Xbox Series X on a PC Monitor TESTED! [1440p, 4K, 120hz, HDMI 2.1] | The Tech Chap

Summary

Tom the Tech Chap explores the compatibility and advantages of using PC monitors with next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X. He discusses the importance of HDMI 2.1 for 4K at 120Hz gaming, the current lack of such monitors, and the benefits of 1080p or 1440p monitors for a more affordable and immersive gaming experience. Tom also touches on HDR capabilities and the necessity of external audio solutions for the best next-gen console gaming experience.

Takeaways

• 🎮 The Xbox Series X can be used with a PC monitor, but it lacks HDMI 2.1 support, which is necessary for 4K at 120Hz.
• 🖥️ PC monitors can offer advantages like faster refresh rates and lower input lag compared to cheaper TVs, making them suitable for console gaming in tight spaces.
• 📺 Newer TVs often provide higher 4K resolutions at lower costs, better HDR performance, and larger screen sizes.
• 🚫 Currently, there are no monitors available that support 4K at 120Hz with HDMI 2.1 for next-gen consoles.
• 💡 HDMI 2.1 is crucial for next-gen console gaming as it offers the bandwidth needed for higher resolutions and refresh rates, as well as VRR and low latency modes.
• 💻 Most PC monitors use DisplayPort due to its widespread support for high resolutions and refresh rates, making HDMI 2.1 less of a priority for manufacturers.
• 🆕 HDMI 2.1 monitors are expected to become available, with models from ASUS ROG and Acer anticipated for release towards the end of the year.
• 💰 HDMI 2.1 monitors will likely be expensive upon release, and even monitors without HDMI 2.1 but with high refresh rates can be costly.
• 🎉 Many games on next-gen consoles will likely target 4K at 60Hz, with 120Hz modes potentially reserved for less graphically intensive or multiplayer games.
• 👀 For the best image quality without high refresh rates, a good 4K 60Hz IPS monitor is recommended, with many options currently available.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is exploring the use of PC monitors with next-gen gaming consoles, specifically the Xbox Series X, and discussing the advantages, considerations, and recommendations for choosing a monitor for console gaming.

Why might someone consider using a PC monitor for console gaming?

Someone might consider using a PC monitor for console gaming because monitors often have faster refresh rates and lower input lag compared to cheaper TVs, making them suitable for tighter spaces and providing a better gaming experience.

What are the advantages of using a TV over a PC monitor for gaming?

TVs have the advantage of higher 4K resolutions at lower costs, better HDR performance, and usually come in larger screen sizes, which can be more immersive for gaming.

What is HDMI 2.1 and why is it significant for next-gen console gaming on a monitor?

HDMI 2.1 is a standard that offers higher bandwidth needed for 4K at 120Hz or 8K 60Hz, as well as variable refresh rates and low latency modes. It's significant for next-gen console gaming because it allows for higher resolutions and refresh rates, which are features that new consoles support.

Why are most PC monitors not compatible with HDMI 2.1 for next-gen consoles?

Most PC monitors favor DisplayPort due to the widespread DP 1.4 standard already offering 4K at up to 144Hz. HDMI 2.1 hasn't been as important for monitor manufacturers, so it's often left out in favor of older, cheaper HDMI 2.0 ports.

Are there any monitors currently available that support HDMI 2.1 for next-gen consoles?

At the time of the script, there were no HDMI 2.1 monitors available. However, it mentions that ASUS ROG and Acer are expected to release HDMI 2.1 monitors towards the end of the year.

What resolution and refresh rate can you expect from a 4K monitor without HDMI 2.1 when connected to an Xbox Series X?

A 4K monitor without HDMI 2.1 can support up to 4K at 60Hz or can be used at 120Hz with 1440p or 1080p resolutions over HDMI 2.0.

What is the current state of HDR support on PC monitors compared to TVs?

Most PC monitors top out at about 400 or 500 nits, which is decent but not as high as the 700-1000 nits you get on a good TV. This means HDR performance on PC monitors is generally not as effective as on TVs.

What panel types are recommended for console gaming on a PC monitor?

