best lcd panel for gaming price
The best gaming monitors can elevate your gaming experiences. Folks building an ultra-powerful rig or buying one of the best gaming PCs will want one of the best gaming monitors to make their games look as good as possible.
This is also true for people who own consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. If you"re paying a premium for a high-end machine, a top-of-the-line gaming monitor is essential.
Gaming monitors are capable of displaying crisp images, vibrant colors, high resolutions and fast framerates — all with easy-to-navigate menus and plenty of options to optimize your gameplay experience. Some gaming monitors are even curved, which helps keep every inch of the screen within optimal distance from your eyes. They suit a variety of gaming needs.
To compile our list of the best gaming monitors, we"ve tested some of the best-selling gaming displays on the market to see which ones really deliver a gaming experience worthy of your PC, console or even the best gaming laptops for those times when you"re at home. Our selections run the gamut from 1080p to 4K resolutions, and from 60 Hz refresh rates all the way up to 144 Hz — and higher.
The Razer Raptor 27 is currently our pick for the best gaming monitor overall. This 27-inch screen displays gorgeous colors with stunning accuracy, at crisp quad HD resolutions. You can run games at more than 100 frames per second, thanks to the Raptor 27’s fast 144 Hz refresh rate. At 2560 x 1440 pixels, the screen is high-res enough to display gorgeous images, but not so high-res that you’ll need an incredibly powerful PC to make the most of it. In other words, it’s a nearly perfect midpoint of performance and accessibility.
For a little over $200, this 1080p monitor delivers accurate colors and more extra features than you"d expect, including a full vertical mode that makes it invaluable as a second screen. The monitor works well for both gaming and productivity, with a 144Hz refresh rate and a variety of ports, including a DVI input for older machines.
The Sony Inzone M9 gaming monitor is a fantastic device for both PC and PS5 games. At $899, this striking 27-inch 4K 144Hz gaming monitor is a great buy for anyone who plays games on PC or PlayStation 5. If you happen to do both, and want to do them on the same display, the M9 is for you.
The Acer Predator XB323QK is a great 32-inch 4K gaming monitor that also supports Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. If you can afford it, this 144Hz display is well-suited for work and play, though having most of the ports located on the bottom lip makes swapping out consoles or cables a real pain in the neck.
Samsung"s curved 49-inch Odyssey G9 Gaming Monitor is a strong overall performer, but its unwieldy design and sky-high price do not make it ideal for everyone.
Dell produces rock-solid gaming monitors at every size and resolution. If processing power and desk space limit your monitor choices, the Dell 24 Gaming Monitor S2421HGF is a good choice, providing crisp 1080p resolution and a workable 144Hz refresh rate. This is a no-frills gaming monitor, and the price reflects that, at less than $200.
The ViewSonic Elite XG270QC is a large curved monitor with an extremely bright screen. While it will take up a lot of your desk space with its tasteful triangular base, the tradeoff is well worth it. You get a vibrantly colored 27-inch 1440p screen, with a refresh rate of 165Hz. For gamers with powerful GPUs, this means quad HD gaming with the potential for more than 100 frames per second in each game.
The Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor AW2521H has the fastest refresh rate of any gaming monitor we"ve reviewed, at a blistering 360Hz. If you have an extremely powerful gaming PC, this means that you could very feasibly run games at frame rates exceeding 300 frames per second. Aside from that, the AW2521H also features a bright, colorful screen, and a design that"s pleasantly futuristic.
The HP Omen 27i is, in many ways, a perfect midpoint. Its quad HD screen is the perfect midpoint between full HD and UHD; its 165Hz refresh rate is a perfect midpoint between 60Hz and 240Hz; its design is the perfect midpoint between a gamer aesthetic and a more subdued productivity model. For the gaming crowd, the Omen 27i offers fluid frame rates; for graphic designers, the monitor offers accurate colors. It"s an elegant, functional monitor that"s equally at home playing the latest games or editing a photo roundup.
The Dell S3220DGF Gaming Monitor is enormous — and if you"re in the market for a 32-inch gaming monitor, that"s a good thing. This massive curved model features an extremely bright screen, fantastic color accuracy and support for HDR. TV shows and movies look good, but games look absolutely gorgeous — particularly action and adventure games with rich color palettes The curved screen makes most titles feel more immersive, and there are lots of pretty presets for your preferred genres.
The Alienware AW5520QF 55-inch is the best gaming monitor and big-screen TV in one device — for folks willing to spend nearly $2,500. This humongous OLED screen gives you the best of both worlds, delivering the size and picture quality of a 55-inch 4K TV alongside key gaming monitor features such as DisplayPort connectivity and fast 120Hz refresh rates. Hook it up to a console, or a living room PC, or both.
The AW5520QF"s high price tag may scare off folks on a budget, but if you do your PC gaming in the living room or want a premium monitor that can double as a great TV, Alienware"s mammoth screen is uniquely qualified to do the job. Remember: A computer can stream almost anything, so you"ll be able to watch, listen to or play whatever you want.
The criteria for picking a gaming monitor is a bit different from choosing the best monitors overall. Determining the best gaming monitor for your needs comes down to three major factors: resolution, refresh rate and price.
Resolution:How much resolution you need depends on how powerful your PC is. Extremely powerful machines can run games at 4K resolutions (3840 x 2160 pixels), which means you"ll probably want to pony up for a more elaborate monitor. Cheaper machines pair better with 1080p monitors, while those in-between can run at quad-HD resolutions.
Price:Price is pretty self-explanatory. Just remember that more expensive monitors will be useful for longer periods of time. A good screen can last for a decade or more, and if you decide to buy or build a new machine in the future, you may not need to replace a monitor that"s sufficiently advanced.
To test our best gaming monitors, we employ a colorimeter and benchmarking software to measure a monitor"s color accuracy, contrast and brightness. A monitor"s brightness refers to how many nits of luminosity it can output; its color accuracy (or Delta-E) measures how lifelike its colors are; its color gamut represents how great a variety of the spectrum it can display. We can also measure a monitor"s latency, and try to push it to its limits in terms of game frame rates.
Qualitatively, we run each monitor through both productivity and gaming tests. You’re not going to switch monitors each time you need to open a word processor, watch a video or send an e-mail, so every monitor on this list must be sharp and responsive for everyday use. As far as gaming goes, we run each monitor through games in a variety of genres, including FPS, RTS, MOBA, RPG and MMO, in order to ensure that it doesn’t favor one genre at another’s expense.Round up of today"s best deals
Gaming monitor options keep growing with new brands, features, resolutions and display sizes available. It"s an exciting time to be a PC gamer, but that also means that selecting the best gaming monitor for your rig is growing more complicated. The array of specs to consider is dizzying, from adaptive-sync technologies (Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync) to refresh rates, panel types. screen curvatures and HDR support.
