I'll start by emphasizing that I am not tech savvy.  My question is what specification(s) should I be seeking in sourcing a ~43" 4k tv to use as a monitor for FSX and/or P3d?   What specs should I avoid?

My current system specs are:

- (CPU) intel i5 - 2500k (OC at ~4,4GHz)

- (GPU) MSI Geforce GTX 1060 (3gb)

- (RAM) G.Skill Ripjaws X (2x4GB)

- (Monitors):  I currently run two of:  Asus VH238H 23".  My intent would be to either add a third monitor  OR  replace with all with the 4k TV

OTHER:

- Various Saitek devices (yoke and quadrant; pedals; trim wheel;  8 of PIDs; 2 of radios; 1 of multi-panel; switch panel).

Thanks folks,

Brian

Vancouver, BC

 

Go to Bestbuy in Vancouver and get the Vizio 50" 4K TV!  You wont regret it! I have this TV and its a great PC monitor! Best purchase I made. And 50" is small! Now I wish I went even bigger! This TV has PC mode and runs at 30Hrz and thats what you want. 

 

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/vizio-vizio-50-4k-uhd-led-smart-tv-d50u-d1-d50u-d1/10416749.aspx?

 

My setup. Thats a 27" Monitor next to my 50" TV.

Hello Pete,

Thank you for your response.  Any practical advice is appreciated.  

Am I correct in understanding the the one "spec" element I need to assume for a 4k TV is that it runs at 30Hz?

Also, any chance you know how to compare the relative GPU workload(s) for three (3) 24" 1080p monitors versus a 50" 4K (30 Hz) TV?

Regards,

Brian

 

I have a 3 monitor setup and cannot wait to get a 4k TV to get rid of the bezels and also to increase my vertical display area.

A 4k tv has the same resolution as four 1080 monitors. If you are using two monitors now, window down to one monitor and check out the performance difference. Then extrapolate the performance change going the other way to four monitors. I don't know if this is accurate as I don't have a 4k tv yet but it might give you an idea until someone else chimes in.

Ted

Thank you Ted.  That helps.

I still have a few related questions so I'm going to post a new string,

Regards,

Brian

 

 

Brian, I could not stand the bezels any longer. Last night I went out and bought a 55" sony 4k TV (900E model) from best buy. I have not adjusted or optimized anything yet. Just connected it, fired up P3D3, and set the resolution to 4k. It looks fantastic and if doesn't seem to have reduced my FPS at all. Performance may have even gone up from my triple monitor setup but it is most likely just the excitement of the drastic visual improvement. I now have full view out the windscreen and can see the entire panel of my planes without having to scroll up and down. Also, I no longer have to pan my view to access knobs and dials on my panel that are hidden behind bezels. These alone justify a 4k TV over a triple monitor setup. Not noticing any performance decrease with the 4k TV is just icing on the cake. I'll post a more in depth report after I have time to dial in this monitor and do some testing. May be a while though.

Ted

Thanks for this Ted.  

Is there a chance you could help me understand the difference in the various Hz and refresh rate capabilities ?   For example, why is 30Hz preferable -- I would have thought higher rates, 60 or 144, would be better.  And what refresh rate is acceptable.  I have alternatively read 40 ms and 20 ms?   

Again, IT tech is not my strong suit,

Regards,

Brian

 

33 minutes ago, brianVancouver said:

Is there a chance you could help me understand the difference in the various Hz and refresh rate capabilities ? 

I know just enough about this to be dangerous but will try to explain it as I understand it. Yes higher FPS, Hz, and refresh rates are preferable. The issue with flights sims is that we all want to turn up the eye candy as much as we can which brings down the framerates. I don't know the technical details of why, but the sim seems to run more efficiently and smoother if you can lock the framerates in the sim to that of your monitor. Since we can't lock our framerates to 60 hz and turn up the visuals enhancements as much as we like, a lot of people settle for 20 FPS locks or 30 FPS. Setting your framerate to a multiple of your monitor refresh rate is recommended if you cannot match your monitor framerate. In the past I have used a target sim framerate of 30 FPS which has been half of my 60 hz monitor framerate and have had good results. What I am excited about now, but have not had time to try yet, is my new TV can run at 30 hz refresh rate, 4k resolution, and with full 4:4:4 chroma color. Again, I have read that these specs are what you want to look for but I am no expert on it. To confuse things even more, lately, I have found that running with unlimited framerates seems to work better than locking as my framerates have been higher this way and I don't seem to have any stuttering. The downside of locking your framerates in your sim is that if the sim cannot maintain that framerate (high scenery areas like New York and Los Angeles) and the framerate drops below the locked setting then I get a little stuttering. I use P3Dv2.5 and P3Dv3.4. I haven't used FSX in awhile but do recall that things worked differently in that sim as far as what worked best. I assume it was because FSX was DX9 based graphics technology vs. DX11 in P3dv3.

To complicate things even further, everyone's system and setup works different and as a result you will see extremely varied opinions on these forums as to what works best. You have to find what works best for your system. Hopefully someone with more knowledge than I have will chime in to clarify, add to, and/or correct any misinformation I might have posted.

One other thing. The following is the best website that I have found for researching televisions. Detailed straight reviews with good explanations of the specifications:

http://www.rtings.com

Ted 

On ‎4‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 0:28 PM, brianVancouver said:

Thanks for this Ted.  

Is there a chance you could help me understand the difference in the various Hz and refresh rate capabilities ?   For example, why is 30Hz preferable -- I would have thought higher rates, 60 or 144, would be better.  And what refresh rate is acceptable.  I have alternatively read 40 ms and 20 ms?   

Again, IT tech is not my strong suit,

Regards,

Brian

 

Hi--there's also a very good answer to your questions on pages 146 and 147 of Rob A's P3D guide, which can be found at the beginning of the Prepare3d forum page.  I've found this guide not only to have good advice for P3D settings and tweaks, but also quite clear in its explanation of why things are done in a particular manner.  I run three 43" 4k monitors in Nvidia surround in my setup and have found Rob's advice is what makes it all to work well.