best lcd panel type for gaming free sample

Your gaming monitor is one of the most important parts of your PC, and a big part of that is down to the type of panel it uses to display all those lovely polygons. You"ve probably seen lots of different monitor panel types crop up in a gaming screen"s specs sheet, too: words like TN, IPS and VA. But what do they actually mean, and how do they affect the quality of your gaming monitor? Well, as you"ve probably guessed from the title up top there, I"m going to tell you everything you need to know about all the different gaming monitor panel types, including their strengths, weaknesses and which one you should look to buy if you want the best possible image quality.

Now, I"m going to warn you - most of what you"ll read below is all going to be pretty general. Not all panel types behave the same way, for example, and there will always be some that outperform the rest. That"s why it"s still important to read proper reviews of gaming monitors so you can get an accurate picture of how a monitor"s panel type stacks up against the rest.

I"m also not going to spend ages talking about the exact chemical structure of every single type of sub-pixel, because, well, there are plenty of other people who have done that already. If you"re after that kind of detail, I"d suggest heading over to the folks at TFT Central. Instead, I"m going to be concentrating on what you actually need to know about gaming monitor panel types, such as how their various characteristics affect their performance, and how you can avoid falling into monitor misery by making sure you know exactly what specs sheets are talking about when they start throwing a million acronyms at you. So let"s get to it.

Let"s start with one of the most common monitor panel types available today: TN, or Twisted Nematic. TN panels are what you"ll find in most gaming monitors these days, especially ones with high refresh rates and those geared toward competitive esports and the like.

The good: That"s because they"re a) generally quite cheap to make and b) have the fastest response times out of all the different panel types. This means there"s less lag between you clicking your mouse or tapping your keyboard and that action being translated onscreen, making them ideal for twitchy shooters and games that need fast reaction times.

There are other benefits to having a fast response time as well. These include less blurring and ghosting when fast moving objects appear onscreen, which in turn leads to a clearer, crisper image. Indeed, some gaming monitors boast their response times are as low as just 1ms sometimes, but the key thing to watch out for are the words that come after it, such as "black-to-black" or "grey-to-grey" (which is often abbreviated to GTG).

Black-to-black is the standard response time measurement and refers to the amount of time it takes for a pixel to change from black to white to black again. It"s the fastest change possible in a monitor, and is generally regarded as the monitor"s best and more accurate response time.

The problem is that this kind of transition doesn"t often happen in everyday practice - especially not when playing games. Instead, most pixels are showing colour, which is why some manufacturers quote a grey-to-grey response time instead. However, this can mean different things depending on different manufacturers, as it all depends on what shade of grey they take as their starting point. Lighter greys will transition to white faster than darker greys, for example, and so a GTG figure won"t necessarily be the same for every pixel. As a result, GTG times are more of a rough guide to a monitor"s response time rather than a definite fact.

Over the years, other technologies have come along to try and improve a monitor"s GTG response time, or help correct the effects of having slightly slower response times. Some monitors, for instance, have an Overdrive feature, which is designed to make pixels change states much faster by applying a higher voltage to them. This can often dramatically improve a monitor"s GTG response times in particular, and if you see a very fast one quoted on the box, it"s almost certainly been achieved using some sort of Overdrive feature.

The bad: Alas, the disadvantage of picking a TN panel is that they generally don"t have the best colour accuracy and they also have quite narrow viewing angles. The former isn"t the case for every TN screen - those certified by Nvidia for use in their G-Sync gaming monitors, for instance, have to meet rigorous colour accuracy standards - but I"ve seen plenty of non-G-Sync screens that barely cover 85% of the standard sRGB colour gamut, which means washed out colours and generally not very rich and vibrant images.

IPS monitors, on the other hand, are all about colour accuracy. Largely made by LG, there have actually been lots of different types of IPS panel that have emerged over the years as varying manufacturers tried their hand at matching the quality of LG"s panels, leading to dozens of different variations and combinations of acronyms. These days, though, most manufacturers (especially gaming ones) just tend to say they"re IPS as opposed a specific variant.

Unless, that is, it"s an AHVA, or Advanced Hyper-Viewing Angle, panel. Despite sounding like a VA panel (our third main panel type, which you"ll find more on below), AHVA is actually another type of IPS panel produced by AU Optronics and offers pretty much identical performance to a classic LG IPS panel.