When seeking the best gaming monitor for your rig, there are different panel types vying for your eyeballs — IPS(opens in new tab), TN(opens in new tab), VA(opens in new tab) and even OLED(opens in new tab)— each with its own pros and cons. You can"t forget about screen size and aspect ratio, which affect your views, desk space and, again, bank account. And we haven"t even discussed bonuses, like speakers, RGB or port selection. How"s a gamer to choose with all of these options?
For a deep dive into how to pick the best monitor--gaming or otherwise--check out our PC Monitor Buying Guide(opens in new tab). Below is a list of the best gaming monitors out there right now, based on our own tests.
Why you can trust Tom"s HardwareOur expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
When trying to buy the best gaming monitor for your PC, consider the following:G-Sync or FreeSync? G-Sync only works with PCs with Nvidia graphics cards, while FreeSync only works with systems using AMD ones. You can technicallyrun G-Sync on a FreeSync-only monitor, but performance isn"t guaranteed. FreeSync monitors tend to be cheaper, but performance is comparable. For a detailed comparison of the two technologies’ performance, see our Nvidia G-Sync vs. AMD FreeSync comparison(opens in new tab) article.
For image quality, TN < IPS < VA < OLED. Generally speaking. Typically, TN monitors are the fastest but cheapest, due to weaker viewing angles. IPS displays have slightly slower response times but better color than VA monitors. The best gaming monitors for contrast are VA, but VA also has slower response times. Displays with OLED panels are expensive but the most colorful by far.
Refresh rates: bigger is better. This number explains the number of times your monitor updates with new information per second — stated in hertz (Hz) — and, therefore, how many frames per second (fps) the monitor can display. Bigger numbers mean smoother images. Refresh rate is especially important for gamers, so you’ll want to shoot for a monitor with at least 120 Hz (most gaming monitors offer at least 144 Hz), combined with the lowest response time you can find.
Resolution: Full HD, QHD, 4K. The most popular screen resolutions for gaming monitors are Full HD (1920 x 1080), QHD (2560 x 1440) and 4K (3840 x 2160). The more pixels a screen has, the sharper its image should look. So a 4K monitor will be able to show a more crisp image and more detail than a lower resolution Full HD monitor. Generally speaking, the lowest resolution monitors push the fastest refresh rates, reaching upwards of 500 Hz. Because they have to push many more pixels, 4K monitors usually top out at a 144 Hz refresh rate.
The Dell S3222DGM is just a great, all-around pick as the top gaming monitor thanks to its excellent image quality, plentiful features and typical solid build quality. At the heart of this display is a 2560 x 1440, curved VA panel that supports both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync at up to 165 Hz.
The S3222DGM"s delivers an enviable contrast ratio thanks to its 1800R curved VA panel. While the IPS competition often struggles to break much past 1,000:1, the S3222DGM"s VA panels shot to 4209:1 in our tests. The display also reproduced 122 percent of the sRGB color gamut and 85 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut on our tests along with an incredibly accurate gamut error rate of 2.07dE.
Desktop-class OLEDs used to be a rarity in the gaming monitor segment, but over the years, prices have come down, and more entries have entered the fray. The latest comes to us from Alienware, and it’s the jaw-dropping AW3423DFW.
This is a 34-inch ultra-wide monitor with a 1800R curve and a resolution of 3440 x 1440. However, the most important spec is its use of a Quantum Dot OLED (QD-OLED) panel, which offers an extremely wide color gamut and the blackest blacks you’ll find in a gaming monitor.
The QD-OLED “heart” of the AW3423DFW gives it unmatched contrast and excellent color saturation and we felt no need to calibrate the panel further out of the box. Throw in premium build quality – as we expect from Alienware – and top-notch video processing and the AW3423DFW hit all the high notes without any demerits worth mentioning for enthusiast gamers.
With a price tag of around $250, the Monoprice Dark Matter 42770 is an easy to recommend 1080p gaming monitor with a wide color gamut, excellent contrast ratio for an IPS display and solid build quality. At this price, you"re getting a relatively barebones monitor, but Monoprice spent its time throwing in the features that matter most to gamers on a budget.
Although the monitor doesn"t support HDR, its native dynamic range is excellent, and it features a wide color gamut and excellent gamma tracking. Its deep blacks are welcome here given that this is an IPS panel, with its color and contrast on part with monitors that costs hundreds of dollars more.
The Gigabyte G27F2 represents a revamp of theG27F we first reviewed in late 2020. While the original monitor was highlighted by a 144Hz panel, the new G27F2 revision ups that figure to 170Hz. While that might not be as fast as more high-end Full HD gaming monitors, we have to remember that the G27F2 has a bargain basement price of just over $200.
However, that low price doesn"t mean that Gigabyte skimped on quality. You"ll still find low response times and input lag compared to others in this segment. In addition, the build quality throughout is excellent, as is color accuracy and contrast (which is somewhat of a revelation given that the G27F2 uses an IPS panel instead of VA).
The Dell G3223Q is a stellar entry in the 4K gaming monitor segment, offering a 32-inch panel size, low total input lag (measured at just 30ms) and an excellent balance between response and motion resolution. As you might expect for a 4K gaming monitor, we have a 144Hz refresh rate with support for both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync Adaptive Sync technologies.
One thing that makes the Armada 27 stand out (along with its smaller Armada 25 sibling) is the inclusion of a gaming mount for attaching the monitor to your desk instead of a traditional stand. This gives customers greater flexibility in positioning the Armada 27 for height, swivel and tilt.
If you like your games to look extra colorful, the MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD is the best gaming monitor for your rig. This monitor posted the widest color gamut we’ve ever recorded: 112.19% of DCI-P3 after our recommended calibration. 90% of DCI-P3 would be impressive, so this is one color-saturated screen.
Contrast is also strong for an IPS panel, hitting 1,129.1:1 after our calibration. And for those concerned about speed, this 165 Hz screen kept up with the 170 Hz Gigabyte M27Q in our testing
Color purists, however, will lament the lack of an sRGB mode, considering the MAG274QRF-QD’s sRGB coverage is at 166.33%. Its backlight strobe for fighting motion blur is also a disappointment. You can’t use Adaptive-Sync with it, the brightness goes down by about 50% and it created ghosting that resulted in a parallax effect with fast motion. In addition, this is yet another gaming monitor to offer HDR but without any noticeable image boost over SDR.
