Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Super-screens are not for everyone – DinSide

Your page if you’re watching TV front, you can not have avoided hearing about “4K.” These are TVs that are able to show four times more detail than a conventional full-HD TV. Currently there is little video material with high resolution, but this is something people would like to:

The first half of last year stood 4K TVs for a scant 1 percent of sales, this year century so far 15.2 percent, according Elektronikkbransjen.

But 4K is obviously not just reserved TVs, also PC monitors are constantly with 4K resolution, and it is easy to be tempted by a large display with brilliant picture and sleeps very much information, such as this 32-inch model from Asus:

(Photo: Bjørn Eirik LOFTÅS)

Looking to work with many application windows simultaneously? When is a 4K-screen 32 inch spot.

You can read our test here

Not all

It’s just one big catch: There is simply no guarantee that your PC is ready for 4K . If your PC is three years old or is taken from the budget class, the risk is high that it can not handle the resolution of external display on more 1920 x 1200 pixels, or at best 2048 x 1536 pixels. Thence to 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels is far. Very far.

Connecting a PC to a 4K screen, the image is scaled up, which often means that the pixels do not “hit” exactly right. The result is often a picture in which particular text will be perceived as a husky or blurred.

The problem can be summarized in two words: Missing bandwidth. A 4K image contains very large amounts of data, and these be transferred in a steady stream to the monitor. And the more often the image can be updated, the better the experience. This sets requirements for PC, power supply, video card, monitor outputs and cables.

Check this smart monitor base

You Need to Know

So: How do you know if your PC is 4K-compatible? Here you have to check the specifications.

You can either consult the manual that came with, or look up the model online.

If you are lucky, the maximum resolution of remote stated in the specifications. If not, you must go every remote connection at the seams.

The vast majority of computers, both laptops and desktops, has HDMI output. It looks like this:

HDMI (Photo: DinSide)

HDMI

But if it’s 4K-compatible depends on the HDMI version it supports:

Version 1.3 has been the most common until now, but newer PCs are increasingly being equipped with version 1.4 and 2.0.

The former tackles 4K, but only with an image refresh rate of 30Hz. This means that movements across the screen will be perceived as stuttering, such as games and video playback.

With version 2.0, this problem is eliminated, but it does not help if your monitor does not support version 2.0. The cheapest 4K Monitors supports namely only version 1.4, and then the refresh rate is still be a limiting factor. In addition, the cable must be certified for 2.0 speed, so there is a part that must be in place.

Another common output is VGA:

VGA (Photo: DinSide)

VGA

This is an older, analog standard and it supports up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. Forget this if you want 4K display.

A third output available on a variety of PCs, especially desktops, are DVI. It looks like this:

DVI (Photo: DinSide)

DVI

This port comes in several different specifications, the most advanced is called dual link and can at best deal with 4K with 33Hz refresh rate with correct use of equipment and cable. It is very rarely used in 4K context.

Also read: Large, high-resolution displays to low

First choice

The obvious first choice for 4K- content, called DisplayPort. It normally comes in two configurations, normal and mini display port:

DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort (Photo: DinSide)

DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort

If you have a Mac, you will certainly recognize the latter. Newer Macs have called Thunderbolt connector, which is similar to Mini DisplayPort in design, and which is also compatible with this standard.

Whether you can use DisplayPort to 4K content is once again a question of versions . It must be version 1.2 or 1.3. The former supports 4K in 60Hz, latter supports including two 4K screens simultaneously. The former is by far the most common DisplayPort version.



Can I make my PC 4K-compatible?

Do you have a desktop computer, you may very likely replace graphics .

A 4K-compatible video card does not have to be costly , but the rest of the PC should also hang in the turns. It has an Intel Core i3 or higher processor, you should be safe.

Here are a few examples of 4K-compatible cards that do not cost the whole world:

MSI GeForce GT 730 2GB PhysX CUDA

MSI graphics card with HDMI 1.4 output (Photo: THE MANUFACTURER)

MSI graphics card with HDMI 1.4 output


If you just want 4K resolution and not care so much about the movements in the video and game can be experienced as chopped, can a reasonably short as this can be used. Price starts at around 600 million.

Sapphire RADEON R7 360 OC

Sapphire card with HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 outputs (Photo: THE MANUFACTURER)

Sapphire card with HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 outputs


It costs twice, but supports 4K over both HDMI (30Hz) and DisplayPort (60Hz). Also note that the card draws three times as much electricity as GT 730 card from MSI, so your PC should have a powerful power supply. Certainly 600W, or even more if the PC in addition, a powerful processor. The price starts at about 1,200 kroner.

Temporary problems

All history suggests whatever that most challenges associated with 4K is temporary. Old PCs are replaced by new ones, with better specifications that can handle 4K monitors without problems – in all price ranges. Meanwhile, it will surely emerge new technologies that are only supported by top models at the start.

Next year, it will for example be common that new PCs are equipped with USB C ports that support USB 3.1 protocol. This offers more than enough bandwidth to provide displays with 4K content. Thus, all of the aforementioned interfaces could be replaced by a single port.

(Photo: KIRSTI ØSTVANG)

USB-C and USB 3.1 protocol may eventually replace all the other standards.

You can read more about in this article.

See also:
The cheapest 4K screen?

The most extreme screen?
     
     
   

LikeTweet

No comments:

Post a Comment