The good: As I just mentioned, IPS panels generally have pretty great colour accuracy (I normally expect an sRGB coverage score of around 96% here) and wide viewing angles, making them better suited to colour intensive work and tasks like photo and video editing. This is true across all types of IPS panel, and their superior viewing angles (often quoted as 178 / 178 degrees) means you don"t get that nasty colour or contrast shift when you"re looking at the screen from a funny angle.

The bad: Unfortunately, their response times are often slower than TN panels, although these have become a lot better in recent years. Personally, I"ve never had any problems with latency when playing games on this type of screen, and for me, image quality is a lot more important than a couple of millisecond"s difference in overall response time.

They can also be more expensive to produce than TN panels, which, combined with their slower response times, is another reason why you don"t tend to see them a lot in displays designed primarily for gaming.

Finally, there"s the VA, or Vertical Alignment panel. Much like IPS, there are dozens of different types of VA panel, but the main ones we need to concern ourselves with are MVA (multi-domain vertical alignment) and AMVA (advanced MVA).

MVA panels were first designed to sit in the middle of TN and IPS displays, offering better viewing angles than TN screens and higher contrast ratios and deeper blacks than IPS. However, their colour accuracy isn"t quite as good as IPS, and they don"t have very fast response times, either.

AMVA, on the other hand (not to be confused with the IPS-like AHVA panel tech described above) builds on that even further, improving the panel"s colour accuracy while still maintaining those ultra high contrast ratios and deep blacks. Its viewing angles still aren"t quite as wide as IPS displays, though, and its response times are still a bit slower as well. However, through the use of features like a monitor"s Overdrive function, VA response times are now much faster than they used to be, making them a much more common occurrence in gaming screens, especially when it comes to curved or ultrawide displays.

The good: As a result, VA monitors can sort of be viewed as the ultimate compromise screen. The key advantages are their best in class black levels and their superior contrast ratios, and compared to TN panels, they also have better viewing angles and higher colour accuracy.

The bad: However, while VA might rectify some of the weaknesses you"ll find in TN screens, they"re still not as colour accurate as IPS panels, and their narrower viewing angles also can"t compete with their IPS rivals, either. Their main weakness, however, is their slow response time, which is generally said to be the slowest of the three main panel types. As I said, steps have been taken to try and mitigate this when it comes to putting a VA panel inside a gaming monitor, but if your gaming library consists solely of competitive shooters and the like, then you"re probably better off looking elsewhere.

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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 budget, expect a response time of around four milliseconds for a good IPS monitor.

One last thing to be aware of with IPS panels is a phenomenon called “IPS glow.” It’s when you see the display’s backlight shining through it at more extreme viewing angles. It’s not a huge problem unless you view the panel from the side, but it’s something to keep in mind.

VA panels are something of a compromise between TN and IPS. They offer the best contrast ratios, which is why TV manufacturers use them extensively. While an IPS monitor typically has a contrast ratio of 1000:1, it’s not unusual to see 3000:1 or 6000:1 in a comparable VA panel.

In terms of viewing angles, VAs can’t quite match the performance of IPS panels. Screen brightness, in particular, can vary based on the angle from which you’re viewing, but you won’t get the “IPS glow.”

VAs have slower response times than TNs and the newer Nano IPS panels with their one-millisecond response rates. You can find VA monitors with high refresh rates (240 Hz), but the latency can result in more ghosting and motion blur. For this reason, competitive gamers should avoid VA.

Compared to TNs, VA panels do offer much better color reproduction and typically hit the full sRGB spectrum, even on lower-end models. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, Samsung’s Quantum Dot SVA panels can hit 125 percent sRGB coverage.

For these reasons, VA panels are seen as the jack of all trades. They’re ideal for general use, but they either match or fall short in most other areas except contrast ratio. VAs are good for gamers who enjoy single-player or casual experiences.

When compared to CRT monitors, all LCD panels suffer from some form of latency issue. This was a real problem when TN panels first appeared, and it’s plagued IPS and VA monitors for years. But technology has moved on, and while many of these issues have been improved, they haven’t been eliminated entirely.

Uneven backlighting is another issue you’ll find on all panel types. Often this comes down to overall build quality—cheaper models slack on quality control to save on production costs. So, if you’re looking for a cheap monitor, be prepared for some uneven backlighting. However, you’ll mostly only notice it on solid or very dark backgrounds.

LCD panels are also susceptible to dead or stuck pixels. Different manufacturers and jurisdictions have different policies and consumer laws covering dead pixels. If you’re a perfectionist, check the manufacturer’s dead-pixel policy before you buy. Some will replace a monitor with a single dead pixel for free, while others require a minimum number.

