz. You can use DLSS, lower demanding settings, or drop individual games to 1080p when necessary. It gives you sharper desktop text and a better image in games, while also leaving room for a future GPU upgrade.
The RTX 4060 is mainly a 1080p card, especially for demanding modern AAA games. If you want high or ultra settings with consistently strong frame rates and don’t plan to upgrade the GPU soon, a good 1080p monitor—ideally 120–165Hz—would be the safer choice. A 1440p 60Hz display may feel less responsive than a high-refresh-rate 1080p model.
If you expect to replace the graphics card within the next few years, I’d get the 1440p monitor now. You can enjoy the extra sharpness immediately and upgrade the GPU later. If this RTX 4060 will remain in the system for a long time and you prioritize competitive gaming or maximum frame rate, stick with 1080p and choose a high-refresh-rate panel.
The answer depends heavily on the games you play. The 4060 can handle plenty of games at 1440p, particularly older titles or with optimized settings and DLSS Quality, but newer AAA releases may require medium settings, upscaling, or frame generation to stay around 60–80 FPS. Its 8GB of VRAM can also become a limitation when using high-resolution textures.
Just keep in mind that running a 1440p monitor at 1080p won’t look as sharp as a native 1080p display, since 1080p doesn’t scale evenly into 1440p. It’s fine as a fallback, but don’t buy 1440p expecting 1080p mode to look identical.