2K vs 4K: Which Monitor Is Best For You?
Whether you’re into graphic design, gaming, or watching movies, you know that the resolution of your monitor is one of the first things that you look that when browsing for a new model.
The same thing applies to TVs and Smart TVs as well, especially if you want to have your very own home theatre.
2K vs 4K
TVs are simpler to choose since, budget aside, you’ll always go for the one that is biggest and with the clearest image, in which case 4K is the go-to option nowadays. However, when it comes to choosing a PC monitor, the choice between a 1080p monitor, a 1440p monitor, or a 4K monitor will be tricky.
Those of you that have experience using a high-end monitor probably feel that 1080p monitors seem pixelated and dated, so in keeping with today’s standards, we will be looking over 1440p monitors (aka 2K), and 4K monitors. Unfortunately, that is not as easy as it sounds, since you can’t just go straight for the 4K choices without knowing that there are drawbacks as well.
Because a monitor is pretty much the gateway through which you enjoy your media, gaming, and work, it’s highly important that you choose the right resolution.
That’s precisely why we’ve decided to write this comprehensive guide on what kind of monitor you should buy for yourself.
We will be discussing a bit about each resolution, we will be weighing in their pros and cons, and we hope you can figure out which type of monitor is best for you.
Picking Between 2K vs 4K Monitors: Which One?
2K Monitor: What Does It Mean Exactly?
2K resolution is a generic term for display devices or content having a horizontal resolution of approximately 2,000 pixels, with the Digital Cinema Initiatives defining 2K resolution as 2048 × 1080.
However, there are several other resolutions that are still considered to be 2K:
- DCI 2K (native resolution)
- 2048 × 1080
- DCI 2K (flat cropped)
- 1998 × 1080
- DCI 2K (CinemaScope cropped)
- 2048 × 858
When it comes to using this resolution in PC monitors, 1440p is pretty much at the same level as 1080p currently.
Because 1080p was the gold standard for quite a while, it’s no wonder a lot of users still haven’t migrated yet.
Of course, migrating from an older monitor to a newer one with higher resolutions means that you also need a PC that can handle the extra load, especially if you actually want to see your content in 1440p.
What Are The Advantages of 2K?
Its Popularity
As mentioned earlier, 1440p monitors are about as popular as 1080p models, especially since the resolution has been around long enough for them to be mass-produced in a much cheaper manner.
More so, this also means that pretty much any monitor manufacturer has at least a handful of 1440 models, so you won’t be restricted in any way when it comes to models to choose from.
You Don’t Need High-End PCs
Rendering what appears on your monitor is probably the biggest resource sink for any PC, regardless of whether you are talking about CPU, GPU, or RAM.
That being the case, 1440p monitors have the advantage of being more accessible in terms of what PCs can use them.
Besides, you don’t have to worry about buying new components to go with the monitor, since most of today’s GPU can drive this resolution.
Software Optimization
Just like how this resolution has become popular with hardware manufacturers, the same can be said about software manufacturers as well.
For example, many game developers have introduced 1440p as one of the display standards for their titles, so you don’t have to worry about stretched images, or black portions of the screen because the game is 4:3 on an ultra-wide monitor.
What Are The Disadvantages of 2K?
Lack of Supported Content
Strangely enough, while pretty much all games out there support 2K, and even YouTube supports this resolution, there is a complete lack of supported content anywhere else.
4K Monitor: What Does It Mean Exactly?
Just like with 2k resolution, 4K resolution is a generic term for display devices or content having a horizontal resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels.
Depending on the type of media you’re watching, however, the exact resolution differs a bit:
- Television and consumer media
- 3840 × 2160 (4K UHD)
- Movie projection industry
- 4096 × 2160 (DCI 4K)
While very popular in TVs (it’s easier to have a 4K TV because of their sheer size), 4K monitors are still harder to come by, mostly because a lot of manufacturers consider 4K to be visual overkill, especially from up close.
However, this doesn’t mean that the 4K resolution isn’t slowly but surely gaining more and more of a following, especially with gamers and cinephiles.
What Are The Advantages of 4K?
The Visuals
The first and most obvious advantage that 4K has over 2K is in the name itself, namely the fact that we’re talking about up to 4 times more pixels, and as we all know, more pixels mean more image clarity.
In fact, the difference is so great that if you do manage to sample 4K imagery at one point, anything under 4K will just seem fuzzy or pixelated.
Besides, the extra details make 4K monitors very desirable for those that have 4K movies, or those that work with HD video and image editing tools like Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Pro.
Extensive Content Support
Because the jump from 1440p to 4K is much bigger than the one from 1080p to 1440p, many content creators have rushed to create and provide as much 4K content as possible.
This is also due to the fact that new superior resolutions, although present, are still far away from even getting close to mainstream popularity.
This includes multimedia and streaming sites such as YouTube, Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and others.
The gaming industry that took the entire 4K phenomenon by storm is also worth mentioning, especially those that took advantage of 4K and HDR.
What Are The Disadvantages of 4K?
Ironically, many of the disadvantages of 4K are basically the opposite of 2K, as you can see below:
Very Resource-Intensive
Since a 4K monitors mean your Pc needs to effectively render 4 times the amount of pixels at the same frequency, the load on your PC will greatly increase.
This not only translates into you needing a more powerful PC, but the power consumption also increases, so make sure your power supply won’t burn out after half an hour of gaming.
Just trying to run the same game at 4K at 60 FPS will require a powerful gaming PC, with the bulk of the load being supported by your GPU.
Speaking of which, only a handful of GPUs can handle 4K games at 60 FPS, and we’re talking about the high-end ones that aren’t cheap at all.
Quite Expensive
Enhancing your PC isn’t the only thing that will take up a lot of your budget, since the 4K monitors themselves are quite expensive already.
More so, only the biggest monitor manufacturers have 4K models that are actually good and don’t sacrifice other specs, which also adds to the price tags.
CONCLUSION
As you can see, the only true difference between using a 2K monitor and a 4K monitor is whether or not your budget can handle it, and the type of content that you want to experience.
If your budget is not an issue and you want to enjoy movies and games with the best visuals possible, then a 4K monitor is your best choice by a long shot.
However, if you’re on a tight budget, and don’t want to sacrifice performance, especially in gaming, then a 1440p monitor is what you need.
This concludes our article covering 2K versus 4K monitors, and which ones are the best under which circumstances.
What is your opinion about each resolution?
Lets us know what you think by leaving us a message in the comments section below.
