4K on graphics cards and monitors
The term 4K or Ultra HD refers to the latest resolution. Compared to its predecessor Full HD,
4K produces an image with four times as much detail. This corresponds to an image resolution of 4069 x 2160 pixels.
Cinemas, YouTube, Netflix and Amazon
are already increasingly using the latest resolution.
Displays of the successor qualities such as 5K and 8K are already available, but are still far from being “ready for mass production”. However, the adoption of these new qualities is expected to take several more years. Nevertheless, experts and manufacturers are certain that this quality will prevail.
Enjoying 4K depends on the viewing distance and the size of the screen
At a distance of 3 metres, the human eye can hardly tell the difference between 4K and Full HD resolution on a display smaller than about 85 inches. When buying a television, you should therefore not necessarily insist on 4K resolution. Rather, it depends on the viewing distance and the size of the TV set.
If, on the other hand, you are interested in a PC monitor, buying a 4K monitor is much more worthwhile. Because here, in contrast to a Full HD screen, the four times better resolution is clearly recognisable to the human eye. However, the screen size and the distance to the screen also play the biggest role with a PC in perceiving the perfect 4K resolution:
| Distance to the screen | Ultra HD screen size |
| Distance 1 to 1.5 metres | 40″/102cm – 46″/117cm |
| Distance 1.5 to 2 metres | 46″/117cm – 55″/140cm |
| Distance 2 to 3 metres | 60″/152cm – 85″/216cm |
| Distance 3 to 4 metres | Larger than 85″/216cm |
Is a 4K monitor only worthwhile from Windows 10 onwards?
If you own a monitor with 4K resolution, there may well be problems with the software in achieving the perfect resolution. We recommend using at least Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 for the ideal resolution. Older operating systems such as Windows 7 are technically possible, but not very advisable.
The main problem the software has with Ultra HD resolution is finding the right scaling. Unscaled, fonts and buttons are usually displayed far too small. With older versions of Windows, the text may even appear blurred, because these versions do not support features such as DPI scaling. Therefore, you should never do without scaling.
Since a lot of software still has a problem with correct automatic scaling, you usually have to set this manually. However, this is only possible for Windows versions 7, 8.1 and 10, so that a high-quality resolution is achieved under 4K.
Windows 7 quickly reaches its limits here. With Windows 8.1 and 10, there are significantly fewer problems in this respect. The problem of finding the right scaling also depends on the screen size; the following should be noted here:
| Screen size | Scaling |
| 24 inches | 170% |
| 27 inches | 150% |
| 32 inches | 125% |
| 37 inches and more | 100% |
Not all problems are solved with the right scaling, because this is not a system-wide setting in Windows. The result is further blurred fonts and buttons. However, the software vendor is working hard on a solution, so that in future such obstacles will largely be a thing of the past.
Significantly higher demands on the graphics card
If you want to fully enjoy Ultra HD resolution, you should not only pay attention to the right monitor, but also make sure you have the ideal graphics card for 4K resolution. You should therefore check beforehand whether the graphics chip supports 4K resolution. If not, it could be overwhelmed, as many graphics cards only offer a maximum resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels. Particularly in the gaming sector, the requirements for operating a 4K monitor are considerably greater.
If you own both the ideal monitor and a suitable graphics card for Ultra HD resolution, you should also make sure to use the right port.
When connecting the PC to a screen without a DisplayPort connection (e.g. many TV sets), we recommend HDMI 2.0 for optimal 4K resolution. HDMI 1.4 can also transmit Ultra HD resolution, but this is limited to 24 Hz, whereas the interface mentioned above supports 60 Hz.
If the graphics card and display have DisplayPort, this should generally be preferred.
This means that for a smooth picture when watching films and gaming, you should always make sure you have the right connection between the 4K-capable graphics card and screen. If this is not the case, the result can be a juddering experience for the eye.
Little video material in 4K so far
In addition to YouTube, the popular online video libraries (Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Netflix, etc.) also offer material in 4K. These videos are available to everyone, sometimes at a small surcharge. However, a fast internet connection is necessary for the high-quality resolution.
Sample video in 4K resolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO01J-M3g0U
As a result, there is not yet much video material in Ultra HD resolution. There are also hardly any TV programmes in 4K resolution so far. Experts are working on optimising the resolution of video material, so that in future there will be more and more videos in 4K resolution, and these will increasingly be accessible without problems.
4K more interesting for image editing
Image editing also benefits enormously from the detailed resolution of 4K. The 4069 x 2160 pixels are perfect for viewing the usually larger image files, because even when zooming, the impressive sharpness does not change.
Many professionals therefore rely on Ultra HD resolution, especially when it comes to image editing. Because in 4K the image is super sharp and the colours come into their own in every detail. However, even the market-leading image editing programs still have flaws that stand in the way of ideal use.
Programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom are still not optimally suited to 4K resolution, as they have problems with font size and editing speed.
Since 4K is already the present and 5K and 8K will be the standard in future, experts are already working on solving the problem. In future, no such problems will concern us, so that Ultra resolution can be enjoyed to the full.