The Viotek GNV34DBE is a well-performing and affordable curved gaming monitor. Its 1500R curve proved to add an immersive touch while gaming, helping to fill our peripheral vision. Despite its tight curve, we still found the GNV34DBE fit for working. There was no distortion, and we enjoyed having multiple windows open for boosted productivity.
But it’s not just about the GNV34DBE’s curve. You also get a 144 Hz refresh rate and response times and input lag that kept up with 144 Hz rivals during our testing. On the battlefield, we realized the high pixel density of a 1440p screen and smooth gaming without any screen tearing, thanks to FreeSync. Color and contrast were competitive with pricier gaming displays too.
Gigabyte’s Aorus CV27Q is the best 1440p gaming monitor when it comes to high-speed gaming performance. With its impressive specs, it shined in our input lag and response time tests when pitted against 144 Hz rivals. Sure, you could get slightly better performance from the 1080p version, the Aorus CV27F, but then you wouldn’t be getting that sharper QHD resolution or higher pixel density (109ppi).
With a VA panel offering 3,000:1 contrast, image quality is no joke either. The CV27Q has a low black level that made image depth look great, particularly with HDR titles. But as far as HDR goes, this monitor only goes up to 400 nits brightness; we prefer HDR displays that hit at least 600 nits.
If you have extra room in your budget and want to squeeze out that additional drop of performance from your 1440p screen, the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQ may be the best gaming monitor for you. This screen is ready to compete with the speediest of screens, competing well against other 165-170 Hz screens in our response time test and falling just 1-3ms behind in our input lag test.
The Razer Raptor 27 is the best gaming monitor for 144 Hz refresh rates. It"ll make any gamer you know jealous with premium touches, like an RGB stand, flat green cables for cable management and drool-worthy build quality. Plus, HDR delivery is some of the best we’ve seen in an edge-lit panel yet.
For speed demons, a 240 Hz monitor hits the spot. Up until recently, that level of speed required two things: settling for 1080p resolution and a TN panel. But the Asus" 27-inch ROG Swift PG279QM is the best gaming monitor in this class. It manages that speed with a color-accurate IPS panel. Not only does it deliver a huge color gamut, but it also has excellent video processing and premium build quality.
The 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 is in a class all its own. It’s one of Samsung’s 1000R screens, meaning it’s one of the curviest gaming monitors you can find on the market. If you’re a fan of the immersive feel of a curved monitor, the 32” Odyssey G7 will elevate this experience even higher.
At 32 inches, the Odyssey G7’s amazing 1000R curve drew us in, whether we were playing games or doing work. With this curvature, we could view productivity apps without any image distortion, and when gaming our vision was filled with action. The 32-inch, 16:9 build offers ample height for productivity and, coupled with 1440p resolution, hits a sweet spot for gaming.
In terms of image quality, the 32-inch Odyssey G7 proved accurate before we even calibrated it while boasting a 2,121:1 contrast ratio, according to our testing.
The 27-inch gaming monitor competition is crowded, but the Viotek GFI27DBXA stands out with an incredibly colorful image that’s also bright and sharp. The 1440p panel covers 101% of the DCI-P3 color space, according to our testing. Contrast, meanwhile, proved comparable to your typical IPS panel, but the dynamic contrast feature helped when gaming. Combined with the wide color coverage, the image impressed during gaming.
Speed-wise, the GFI27DBXA is ready to play. In our benchmarks, it showed a competitive 6ms response time. With a 180 Hz refresh rate, it fell behind 165 and 170 Hz screens from more premium brands but only by 2-6ms. Plus, its overdrive is one of the best we’ve seen, ensuring zero perceivable delays for mainstream players. Plus, the monitor feels strong and reliable, despite its lower price.
The Dell S2422HG might be small in stature at just 23.6 inches across, but it packs quite a punch at a very attractive price point. Not everyone has the cash to drop $400 or $500 on a gaming monitor, so it"s nice to see Dell providing a value-conscious entry here.
The S2422HG has a 1920 x 1080 resolution and a relatively fast refresh rate at 165 MHz. Dell uses a VA panel here, so you get excellent contrast at 3,000:1 (we measured better at 3,261.8:1) and a factory-rated brightness of 350 nits (although we only measured 324 nits). We also commend Dell for including both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility in this budget-oriented monitor.
Video processing for the S2422HG was good in our testing, and the low input lag was appreciated. However, we did have to knock the motor for its lack of sRGB mode, no integrated speakers, and a lack of USB hub functionality.
The Samsung 49-Inch Odyssey G9 is one of the most extreme monitors on this page. Not only is it a massive 49 inches diagonally, but it also carries a 1000R curve, the most dramatic curve offered on a gaming monitor today. From a 2-3-feet distance, this panel will fill your view. It’s like having two 27-inch, 1440p monitors in one. You"ll need nearly 4 feet of desk width and 17 inches of depth to accommodate it, but if you do, you’ll enjoy a wraparound gaming environment without image distortion. Are you looking for a smaller ultrawide? The Acer Predator X38is also excellent.
Currently going for $660(opens in new tab), the ViewSonic Elite XG350R-C is cheaper than many other 35-inch ultrawides and ultrawides with fewer features (there’s even RGB lighting on the back of the XG350R-C). But what you’ll really love about the XG350R-C is its vivid and accurate color that makes textures pop, skin tones look natural, and everything looks more realistic.
If you’ve wanted to try out an HDR monitor but can’t afford the best HDR monitors with FALD backlights, the ViewSonic Elite XG270QC (available here(opens in new tab)) is worth a look. Admittedly, it’s not quite FALD-quality, but with edge-lit backlighting, the runner-up, and a VA panel, this monitor’s HDR performance will give you a noticeable upgrade over SDR.
The Asus TUF Gaming VG259QM isn’t the only 240 Hz monitor here, but it’s the only one that overclocks to an impressive 280 Hz so impressively. It’s not only about the high refresh rate, though. It’s also the ability to incorporate FreeSync (despite lacking certification) or G-Sync Compatibility alongside Asus’ Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) feature that bests any monitor’s overdrive. With those features and 280 Hz, our inputs almost felt predicted. This is the kind of monitor that could help your game. Asus’ VG259QM topped our response time test and did admirably in terms of absolute input lag.
One of the downsides of this monitor is its HDR capability. Using an IPS panel with 1,000:1 contrast and only DisplayHDR 400 certification, HDR won’t look much better than SDR content. And, of course, you’ll need a decent graphics card to make the most out of this high-refresh screen.
