Question on monitor resolution vs refresh rate

[josh]

Interesting thanks. I have to say I'm hard pressed to tell a significant difference in the few comparisons I saw (though admittedly was looking on a small screen; perhaps when blown up on a TV monitor and run over the course of a gaming session it becomes more noticeable) but they make the point that fully 4k/120hz optimised games are not yet really here, so perhaps it is more of a futureproofing play. 

By the way are there sites like zooalert/nowinstock for the UK? I've not been able to find them, but Im going to need some sort of alert or else I'm most likely to end up missing out on the restocks. 

 

[Warszawa]

By the way are there sites like zooalert/nowinstock for the UK? I've not been able to find them, but Im going to need some sort of alert or else I'm most likely to end up missing out on the restocks. 

Try hotukdeals or if you have Twitter there are some stock alert accounts.

I have no regrets in choosing the X but boy is it one big, ugly hot lump of a console.

 

[MartinC]

Interesting thanks. I have to say I'm hard pressed to tell a significant difference in the few comparisons I saw (though admittedly was looking on a small screen; perhaps when blown up on a TV monitor and run over the course of a gaming session it becomes more noticeable) but they make the point that fully 4k/120hz optimised games are not yet really here, so perhaps it is more of a futureproofing play. 

The current gen hardware is never going to be capable of 4k at 120 Hz whilst maintaining other graphical complexity. This is a complete red-herring to considering a Series S though as there are real differences now, and importantly not just in resolution.

 

[MartinC]

I have no regrets in choosing the X but boy is it one big, ugly hot lump of a console.

Smaller and less ugly that a PS5 though  .

 

[josh]

Try hotukdeals or if you have Twitter there are some stock alert accounts.

Thanks, just to share with the Forum, I've found these sites that might be useful, not just for consoles but anything else:

https://www.stockinformer.co.uk
https://www.stockcheckers.co.uk
https://www.nowinstock.net/uk/
 

This is a complete red-herring to considering a Series S though as there are real differences now, and importantly not just in resolution

Like what? I don't think the inclusion of a DVD drive or extra storage is that significant for the X (at least for me - the drive because you can download the games, and the storage because extra capacity is likely needed, you can buy an external drive for relatively cheaply).

Smaller and less ugly that a PS5 though

I was going to say that. I thought the PS5 looked awesome from the pictures but IRL, it was much larger than I expected it to be and somehow it didn't look as good.

 

[MartinC]

Like what? I don't think the inclusion of a DVD drive or extra storage is that significant for the X (at least for me - the drive because you can download the games, and the storage because extra capacity is likely needed, you can buy an external drive for relatively cheaply).

I was still talking about graphical changes, which exist right now but don't relate to 'future-proofing' against something that's not going to happen. Rather than just what the headline resolution is there are many other changes that can and are made to improve performance on lower spec. machines. Things like how far in the distance objects are rendered (too close and 'pop in' becomes distracting); where an area has plants/grass the number/density of such objects can be varied (fewer takes less GPU capability); how shadows are rendered; the number of NPCs on screen at any one time; how aggressive any dynamic resolution changes are (dropping resolution during 'busy' scenes), and lots of other things I'm no doubt not thinking of right now. Oh, and frame rate and frame rate stability of course. 

On the external storage front do investigate what can be used to actually play games from. You may find it can only be done from not inexpensive SSDs (this is definitely true on PS5 but I don't know for XSX/S.)

I'm not trying to definitely persuade you not to buy an XSS but just trying to make sure you have the full picture.

I was going to say that. I thought the PS5 looked awesome from the pictures but IRL, it was much larger than I expected it to be and somehow it didn't look as good.

My PS5 is behind my TV so I can't see it. Maybe if I was looking at it all the time it's appearance would grow on me but I have my doubts. It looks better standing vertically than horizontally though.

Edit: I used Twitter alerts when trying to get my PS5 but I can't remember which now.

 

[josh]

I was still talking about graphical changes...

Edit: I used Twitter alerts when trying to get my PS5 but I can't remember which now.

Thanks, very interesting.

And yes I found a few Twitter accounts too, just didn't post them.

 

[MartinC]

This video isn't a bad example to give you an idea of some of the difference I've mentioned. This is a game that does a good job of scaling well between different hardware but there are worse examples. Time will tell how well developers generally handle the issues of optimising games for different systems.

 

[josh]

That's great, thanks. To be honest, for me, it showed how close the consoles are. The differences are noticeable looking at a static image, but when moving at speed (and one's attention is more focused on driving) I found I didn't really notice the difference so much between the Series S and X.  As you point out though, this is a game that scales well.

Either way, I think I'd still go for the X, but it is interesting to see how they compare.

 

[MartinC]

I use the 120 Hz mode in F1 2021, since like you I'm not too bothered about finer graphical detail when actually racing . 

 

[Bokke]

Hi all, not entirely sure if this is the right section for the question so feel free to move if not.

In brief my question is, when playing an Xbox Series X with a gaming/PC monitor (as opposed to TV), given the choice between one with 4k and 60hz or QHD/full HD 1080 at 120hz, what am I likely to notice more, the lower res or lower refresh rate?  The screen will be around 27-29".   My budget is about £3-400 so from what I've seen, I think it will only cover one of those choices, and not a 4k at 120hz one, which are closer to £1k.

For reference, I’m not going to be playing shooters in competitions where split second advantages count. I do want to play driving/flight sims though, and games like Doom/Call of Duty on a more casual level.

Thanks a lot in advance.

im late to reply but on a screen that size id opt for the higher refresh rate

 

[Bokke]

I use the 120 Hz mode in F1 2021, since like you I'm not too bothered about finer graphical detail when actually racing . 

I play that - we should organize a race online

 

[Bokke]

So with all this being said, does the Series X (or PS5) still have demonstrably better graphics than the Series S? I would actually like to compare them but don't know of any shop which has either on display let alone both.

BTW, as if things weren't confusing enough... [SIZE=11pt]https://www.whathifi.com/features/any-hdmi-connection-can-now-be-labelled-as-hdmi-21-and-thats-not-okay[/SIZE]

yes as the x and s basically have the same processor but different strength graphics card - the s targets 1080p but can sometimes hit 1440p variable.

x will almost target 4k but even the x can go lower depending on the coding

Gamepass is a no brainer - much better value than playstation atm

 

[Jezzer]

Thread resurrection just so I can add my tuppence. At Christmas I upgraded from the X to the Series X. Quite an upgrade when playing games that take advantage of the extra power and faster SSD. Forza Horizon 5, The Ascent and MS Flight Simulator are astounding. To my mind, this console benefits from being connected to a much larger screen than the OP is considering. Mine is connected to my 55” LG OLED. There’s a 48” version but the price difference is negligible…

 

[Bokke]

Hdmi 2.1a
Hdmi 2.1b
Hdmi 2.1ab

Learnt so much yesterday and now fully understand why on some there is only one 2.1 input and others 3

Have a look on YouTube