My system is as follows:

CPU - i7 9700K @4.7 /  Z390 MB   / 16Gb RAM DDR 4 @ 3600 /  nvidia 1060 6Gb

I am wanting to improve clarity/sharpness and size of picture as my eyesight begins to fade on me at the age of 65. I currently have a 27" monitor1920x1080. I would like to upgrade to a 32" 2560x1440. I realize the best is to upgrade both graphics card and monitor but I can only do the one now. Which one do I upgrade first. I'm sure the fps will take a knock with a bigger monitor but I am currently getting good fps - locked at 35fps and the sim is smooth. So,  chicken or the egg???????

My common sense tells me to upgrade monitor first - OR?

Trevor

Depending on the supply situation in your neck of the woods I would get the GPU first if they are available.  The chip shortage rumor is that it may continue into 2023.  If a GPU is not available then go for the monitor and enjoy until the GPU situation improves. 

There are two questions that deserve answers here.  Product and what is your level of affordability.  First I would be asking you, because of your statement you can only do one now, is consider what up-to-date options in a GPU fit into what you can afford now.  Very good 32" 1440 monitors are available for less than half the price of the up-to-date GPU's I see occasionally available.  So affordability may be the true question, not which product.

My 3070 cost me nearly $900.  Even a basic 3060, if you can find one, may cost you between $200 and $300 more than say a new Samsung SD850 32" monitor ($329 Amazon).  And your current 1060 6gb will easily produce 1440 to drive that monitor.  Your current monitor will not give you that.

You may need to dial back some settings to keep yourself happy with frame rates.

Edited November 6, 20214 yr by fppilot

Will I see a distinct improvement in graphics quality by upgrading the monitor?

I upgraded my rig two years ago. First, I bought a UWQHD curved monitor (LG 23GK950F, 3440x1440, 120Hz) as I needed a bigger monitor for working in the home office, that alone justified the price.

I use my monitor on both computers, work and flight sim, with a KVM switch, and my flight sim GPU NVidia GTX 1070 worked well in CAVOK environments but got overloaded in heavy cloudy situations (REX softclouds with AS weather engine).

So I upgraded to a RTX 2070 Super - luckily before the Bitcoin wave for a moderate price, and I'm quite content with this solution.

One feature became very important to me: the higher frequency of 120 Hz of this monitor.
As I cannot use G-Sync at the moment, I do not VSYNC but lock P3D frequency with RTSS to 30 Hz without synchronization.On my former 1900x1200 60Hz monitor, this lead to visible and annoying "tearing" . WIth the 120Hz monitor, I cannot notice this tearing, it's a smooth flying even if the frame rate in complex airports drops under 30 Hz.

Regarding the mentioned excessive high costs of GPUs in these days, I would l agree with fppilot and look for a monitor with high refresh rate (min. 120 Hz) and the G-Sync feature to avoid tearing at all. Maybe not take the cheapest but a monitor with VA or IPS panel (if you don't do shooter games) and a curved one.

 

 

3 minutes ago, TrevorS said:

Will I see a distinct improvement in graphics quality by upgrading the monitor?

Hmm, from 27" to 32" - that's not a very big difference.
I went from 24" flat to 34" curved and would not go back.

Maybe you can afford a 34" ? It's like sitting in the aircraft.

 

1 hour ago, TrevorS said:

Will I see a distinct improvement in graphics quality by upgrading the monitor?

Just want a YES or a NO

11 hours ago, TrevorS said:

I would like to upgrade to a 32" 2560x1440. I realize the best is to upgrade both graphics card and monitor but I can only do the one now. Which one do I upgrade first. I'm sure the fps will take a knock with a bigger monitor but I am currently getting good fps - locked at 35fps and the sim is smooth. So,  chicken or the egg???????

2560*1440 has 65% more pixels than 1920*1080. That will make your graphics card work much harder with the same settings. You may struggle to get 35fps unless you lower settings.

35fps is an odd number to lock. Usually it’s 30 because some, but not all, monitors can run at 30Hz. So you don’t need to manipulate any software to get 30fps. You just enable VSync, set your monitor to 30Hz and job done. 30fps is considered the best compromise between smoothness and settings.

Not all monitors are capable of 30Hz. Nor are all monitors of equal quality. Search for reviews of 32” 2560*1440 monitors but use independent sites, not Amazon. IPS are the highest quality followed by VA then TN.

BenQ and Samsung are two of the better makes. I’m very happy with my 32” IPS UHD BenQ But it wasn’t cheap. But a good monitor will outlast a few graphics cards if you choose wisely.

Given the difficulty in buying more powerful graphics cards I’d opt for a new monitor first.

And to answer your question... yes, if you buy a quality monitor.

Thanks a lot Ray. Now I can go shopping 😁

3 hours ago, TrevorS said:

Thanks a lot Ray. Now I can go shopping 😁

You might want to post links to some you’re considering before getting the plastic out. 😉

Will do - for your opinion. 👍