5120x2880 resolution
5120 × 2880
5K · 16:9 · 14,745,600 pixels · 14.75 megapixels · Desktop monitor
What 5120x2880 is
Exactly twice 2560×1440 in each direction, which makes it the density that renders a 1440p interface at perfect 2× scaling. That is the reason it exists at 27 inches rather than as a marketing step past 4K.
The numbers
| Width | 5,120 px |
| Height | 2,880 px |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Total pixels | 14,745,600 |
| Megapixels | 14.75 MP |
| Compared with 1080p | 7.11× the pixels |
| Compared with 4K UHD | 1.78× the pixels |
What 5120x2880 costs to move and to store
A frame is width × height × three bytes of colour, before any compression touches it. At 5120 × 2880 that is 44.24 MB per frame, and video is frames per second:
| Frame rate | Uncompressed | An hour of it |
|---|---|---|
| 24 fps | 1.06 GB/s | 3.82 TB |
| 30 fps | 1.33 GB/s | 4.78 TB |
| 60 fps | 2.65 GB/s | 9.56 TB |
| 120 fps | 5.31 GB/s | 19.11 TB |
Nobody ships that. It is the number codecs exist to get away from — a streamed 5120x2880 feed runs at a few tens of megabits, which is a compression ratio of several hundred to one, and it is why a still frame from a stream looks worse than a photograph of the same scene.
How close you have to sit for 5120x2880 to be worth it
The eye resolves about one arcminute of detail. Past a certain distance the pixels merge whatever the panel does, and a higher resolution stops being visible rather than stopping being better. That distance is the pixel pitch divided by the tangent of one arcminute:
| Screen | Pixels merge beyond |
|---|---|
| 13.3 in monitor or laptop | 0.2 m (0.6 ft) |
| 15.6 in monitor or laptop | 0.23 m (0.8 ft) |
| 24 in monitor or laptop | 0.36 m (1.2 ft) |
| 27 in monitor or laptop | 0.4 m (1.3 ft) |
| 32 in monitor or laptop | 0.48 m (1.6 ft) |
| 43 in television | 0.64 m (2.1 ft) |
| 55 in television | 0.82 m (2.7 ft) |
| 65 in television | 0.97 m (3.2 ft) |
| 75 in television | 1.11 m (3.7 ft) |
Sitting further back than the figure for your screen, 5120x2880 and the next resolution down look the same. That is the whole argument about 4K televisions in ordinary living rooms: the resolution is real and the seating position usually is not close enough to show it.
Pixel density at common screen sizes
A resolution on its own says nothing about sharpness — the same 5120x2880 panel is dense on a laptop and coarse on a television. Density is the diagonal in pixels divided by the diagonal in inches.
| Diagonal | Pixel density | |
|---|---|---|
| 13.3 in | 442 PPI | High density — the OS will scale the interface |
| 15.6 in | 377 PPI | High density — the OS will scale the interface |
| 24 in | 245 PPI | High density — the OS will scale the interface |
| 27 in | 218 PPI | High density — the OS will scale the interface |
| 32 in | 184 PPI | Sharp |
Other desktop monitor resolutions
Closest in total pixels
- 6016×3384 — 6K
- 4096×2160 — DCI 4K
- 3840×2160 — 4K UHD (2160p)
- 5120×1440 — DQHD
- 3840×1600 — UWQHD+
- 3024×1964 — Laptop 14-inch HiDPI
- 3200×1800 — QHD+
- 2732×2048 — Tablet 12.9-inch
Frequently asked questions
What is the aspect ratio of 5120x2880?
16:9.
How many pixels is 5120x2880?
14,745,600 pixels, or 14.75 megapixels.
Is 5120x2880 higher resolution than 1080p?
5120x2880 has 7.11× as many pixels as a 1920×1080 frame.
What size screen suits 5120x2880?
Pixel density is what decides that. 442 PPI at 13.3 in, 377 PPI at 15.6 in, 245 PPI at 24 in, 218 PPI at 27 in, 184 PPI at 32 in. Below roughly 110 PPI text starts to look coarse; above about 200 the operating system will usually scale the interface rather than render it at native size.