Our benchmarking recorded the NXG253R’s absolute input lag at 17ms, 1ms faster than the next fastest 360 Hz monitor (Asus’ PG259QN). The NXG253R matched the other 360 Hz screens with a 3ms result when it came to response time. You also get Nvidia’s Reflexlatency analyzer, plus G-Sync all the way down to 1 Hz. Nothing is missing for gaming performance here.
There are some things missing, though. Despite the high price (especially for a 1080p monitor), the NXG253R doesn’t have speakers. And its color gamut is sRGB, rather than the more colorful DCI-P3 that’s increasingly popular among gaming monitors. But this is still a bright screen with decent contrast (1,190.6:1) for an IPS panel. HDR is aided by a variable backlight, which brings contrast to a high 7,972.5:1 with HDR content.
For most, the CRG5 is in the sweet spot for a 240Hz monitor. Its 1080p resolution will require less graphics power than the 1440p PD27. When it came to our speed benchmarks, the PD27 was 1ms faster than the CRG5 in the response time test and 2ms slower in the absolute input lag test. So performance there is comparable, but the PD27 is also in a different style class.
With a unique metallic stand reminiscent of a racecar’s roll cage, LED lighting, including a projector that casts a customizable Porsche Design logo, and even its own remote, this monitor is as much about premium looks as it is about premium performance. If you want a little bit of it everything, it’s tough to beat this stylish monitor.
When shopping for any gaming monitor, including those above, you may save some money by checking out our lists of best computer monitor deals, Dell Coupon Codes, Lenovo coupon codes, LG coupon codes or Newegg coupon codes.
If you haven’t purchased a new gaming monitor for a few years, you’ve missed out on big advances that can make your games look great: The latest models have gorgeous colors and contrasts that will rival your living room TV, higher resolutions that pack more pixels into the panel to give you sharper visuals and an incredible combination of high refresh rates and adaptive sync technology for smooth, consistent gameplay.
We tested 11 of the best-reviewed gaming monitors across four separate categories — 1080p, 1440p, 4K and ultrawide — to find the best monitors for gamers of all types. We tested each monitor’s color accuracy and response times, and used each one to play games, watch HDR movies and perform everyday tasks within Windows 11. From gamers who need low lag and high frame rates to climb the ladder in their Valorantmatches to gamers who want a gorgeous, wide display for multitasking andmovies, we have a pick for most desktop preferences.
For gamers who don"t have the fanciest systems — and that"s a lot of us — the 27-inch Alienware delivers excellent performance, with a better combination of color accuracy and fast response time than any other monitor we tested.
Asus" top-of-the-line 4K monitor has the best picture quality we tested along with incredibly low input lag — it"s expensive, but it"s the best gaming monitor we"ve found, and for serious gamers who can make the investment, it"s the one to get.
With an incredible picture and speedy performance, this ultrawide OLED from Dell delivered the fastest response times in our testing and should satisfy any gamer looking for an immersive experience.
For gamers on a budget — especially first-person shooter fans — this small monitor with great color accuracy, HDR support and a fast 360Hz refresh rate really delivers.
If you don’t like ultrawide displays, and your system can’t handle a 4K resolution, your next best option is to pick up a strong 1440p display. Of the monitors we researched and tested, Dell’s Alienware AW2721D floated to the top for its excellent out-of-the-box picture quality and strong response times. As an HDR 600-certified display, which gives it more peak brightness to work with and requires it to support local dimming in some capacity, it’s better than most 1440p displays that support the more lackluster HDR 400 standard.
Out of the box, this 27-inch, 240Hz IPS display delivered great performance on our color accuracy tests, reaching a DeltaE of 2.19 and 1.05 for our sRGB and DCI-P3 tests, respectively. That’s partly due to the strength of the monitor’s accuracy on its grayscales; looking just at the DeltaE average for colors on the sRGB version of our test, its score of 3.34 is a little higher than we’d prefer to see. However, the monitor doesn’t come with an sRGB clamp or a mode that would restrict its color space. So, it’s expected that there’d be some aberrations given its wider default gamut. This isn’t a huge issue, but the monitor may appear slightly more saturated at times.
Dell’s display supports HDR10 and is certified for the HDR 600 standard, which gives you approximately 32 local dimming zones — a better setup than you’d typically find on an HDR 400 display, but outpaced by our pricier ultrawide and 4K gaming monitor picks. As with most displays, the monitor’s incredibly high maximum refresh rate, 240Hz, will actually max out at 144Hz if you’re using 10-bit color, though we doubt you’ll see much of a difference between 8- or 10-bit mode. Its total luminosity range was a whopping 476 cd/m2 in our tests (44.3–520.4 cd/m2).
No other 1440p monitor we tested had such a strong combination of default color accuracy and great average response times — 5.46 milliseconds, which was among the top of all the monitors we tested for this guide. The display supports G-Sync and FreeSync across its entire refresh rate range if you’re using its single DisplayPort 1.4 connection. We recommend that over the display’s two HDMI 1.4 ports. The display’s input lag is so low, as measured by TFT Central, that you’ll be able to play twitchy first-person shooters without any issues whatsoever.
In our gaming tests, we didn’t experience any noticeable ghosting, blurring or lag-related issues that would give us grief in a first-person shooter. We’re also not competitive gamers, but for everything from MMO raids, to Satisfactory plotting, to Overwatchmatches gone wrong, there was nothing about this display’s responsiveness that made us worry. Its overall input lag is less than a millisecond slower than our very best pick for competitive gamers, Asus’ ROG Swift PG259QNR, and both scores represent less than one frame’s worth of lag at 240Hz. That’s incredibly fast; we found ourselves more hurt by our raw skills than this monitor’s capabilities.
Aside from the display’s so-so local dimming for HDR, which won’t necessarily wow you, and the lack of an sRGB emulation mode, the AW2721D otherwise performs well for most gamers’ needs. It’s a little on the expensive side compared to other 1440p monitors we tested, but it’s as color-accurate as it is responsive right out of the box.
Asus’ ROG Swift PG32UQX has a gorgeous Mini LED backlit display that gives you near-perfect picture quality and supports 4K resolution at refresh rates as high as you’re likely to encounter for the smoothest performance we saw in testing. You won’t find a better mix of size, image quality, gaming capabilities and HDR performance — and we’d expect nothing less than near-perfection for its eye-popping price tag, which is the PG32UQX’s only real downside. If your gaming PC can handle a 4K resolution and you can afford it, Asus’ PG32UQX is the display to get.
