XB270H (1900x1080 TN) or XB280HK (3840x2160 TN) on GTX 750 TI or wait for

[mdma-]

I need help deciding what monitor to buy for my new rig: Xeon 1225 v3, 12GB RAM, GTX 750 TI, and 240GB SSD ($630 total) + 2x 2TB HDDs I've raided from a prior rig. I've decided to upgrade from a shitty generic 22" @ 1680x1050 to a 24-28" g-sync monitor. So, what do I get?

What I am looking at:
(a) now: 27" XB270H (1900x1080 TN) refub @ $350
(b) now: 28" XB280HK (3840x2160 TN) refurb @ $500
(c) later: 27" XB270HU (2560x1440 IPS) @ $? when it's released
(d) go for (a) now and then re-sell it + upgrade to (c) or another monitor in a 1-3 years as prices fall for 27-28" g-sync monitors at higher resolutions.

(a) 27" XB270H (1900x1080 TN)
Earlier today, I just pulled the trigger on a XB270H refurb from eBay for $350 (33% disc vs. Amazon @ $523). The problem is that its native max resolution is 1900x1080. I'm used to 1680x1050 on a 22" and icons/text is a bit too small for me but nice and sharp. I wouldn't mind 1900x1080 on a 24" but not sure about pixel density of this resolution on a 27". From what I've read I want at least 2560x1440. Still, this is very tempting at this price point. This is less than the retail price of their 24" g-sync monitor ($399) and keeps my overall build budget under $1k.

(b) 28" XB280HK (3840x2160 TN)
Another immediate option is the XB280HK refurb Acer is selling for $500 (also 33% disc vs Amazon @ $750). This is substantially more expensive but helps future proof for down the road and is still a great deal versus new retail. I'm sure 3840x2160 will be great for office / excel work, but from what I understand, there is no way my GTX 750 TI can perform at 3840x2160 with 30-60fps framerates in modern shooters (even at lower settings, no AA, etc.). Can I scale down to a lower resolution for gaming and keep the native resolution for desktop work? From what I understand (see [1] below), I won't have any aspect ratio control if I enable g-sync. Has anyone tried this? From TFT Central's XB270HU review:

Aspect Ratio Control - The XB270HU does not offer any aspect ratio control options through the OSD menu at all. This is due to a limitation of using NVIDIA's new G-sync technology. As we understand it, it is locked to only one defined resolution, in this case 2560 x 1440 so it is not possible (or easy) to provide G-sync support with a scaler. This isn't really a problem for PC use since you can just control the aspect ratio through your graphics card settings. It would be an issue perhaps for external devices, but since the XB270HU only has one input, you probably aren't going to be using this screen for anything else anyway (consoles, DVD players etc). It's firmly aimed at PC gaming use, so the absence of a scaler is not a big issue here. The native 16:9 aspect ratio is of course beneficial since a lot of content is in this aspect ratio anyway.

(c) 27" XB270HU (2560x1440 IPS)
Lastly, there is the seemingly perfect XB270HU much discussed in its own hardforum thread. However, I have a feeling the price point will be significantly higher than the $350 or $500 options I have available now at its release date. Also, I'm not sure if I want to wait

Intended usage & budget
This is replacing an old shuttle gaming rig that I haven't touched in over a year (E8400, 4GB, Radeon HD 4850). I've been out of the PC gaming and clan scene for a LONG time. The last games I played were Q3A mods CPMA and Urban Terror, so I will probably give CS GO a try. Game-wise, I care less about the graphics and more about my ability to perform in a smooth, high framerate environment in multiplayer shooters. How big of a deal is the higher res for desktop work? I'll be doing modest work with VMs, programming, excel, word, powerpoint, and not photoshop or stuff that requires accurate colors or super sharp resolution. That being said, I don't want a grainy display. I may also remote into or physically connect the display to my macbook air. Budget-wise I have an excellent job, but I am leaving soon for business school and will rack up >$100-200k in debt. If I wasn't going to school, I would probably just get the latest and greatest. For now, I'm thinking $500 or less. It's hard to not go for option (a) @ $350.

Thoughts, suggestions, and trolls welcome.

 

[Michaelius]

If you feel that 1080p on 27" is small text then definitly stay away from 280HK since it will be much worse

From what I've seen
a) is solid 144Hz TN screen with g-sync - it also probably has 8 bit screen which would make it bit better than some competitors
b) I'd stay away from any 60 Hz TN screens you get all disadvantages of technology but without positives of ultra fast responce times
c) will cost 800$

1080p I feel is fine for text editing or excel and i don't feel like i need more in Eclipse but for Unity3d it is way too small.

Also all 3 are grainy.

I think you might be better getting cheap korean 27" 1440p screen as temporary solution