IPS or VA panels are recommended for console gaming on a PC monitor because they offer better color accuracy and viewing angles compared to TN panels, which are generally cheaper but don't offer as good image quality.

Does the video script suggest waiting for HDMI 2.1 monitors before buying a monitor for next-gen consoles?

The script suggests that if you're not concerned about high refresh rates, it's not necessary to wait for HDMI 2.1 monitors, as most AAA games will likely target 4K60. It recommends considering more affordable options like 1080p or 1440p monitors for a good gaming experience.

What alternative does the script suggest for those looking for a next-gen gaming experience with HDMI 2.1?

The script suggests that for those seeking a next-gen gaming experience with HDMI 2.1, a TV like the LG C10 48-inch OLED could be a good option, as it supports HDMI 2.1 and offers a high-end gaming experience.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Exploring PC Monitors for Next-Gen Console Gaming

Tom, the Tech Chap, discusses the experience of using a PC monitor with next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X. He highlights the benefits of using a monitor over a TV, such as faster refresh rates and lower input lag, which are advantageous in tighter spaces. However, he points out that while monitors are generally better for console gaming than cheaper TVs, newer TVs offer higher 4K resolutions at lower prices, better HDR performance, and larger screen sizes. Tom also addresses the current limitation of HDMI 2.1, which is necessary for 4K at 120fps but is not yet common in PC monitors. He mentions upcoming HDMI 2.1 monitors and suggests that waiting for this technology might be necessary for the ultimate gaming experience. Meanwhile, he recommends considering more affordable options like 1080p, 1440p, or 4K monitors with HDMI 2.0, which still provide a good gaming experience.

05:01

🖥️ Choosing the Right Monitor for Console Gaming

In the second paragraph, Tom delves into the specifics of choosing a monitor for console gaming. He suggests that 1440p monitors are a good match for the upcoming Xbox Series S, which targets 1440p rather than native 4K. For those with smaller 24-inch monitors, 1080p is still acceptable, but larger monitors provide a more immersive experience. Tom advises against ultrawide monitors for console use due to the 16:9 aspect ratio of games on the PS5 and Xbox, which would result in black bars or a stretched image. He recommends IPS or VA panels over TN for better color accuracy and viewing angles. HDR support is also important, with Tom noting that while most monitors top out at 400-500 nits, this is less than what high-end TVs offer. He suggests looking for monitors that support Display HDR 600 or 800 for better HDR experience. Lastly, Tom mentions the lack of built-in speakers in monitors and the need for good headphones or external audio solutions to fully enjoy the audio features of the new consoles.

Keywords

💡PC Monitor

A PC monitor is an output device that displays information in pictorial form. In the context of the video, the discussion revolves around using a PC monitor for next-gen console gaming, which is an alternative to using a traditional TV. The video mentions testing a 4K high refresh rate LG monitor with an Xbox Series X, highlighting the advantages of PC monitors such as faster refresh rates and lower input lag for console gaming.

💡Next-Gen Console

Next-gen consoles refer to the latest generation of gaming consoles, such as the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. These consoles offer advanced features like 4K resolution, high refresh rates, and improved performance compared to their predecessors. The video discusses the compatibility and performance of these consoles when connected to PC monitors, emphasizing the need for specific features like HDMI 2.1 for optimal gaming experience.

💡4K Resolution

4K resolution, also known as Ultra HD, refers to a display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels horizontally. In the video, the presenter tests games like 'Dirt 5' on a 4K monitor to showcase the graphical capabilities of next-gen consoles. The discussion also touches on the importance of 4K resolution for achieving high-quality, detailed gaming visuals.

💡Refresh Rate

The refresh rate of a display is the number of times it updates the image per second, measured in hertz (Hz). A higher refresh rate results in smoother motion. The video explains that PC monitors often have faster refresh rates than TVs, which can be beneficial for console gaming. It also mentions that some games can run up to 120 fps, requiring a monitor that can handle such high refresh rates.

