I believe it will take several years for 4K to become widely available.
I believe it will take several years for 4K to become widely available.
Currently I'm using 1080p, but I'm not keen on 1440p since I mainly play games on TV. My main focus is on getting the next best option, which is 4K. I could always switch to a 4K TV and adjust settings via Nvidia or AMD control panel to run at 1080p, but I still prefer native quality because I believe it looks better. If you're aiming for 4K, you'd need at least an RTX 3080 setup, which is about €2000 right now. If the RTX 4070 meets or exceeds that, a PC with a 4070 would cost around €1800. You could also consider the RTX 5060ti in about four years for roughly €1500 to reach 4K60. Alternatively, buying a used RTX 3080 might save you 1-2 years and a few hundred euros. With a budget of around €1300, I think 4K will become more common and standard sooner rather than later.
It really depends on the games and the quality options you choose. I’ve managed a decent 4K experience using a GTX 1080 with low to medium settings, which worked well. If you’re after the latest titles with maximum performance, going ultra is necessary—ideally a 3080 or higher. You can sacrifice some visual quality for a big boost in frame rate and a minor drop in picture clarity.
Back on 1080p now, though I usually play at 4K with my 2060 Super. It’s easy to access if you can afford a ~$350 monitor—PC monitors aren’t that pricey, but compared to budget options for 1080p or 1440p panels, it’s double or more. You don’t need ultra settings in most current games. Many demanding modern titles support DLSS (like Cyberpunk 2077, Battlefield 2042, and Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition), while older games work well (Fallout 4, Skyrim, Destiny 2, etc.).
Sure, actually I don't use ultra. I think high performance is enough for me and pushing the hardware hard didn't bring much extra benefit so medium or high settings work well for me. That's why I was considering a €1400 build with a 3070 but I'm planning to wait about six months for a 4070. DLSS definitely stands out as one of the greatest improvements for PC gamers.
I played games at 4K on a GTX 970 when it first launched. Demands keep rising, pushing performance expectations higher. It might take until "elite" cards reach 8K and 1440p to be truly viable in 4K. The 4000 series appears to have made significant strides so far.