Office or study use: Your budget should be your primary concern here. VA is the do-it-all panel, with superior viewing angles to TN, but either would do the trick. You can save some money because you don’t need high refresh rates or ultra-low latency. They’re still nice, though. You’ll see a noticeable difference in smoothness just when moving the Windows cursor on a monitor with a 144 versus 60 Hz refresh rate.

Photo and video editors/Digital artists: IPS panels are still generally favored for their ability to display a wide gamut of colors. It’s not unusual to find VA panels that also cover a wide gamut (125 percent sRGB, and over 90 percent DCI-P3), but they tend to exhibit more motion blur during fast-paced action than IPS panels. If you’re serious about color accuracy, you’ll need to properly calibrate your monitor.

Programmers who mount monitors vertically: You might think TN panels are great for programmers, but that’s not necessarily the case. TN panels have particularly bad viewing angles on the vertical axis. If you mount your monitor in portrait mode (as many programmers and mobile developers do), you’ll get the worst possible viewing angles from a TN panel. For the best possible viewing angles in this scenario, invest in an IPS display.

Competitive online gamers: There’s no question TN panels are still favored in the eSports world. Even the cheapest models have fast response times and support for high refresh rates. For 1080p gaming, a 24-inch will do just fine, or you could opt for a 1440p, 27-inch model without breaking the bank. You might want to go for an IPS panel as more low-latency models hit the market, but expect to pay more.

Non-competitive, high-end PC gamers: For a rich, immersive image that pops, a VA panel will provide a higher contrast ratio than IPS or TN. For deep blacks and a sharp, contrasting image, VA is the winner. If you’re okay with sacrificing some contrast, you can go the IPS route. However, we’d recommend avoiding TN altogether unless you play competitively.

Best all-rounder: VA is the winner here, but IPS is better in all areas except contrast ratio. If you can sacrifice contrast, an IPS panel will provide fairly low latency, decent blacks, and satisfactory color coverage.

As you probably know, you can usually get a monitor cheaper online than at a brick-and-mortar store. Unfortunately, buying online also usually means buying blind. And with a TV or monitor, that can lead to disappointment.

If you can, check out the monitor you’re interested in in-person before you buy it. You can perform some simple ghosting and motion blur tests by grabbing a window with the mouse and moving it rapidly around the screen. You can also test the brightness, watch some videos, and play with the onscreen display to get a feel for it.

The best gaming monitor will probably outlive your PC"s other components, and as a window to your gaming experience it"s one peripheral to avoid compromising too much on. Cyber Monday gaming monitor(opens in new tab) deals are available now, so it"s a good time to go display shopping.

To get the most for your money, you want to match your monitor choice with your PC specs. A 4K monitor with a high refresh rate would be overkill if your rig is only packing a GTX 1060. If you"ve had the cash to drop on an Nvidia RTX 4090(opens in new tab) or a high-end AMD RX 6000(opens in new tab) series GPU, you can take your pick of 4K panels. Those sitting somewhere in the mid-range of things—with, say, an RTX 2070 Super—are better off looking at 1440p displays. Even high-end PC owners might consider skipping 4K, though: 1440p is the sweet spot right now.

For the competitive gamer who values speed above all else, check out our list of high refresh rate monitors(opens in new tab) , which run at 240Hz and even 360Hz. I"ve been constantly testing gaming monitors through my career and have made sure that only the best for each budget have crept onto this guide. It"s extensive, but there are a whole lotta gaming monitors out there, and plenty deserve your attention. This list is updated frequently as newer models pass the rigorous PC Gamer testing ringer.

Why you can trust PC GamerOur 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.

OLED has truly arrived on PC, and in ultrawide format no less. Alienware"s 34 QD-OLED is one of very few gaming monitors to receive such a stellar score from us, and it"s no surprise. Dell has nailed the OLED panel in this screen and it"s absolutely gorgeous for PC gaming. Although this monitor isn’t perfect, it is dramatically better than any LCD-based monitor by several gaming-critical metrics. And it’s a genuine thrill to use.

What that 34-inch, 21:9 panel can deliver in either of its HDR modes—HDR 400 True Black or HDR Peak 1000—is nothing short of exceptional. The 3440 x 1440 native resolution image it produces across that gentle 1800R curve is punchy and vibrant. With 99.3% coverage of the demanding DCI-P3 color space and fully 1,000 nits brightness, it makes a good go, though that brightness level can only be achieved on a small portion of the panel.

