4k monitor set to 1080p looks blurry?

[Blitz4]

I could use a high-end GPU to play some games like Cyberpunk at 4k. But I can't enjoy the game without HDR.

I thought setting my 4k monitor to 1080p resolution would be fine, it'd just look like a 1080p monitor. It looks worse cause it's blurry for some reason.

Why?

[Komarimaru]

Not sure for AMD, but in Nvidia...

Control Panel.
Adjust Desktop Size and Position
Scaling, Change from Aspect Ratio to Integer Scaling.

[PaulKrawitz]

Because 4K is twice as big as 1080p, which means if you use 1080p the pixels will have to become bigger to fill the 4K screen which makes the image worse.

[Blitz4]

Originally posted by Komarimaru:

Not sure for AMD, but in Nvidia...

Control Panel.
Adjust Desktop Size and Position
Scaling, Change from Aspect Ratio to Integer Scaling.

that doesn't work properly
https://i.imgur.com/VWqHsAO.png

it doesn't fill the entire screen

aspect ratio is always the correct one to choose

[Blitz4]

Originally posted by PaulKrawitz:

Because 4K is twice as big as 1080p, which means if you use 1080p the pixels will have to become bigger to fill the 4K screen which makes the image worse.

but the image quality should be identical to a 1080p monitor. it's not cause i have a 1080p monitor right next to it. it's blurry.

[PaulKrawitz]

Originally posted by Blitz4:

Originally posted by PaulKrawitz:

Because 4K is twice as big as 1080p, which means if you use 1080p the pixels will have to become bigger to fill the 4K screen which makes the image worse.

but the image quality should be identical to a 1080p monitor. it's not cause i have a 1080p monitor right next to it. it's blurry.

Exactly, it's blurry because you are missing pixels.

4K has twice as many pixels as 1080p.

[PaulKrawitz]

1080p on a 4K screen will never look as good as 1080p on a native 1080p screen.

[Blitz4]

Originally posted by PaulKrawitz:

1080p on a 4K screen will never look as good as 1080p on a native 1080p screen.

your belief of why that is?

[PaulKrawitz]

Originally posted by Blitz4:

Originally posted by PaulKrawitz:

1080p on a 4K screen will never look as good as 1080p on a native 1080p screen.

your belief of why that is?

It's not a belief, it's how screen technology works.

[PaulKrawitz]

If you run a 1080p image on a much larger 4K screen, that image will have to be scaled up; which creates missing pixels, those missing pixels need to be filled in, which creates blurriness.

Hence why your image quality is Inferior compared to the 1080p screen.

[PaulKrawitz]

If you wanna play games on a 1080p resolution you need to use a 1080p screen.

Just like with 4K, to use 4K you need a 4K screen.

Or, you deal with the blurriness... sure, it can be "fixed" but that fix is just a dirty fix.

[Blitz4]

Originally posted by Komarimaru:

Not sure for AMD, but in Nvidia...

Control Panel.
Adjust Desktop Size and Position
Scaling, Change from Aspect Ratio to Integer Scaling.

after setting my scaling in windows to 100% it works fine now

this is the best answer

even though my screenshot showed it wasn't in fullscreen, that screenshot is not what happened

i still have no clue how to use that screen there's 5 options and no clue what any of them do. i believe in an even 4k -> 1080p conversion it might not matter which you pick

gpu fullscreen
gpu aspect ratio
gpu integer scaling
display fullscreen
display aspect ratio

[Blitz4]

Originally posted by PaulKrawitz:

If you wanna play games on a 1080p resolution you need to use a 1080p screen.

Just like with 4K, to use 4K you need a 4K screen.

Or, you deal with the blurriness... sure, it can be "fixed" but that fix is just a dirty fix.

riiiight

[PaulKrawitz]

Originally posted by Blitz4:

Originally posted by PaulKrawitz:

If you wanna play games on a 1080p resolution you need to use a 1080p screen.

Just like with 4K, to use 4K you need a 4K screen.

Or, you deal with the blurriness... sure, it can be "fixed" but that fix is just a dirty fix.

riiiight

Google it, if you don't believe me. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Gnome]

That's why I'll stay on 1080p as long as possible. 4K demands way too much from the PC. Also, being a fan of older games, 1080p is the maximum playable resolution for titles like Command and Conquer, SimCity 3000, The Sims, Civilization IV, Theme Hospital, etc - anything higher than that gets too tiny.

[PaulKrawitz]

Originally posted by Rafael:

That's why I'll stay on 1080p as long as possible. 4K demands way too much from the PC. Also, being a fan of older games, 1080p is the maximum playable resolution for titles like Command and Conquer, SimCity 3000, The Sims, Civilization IV, Theme Hospital, etc - anything higher than that gets too tiny.

Agreed.