What hardware do you need for QHD gaming?
Required QHD hardware
You need a suitable monitor to play in QHD. You also need a PC, laptop, or console. Finally, you need the right connectors and cables. This page is organized as follows:
- Which monitor for QHD gaming?
- Which desktop for QHD gaming?
- Which laptop for QHD gaming?
- Which console for QHD gaming?
- Which connectors for QHD gaming?
Which monitor for QHD gaming?
To be able to game in QHD, you need a QHD monitor. This displays 2560x1440 pixels, which is twice as much as Full HD. As a result. you experience sharper landscapes, characters, and cutscenes. Choose a high refresh rate such as 144Hz, so you can game with both low and high fps. If your budget allows it, you can also opt for a 4K monitor to be able to game in both QHD and 4K. Keep in mind you need a very powerful video card for 4K gaming.
Which desktop for QHD gaming?
Want to game in QHD on your desktop? What video card you need for this depends on the kind of game you play. We'll give you advice about basic, average, and demanding QHD games. Note: this advice is based on 60 fps. You need a better video card for higher fps.
Desktop for basic QHD games
When we mention basic games, think of FIFA and Rocket League. To play these with at least 60 fps, a desktop with one of the following video cards is enough:
- Every AMD Radeon GPU
- Every NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU
- Every NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU
An Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor is preferred, but a recent i3 or Ryzen 3 CPU suffices.
Desktop for average QHD games
When we mention average games, think of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Formula 1. To play these with at least 60 fps, you need a desktop with one of the following video cards:
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 or 64
- AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT or higher
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or higher
- Every NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU
You need a recent Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor or higher.
Desktop for graphically demanding QHD games
When we mention graphically demanding games, think of Metro Exodus or Borderlands 3. To play these games with 60 fps in QHD, you need a desktop with one of the following video cards:
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super or 2080 Ti.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 series
- NVIDIA Titan RTX
For graphically demanding games, you need at least an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor.
Which laptop for QHD gaming?
Do you want to play QHD games on your gaming laptop or are you connecting a QHD monitor to your laptop? In that case, your laptop needs to have the following video card. Note: this advice is based on 60 fps. You need a better video card for higher fps.
Laptop for basic QHD games
When we mention basic games, think of FIFA and Rocket League. To play this with at least 60 fps, you need a gaming laptop with:
- Every AMD Radeon Mobile GPU
- Every NVIDIA GeForce GTX Mobile GPU
- Every NVIDIA GeForce RTX Mobile GPU
You need a recent Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor or higher.
Laptop for average QHD games
When we mention average games, think of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Formula 1. To play these with at least 60 fps, you need a laptop with one of these video cards:
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile GPU
- Every NVIDIA GeForce RTX Mobile GPU
You need a recent Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor or higher.
Laptop for graphically demanding QHD games
Graphically demanding games are titles such as Metro Exodus or Borderlands 3. You can't play these games with 60 fps on a laptop. But with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 or 3070 Mobile in your laptop, you get pretty close. You'll get about 50 fps.
An Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9 processor is preferred in this case, but a recent i7 or Ryzen 7 CPU suffices.
Which console for QHD gaming?
There are currently 3 modern consoles, the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Only the Xbox One X and S are suitable for QHD. Find out below which consoles are suitable for which resolution and at which refresh rate:
Xbox One for QHD gaming
- Xbox One X: yes, supports 1440p (QHD) output, with maximum 120Hz.
- Xbox One S: yes, supports 1440p (QHD) output, with maximum 120Hz.
- Xbox One: no, no 1440p (QHD) output, but 1080p (Full HD)
PlayStation 4 for QHD gaming
- PlayStation 4 Pro: no, no 1440p (QHD) output, but 2160p (4K) or 1080p (Full HD) with a maximum of 60Hz.
- PlayStation 4 Slim: no, no 1440p (QHD) output, but 1080p (Full HD) with a maximum of 60Hz.
- PlayStation 4: no, no 1440p (QHD) output, but 1080p (Full HD) with a maximum of 60Hz.
Nintendo Switch for QHD gaming
- Nintendo Switch: no, no 1440p (QHD) output, but 1080p (Full HD) with a maximum of 60Hz.
- Nintendo Switch Lite: no, no 1440p (QHD) output, but 720p (HD) with a maximum of 60Hz.
Which connectors for QHD gaming?
Although a QHD output requires less bandwidth than 4K, a VGA or DVI connector won't suffice. The best connector for QHD is DisplayPort. Make sure your monitor and your gaming device both have a DisplayPort 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, or 2.0 connector. HDMI also supports QHD. You need at least HDMI 1.4 or HDMI 2.0 for this for up to 144 fps.
