
1440p typically refers back to the decision of 2560×1440 and is rapidly changing into a preferred alternative for PC homeowners, particularly players. This decision produces a sharper picture than full HD (1080p) with out the extra stress that rendering a 4K picture locations on a GPU.
You’ve in all probability heard 1440p, QHD, or “2K” resolutions talked about in gaming benchmarks and PC construct guides, particularly regarding screens. So what’s a 1440p monitor, what advantages or drawbacks have they got, and do you have to purchase one?
What Is 1440p?
1440p usually refers to a decision of 2560×1440, however it’s generally additionally referred to as QHD (quad HD) or 2K decision. Regardless that 1440p generally refers to a single decision, it is usually generally used to discuss with different resolutions with a most vertical decision of 1440 pixels, for instance, 5120×1440 as seen on tremendous ultrawide displays just like the Samsung Odyssey G9.
Many screens are marketed as 1440p or QHD shows, which implies they’ve a local decision of 2560×1440. Producers are often eager to distinguish different variations of 1440p utilizing one other acronym, like DQHD (twin quad HD) seen on some ultrawide shows.
How Is 1440p Completely different from 4K or 1080p?
1440p is a better decision than 1080p (1920×1080) and decrease than UHD or what is usually known as 4K (3840×2160). Many individuals consider it as a middle-ground between the 2 resolutions, which is why some discuss with it as “2K” as a substitute.
Many components affect show high quality together with decision, panel kind, refresh fee, and pixel density. You shouldn’t assume {that a} 1440p is inherently higher or worse than one other primarily based purely on decision alone. How you plan to make use of the monitor will affect perceived picture high quality too.
For instance, it’s not unusual to discover a 1440p monitor with a a lot increased refresh fee than its 4K counterparts, which implies the decrease decision monitor has improved responsiveness and better motion handling. In the event you examine a 24-inch monitor 1440p monitor to a 1080p monitor of the identical measurement, the 1440p mannequin has a better pixel density (122.3 ppi) in comparison with the 1080 mannequin (91.7 ppi) which makes particular person pixels tougher to tell apart.
WQHD vs QHD vs 2K
Each QHD and WQHD are sometimes labeled as 1440p, and each discuss with the identical decision of 2560×1440. The “W” right here is brief for “widescreen” which refers back to the 16:9 side ratio utilized in 1440p shows.
So is 1440p 2K decision? That reply largely depends upon what you’re doing and who you ask. 2K as a decision is formally outlined (by Digital Cinema Initiatives) as 2048×1080 since 2K on this occasion refers to 2000 pixels on the horizontal axis. In gaming, nevertheless, 2K has develop into synonymous with 1440p since the usual is usually seen as a midpoint between 1080p and 4K.
To keep away from that confusion, screens are usually marketed both as QHD, WQHD, or 1440p as a substitute of 2K.
Why Is 1440p So Common?
Based on the Steam Hardware Survey from December 2022, solely 11.8% of customers use a local show decision of 2560×1440, with 64.6% of customers nonetheless utilizing 1080p. That makes it the second-most-popular major show decision, although it’s nonetheless lagging 1080p by fairly a margin amongst PC players.

Regardless of this, 1440p is effectively on the best way to changing into the brand new 1080p. It’s a sizeable improve in general picture high quality from 1080p however it doesn’t essentially require probably the most highly effective GPU in the marketplace to get clean body charges. If increased body charges are a precedence, 1440p yields much better efficiency than 4K. Many PC builds now goal 1440p as a baseline decision, up from 1080p only some years in the past.
To grasp why that is, consider the calls for on a GPU when it comes to uncooked pixel depend. You’ll be able to work out what number of pixels have to be rendered for every body by multiplying the horizontal and vertical pixel counts of a decision collectively. For 4K, that’s 8,294,400 pixels in any given body, however 1440p is lower than half that at 3,686,400.
By way of efficiency, this relationship isn’t linear. You gained’t get double the framerate at 1440p, however you will note a big improve. Check out charts on web sites like GPU Check to see how common body charges at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K examine.

