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    17r4 4k or 1440 - which to start with?

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by Pete_H, Jul 5, 2017.

  1. Pete_H

    Pete_H Notebook Enthusiast

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    I want to try both screens, but want to avoid going anywhere near the optimus nonsense. Do either of these send video through the on board chip? I believe the 1440 doesn't as it is g-sync, but the 4k isn't g-sync is it? So will it suffer screen tearing?
     
  2. DeeX

    DeeX THz

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    1440p is a sweet spot for the GTX 1070/1080.
    Its resolution is fine enough to have nice crisp clear gaming and for you to feel like you are stepping into a modern fine pixel density resolution...
    but with out the performance tax that running at 4K would bring.
    Plus the 1440P screen is also a 5ms panel compared to the 4K panel which is 26ms. This means that the 4K panel will have more ghosting and blurry motion.
    Plus the G-Sync indeed is a good plus if you are into G-Sync. You can stop tearing with a non G-sync by using V-Sync but at the cost of higher input lag.
    Lastly the 120hz (matched with the 5ms) is pretty much as must have.

    TL :DR to me the 1440P QHD screen is a must have for a gamer. Its all around on point!
     
  3. nemoris

    nemoris Notebook Evangelist

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    If gaming is primary use, 1440.
     
  4. hypertek

    hypertek Notebook Consultant

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    1440p. Some software programs are way too small to see in 4k (my desktop is 40inch 4k) and some drawing programs like paint tool Sai don't have rescaling options

    Sent from my LG-VS995 using Tapatalk
     
  5. MogRules

    MogRules Notebook Deity

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    Even 1440p on a 17 inch display gets hard to read on some stuff.
     
  6. Pete_H

    Pete_H Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the suggestions - but I want to swap the display so I can experience both. I do a fair bit of coding - hence the desire for the 4k. I also need to remote desktop into client systems, which is just about ok at 1440, but would be super laggy at 4k.

    TL;DR Are the motherboards and connectors the same? I know the 1440 doesn't use optimus, but if I replaced that with the 4k, would I still avoid optimus?

    Cheers
     
  7. Wiz bit

    Wiz bit Notebook Consultant

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    Alienware 17 r4 laptops have a switchable mode which lets you put both 4k or fhd screen into direct mode avoiding Optimus ( requires a reboot).

    4k panel has gorgeous colours and fhd panel isn't bad either if you get the lg Philips panel. 4k panel is made by sharp or auo - auo is slightly the better of the 2 panels.
     
    Pete_H likes this.