It’s the weekend, which means School of Tech is back in session! This week I'm issuing a couple recommendations for a gaming-centric 1440p monitor, and tackling which Nvidia 900 series graphics card is best suited for you. Plus, what's a good option for a versatile, highly portable laptop with exceptional battery life?
School of Tech is published every Saturday, and I always welcome your questions through my Ask.FM account. Let's dig in:
Hey Jason, do you have any recommendations for a 1440p monitor primarily used for gaming?
I've got two gear suggestions for you on opposite ends of the spectrum. One for budgetary considerations, and one representing the best of the best.
If you're not concerned with G-Sync or FreeSync features from Nvidia and AMD respectively, my go-to recommendation for 1440p is the QNIX QX2710 Evolution II 27" LED Monitor. It's a 27" 144Hz monitor with fast 1ms response time and a height-adjustable stand (a must for me personally). I also love that the type of LED backlighting they use completely eliminates flicker. The QNIX QX2710 isn't going to win any awards for design language or a super sexy bezel, but it's just a surprisingly affordable monitor with the features that count. It's a TN panel -- necessary for fast response times -- but a sharp looking one.
Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q G-Sync Monitor
If you're invested in Nvidia's ecosystem and want to experience a true next-gen gaming experience, look no further than the ASUS PG278Q ROG Swift G-Sync Monitor which is basically the holy grail of 1440p gaming. It's what sits on my personal desk, and it brings the features you'd expect from a high-end monitor (1ms response time, 144Hz refresh rate, adjustable height, pivot and swivel, great build quality). These features on top of G-Sync deliver the smoothest and most immersive gaming experience I've ever had. Seriously. I would prefer playing on this 1440p G-Sync monitor than a non-G-Sync 4K monitor.
It's too early for me to issue a definitive recommendation on the AMD FreeSync side of things, but Acer's XG270HU FreeSync monitor matches the ASUS ROG Swift on crucial features and I find its image quality comparable. You won't get adjustable height or the ability to pivot to portrait mode, and it lacks the rugged build quality of the ROG Swift, but the price fairly reflects this.
Jason, I currently have a
The ASUS Zenbook UX305 is a strong contender for people wanting a highly portable but powerful... [+]
Of the two you mention, my vote is the Surface Pro 3. I'll have to do a shameless plug here, because I recommended it in a feature about MacBook alternatives. You might find something you like in there.
It sounds like you're more concerned with portability, versatility, and battery life over gaming capabilities? If so, my absolute #1 recommendation would be the new Dell XPS 13. The 1080p version is gorgeous, it's $899, and the battery life is north of 11 hours.
On the cheaper side there's something like the new ASUS Zenbook UX305 which has the same ultralight appeal as Dell's XPS 13 (minus the insanely thin bezel) but costs $200 less. On paper it's a strong contender. Finally, you may choose to wait until this coming Tuesday when reviews for the Surface 3 (non-pro version) hit the web. Shoot me a followup question if you want to dig into this a little deeper!
Hi Jason, I was wondering which of the Nvidia 900 series GPUs I should go with. Also wondering if 600 watts of power is enough to power a system with an
My #1 choice for Nvidia's GTX 960
I've tested all of them so here's a straightforward answer: If you want rock solid 1080p gaming, the GTX 960 will deliver high to ultra graphics quality at 60fps on most modern games. My favorite 960 is the Asus STRIX model -- you can read my review here.
If your target is 1440p, the GTX 970 is for you, although it may not deliver high to ultra quality settings for all games at 1440p (such as the upcoming Witcher 3), but it will for most. In the Nvidia stable, it's by far the card offering the most performance for the dollar. The GTX 980 will let you max out all your eye candy and it'll also let you dip your toes into medium quality 4K gaming.
And yep, 600W is more than enough juice to power your entire system even with a GTX 980 or Titan X inside of it (you could even reliably get away with 500W) provided you're using a quality power supply from a company like EVGA or Corsair. I know this from personal testing using a Kill-A-Watt, and the fact that several boutique PC vendors use 600W power supplies for similar loadouts in their small form factor systems (yep, even overclocked ones).
Thanks for the question, and as always happy building!