This 32-inch IPS display supports 4K gaming at a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, which is higher than the frame rates most gamers will probably ever see when playing their favorite games at their highest quality settings. Its factory-calibrated picture is practically perfect out of the box, and the PG32UQX is compatible with both Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync adaptive sync technologies for buttery-smooth gameplay. In our testing, it delivered a huge luminosity range of 377.4 cd/m2 (41.2–418.6 cd/m2 ), which makes it as good to use in a brightly lit room as a darker gamer den.
The PG32UQX gives you an incredible picture quality right out of the box. That said, unlike most displays, it doesn’t come with a simple “Standard” preset, so you’ll have to choose based on what you’re using it for; plus, once you do select a preset (we started with “Racing”) you will have to pick the color space “clamp” or limit you need for the games you’re playing (we recommend sticking with the monitor’s sRGB or DCI-P3 presets for everything you’re doing).
Whichever you select, you’ll get great color accuracy. We measured the PG32UQX’s color gamut at 98.8% and 99.9% for sRGB and DCI-P3, respectively, so you’re basically getting a full color space to work with no matter what you pick. The PG32UQX’s sRGB mode achieved an average DeltaE — a measure of color accuracy — of 0.74 across our grayscale and color-swatch tests, which is incredible performance for a consumer monitor. Its color accuracy dropped to a DeltaE of 2.16 when we switched over to DCI-P3, but even that is simply more in line with average monitors, and wouldn’t cause us any concern for everyday use or gaming. (You’re more likely to notice the oversaturated colors of DCI-P3 if you’re using this broader color space with apps and content that were built for more limited sRGB colors.)
When tested on its default settings, the PG32UQX’s average gamma-corrected response time of 11.91 milliseconds was on the slower side of all the monitors we tested (double some of the speedier displays we evaluated). That’s the average of all the measurements we took for the display’s “gray to gray” times, or how long it takes a pixel to move from one specific shade of gray to another. Slow response times can lead to “ghosting” or blurring as an element quickly moves across the screen, but we didn’t notice these when playing Overwatch and Valorant. When we were able to max out the monitor’s high refresh rate, coupled with its “normal” Overdrive setting, our (admittedly noncompetitive) gameplay felt responsive and precise.
Though its response time is on the slower side for a gaming display, this shouldn’t cause issues, as the monitor’s incredibly low input lag (measured by TFT Central) doesn’t incorporate any signal-processing lag, thanks to the display’s built-in G-Sync module. In practical terms, this means that you’ll be able to play fast-paced, competitive first-person shooters without issue. We’d expect nothing less from a display that costs more than an incredible living room TV.
You get two USB 3.0 ports on the display’s back panel as well as another one on the very top of the monitor for your webcam — a design we’ve can’t ever remember seeing elsewhere and which we found very handy.
The display’s only omissions are minor. It doesn’t come with any built-in speakers, but we’re fine with this omission given that integrated monitor speakers usually sound terrible and if you’re going to be putting this much money into a monitor you’re likely going to be shopping for a great gaming headset or better desktop speakers anyway.
If the PG32UQX is simply beyond your gaming budget, Asus has a lower-priced alternative, the PG32UQ, that is otherwise similar but trades the Mini LED setup for a more standard edge-lit backlight. However, we think Gigabyte’s M32U is a better option. It typically costs a few hundred dollars less than the cheaper Asus PG32UQ, and it supports the same 144Hz maximum refresh rate, but it has stronger color accuracy in its sRGB mode. Both displays support HDR 600; by default, the PG32UQ has worse response times, but cranking up the Overdrive level to four (of five) makes it competitive to the M32U. You get HDMI 2.1 ports on either display, great for gamers looking to connect one of their next-gen consoles for 4K gaming. We still recommend sticking with Gigabyte’s display if you need a less expensive 4K gaming monitor than our top pick.
Price aside, there are other valid reasons why you might not want to buy the PG32UQX. The most important one is its 4K resolution. If your system isn’t capable of outputting a decent frame rate at this resolution in your favorite games, then a 4K display might not be the best choice for you. You’ll have to reduce your image quality via your in-game settings to make them playable, and we don’t think it’s worth slapping a worse-looking image on such a gorgeous, pricey display.
Dell’s Alienware AW3423DW is an incredibly good-looking Quantum Dot OLED monitor (QD-OLED) that has a few minor quirks but gives you a great picture quality and rich HDR performance across its 34-inch, 3440-by-1440-pixel ultrawide display. It’s one of the cheapest and best ways to get OLED performance on your desk, so long as you aren’t bothered by an ultrawide resolution in general — a matter of personal preference that’s the main reason why this display wasn’t our top pick for everyone.
The display supports a refresh rate up to 175Hz, but you’ll have to drop from a 10-bit to an 8-bit color depth to achieve it. While most people are unlikely to notice this difference, it’s also true that most gamers will probably be just fine bumping the refresh rate down to 144Hz, or the highest refresh rate supported for 10-bit color.
A built-in G-Sync module means that adaptive sync triggers across the monitor’s entire range of refresh rates, and the AW3423DW also works just fine with FreeSync. Just make sure you’re using the monitor’s single DisplayPort 1.4 connection if you want the best G-Sync or FreeSync performance; you’ll be more restricted over its two HDMI 2.0 ports.
On our display quality tests, the monitor’s default settings produced an average DeltaE of 2.81 on our sRGB test, which is slightly below the point at which you’d probably notice any color inaccuracies. It fared much better on our wide-gamut, DCI-P3 test with a DeltaE of 1.66, but it’s up to you whether you prefer more universal accuracy (sRGB) or a wider gamut but potentially oversaturated colors in apps and games that weren’t designed for it (DCI-P3). We measured the monitor’s luminosity range at 221.2 cd/m2 (23.4–244.5 cd/m2).
On our response time tests, Dell’s display delivered the best response times of all 11 monitors we tested by a wide margin: an average of 2.46 seconds for all gray-to-gray measurements, which was twice as fast as the next best display (non-OLED, to be fair). Input lag, as measured by pcmonitors.info, was 5.17 milliseconds. That’s higher than we’d expect for a panel with an integrated G-Sync module but still good enough to deliver a responsive gaming experience for nearly everyone.
We mostly disliked the setup of the AW3423DW’s on-screen display. For example, the monitor will occasionally prompt you to perform a pixel refresh if you haven’t powered it down in some time. It’s worded to suggest that the refresh will happen when the monitor is off, but the prompt fails to warn you that picking “proceed” turns the monitor off immediately and begins a multi-minute refresh — an annoying UX issue that will trip you up the first time but never again. Sometimes, a pixel refresh box will pop up on your screen that doesn’t have a “cancel” option on it, just “proceed,” and that’s really irritating to deal with when you’re in the middle of a game (like a World of Warcraft raid, in our case, but it’s a good reminder that it’s probably time to take a quick break).
