STACK #183 Jan 2020

GAMES FEATURE

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FreeSync vs G-Sync It used to be that you had to match an AMD graphics card with a FreeSync screen and an Nvidia graphics card with a G-Sync monitor for the best results. These days, Nvidia has started simplifying things by regularly updating a list of supported FreeSync monitors for its graphics cards. Because Nvidia’s 20-series graphics cards are 4K ready and future- proofed with newfangled eye-candy tech called ray tracing. It’s taxing to activate ray tracing with 4K, but it sure is gorgeous.

in console gaming (4K or otherwise). Just make sure you have a 4K-capable HDMI or DisplayPort cable (preferably per gaming device) and you’re ready to pick a screen. Thankfully, higher-fidelity is matched by bigger screen sizes, so expect to start at 27 inches with something like the LG 27UL500 or the HDR-capable

Admittedly, its last-gen, 4GB graphics card flies in the face of our advice above, but you can still play most games in 4K. That said, the more recent the game, the more you’ll likely have to sacrifice visual quality to keep the higher resolution. Alternatively, opt for an Alienware M17 R2 with a high- refresh-rate 1080p screen – or go all out on an MSI GT76 Titan 240Hz Full HD gaming laptop – for competitive play while out and about, and connect it to a 4K screen (or TV) at home for high-resolution PC gaming.

28 inches of the BenQ EL2870U. Alternatively, stretch that screen size all the way up to 32 inches with the mercifully wall-mountable BenQ PD3200U. 4K game face With all of that gear out of the way, now it’s time to game. The great news is that pretty much every PC game from the last few years offers a 4K resolution, so long as your monitor can support it (and

Screening solutions The final piece of the puzzle is a 4K screen. For the avid gamer who’s not allowed to hog the TV for gaming, a 4K monitor is also an investment

your gaming rig can run it). For some purty recent examples, plunder the respective wastelands of Borderlands 3 , Rage 2 or Far Cry: New

Higher frames, higher gains While playing 4K games at 30fps is certainly achievable and comparable to the console experience, 4K gaming at 60fps offers fantastic fluidity and responsiveness. It has gameplay implications, too. Take Gears 5 , for example. Play it at 4K/30fps and you have to anticipate an active reload. Up that frame rate to 60fps, and you can smack that active reload as the moving bar hits the window on the meter.

Dawn. Conquer ancient China in T otal War: Three Kingdoms , or get muddy and bloody in the gorgeous graphics of Battlefield V .

4K slider To achieve the best possible 4K experience, you’re likely going to have to sacrifice on other graphical settings. Modern PC games often have an extensive list of graphical settings. Lower them for less eye candy but a higher frame rate; raise them for extra pretty but at the cost of frames. You can manually tweak, benchmark and, of course, test in-game. But who has time for all that manual labour? Hit up Google for ‘settings guides’ for any PC game you want to play in 4K to find the sweet eye-candy balance between frames and resolution.

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JANUARY 2020

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