Still, there’s so much depth, saturation, and clarity to the in-game image thanks to that per-pixel lighting, but this OLED screen needs to be in HDR mode to do its thing. And that applies to SDR content, too. HDR Peak 1000 mode enables that maximum 1,000 nit performance in small areas of the panel but actually looks less vibrant and punchy most of the time.

HDR 400 True Black mode generally gives the best results, after you jump into the Windows Display Settings menu and crank the SDR brightness up, it looks much more zingy.If you"re going to hook your PC up to a high-end gaming monitor, we recommend it be this one.

Burn-in is the great fear and that leads to a few quirks. For starters, you’ll occasionally notice the entire image shifting by a pixel or two. The panel is actually overprovisioned with pixels by about 20 in both axes, providing plenty of leeway. It’s a little like the overprovisioning of memory cells in an SSD and it allows Alienware to prevent static elements from “burning” into the display over time.

While we didn’t sense any subjective issue with this 175Hz monitor, there’s little doubt that if your gaming fun and success hinges on having the lowest possible latency, there are faster screens available. You can only achieve the full 175Hz with the single DisplayPort input, too. The Alienware 34 QD-OLED"s response time is absurdly quick at 0.1ms, however, and it cruised through our monitor testing suite. You really notice that speed in-game, too.

There"s no HDMI 2.1 on this panel, however. So it"s probably not the best fit for console gaming as a result. But this is PC Gamer, and if you"re going to hook your PC up to a high-end gaming monitor, we recommend it be this one.

4K gaming is a premium endeavor. You need a colossal amount of rendering power to hit decent frame rates at such a high resolution. But if you"re rocking a top-shelf graphics card, like an RTX 3080(opens in new tab) or RX 6800 XT(opens in new tab) then this dream can be a reality.

The LG UltraGear is the first 4K, Nano IPS, gaming monitor with 1ms response times, that"ll properly show off your superpowered GPU. Coming in with Nvidia G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync adaptive refresh compatibility, this slick slim-bezel design even offers LG’s Sphere Lighting 2.0 RGB visual theatrics.

While it does suffer from a little characteristic IPS glow, it appears mostly at the screen extremities when you’re spying darker game scenes. This isn"t an issue most of the time, but the HDR is a little disappointing as, frankly, 16 edge-lit local dimming zones do not a true HDR panel make.The color fidelity of the NanoIPS panel is outstanding.

What is most impressive, however, is the Nano IPS tech that offers a wider color gamut and stellar viewing angles. And the color fidelity of the NanoIPS panel is outstanding.

The LG UltraGear 27GN950-B bags you a terrific panel with exquisite IPS image quality. Despite the lesser HDR capabilities, it also nets beautiful colors and contrast for your games too. G-Sync offers stable pictures and smoothness, and the speedy refresh rate and response times back this up too.

The G27Q proves that you don"t need to spend a fortune for a decent IPS 1440p display. At around $330, Gigabyte"s 27-incher packs in plenty of sought-after features, but more importantly, it provides rich color and smooth gameplay.

As a flat, 27-inch display with a design that wouldn"t stand out in an office environment, it looks pretty pedestrian. But it"s actually one of the best gaming monitors I"ve had the pleasure of using. Not only does it have a gorgeous, vibrant IPS panel, with 8-bit color with 92% DCI-P3 coverage, it"s also HDR capable.

As someone who loves visual fidelity, I appreciate this resolution for clarity and performance. Even the humble GTX 1660 Super in my desktop is comfortably driving games at 60FPS at high settings. If you spend all your time playing CS:GO or Valorant, then the 144Hz refresh could hold you back a bit, but that 1ms response time sure helps.

The Gigabyte G27Q handles gaming with aplomb thanks to adaptive sync via AMD FreeSync Premium. It"s also G-Sync Compatible so whether you are team Green or Red, the G27Q plays nice. I didn"t have an AMD GPU to test but I did use an Nvidia-powered desktop and laptop. Neither had any problems running games with G-Sync enabled.

It"s a bit of a plain Jane compared to other more pricey options, but it packs plenty of useful features designed to enhance your gaming pleasure.It"s also G-Sync Compatible so whether you are team Green or Red, the G27Q plays nice.

It gets eye-searingly bright thanks to its VESA Display HDR 400 Certification, but in gaming, sunny skies and other bright spots tend to blow out and lose definition at max brightness. Dark areas also sometimes get crushed.

Connection-wise, you"re looking at two HDMI 2.0 ports and a DisplayPort 1.2, along with a pair of USB 3.0 Type-A downstream ports and one USB 3.0 Type-B. Oh, and it also comes with a pair of 2W speakers integrated into the monitor.

