There is no denying that 4K gaming has become a lot more accessible than it used to be a few years ago.
There are so many options and cheaper 4K monitors available in the market that if you are looking to get into 4K gaming, you would not have to spend a lot of money to get into it.
However, at the same time, there are a lot of people who think that 4K gaming is not worth at all.
If you are trying to decide whether it is worth it or not, you will have to consider a lot of determinants before you make a proper decision, and once you have made the decision, you can go ahead and start buying the equipment.
With the 4K gaming on the rise and components becoming more and more accessible, it is important that you consider whether it is worth it for you because different people will have different opinions, and it is best if you find out what’s right for you.
With that out of the way, let’s discuss whether 4K gaming is worth it or not.
The Equipment
The first thing that we need to know is that 4K monitors have become so much more affordable than they used to be back in the older days.
However, the important thing here is that driving a 4K display is not the hard thing, it is the gaming that takes really good equipment in order to run 4K games at respectable frame rates.
Whether you are trying to achieve 4K at 60 frames per second or 30 frames per second, you are going to need good GPU for that, and a CPU that can keep up (and a cpu cooler too, for that matter).
A good GPU can cost you a lot of money, almost twice the price of a basic monitor for 4K, and achieving the frame rate might be difficult for the gaming as well because it can depend on different factors such as the optimization of the game, or the updates.
The Framerate You Want
Another thing that you need to consider is the framerate you want to achieve. This is important because if you do not have a proper frame rate in mind, you might never be able to understand just what you are looking for whenever you are going for 4K gaming.
Achieving 4K at 30 frames per second might be a lot easier than achieving 4K at 60 frames per second. However, even at that point, you need to ask yourself if you are willing to settle for a lower frame rate because if you are not, then there is no point in spending money on something that you are not okay with it.
4K vs Other Resolutions
One of the most important factors that you need to determine whenever you are thinking about shifting to 4K gaming is comparing 4K to other resolutions. This is very important because, at times, the difference between 4K and other resolutions is not much to buy.
The difference between 4K and 1080p is massive, but that is a rather obvious factor. However, when you compare 4K with 1440p, the difference is not going to be massive.
With that out of the way, with 1080p resolution, you will be able to achieve a much higher frame rate. You can even buy a 1080p monitor with 144hz refresh rate for a lot cheaper and spend money on a good GPU.
That way, you will be able to achieve a higher refresh rate, and attainable frames as well, making things much pleasing for you. The same case applies to the 1440p monitors with a higher refresh rate.
The Cost
Cost is another very important factor that you need to consider whenever you are thinking about moving to 4K gaming. The good news here is that cost has significantly reduced when it comes to 4K monitors. You can get basic 4K monitors for cheap.
However, as I have discussed in the first point, the cost of the GPU is more than the monitor, and GPUs are often the most expensive part.
Additionally, the basic 4K monitor would not be worth in terms of the cost, and that can be an issue that you need to keep in mind.
If you look at the cost to performance ratio, spending money on a 4K monitor is not worth it at all. You won’t be just spending on the monitor, but you would also be spending on a lot of other factors such as the GPU, which is going to be more expensive.
Is 4K Gaming Worth It?
So, the conclusion comes to the same question that we were discussing before. Is 4K gaming really worth it? Well, if you have an upwards of $3,000 to spend on a gaming PC, you can definitely get a 4K powered PC and enjoy games at a higher resolution with respectable frame rate.
However, if you are only looking to spend a $1,000 on a gaming PC, then in that situation, buying a 4K monitor is absolutely not worth it. Why? Because if you spend $300 on a 4K monitor, then you won’t have enough to spend on the rest of the PC.
So, in my opinion, or in the opinion of a general gamer, 4K gaming is not worth it. You can spend less and get a lot more in that money.
You can game with ease, and get great frame rates as well. Additionally, to this point, 4K gaming is not something that has hit the mainstream.
Sure, the games do support the resolution, but if you look at the hardware surveys as well, you will see that 4K monitors in gaming are not that common either.
It will take a few years for the 4K gaming to hit the mainstream and finally become as relevant as 1080p.
Until then, if you are getting into the PC gaming, you should always consider the 1080p and 1440p alternatives, because they are much better at cost, as well as in overall performance.