The AW3423DW isn’t perfect, but its quirks — including the slightly longer than normal time it takes to switch from SDR to HDR modes in Windows 11 and the lack of a KVM switch or picture-in-picture mode for the monitor’s display connections and four USB 3.2 ports — aren’t any more annoying than the normal amount of “getting used to it” you’ll have to put yourself through when switching to an ultrawide display. The AW3423DW’s picture quality, especially for its price, is worth a little hassle.
For its small size, Asus’ ROG Swift PG259QNR gives you a lot to work with. This 25-inch, 1080p display has a huge 360Hz refresh rate and out-of-the-box color accuracy that’s impressive for its price. The display even supports HDR (albeit the standard with the least impressive visual performance, HDR 400), and it comes with a free desk clamp if you don’t want to use its provided stand.
The PG259QNR isn’t a wide-gamut display — more on that in a bit — so we only tested its color accuracy for the sRGB color space, where it delivered an amazing average DeltaE of 0.97 on our grayscale and spot-color tests. When we flipped to the monitor’s “racing,” mode, we found it performed just as well as its default preset, which was great to see. Its response times were among the fastest of all the monitors we tested, and TFT Central measured the input lag of its nearly identical sibling, the PG259QN, at 1.75 seconds. Given this monitor screams “first-person shooter fan,” given how it prioritizes refresh rate over resolution, that’s a great result for gamers who need the best timings in their favorite titles.
As you might expect, we sailed through twitchy games like Overwatch without encountering any difficulties. The monitor’s super-high refresh rate made for an incredibly smooth, immersive experience whenever we could crank a game’s frame rate. But even if you only were able to hit, say, 240 frames per second in your favorite title, that practically negates any slight aberrations its roughly 5 milliseconds of response time might create. We had our monitor set to its “Normal” overdrive mode for the best results. This, plus the monitor’s ultra-low input lag, makes it feel great for competitive gaming — or, in our case, running frantically from people who are much higher ranked than us. We wouldn’t use this monitor for MMOs or anything else that dumps a ton of information on the screen; this is a first-person shooter’s display, first and foremost.
We love that the PG259QNR is compatible with both G-Sync and FreeSync across its full refresh rate range, but you’ll have to use its single DisplayPort 1.4 connection to benefit from the full 360Hz instead of its two HDMI 2.0 ports. Though the display accepts an HDR signal, and supports 10-bit color depth, it’s not really built for HDR at all, since it only covered roughly 66% of the DCI-P3 color space in our testing. We wouldn’t recommend purchasing this monitor if you want a quality HDR image from your games, movies and other media.
Though we couldn’t adjust the display’s brightness on its sRGB setting, an annoyance for those buying the monitor in California, we measured its total luminance range on its Racing setting at 377.4 cd/m2 (41.2–418.6 cd/m2). That should give you plenty to work with, whether you’re using the display in daylight or a dim, murky gaming room.
If the PG259QNR’s price feels steep, consider checking out the PG259QN. It’s the exact same display minus a built-in Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer, which probably isn’t worth it if you don’t care about benchmarking your display. Whichever version you go with, you’re getting a great, color-accurate display for everyday use and an incredibly responsive, high refresh rate for all the Valorant and Counter-Strike matches you’ll be playing after you’re done with work for the day. Given its small size and resolution, this display definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you know that’s the setup you need for your quasi-competitive gaming, Asus’ display is the one to pick up.
Gaming monitors come in a wide range of configurations to suit different types of gaming setups and tastes, and there’s no monitor that’s going to be perfect for everyone every time. However, when it’s time to upgrade, some attributes are worth prioritizing above others.
In general, being able to game at as high a resolution as possible can also give you a noticeable quality boost — just compare any “fuzzier” 1080p display to a 4K monitor. But there can be trade-offs. Bigger resolutions don’t always mean better quality. A panel that struggles with color accuracy, ghosting, lag or any number of other issues won’t be saved by having a huge resolution. And if your system can’t output frame rates at a game’s highest-quality settings, the demands of a 4K display might force you to lower your settings to make your favorite games playable — a trade-off we don’t think is worth it.
IPS panels, OLED displays or the various OLED-like derivatives can deliver great picture quality, but to have a better shot of achieving great visuals without having to buy expensive calibration hardware of your own, consider displays that arrive pre-calibrated from the factory. That’s not a guarantee they’ll be perfect, but it helps.
HDR — high dynamic range — isn’t a necessity for a gaming monitor, but it sure looks great when it’s done right, like when you’re taking a break from gaming with your favorite HDR-friendly movie. If you’re planning to use your monitor for multiple purposes, or you’re going to hold onto your new gaming monitor for a few years, consider getting one that offers an HDR mode that supports the wide color gamuts you’ll probably encounter in the future.
HDR 400 offers less brightness and a narrower range of colors, so you’ll want to look for HDR 600 support at minimum, while HDR 1000 has the potential to give you a much better picture since it supports an increased number of local dimming zones these displays typically support. In other words, the more places the monitor can make dark scenes really dark and light parts really bright. Look for a display with an 8-bit picture; 10-bit is even better, but you probably won’t notice the difference.
Low response times and input lag are important if you’re playing twitch-based shooters, but are less relevant if you’re spending all your time in front of your computer playing Hearthstone, Satisfactoryor other games that don’t require rapid reflexes. That said, most good gaming monitors are fast enough that this shouldn’t be much of a concern to anyone; you’re more likely to notice issues with overshoot, or when a monitor goes too far past its target when transitioning between colors. This can create an unpleasant blurring or “ghosting” effect in moving content. Look to independent reviewers for these response time and input lag measurements, as manufacturers tend to goose these figures (or not report them at all).
Once we received each monitor, we measured each display’s maximum and minimum luminance using a ColorChecker Display Plus colorimeter in the free DisplayCAL software. We then set each display to a luminance of 120 cd/m2, whenever possible, and measured its gamut coverage for the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces. We then measured the color accuracy of each monitor’s default, as-shipped settings for sRGB and DCI-P3 (if applicable), which produced an average for 21 grayscale values and 29 colors, as well as a total average. We then ran those same tests for a display’s sRGB- or DCI-P3-specific presets, if they existed, and measured each display’s grayscale accuracy in its HDR mode(s).