💡HDMI 2.1

HDMI 2.1 is a version of the HDMI standard that supports higher bandwidth, allowing for higher resolutions and refresh rates, such as 4K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz. The video points out that HDMI 2.1 is crucial for next-gen console gaming on monitors because it enables these high-performance features. However, the lack of HDMI 2.1 in most PC monitors is identified as a limitation for achieving the full potential of next-gen consoles.

💡Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)

Variable Refresh Rate is a technology that synchronizes the frame rate between a game and the display to eliminate screen tearing and stuttering. The video discusses VRR as a feature that next-gen consoles support and that is beneficial for a smooth gaming experience. It is also mentioned that VRR requires HDMI 2.1, which is currently missing in most PC monitors.

💡Input Lag

Input lag is the delay between a player's input and the corresponding response on the display. Lower input lag is desirable for gaming to ensure responsiveness. The video suggests that PC monitors can offer lower input lag compared to TVs, making them potentially better for console gaming where quick reactions are often necessary.

💡HDR (High Dynamic Range)

High Dynamic Range is a technology that enhances the contrast between the brightest and darkest parts of an image. The video explains that next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X support HDR in compatible games, which can significantly improve the visual experience. It also mentions that the effectiveness of HDR depends on the monitor's ability to get bright enough, with some monitors supporting different levels of HDR standards.

💡DisplayPort

DisplayPort is a digital interface used to connect a video source to a display device. The video notes that many PC monitors use DisplayPort instead of HDMI, with DisplayPort 1.4 already supporting 4K at up to 144Hz. This standard's existence has made HDMI 2.1 less critical for monitor manufacturers, contributing to the current lack of HDMI 2.1 support in PC monitors.

💡PS5

PS5 refers to the PlayStation 5, one of the next-gen consoles from Sony. The video briefly mentions the PS5 in the context of its compatibility with PC monitors and the potential for it to support 120 fps at lower resolutions like 1080p or 1440p over HDMI 2.0, similar to the Xbox Series X.

Highlights

Testing Xbox Series X on a 4K high refresh rate LG monitor.

Advantages of using a PC monitor for console gaming include faster refresh rates and lower input lag.

New TVs offer higher 4K resolutions, better HDR performance, and larger screen sizes.

Dream monitor specifications for next-gen consoles include 4K at 120Hz, VRR, HDR, and good response times.

HDMI 2.1 is necessary for 4K at 120Hz or 8K 60Hz and is supported by next-gen consoles and some TVs, but not common in PC monitors.

HDMI 2.1 monitors are expected to be released by ASUS ROG, Acer, and EVE Spectrum, but will likely be expensive.

Current monitors without HDMI 2.1 can still offer a good experience at 1080p, 1440p, or 4K with 60Hz.

Xbox Series X can play at 120 FPS using 1440p or 1080p resolutions over HDMI 2.0.

Gears 5 updated for 4K HDR with VRR support and 120 FPS in multiplayer mode.

Most AAA games will likely target 4K60, making 4K 120Hz less critical in the near future.

For a more affordable option, consider a 1080p or 1440p monitor with a high refresh rate.

Larger display sizes are more immersive but may result in lower PPI at 1440p.

IPS or VA panels are recommended over TN for better color accuracy and viewing angles.

HDR performance on monitors is generally not as effective as on TVs due to lower brightness levels.

Xbox Series X offers Auto HDR to add HDR to games not originally designed for it.

Monitors without built-in speakers may require separate audio equipment for optimal sound quality.

For those not concerned with high refresh rates, a 4K 60Hz IPS screen is a good choice for image quality.

For a smaller HDMI 2.1 experience, the 48-inch LG C10 OLED TV is recommended.

