Computer Monitors: Is a Higher Resolution Better? Part 2

 Resolution Kills Frame Rate

Frame Rate refers to the number of still images being cycled through your TV or monitor each second. It is also known as Frames per Second (or just FPS). At 30 FPS, the eye and brain work together to perceive movement. This simple explanation has created a lot false beliefs about 30 FPS, while greatly understating the complexity and depth of human vision and perception. Studies have shown that people can see and identify objects at up to 220 FPS. The majority of TV and Movie film are done at 24 FPS. 30 FPS is the minimum acceptable FPS for video gaming. Most consoles are designed to run at this speed. However, most computer monitors operate at 65hz refresh rate, which is 65 FPS. Monitors that run at more than 200hz are being developed. Higher frame rates can lead to smoother gameplay and faster reaction times for competitive gamers. The more frames you can obtain, the better. Gaming in 4k can ruin your frame rate.

What does resolution mean for frame rate? Each frame must be rendered. It takes twice the power to render 60 FPS than it does 30 FPS. That makes sense, right? A 1080p frame has 2,073,600 pixels. However, a 4K frame has 8,294,400 pixels. This is 4x more than 1080p. Each frame requires 4x the graphics and computing power. Part 1 of this series showed that you may not be able to see all pixels on a 4k monitor. You are losing frame rate for pixels that you cannot see. Worse, even if your gaming monitor has 144hz or 220hz refresh rates, you won't be able to achieve those refresh rates with any of the top gear available. A $1200 Nvidia Titan X gaming build averages 60 FPS in 4K.

Now you have pixels that you can't actually see and are decreasing your FPS. Unless you spend a lot on hardware to increase FPS for pixels that you can't even see, this could prevent you from getting the best out of your high refresh rate 4K monitor.

Monitors: Is a Higher Resolution Better? Part 1

The Pixel Problem

In a world that is constantly changing, everyone is looking for more. We also know this is not always true. Nobody wants to have a larger pimple or more STDs. Sometimes, having too many tools is pointless. You don't need as many tools to assemble furniture. Pixels work in the same way. The human eye is limited in its ability to perceive pixels. Consider pixels like sand. While you can see the grains of the sand when you stand on the beach, you won't be able to see them when you stand on a cliff. Pixels operate in the same way. If you get close enough, you will see that a pixel actually has smaller red, green and blue lights, which combine to create a different color for those farther away. If you are too far away from your monitor, all you'll see is light in the distance. The trick to maximizing your computer monitor's viewing distance is to sit at the optimal viewing distance. This is determined by the monitor's resolution and size. The smaller the resolution, the smaller the pixels. However, the larger monitor will have more pixels.

These two pieces of information will allow you to determine the optimal viewing distance. The human eye is limited to seeing details smaller than 1/60th degree of an arc. I will spare you the math and give you a few examples.

Monitor Size--------Aspect Ratio-------Resolution-----Optimal Distance
22.5"=========16:9=========1080p======2.9'
22.5"=========16:9=========4K========1.5'
30"==========16:9=========1080p======3.9'
30"==========16:9=========4K========2.0'

If you are more than 1.5 feet away from a 22.5-inch 4k monitor, you will lose 4k. At 3 feet, you can see 1080p. You can get better than 1080p between 1.5 and 3feet, but this presents a problem. Operating systems can't handle higher resolutions than 1080p, which makes the text visible on many interfaces smaller. Software can help, but it is not able to fix all text. It often makes other text larger than necessary.

If you sit closer than the optimal distance, you can see every detail without any loss of quality. You will not be able to enjoy 4k gaming on a large and expensive monitor.