// WIRED US/UK — HARDWARE & GADGET
Samsung Odyssey G8 6K Review: Pixel Overdose
6K is the new 4K. Oh, you didn't hear? We've seen a few of these super-sharp monitors already, but Samsung's newest monitor isn't just for office work. It's designed first and foremost to shoot for the crown of being one of the best gaming monitors.
The 32-inch Odyssey G8 G80HS has a resolution of 6144 x 3456 for your viewing pleasure, and it makes a lot of sacrifices in its single-minded pursuit of sharpness. It’s not a bad display, but it’s probably not the best way to spend your money.
Let’s start with the monitor’s most obvious strength: sharpness.
The Odyssey G8 G80HS has a resolution of 6144 x 3456 which, I’ll note, means the 6K billing slightly undersells its advantage (a 4K monitor is actually 3840 x 2160 and doesn’t offer 4,000 pixels across either axis). The G80HS has a total of 21,233,664 pixels, which is a roughly 155 percent increase over a typical 4K display.
That’s a lot of pixels, and it results in an extremely sharp image. How much of a difference it makes is likely up to your viewing preferences, and perhaps even your visual acuity, but I found the difference obvious and dramatic.
The thing about sharpness is that it can make virtually everything you view look sharper. The Windows desktop is better. Games are sharper. Photos—if they’re of high quality—are sharper. The only thing that won’t see much improvement is video, as very few video sources exceed 4K resolution.
And the leap to 6K can solve some persistent visual quality issues in games. Fine objects, like power lines or a chain-link fence, are notoriously difficult for games to render without blocky, jagged aliasing. 6K nearly eliminates the problem, providing a clean and crisp image with extreme detail in even the smallest, finest objects.
Unfortunately, 6K has a big downside, too. You need a PC that can actually handle it, and most can’t.
Modern PCs will generally output 6K without an issue, though if you're on a system more than five years old, you should double-check your available video outputs. Hitting 6K at 165 Hz is a different story, though. You’re going to need a DisplayPort 2.1 output or an HDMI 2.1 output. That’s not rare on new PC hardware, but your PC may lack these ports if it’s more than a few years old.
Even if you have the required ports, though, rendering a 3D game at 6K resolution is a lot more demanding than rendering a 2D application. As mentioned, it’s a roughly 155 percent increase in pixel count over 4K—and an incredible 10X increase over 1080p.