Transcripts

hey guys i'm tom the tech chap and a few

of you have been asking me what it's

like

to use a pc monitor with a next-gen

console obviously this is the

xbox series x which i have here i

probably shouldn't really be moving it

while it's running

but it's connected to this 4k high

refresh rate lg monitor

and yeah as you can see it works but if

you are thinking about using your pc

monitor with a next-gen console or maybe

even buying a new one

instead of using a tv well there's a few

things to think about

and if you're interested i'll put some

of my recommended and favorite monitors

in the description below

now to test this i've just got my hands

on some next-gen games to try out

including the

gorgeous dirt 5 which can actually run

up to 120 fps

now you may be thinking why use a

monitor instead of a tv but there are a

few advantages

monitors can be better for console

gaming than cheaper tvs as they have

faster refresh rates and input

lag and as they tend to be smaller it

makes them a good choice for tighter

spaces

on the other hand new tvs tend to have

higher 4k resolutions for less money

much better hdr performance and of

course usually come in bigger screen

sizes

so let's say you're looking to buy the

dream monitor to accompany your shiny

new console you know one that can take

advantage of 4k at 120

variable refresh rates or vrr decent

high dynamic range and of course good

response times

well right now your choices are limited

to

well zero there aren't any in fact even

newer models like this

which has a 4k 144hz panel can't hit 4k

120 on the new consoles and it's all

down to one missing feature

hdmi 2.1 this is kind of the elephant in

the room when it comes to

next-gen console gaming on a monitor so

let's get it out of the way first

hdmi 2.1 offers the much higher

bandwidth that's needed for 4k

at 120 or 8k 60 as well as variable

refresh rates and

also low latency modes and all new

next-gen consoles are using hdmi 2.1

as do some high-end tvs right now the

problem is

most pc monitors tend to favor

displayport with the widespread

dp 1.4 standard already offering 4k at

up to 144hz

meaning so far hdmi 2.1 hasn't been as

important for monitor manufacturers

and so it's been left out in favor of

older cheaper hdmi 2 port

now the good news is the hdmi 2.1

monitors are coming

with the first out of the gate looking

to be asus rog 27 32

and 43 inch monitors which are due for

release around the end of the year

acer has a 28 inch with 2.1 coming in

january

and then there's the crowd funded eve

spectrum 27-inch monitor

what is pretty much certain though is

that they'll be very expensive and i'm

not expecting to see many more options

before we're well into 2021.

so if you really want that dream monitor

to go with one of these guys

then well you're just gonna have to wait

for the technology to catch up but

bear in mind that even when these 2.1

monitors come out they will be very

very expensive even this 4k 144 horse

monitor without 2.1

costs about 750 pounds or 800 and

actually there's an argument to be made

that you can have a really good

experience with a

1080p 1440p or 4k hdmi 2 monitor right

now

which of course will be much more

affordable to start with

while 4k at 120 or 8k 60 is of course

the ideal

many xbox series x and ps5 games are

likely to target 4k at 60.

and so i'm guessing most 120fps modes

will be saved for multiplayer or just

less graphically intensive games

secondly i can confirm that with the

series x at least

you can play at 120 fps using 1440p

or 1080p resolutions which work fine

over hdmi 2.0

fingers crossed the ps5 will have this

option as well although older hdmi 1.4

monitors will only go up to 60.