We then fired up the Open Source Response Time Tool, built for us by TechTeamGB’s Andrew McDonald, to measure each display’s gamma-corrected average response time and visual response rating. Though this tool can also measure input lag, that can be sensitive to each reviewer’s individual setup, so we relied on others with more comprehensive, consistent databases of results to get a sense of each display’s potential lag.
We used all of these measurements, as well as a display’s specs and our hands-on time with each (playing games and using them for day-to-day work), to come up with our overall evaluation.
The M32U was a contender for our top pick, but this 4K display’s color accuracy wasn’t as great as Asus’ ROG Swift PG32UQX without some fiddling around — it’s good, but not great. Its sRGB mode improved its color accuracy considerably, making it as good as our primary pick, but that was the only mode we tested that performed as well. Its average response times were worse than the high-end Asus’, and its HDR 600 capabilities, while good, don’t give you anywhere near as gorgeous contrasts you’ll enjoy with the PG32UQX’s Mini LED backlight. The M32U is a solid display that costs a lot less, but it’s not the very best 4K gaming display you can get.
Asus’ display, though wickedly expensive, also has much stronger HDR capabilities and contrast ratios as a result of its Mini LED backlight than either of these IPS displays can produce with their edge backlights. Gigabyte’s display is only certified for HDR 400, which isn’t great, and LG’s bumps up to a more pleasant HDR 600 ”good enough” HDR performance, but nothing we’d get overly excited about. Both monitors work with G-Sync and FreeSync.
We also tested Samsung’s Odyssey Neo G8, a 4K Mini LED display, but its color accuracy was bad enough to be potentially noticeable on any of its presets we tested. The monitor’s average response times, on its default settings, were tied for worst of all 11 displays we evaluated for this guide, and we encountered an annoying and obvious ghosting effect in moving images as a result of the display’s significant overdrive. Oddly, the display also had no sRGB or DCI-P3 clamp whatsoever, which likely contributed to its color accuracy issues. This 240Hz, 32-inch gaming monitor was a surprising letdown.
Gigabyte’s M34WQ, a 34-inch ultrawide 144Hz 1440p display, had so-so color accuracy out of the box, but this greatly improved when we switched this HDR400 display over to its sRGB preset (slightly less so, its DCI-P3 preset). However, its maximum potential refresh rate was much less than our pick, Dell’s Alienware AW2721D. Its response times were worse, its HDR grayscale accuracy was worse and it had worse gamut coverage and volume for DCI-P3 than our pick. We liked that the display supports G-Sync and FreeSync, and it has a built-in KVM switch, which makes it simple to use one mouse and keyboard combination with multiple connected desktops.
The 1080p Acer XF243Y performed well on our color accuracy tests out of the box, but this 23.8-inch monitor maxes out at a 165Hz refresh rate. While that should be plenty for most gamers, those looking for an ultra-responsive, high-refresh-rate, 1080p display would be better served by our primary pick, Asus’ 360Hz PG259QNR. It’s also a slightly larger display, at 24.5 inches, and performed ever so slightly better on our average response rate tests. Both displays struggle to display a wide color gamut, so we wouldn’t count on either for HDR gaming (or movie-watching).
Who this is for: A dual-monitor setup is usually the best option if you want to have a bunch of app windows open at once. But an ultrawide model might be a better choice if you need a ton of unbroken horizontal space, or you don’t want monitor bezels in between windows.
Why we like it: The Dell P3421W has a sturdy adjustable stand, lots of ports (including a USB-C port that can handle power, display, and data over a single cable), and a three-year warranty. And it has a built-in KVM switch that allows you to easily swap your keyboard, mouse, and video between two computers. The 1440p display has a 60 Hz refresh rate, which is great for typical office work, web browsing, and casual gaming.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: If you use your display in direct sunlight, this monitor might not be bright enough for you. It can also provide 65 W of power over USB-C, but some laptops require more. If you have a laptop with an Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU or an Intel Core i7 processor, you might need to keep the laptop plugged in to a separate charger or use a Thunderbolt dock that can provide the extra power.
Most ultrawide monitors are also curved. This design helps minimize viewing-angle problems—when you’re sitting centered, things on the far edges of the screen won’t look as washed out as they would on a flat display of a similar width. But this also makes ultrawide monitors inaccurate for precision tasks requiring straight lines, such as drawing, photo editing, or similar design work.
The Asus ProArt Display PA278CV has a great-looking screen with good enough color accuracy for most people and all the ports you need to hook up desktop or laptop PCs. The PA278CV’s stand can tilt, swivel, and pivot the screen and raise and lower its height, its USB-C port can provide enough power to charge most 13-inch laptops, and it comes with a three-year warranty and a good dead-pixel policy. Its QHD resolution (2560×1440) means it isn’t as sharp as a 4K screen, but it’s also hundreds of dollars cheaper than comparable 4K monitors.
The MD271QP has a USB-C connection, making it easy to connect a modern laptop without the need for an HDMI cable or extra dongle. However, you’ll still need to plug in your laptop’s charging cable.
The MSI Modern MD271QP is a simple, streamlined 1440p monitor that’s perfect for laptop users. If you have a laptop with a USB-C port, a single cable will send the image to the monitor and slowly charge your laptop with 15 watts of power. However, you’ll still need to plug in a power cable as well to keep your laptop fully charged. The MD271QP lacks features we liked in the Asus ProArt PA278CV,including a built-in USB hub, granular color calibration controls, and blue-light filtering modes for reading. But if you don’t need to tinker with color settings or those extra USB connections, the MSI Modern MD271QP is a great monitor for $100 less than our top pick.
The Dell S2722QC is a 3840×2160 display that’s great for anyone who watches 4K content or casually edits photos or video. However, if most of your time is spent on general office work or browsing the internet, you don’t really need to spend the extra cash. The S2722QC has a USB-C port with 65 watts of charging, so it can power most laptops except higher-end devices like the Dell XPS 15-inch or the 16-inch MacBook Pros (which are picks in our guide to the best laptops for video and photo editing). For more powerful 4K displays, check out our guide for the best 4K monitors.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQ is a full-featured gaming monitor with HDR, a USB hub, and a robust menu system. The XG27AQ can reach a 170 Hz refresh rate, meaning the picture is updated 170 times per second, making motion in games look smoother and more realistic. We think this monitor is a nice balance between price and premium features like HDR, an overclockable refresh rate, a USB hub, good build quality, and a sturdy stand.
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Gaming motors are similar to other types of monitors, but they are designed to be of higher quality. Many manufacturers add LED lighting to these devices. They are made for professional use and with high expectations in mind to provide you with the best video game experience. These devices are usually much bigger than traditional monitors, as they can be from 24 to 50 inches wide.