Much like the mystical ways of the Force, PC gaming is all about balance. There"s little point weighting your system too heavily in one direction without paying attention to the whole package. Why bother pairing your RTX 3080 Ti with a 60Hz 1080p screen? Likewise, why spend big on a 4K monitor when you"re only sporting a Radeon RX 6600?

The classic 27-inch Dell S2722DGM marries that screen real estate with a 2560 x 1440 native resolution, which gives you a great pixel pitch for fine detail. At 1440p it"s also a decent resolution for getting high frame rates without the GPU demands of a 4K display. It"s also capable of delivering that resolution at 165Hz, which is appreciated.

At 2ms GtG response, it"s just a hair behind the 1ms and 0.5ms ratings of the best IPS panels, so you"re covered when it comes to speed. That said, you can find quicker panels if you really want to chase speed. This VA panel does have a high contrast ratio, at least, given the technology"s inherent strong contrast.This Dell monitor is most importantly available at a great price.

As for picture quality, the Dell S2722DGM is a reasonably punchy and vibrant monitor considering it"s a pure SDR panel. The strong inherent contrast certainly helps with that, ensuring you don"t feel short-changed running games like Cyberpunk 2077, which support HDR, in SDR mode.

We"d steer clear of MPRT mode, which hammers the panel"s brightness and vibrancy. "Extreme" mode, which is rated at 2ms, does suffer from a whiff of overshoot, but that"s only just visible in-game, while "Super fast" resolves the overshoot but allows just a little smearing of darker tones.

USB Type-C connectivity doesn"t feature. But the dual HDMI and a single DisplayPort connections are just fine, even if the HDMI ports top out at 144Hz rather than 165Hz.

This Dell monitor is most importantly available at a great price. Dell delivers high-quality gaming panels, with all the features you need and a few extraneous ones to bump up the price. And that makes it one of the best gaming monitors for most PC gamers today.

Refresh rate, resolution, black levels, panel size: pick two. That"s been the PC monitor buyer"s dilemma for several years now, since we collectively realised that yes, playing at a higher refresh rate does actually make you better at Counter-Strike. MSI"s latest panel, bearing the catchy moniker Oculux NXG253R, aims to at least address the most common tradeoff in modern gaming panels: refresh rate for colour quality.

Whereas the majority of high refresh rate panels are VA or TN screens with limited viewing angle and shallow colours, MSI"s latest is built around an IPS panel, with all the inky blacks and rich colours that technology brings with it. Traditionally IPS has been slower to the party since it"s costlier to manufacture high refresh rate panels, but evidently enough of us are sold on 120Hz and beyond.360Hz does look and feel smoother than 120Hz.

Way beyond, in fact. This is the first 360Hz monitor I"ve played on, and I must admit to being sceptical about whatever marginal gains I might see in performance. 60Hz to 120Hz is transformative, but 120Hz to 360Hz? Surely one"s gaming performance doesn"t increase exponentially. And don"t eyes only see 60 fps anyway?

It turns out that while that performance gain might not exist on a linear curve, 360Hz does look and feel smoother than 120Hz, and the decreased ghosting of any targets in your shooter of choice does make them that bit easier to connect with. If your aspirations for online competition are pretty serious, that"s really all you need to know.

This being an IPS panel with typically darker blacks, it definitely looks more vivid in-game than even a good TN screen, and the colours hold up at any viewing angle. You"ve got a few preset brightness and color balance modes to cycle between on the OSD, arranged by genre. FPS is super-bright and saturated, racing is a bit more subdued by contrast. Out of the box, the default colour and brightness settings are easy on the eye and really sell the IPS benefit.

G-Sync itself is present here too, and although that won"t be a big deal to competitive players due to the miniscule latency increase it adds to the signal chain, for the rest of us dropping this much on a 1080p monitor, it sweetens the deal. Whether or not it actually feels smoother than 300+ fps of non-v-synced gameplay is really in the eye of the beholder, but it has always been, and remains, a useful tool in one"s armoury for those slower games, the Fallout 4s and Cyberpunks, who need all the help they can get to smooth it all out.

The Oculux NXG253R"s mandate is sound, then, but there are still compromises made in this pricey 1080p monitor in order to optimise esports performance. The most obvious are the screen size and resolution, 24.5-inch and 1080p respectively. You could certainly argue that nobody"s getting 360 fps at 4K in… well, anything outside of CS:GO or MOBAs, and quite rightly so. But spending this much on a monitor that won"t even give you 1440p feels like a serious tradeoff, and that resolution dictates a smaller panel size. Nobody wants to see the individual pixels at 1080p on a 32-inch screen.

