So the last part of your PC build is a monitor, and you narrowed down your choices to 1440p 60hz vs 1080p 144hz. It can be hard to make a decision between these two because it’s a big investment.
I’ll compare the pros and cons of each monitor, and you can decide which one is right for you. It’s the subject of many heated debates online.
1440P 60Hz vs 1080P 144Hz
A 1440P 60hz monitor delivers better graphics, and the visuals will be much clearer. 1080P at 144Hz provides a much faster refresh rate, which makes every movement much smoother.
A higher refresh rate monitor can also improve your gameplay in competitive first-person shooters such as CS GO, Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, and others.
Choosing between 1440P at 60 Hz or 1080P at 144 Hz really boils down to what you use your computer for.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Do you play a lot of competitive games? (1080P at 144 Hz would be better)
- Are you a casual gamer and prefer cleaner and more immersive visuals (1440P at 60 Hz would be good)
- Do you do video editing or Photoshop work that outputs high-resolution files? (1440P is recommended)
- Do you want to future-proof your monitor with the best specs? (1440P at 144 Hz is the best choice)
- Are you a competitive gamer, who does video editing and also likes immersive casual games? (1440P at 144 Hz is best)
Another point to remember is your monitor can only display what your computer can output. For example, older graphics cards might struggle to run games at 1440P at stable 60 FPS, depending on the game and how it’s optimized.
Likewise, if your computer already struggles to push over 144 frames on competitive shooters, a 1080P 144hz might not be worth it.
What About 1440P at 144 Hz?
1440P monitors at 144 Hz used to be ultra-expensive unicorns, but now the prices are much more reasonable (between $300 – 500 USD). If you want the best of both worlds, a 1440P 144 Hz monitor is your best option.
The only downside is they’re more expensive. If you struggle to meet the frame rate requirements on your favorite competitive games, you can always lower the resolution to 1080P. 1440P at 144Hz is the best for future-proofing your system too.
The Best Choice: Choose a 1440P at 144 Hz Monitor
Why? Because you can not only enjoy the visual benefits of having a higher-resolution monitor, but you also get a higher refresh rate.
If your computer can’t output 144 frames at 1440P, you can always lower the monitor’s resolution to get the performance back.
The good news is these monitors aren’t as expensive as they once were.
One 1440P 144Hz monitor that I really like is the LG 27GL83A.
But if you absolutely have to decide between either 1440P at 60 Hz or 1080P at 144 Hz, continue reading this post.
Note: If you experience motion sickness at 144hz, follow these tips.
1440P 60 Hz Pros:
Now let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of each monitor.
1 – Crisper & Cleaner Visuals
Most 1440P monitors have a resolution of 2560×1440 which is almost twice as much more than the standard 1080P (1920×1080). The increased pixel count means the monitor can display more accurate visuals.
In video games, objects will have fewer jagged lines, and they’ll look much more lifelike. Gaming on 1440P looks much more immersive than at lower resolutions.
The visuals will look very crisp, the sharpness is improved, and there’s much more image clarity.
Another way to think about it is 1440P is 3.69 Megapixels while 1080P is 2.76 Megapixels.
2 – Smaller Windows 10 UI
When you change the resolution to 1440P on Windows 10, the UI will adjust and become smaller to fill out the screen, resulting in more space.
The extra room can be used for more shortcuts on your main monitor in the taskbar. It can help improve your workflow.
The added space is great for people who do a lot of video editing or Photoshop work.
1440P Cons:
1 – Reaching 60+ FPS Requires Powerful Hardware
While most graphics cards, even internal graphics, can output 1440P for Windows without issues, gaming at 1440P requires powerful hardware.
This is the main downside to gaming at 1440P. Nowadays, it’s not as much of a problem as it used to be.
Previously, gaming at 1440P required the most powerful of graphics cards which only a handful of people could afford.
Today… well, nobody can afford any graphics cards. But even older cards can achieve stable frame rates at 1440P in games.
For example, my trusty GTX 1060 6GB can run modern AAA titles on high at 1440P with 40-50 frames a second.
Newer cards will have no problem running games at 1440P, even the GTX 1070 can handle 1440P. Even if the new titles won’t reach that 60 FPS sweet spot at 1440P, plenty of old or less demanding games should be able to run just fine at 1440P.
In the gaming world, 1440P is considered the sweet spot between visuals and performance. 4K is still too much, and unnecessary.
Nevertheless, 1440P is a lot more demanding on your system than 1080P, so that’s something to consider. Make sure your computer can run games at 1440P!
1080P 144 Hz Pros:
1 – Smoother Gameplay and Fluid Motion
Most people are used to playing games on a 60 Hz monitor, which is a monitor that refreshes 60 times a second.
At 1080P 144 Hz, the resolution will be the same, but the screen will refresh 144 times a second. Moving from 60 Hz to 144 Hz is probably the best monitor upgrade for competitive gamers.
The reason for that is that gameplay looks and feels much smoother at 144 Hz. Animations and visual information is updated much faster, so you can react faster too.
Most people who move to 144 Hz never want to go back to 60 Hz. It’s like when someone who is used to playing at 60 FPS goes back down to 30 FPS. It hurts.
But 144 Hz isn’t only useful for competitive gamers, although they are the group that will benefit the most from it.
2 – More Responsive Experience
Since a 144 Hz monitor refreshes so fast, every action on your computer will feel much more responsive. Even moving your mouse around feels more accurate because the cursor location is updated more often.
At 144 Hz, you’ll feel like your computer is suddenly a lot faster. The reason for that is because you can see the changes faster than you would at 60 Hz. Scrolling web pages, open windows, editing videos – everything will feel more fluid.
144 Hz Cons:
1 – Your Games Need to Reach 144 + FPS to See an Improvement
The main downside to 144 Hz, which we already discussed, is your computer needs to run games at over 144 FPS to see the improvement.
For less demanding titles, that’s pretty easy even on hardware that’s a few years old. For example, CS GO, Rocket League, and Valorant, should be able to achieve more than 144 FPS on most systems.
However, some other competitive games like Apex Legends or Warzone require more powerful builds to reach more than 144 FPS. What’s your most-played game and can it reach more than 144 FPS? If so, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Not to mention you can always upgrade your build in the future (if GPU prices ever get back to MSRP).
Don’t Forget to Enable The Higher Refresh Rate!
A lot of people who buy a high refresh rate monitor don’t actually enable the new refresh rate in the settings. In most cases, the new monitor will default to 60 Hz.
Change the Hz rate on Windows:
- Right-click the desktop, select display settings
- Select your monitor.
- Scroll down, click on “Advanced Display Settings”
- Click on “Display adaptor properties for Display…”
- Choose the Monitor tab, select 144 Hertz from the available screen refresh rates
Enjoy the smoothness!
The Bottom Line:
It really comes down to your preferences and what you use your computer for. 1440P at 60 Hz and 1080P at 144 Hz monitors are about the same price, depending on the panel types, brands, and other features.
However, 1440P monitors at 144 Hz aren’t that much more expensive, about $100 to $200 more. If it was up to me, I would invest a bit more money into getting a 1440P at 144 Hz monitor because it’s the best of both worlds. You can browse the selection of 1440P 144 Hz monitors on Amazon.
What do you think? Do you prefer 1440P at 60 Hz or 1080P at 144 Hz? Leave a comment below.
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