so taking dirt 5 on the series x as an

example this

targets 4k 60 but it does have an

optional 120fps mode

which if running at up to 1440p means

either will work over existing hdmi 2.0

connections

as for gears tactics well on the series

x it runs at a native 4k60

and actually i think even more exciting

is the fact that gears 5 has just been

updated for 4k

hdr with variable refresh rate support

and as i say

120 fps in the multiplayer versus mode

excellent although obviously as we get

nearer to the launch we'll get a better

idea of just how many titles support

high refresh rates

so you can see here i've got the 4k uhd

resolution

refresh rate at 60 but if i change that

to 120

it then will tell me no go away you

can't have that and it will actually

drop me down to 1440p

at 120. you also could then switch it to

1080p or even 720 if you wanted

but right now with 2.0 monitors that's

the best you're going to get or 4k 60 of

course so

really rather than having to wait for

super expensive new monitors

given the size of these anyway why not

just go for a 1080p or 1440p

120 or 134 hertz is more likely monitor

which is a lot more affordable

and will still give you a really good

experience 1440p would also be a good

match for the upcoming xbox series

s which targets 1440 rather than native

4k

if you're looking at smaller 24 inch

monitors maybe you already have one

then 1080p is still fine although at

this point you are losing out a lot on

image quality

like with tvs though generally speaking

the larger the display the more

immersive and

enjoyable the experience is going to be

so going from a 24 to a 27 inch monitor

makes a big difference

and it's the same jumping up to 30 or 32

although then bear in mind that if you

are sticking with 1440p

the bigger the screen is the lower the

ppi and therefore it'll look less sharp

also i wouldn't really bother with 21x9

ultrawides if you're just using it for

the console

the ps5 and the xbox only support 16x9

so you'll end up with big black bars

either side

or a stretched image now when it comes

to the panel type of the monitor

really i'm not doing very well there

really you should go with either ips or

va of course you do have tn options

which generally are cheaper

and in the past at least i've always

been the best for a response time but

ips and va have caught up so much now

that you know when it comes to console

gaming at least it's absolutely fine and

they have the benefits

of better color accuracy and also better

viewing angles now the thing is it's not

all about resolution because

of course these next-gen consoles also

offer hdr in compatible games

i'm sure you know all about hdr by now

but it can make a big difference

adding in extra detail in the brightest

and darkest areas ever seen

how effective this is largely comes down

to how bright your monitor can get the

series x also offers something called

auto hdr which uses microsoft's machine

learning to add a layer of hdr to games

that weren't designed for standard

dynamic range

i've tested this on some backwards

compatible games and it seems to work

pretty well

most monitors will top out at about 400

or maybe even 500 nits

but it's nothing like the 7 800 or 1 000

that you get on a good tv these days so

that is something worth bearing in mind

i mean even this guy here

supports the display hdr 400 standard

which is

fine it's decent that means it can sort

of guarantee 400 nits

of high dynamic range but really you're

going to want to look for a monitor that

supports

display hdr 600 or you know even 800. so

unless you're willing to spend a ton of

money on a very high end probably pro

level monitor

it's just a compromise you're going to

have to make using a pc monitor

and finally moving on to sound while tvs

usually come with speakers

monitors most often don't so it's worth

checking when you're buying if you think

you'll need them

although they tend to be pretty poor

quality so you'll probably want to have

a decent set of headphones to get the

most out of the ps5

3d audio tech and dolby atmos on the

xbox

now i will definitely revisit this video

when there are actually some hdmi 2.1

monitors out there for me to test

and i'll of course update you then and

also hopefully we'll have some more

next-gen games i can show you and maybe

even some 4k 120 next-gen games which

would be nice to see but in the meantime

if you're buying at the high end for a

ps5 or series x

dropping the best part of a grand on a

4k 144hz monitor

and only being able to use it at 120hz

with 1440p

due to hdmi limitations means it's just

not worth it

if you're not too concerned about high

refresh though then a good 4k

60hz ips screen will mean you get the

full image quality the new consoles have

to offer

and there's loads of options to choose

right now but for most people whose

budgets are more around

1080p or footing 40p level or perhaps if

you're looking to pick up the series s

then you really don't need to wait as

those full hdmi 2.1 monitors

will likely be out of your budget anyway

and as i say i still think most

aaa games will be targeting 4k60 so i

just don't know

at least in the near future how

important 4k 120 really is

alternatively which i know slightly

defeats the point of this video

by a tv and actually the lg c10

uh 48-inch oled is actually a really

good option and just about

maybe right at the top end of pc level

size monitors it is a tv but i think you

know it's the smallest oled you can buy

but i think if you do want a big you

know next-gen experience with hdmi 2.1

really a tv is your best way forward and

if you want a smaller one

then i think as i say the 48-inch lg c10

which costs about 1500 pounds

is probably your best bet but what do

you think do you play your console on a

pc monitor

and if so are you gonna stick with the

one you have or are you thinking about

buying a new one

for the next gen consoles let me know in

the comments below thank you so much for

watching guys if you do want to see more

xbox and pc hardware videos then don't

forget to hit that little subscribe

button below and i'll see you next time

right here

on the tech chat

oh tell me again why you got me out of

my perfectly good bed for this