4K UHD Question

Hey gang. I've recently purchased the below rig from Digital Storm and had a question regarding getting a 4K monitor for it. It's currently being built, so I have a little time before it gets here and I'm looking at possibly picking up an ASUS PB287Q 28-Inch Screen LED-Lit 4K Monitor. I was wondering if this rig would do a decent job running 4K... or, if I'm better off looking at 1080p? This will be my first experience with 4K (if I end up going that route). So any thoughts, criticisms or other direction is appreciated! I'll be using it mainly for my home PC (movies, gaming, general usage, etc.) but may also do some video editing/graphic design work on it. Thanks guys. Here's the new system:      


System Configuration:


Chassis Model: Digital Storm Apollo

Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish

Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4790K 4.0 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)

Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO (Intel Z97 Chipset) (The Ultimate Power Platform)

System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1866MHz Corsair Dominator Platinum DHX (Extreme-Performance)

Power Supply: 1050W Corsair HX1050

Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)

Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (256GB Samsung 850 PRO)

Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Seagate)

Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)

Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB (EVGA ACX Cooler Edition)

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster Zx (Includes Audio Control Module)

Extreme Cooling: !CLEARANCE: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H110 280mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme Performance)

Chassis Fans: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans)

Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)

Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 2 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds with Noise Dampening Material)

CPU Boost: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires High-End Motherboard Selection)

Graphics Boost: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability

Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (64-Bit Edition)

Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K95 (Fully Mechanical Gaming Keyboard) (Black Brushed Aluminum Finish)

Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M95 (Laser 8200 dpi) (MMO and RTS Gaming Mouse) (USB Wired)

Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Computer Speakers

Headset: Klipsch KG-300 Pro Audio Gaming Headset

Edited by ggo4th - 25 Apr 2015 at 1:31am

Thanks, bprat22. That does help! Another question that I had that maybe you or someone on here could help me answer... it looks like a good idea to go ahead and get the 4K monitor, but what will 1080p look like on a 4K monitor? Will it be worse or better than a traditional HD monitor? Thanks again.

Hey Frank. I'm up for considering going either way with the monitor. I just want to get whichever will be best performance wise and ideally not waste either money getting a 4K monitor or performance getting a lesser resolution. If this rig can do 4K at a decent level, (which given the results bprat22 dug up at http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_970_sli_review,21.html it looks like it may be decent) I think I'd prefer to get the 4K monitor. But, if it's not worth it to do performance wise, I think I'd rather save the $$$ and get something that would be. It looks like this rig may be right on the line, so it's a tough call! What are some good 2560x1440 monitors that you'd recommend? Thanks!

Point well taken fellas. I appreciate all of the insight. Haha like you, I've never worked with 4K, either. It's somewhere around a $100 (or so) difference to go from 1440 to 4K, so I guess the question at this point would be is it worth it to get the 4K for future use (say I get a Titan X down the road or something) and just run the things that don't run well on 4K with the 970's in 1080p on the 4K monitor? I've seen some back in forth on other forums about how 1080p looks in 4K, but never from anyone that's actually experienced it. That would really be helpful if someone has actual experience with it. I really appreciate the advice guys. I'm starting to think I should've kicked in the extra $$$ for the Titan X in the first place. lol

Whew! I'd need to get a second job first! lol

I know, right? My only concern would be that 1080p wouldn't look good on the 4k monitor. I understand that it would necessarily distort the image a bit to go from 4k to 1440, but that's ok. I don't mind 1080. If I knew that it'd still look good in 1080, I'd just as soon get the 4K monitor and use it here and there. Thanks again!

Edited by ggo4th - 25 Apr 2015 at 1:24pm

Originally posted by  I played Assassin's Creed Unity scaled down to 1080p60 on my 2160p60 TV with a single 970 and it looked fine to me. I've also been able to play less demanding games at 2160p60 with no problems, as well.

That's what I was looking for! Thank you sir! I guess I'll just go ahead and get the 4K monitor. I appreciate all of the help fellas.

Hey Frank. Thanks for the response. I'm still strongly considering the ASUS 28" monitor, so I'll go ahead and check around to see how well it handles 1080p. Thanks again.

So, after much deliberation, here's what I just ordered:

ASUS PB287Q 28-Inch Screen LED-Lit 4K Monitor

Thanks again for the insight fellas.