Is 1440p Worth It for League of Legends?

As an avid League player and self-proclaimed monitor enthusiast, this is a question I‘ve tested extensively. For most players, especially competitively-focused ones, 1440p likely isn‘t necessary. However there are some specific cases where making the jump to 1440p can improve your gaming experience.

Priority #1 for Competitive Players: High Frame Rates

If you mainly play League seriously and care about performance, you generally want to maximize frame rates, not resolution. As one example, this is Shroud‘s take:

"1440p is better than 1080p, but not for competitive gaming. I still think 1080p is best for competitive gaming."

This sentiment is backed up when looking at what the pros use. According to prosettings.net, over 75% of professional League players use 1080p monitors, with most high-skill players opting for 1080p 240Hz or 360Hz models.

Higher resolutions result in lower FPS in League unless you have an incredibly powerful system. As an example, testing shows that on a RTX 3070 system, League of Legends averages around 390 FPS at 1080p, but only 260 FPS at 1440p – over a 30% drop.

For competitive play where every frame matters, most pros and high-elo players conclude that chasing max FPS is more beneficial than higher resolution or fidelity.

When to Consider Making the 1440p Upgrade

All that said, there are some cases where moving from 1080p to 1440p can make sense:

You‘re a more casual player who values visuals. 1440p objectively provides a clearer, sharper image quality compared to 1080p. Everything from champion models to ability effects will look better at 1440p. If you care more about the game looking pretty versus pure performance, 1440p is enticing.

You have hardware that can maintain 144Hz. The latest GPUs like the RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 can reliably drive 1440p above 144FPS provided the rest of your system is up to par. If your target is a high refresh rate monitor for smooth gaming, and you have the horsepower to prevent FPS drops, 1440p checks both boxes of visuals and high FPS.

You play single player games between League sessions. Even competitive players likely play other AAA single player titles between League matches. If you want a more cinematic, immersive experience for those games, 1440p is highly recommended. The bump in image quality makes open world eye candy really shine.

Hardware Required for 1440p 144Hz Gaming

Pushing triple digit frame rates at 2560×1440 resolution demands some high-end hardware:

• GPU: RTX 3070 Ti / RX 6800 XT or better
• CPU: Ryzen 7 5800X3D / i7-12700K
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 @ 3200MHz

With lesser components, you‘ll likely see FPS drops below what a proper 144Hz gaming monitor can fully take advantage of. monasterygamers has a great article covering component recommendations in more detail.

The Verdict: Nice to Have for Most, Essential for Some

In summary, here are the key takeaways around whether upgrading to 1440p over 1080p is worthwhile for YOUR League gaming experience:

Competitive Players

• Stick to high refresh 1080p for optimal frame rates
• Visual fidelity less important than performance
• Equipment costs saved by not chasing 1440p 144Hz

Visually-Focused Gamers

• Noticeable boost to image quality and immersion
• Hardware required to prevent FPS drops
• Great for single player eye candy between League matches

So while most die-hard League players will find staying at 1080p best suits their needs, 1440p can provide some tangible benefits depending on your priorities. Hopefully breaking down the exact performance implications vs. the visual upside helps decide one way or the other!

Let me know if this analysis helps answer whether making the jump to 1440p might improve YOUR personal League experience based on how you play. And glhf on the rift!