For fast-paced video games like aggressive on-line shooters, higher framerates can give you the edge so long as your monitor has a refresh fee able to making use of these frames. In the event you’re hitting a locked 120 frames per second on a monitor with a 120Hz (or higher) refresh fee, you’re seeing twice the variety of frames that you simply’d in any other case be seeing on a 60Hz monitor at 60 frames per second.
Value additionally retains 4K use to a minimal, since 1440p screens are cheaper. That is very true if you wish to push the refresh fee to 144Hz or past, the place 4K screens begin to develop into prohibitively costly for a lot of.
Are There Any Drawbacks to 1440p?
1440p is a decrease decision than 4K, which implies pictures gained’t be fairly as crisp or detailed at QHD in contrast with UHD. How sharp a monitor appears depends on pixel density and sitting distance too, which is usually an even bigger issue on the whole desktop use. Textual content and UI components are sharper at increased pixel densities, and picture high quality can rapidly crumble if the pixel density is just too low.
You’ll additionally get much less general display screen actual property on a 1440p monitor in comparison with a 4K one. This implies there might be much less room on the display screen (at native decision) for home windows and different functions at any given time. Conversely, chances are you’ll end up scaling UI elements up in Windows on a 4K show.
Lastly, 1440p as a decision doesn’t scale effectively on a local 4K show. That’s to say, when you’ve got a 4K show and also you choose 2650×1440 as your decision, scaling won’t be even. Since 4K is bigger by an element of two.25, a decision of 1440p will look blurry. It is best to use a instrument like Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) for Home windows to set resolutions that scale effectively on your show.
Ought to You Purchase a 1440p Monitor?
1440p screens proper now characterize one of the best stability between worth, picture high quality, and efficiency. You’ll discover an enormous improve over your outdated 1080p show, with out sacrificing the efficiency required for native 4K. You’ll now discover 1440p screens in any respect worth ranges, from reasonably priced but performant fashions just like the LG 27GP850-B to the ridiculous Acer Nitro XV272U with its 300Hz 1440p native panel.
165Hz 1440p Monitor
LG 27GP850-B
Get one of the best of each worlds with a 1440p 165Hz LG UltraGear 27-inch gaming monitor.
Even the best performing 1440p shows are cheaper than many native 4K panels, plus you don’t want probably the most highly effective PC on the block to get probably the most out of them. This makes 1440p screens a wonderful alternative for mid-range PCs that battle to hit passable (or aggressive) body charges at 4K.
You’ll get entry to increased refresh charges like 144Hz, 175Hz, or 240Hz for much less cash. Mixed with decrease resolutions (and general smaller pixel counts), this makes them a better option for individuals who favor fluidity and responsiveness over the best native pixel depend doable.
Each Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Sequence X (and S) have 1440p modes you may make the most of. These both work utilizing native output in supported titles or by supersampling to downscale a 4K picture to 1440p. That is perfect for getting probably the most out of a PC monitor and is ideal in case you’re too tight on area to suit a 4K TV in your room.
Don’t Write Off 4K Both
A 1440p monitor is a good price range choice, however 4K screens have dropped in worth too. In the event you don’t need the highest refresh rates, you may rating a price range 4K monitor that may tick all the containers for a 60 frames per second single-player expertise, whether or not you’re enjoying on a PC or a current-generation console.
On prime of this, you’ll get more screen real estate for general desktop usage whether or not that’s work, net searching, or artistic endeavors like photograph and video enhancing. A budget-friendly 4K show could also be a better option in case you’re shopping for a monitor for mixed-use. It additionally could also be a greater purchase in case you’ve bought a PC that may goal 4K and also you’re extra prone to be enjoying Purple Useless Redemption 2 or Cyberpunk 2077 somewhat than Apex Legends or Counter-Strike: International Offensive.
With gaming in thoughts, upscaling expertise has come a great distance. NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) makes it doable to render no matter you’re enjoying at a less-than-native decision after which upscale it to 4K with minimal loss in high quality.

So in case you’ve bought a GPU that’s able to utilizing DLSS (like an RTX 20 sequence or above) or FSR (each AMD and NVIDIA playing cards) then you definately might be able to use upscaling to get an upscaled 4K picture in supported titles. DLSS has higher help throughout a wide variety of titles, however FSR is gaining traction too.
Match Your Monitor to Your Utilization
The takeaway is to match your monitor to your utilization and necessities. In the event you aren’t concentrating on 4K, 1440p is a good trade-off. You’ll seemingly get extra on your cash when it comes to options (like variable refresh fee help) and better refresh charges.
Take a look at our best monitor roundup, best gaming monitor roundup, and best curved monitor roundup in case you’re in want of suggestions.
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