Hello tech freaks

I would like this thread to be more like a general discussion about our monitors and favorite brands, most used resolutions, video card/resolution/specific games framerates comparison, rather than my personal Q&A thread.
I'll just start with the general questions and then add my particular dilemma below for the ones who have the patience to read.

So, what monitor model do you use, what resolution and how satisfied are you with it, also what monitors do you consider for a future purchase? From your experience, what's the best screen size // resolution ratio? Also, glossy or matte screen? 16:9 or 16:10?

Here comes my particular case: this summer it's (finally) time to change my monitor. I have a 19" 1280x1024 Samsung monitor, it's been awesome, I've used it these last 8 (!!!) years about 8 hours every day and it still works like day one. Although 1080p has been the standard in gaming for quite a while I've never managed to convince myself that I truly need a new monitor, part because I loved this particular one and part because our family income doesn't allow hardware purchases too often, and I preferred to buy things that we all use, such as tv, home cinema, etc.

So, now I have a favorable spending window this summer and I'm contemplating a bigger monitor. I could go 1920x1080 and I'm sure the difference will be fantastic. But, given the above mentioned circumstances, would it be wise to skip the 1080 generation entirely and go straight to 2560x1440? I've searched the web and it seems that 27"screens @ 2560x1440 aren't insanely expensive any more, $600-$700 for the less pretentious models on newegg. For a long term investment I think it's acceptable, I would even go to $1000 for a new Samsung model if it had a glossy screen like the one I use.

I seek some advice from people who have used more monitors of different resolutions for gaming, and my main questions would be:

- how much of an improvement is 2560x1440 compared to 1920x1080 on the same screen size (27")? How long do you think until an 1080p monitor would be "dated"? I know 1080 is the most common model, but I have no market awareness like how many people have already upgraded to 2560.

- how much video card power would I need to play games like Skyrim in 2560x1440 in high/ultra settings at a decent framerate?
(truth be told this low resolution I've been using spoiled me with maxed graphics settings in every game I play, but going to 2560 would certainly force me to go below mid-settings. I currently have a 560 gtx and an amd 955 black edition proc)

- is 2560x1440 an "niche" resolution that is somehow "not supported properly" by actual games?

- how do you like the 2560x1440 pixel size compared to 2560x1600? I guess it should be smaller, is it too small in your opinion, difficult to read? I know there are also 30" screens @ 2560x1600 available, but considerably more expensive and also less models to choose from, and it has to be a TN glossy screen, very important criteria for me.

Fact is if I buy the 2560x1440 I'll be stuck for a while with my 560gtx (so probably low-mid settings for the newer games), maybe sometime next year I could upgrade the video card if not build a whole new system. So my dilemma is basically: should I better "suffer" with lower graphics settings for an year or two for the "greater good" of having a long term better investment in the 2560x1440 monitor, or should I just buy a 1920x1080 and enjoy mid-high graphics from the get go, and then ultra graphics again when I can afford a better system? What would you do?

560 pulling mid graphics? I think your first priority is getting that card checked out for defects. That card is to new to be suffering from a mid life crisis already.


As for monitos, I use 2 monitos at 1920x1080 each. One is a 24" Dell, and the other is a 23.6 Acer. ( Website lied to me and said it was 24 =[ ) I sit about 2-3 feet from my monitors so they provide ample display. Any larger and i might as well scraqe my eyes out of my sockets now cus of the eventual damage they would sustain from being too close.

My 560 gtx is working just fine, it's bought an year ago. It' is currently maxing every game I play due to the low resolution, but I expect it to struggle with a 2560x1440. I haven't tested this, it's just my assumption because it's a whole lotta pixels to run.