This type usually has a lower color reproduction. This means that the colors can be slightly less sharp compared to IPS and VA panels. The contrast and brightness can also change depending on what angle you are viewing the screen.
However, TN panels have a quicker response time than the other two, only 1 ms. One pixel takes one millisecond to respond to the change of color. This is why professional gamers often go for this type of panel rather than IPS or VA.
This type of gaming panel has the best contrast, which, according to tests, allows it to produce very deep shades of black, making the VA panel achieve much more realistic and vivid details and colors. Unfortunately, VA panels have the worst response time compared to the other two.
However, this is not a problem for most gamers because of the intense colors. If you are a competitive gamer or play very quick games, you might want to consider one of the other two types of panels.
IPS panels have much more precise and consistent colors but do not have contrast as high as VA panels. They also have the best viewing angles, which means that you can see the screen well from any angle. However, the response time is a bit limited; it is not as fast as TN panels and not as slow as VA panels. The main problem that users find with IPS panels is the brightness, as there is usually a light at the corners of the screen.
Once you start using gaming monitors, tests show that the difference between them and regular monitors is very evident. In the list below we have provided the most important advantages and disadvantages of gaming monitors, according to opinions of experts and customers.
If you have gotten to this part in the article, you are probably still considering buying a gaming monitor. Congratulations! Before proceeding with your purchase, you need to keep certain shopping criteria in mind. Based on tests and customer and expert opinion, those are the refresh rate, input lag, response time, size, resolution, built-in technology, and the extra characteristics that come with the model. To help you make the best choice, we have expanded on these criteria in the section below.
Currently, gaming monitor manufacturers usually offer the following: 60 Hz, 75 Hz, 100 Hz, 120 Hz, 144 Hz, and even up to 240 Hz. Today, most monitors are 60 Hz. You might be wondering what that means. This is the monitor’s refresh rate. 60 Hz means that your monitor will refresh the screen once every 16.7 milliseconds. Therefore, a 120 Hz screen will refresh the screen two times faster or every 8.33 milliseconds. The higher the refresh rate is, the faster the screen will be refreshed. This is especially important with action games or other games where there is a lot of movement.
This information is usually not included in the product description, so you might have to look for the input lag in forums. Generally, the gamer community opinion is that the input lag should be, at most, 30 ms. Fortunately, most gaming monitors have an input lag of 10ms or less.
On the other hand, tests have shown that the longer the response time is, the more ghosting you will experience. The response time in pixels refers to how fast the monitor can change from one image to another once it has received the information of the new image. The response time completely depends on the type of panel that you are using. In customer and expert opinion, if you usually play very competitive games, you should choose the TN panel, as it offers a response time as low as 1 ms. If you are not a competitive gamer, 3 to 5 ms will be more than enough.
This size of the monitor is usually measured in inches. Remember that tests and reviews show that the size has nothing to do with the performance of your gaming monitor. If you are playing games on a 15-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, it is the same as using this same resolution on a 29-inch screen.
The resolution that you need depends on the game system that you will use. However, tests show that you will need a strong GPU configuration to achieve the best resolution without affecting the performance of the monitor. If you want resolutions that are higher than 1920 x 1080, you will need a GPU configuration with more than 4 GB of RAM.
When it comes to the dimensional relationship, in most gamers opinion 16:9 is the best. This amount of dimensional relationship allows for a wider FOV (field of view,) which will give you a slight advantage against your opponents. We recommend a resolution of 1080 px and a dimensional relationship of 16:9.
You will notice that some gaming monitors have AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-SYNC technology built-in already. This technology offers a great refresh rate that will allow the monitor to adjust its refresh rate according to your GPU. Testing has shown that this is ideal as it will eliminate any lag that you may experience.
To allow this function to work, you will need a compatible AMD card for FreeSync monitors or a compatible NVIDIA card for G-SYNC monitors. However, some FreeSync monitors are compatible with G-SYNC and will work with NVIDIA cards.
Gaming monitors can also include extra parts or characteristics that can be very useful. Some monitors include internal speakers that are usually not of good quality but can work as a backup. Also, manufacturers often design their monitors to be appealing to gamers like you.
The answer to this question depends greatly on how you will use your gaming monitor. If you are using it for your leisure time or competitive gaming, a TN panel will be perfect. As we have mentioned above, this type gives you a response time of only 1ms. Another advantage is that these panels are usually more inexpensive than the others as they are cheaper to manufacture. However, the colors do not look very good from certain angles.
On the other hand, if you are planning on using your panel for professional gaming, tests have shown that you should get an IPS panel, as they have much brighter and more vivid colors. You can notice much smaller details with this type of panel. Finally, if you are looking for normal use, a VA panel is enough.
The answer is yes, of course. Regular monitors have not been made to provide you with the best gaming experience and their use is very limited. They do not have amazing benefits like high-resolution or short refresh rates that are necessary in the gaming world.
Regular monitors also do not have short response times or high latencies. If you use one of these monitors instead of a gaming monitor, tests have shown that you are likely to experience ghosting (blurry images) or lagging.
So, why would anyone ever buy a TN panel? For starters, they’re cheap. They don’t cost a lot to produce, so they’re often used in the most budget-friendly options. If you don’t value color reproduction or need excellent viewing angles, a TN panel might be fine for your office or study.
TN panels also have the lowest input lag—typically around one millisecond. They can also handle high refresh rates of up to 240 Hz. This makes them an attractive option for competitive multiplayer games—especially eSports, where every split-second counts.
IPS technology was developed to improve upon the limitations of TN panels—most notably, the poor color reproduction and limited viewing angles. As a result, IPS panels are much better than TNs in both of these areas.
In particular, IPS panels have vastly superior viewing angles than TNs. This means you can view IPS panels from extreme angles and still get accurate color reproduction. Unlike TNs, you’ll notice very little shift in color when you view one from a less-than-ideal perspective.
IPS panels are also known for their relatively good black reproduction, which helps eliminate the “washed out” look you get with TN panels. However, IPS panels fall short of the excellent contrast ratios you’ll find on VAs.
While high refresh rates were typically reserved for TNs, more manufacturers are producing IPS panels with refresh rates of 240 Hz. For example, the 27-inch 1080p ASUS VG279QM uses an IPS panel and supports 280 Hz.
Previously, TNs exhibited less input lag than any other panel, but IPS technology has finally caught up. In June 2019, LG announced its new Nano IPS UltraGear monitors with a response time of one millisecond.
Despite the gap being closed, you’ll still pay more for an IPS panel with such a low response time than you would for a TN with similar specs. If you’re on a