Most monitors, TVs, and PC game render targets use 16:9 — the widescreen aspect ratio where width ÷ height equals 16 ÷ 9. If you are picking a resolution in game settings, sizing a stream, or wondering why an export failed, the tables below answer the practical questions first.
Searchable full list (16×9 through 8K)
Every true 16:9 resolution uses a width that is a multiple of 16; height is always width × 9 ÷ 16. The table covers 480 sizes from 16 × 9 through 7680 × 4320 (8K). Search by pixels or name, or filter to common standards or encoder-safe rows.
Below 640
Test & legacy sizes
640–1279
nHD / 360p range
1280–1919
720p HD range
1920–2559
1080p Full HD range
2560–3839
1440p QHD range
3840–5119
4K UHD range
5120–7679
5K & high-end
7680
8K UHDTV
No matching resolutions. Try a width like 1920 or a name like 4k.
Common gaming resolutions (what to pick)
1080p (1920 × 1080) is still the default for most PC gamers: high FPS on mid-range hardware, standard for esports, and what most benchmarks use. 1440p (2560 × 1440) is the upgrade path when you want sharper image on a 27″ panel and your GPU has headroom — roughly 1.8× more pixels than 1080p. 4K (3840 × 2160) is 4× 1080p pixels and needs a strong GPU unless you use upscaling (DLSS, FSR, XeSS).
| Name | Resolution | Pixels | vs 1080p | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720p | 1280 × 720 | 921,600 | 0.44× | Low settings, remote play, old laptops |
| 900p | 1600 × 900 | 1,440,000 | 0.69× | Budget gaming laptops, lighter than 1080p |
| 1080p | 1920 × 1080 | 2,073,600 | Baseline | Default for most PC gamers and esports |
| 1440p | 2560 × 1440 | 3,686,400 | 1.78× | Sweet spot on 27″ monitors; sharper UI and textures |
| 4K | 3840 × 2160 | 8,294,400 | 4.00× | High-end GPUs, single-player AAA, content creation |
Common laptop panels (not exact 16:9)
| Resolution | Pixels | vs 1080p | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 854 × 480 | 409,920 | 0.20× | Legacy encoder preset; width is not a multiple of 16 |
| 1366 × 768 | 1,049,088 | 0.51× | Very common laptop panel; slightly off true 16:9 |
Not sure between 1080p and 1440p? Read 2560×1440 vs 1920×1080 for performance, VRAM, and monitor size trade-offs. Higher resolutions consume more VRAM at the same texture settings.
Ultrawide 21:9 panels (for example 3440 × 1440) are not 16:9 — see 3440×1440 resolution if that is your monitor.
Resolution names cheat sheet
Games and YouTube rarely show pixel dimensions. This maps everyday names to exact sizes:
| Name | Resolution | Also called |
|---|---|---|
| 720p | 1280 × 720 | HD, HD ready |
| 900p | 1600 × 900 | HD+ |
| 1080p | 1920 × 1080 | Full HD, FHD |
| 1440p | 2560 × 1440 | QHD, WQHD, 2K |
| 4K | 3840 × 2160 | 2160p, UHD, Ultra HD |
| 8K | 7680 × 4320 | 4320p, UHDTV |
Streaming and recording resolutions
Streamers and video editors care about pixel count (bitrate and CPU load) and whether a size is divisible by 8 — some encoders reject odd dimensions. OBS and modern GPUs are flexible, but YouTube upload presets and older ffmpeg builds still break on sizes like 1600 × 900.
| Name | Resolution | Pixels | Encoder-safe (÷8) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 360p | 640 × 360 | 230,400 | Yes | Mobile preview, ultra-low bandwidth |
| 480p | 854 × 480 | 409,920 | No | Some encoders; prefer 848×480 if export fails |
| 720p | 1280 × 720 | 921,600 | Yes | Twitch non-partner cap, YouTube HD |
| 1080p | 1920 × 1080 | 2,073,600 | Yes | Standard for most streamers and VOD uploads |
| 1440p | 2560 × 1440 | 3,686,400 | Yes | High-bitrate streams on strong CPUs and upload |
| 4K | 3840 × 2160 | 8,294,400 | Yes | YouTube 4K VOD; rare for live due to bandwidth |
If an export fails, try the nearest ÷8 row from the full list above (for example 848 × 480 instead of 854 × 480).
What makes a resolution “true” 16:9?
A true 16:9 resolution has square pixels — width and height are integers and width ÷ height equals exactly 16 ÷ 9.
- 1920 × 1080 ✓ true 16:9
- 2560 × 1440 ✓ true 16:9
- 1366 × 768 ✗ common on laptops but not mathematically 16:9
Picking a non-standard width in a game scaler can add blur. Encoders may letterbox or reject the export.
Why “divisible by 8” matters
Video codecs (H.264, older MPEG) process frames in 8×8 or 16×16 blocks. When both width and height are multiples of 8, encoders accept the file without padding. Widths divisible by 16 are ideal.
A resolution can be true 16:9 without being ÷8-safe — 1600 × 900 is valid 16:9, but 900 is not divisible by 8.
DVD and SD are not true 16:9
DVD-Video stores 720 × 480 (NTSC) or 720 × 576 (PAL) with non-square pixels. Players stretch those frames to 4:3 or 16:9 on screen, so no DVD-native size is a true square-pixel 16:9 frame.
Quick tips
- Match native resolution in games when possible — scaling 1080p on a 1440p monitor is fine, but non-integer scale factors look softer.
- Supersampling (rendering above native, then downscaling) only helps if your GPU has spare headroom; watch VRAM usage while testing.
- Mouse feel changes when you change resolution or FOV — reset sensitivity with the mouse sensitivity converter on our gaming tools hub.
Related hardware & software guides
You can browse more hardware and software guides on the PC & Tech hub.