There"s a real performance benefit here, and a sheer enjoyment multiplier. You just have to make peace with the idea of buying into a piece of specialist equipment, not an all-rounder.

We"d all love to have a thousand bucks burning a hole in our back pockets to blow on a new gaming monitor. But back in the real world, the Dell S3222DGM wants a crack at the kind of budget most of us actually have.

It"s a 32-inch beast with a VA panel running at up to 165Hz and delivering 2,560 by 1,440 pixels. Yup, the tried and tested 1440p resolution, the sweet spot for real-world gaming according to many, the perfect balance between performance and visual detail. The catch is all that normally applies to 27-inch models. 32 inches? That makes for a pretty big panel for 1440p in terms of pixel density.

Where the low pixel density hurts most is actually in Windows. If you like crisp fonts and lots of desktop real estate, this isn’t the monitor for you. For everyone else, well, it comes down to the value proposition. There are faster monitors. There are monitors with superior IPS-powered image quality. There are monitors with all kinds of HDR support not found here. And others with far more pixels or more dramatic aspect ratios.

This is a gaming-centric monitor without any HDR support but based on VA panel technology. So, the peak brightness is 350 nits, static contrast is about as good as it gets at 3,000:1, and there"s official AMD FreeSync Premium certification.Rounding out the basics is a gentle 1800R panel curve.

Rounding out the basics is a gentle 1800R panel curve. It"s a slightly odd, though not actually unique, feature for this class of display. Curvature is a more obvious and natural fit for ultrawide displays. On a conventional 16:9 panel? We still need a little convincing.

Dell quotes 8ms gray-to-gray in "fast" mode, 4ms gray-to-gray in "super fast", 2ms gray-to-gray in "extreme", and finally, and somewhat confusingly, 1ms gray-to-gray in "MPRT" mode. The "MPRT" setting is, for us, a non-starter since it crushes brightness so comprehensively. "Super fast" it is, then, and the result is good but not absolutely great response with no overshoot. Pretty much what you’d expect given the 4ms rating for "super fast".

But add in the 165Hz refresh and you have a pretty convincing monitor for response-critical online shooters. To be sure, if that is your number one priority, you’d be better off with a higher-refresh 1080p IPS monitor with faster response. If you want a larger panel like this, 4K isn’t an all-around win. It comes with a huge additional GPU load and that in turn requires mega-investment levels in a good graphics card

It"s worth remembering that pricing for this class of display—a 32-inch 165Hz 1440p panel—extends all the way up to $800 in the Corsair Xeneon 32QHD165(opens in new tab). So, while the Dell S3222DGM isn"t all that exciting from a technical point of view, for the money, it"s pretty convincing.

The Pixio PX277 Prime is about as barebones as it comes in regards to gaming monitors. Designed with a sci-fi theme in mind, the base is sharp-looking, and a lot of thought certainly went into the thing"s build quality. The thin bezel is always a plus in our book, too.

Here, this 27-inch panel provides frames at a stable 165Hz refresh rate, not the speediest but certainly workable for competitive gaming. The 1ms grey-to-grey response time doesn"t hurt for gaming either. As a FreeSync certified monitor, AMD users can be sure of a tear-free gaming experience.

At 1440p you get a good pixel density for the size of the monitor, and the image is pretty sharp to boot. The screen itself is advertised as anti-glare and we"re seen that it holds its own in most brightly lit environments, though doesn"t do so well in dim spaces.A great entry-level option for those looking for a larger screen.

The biggest selling point of the PX277 Prime, though, is its low price point. A great entry-level option for those looking for a larger screen with a high refresh rate and don"t want to be left totally broke.

While the build quality isn"t as robust as a higher-spec screen, the Pixio panel is perfect for the budget gamer who doesn"t mind missing out on some of the bells and whistles of a higher-end monitor but is keen on top performance.

We"re finally in an era of gaming where an affordable 4K monitor and a fast 4K monitor are one and the same. You could still buy a lower resolution panel for a whole lot less, but as the Gigabyte M32UC proves you can get a whole lot of screen for what feels like a fair price.

You can find this monitor going for as low as $600, which is an awfully competitive price tag for a speedy 4K gaming monitor at this size. Gigabyte has figured out a heady blend of features for that sort of money too, with two HDMI 2.1 ports, 1ms MPRT, FreeSync Premium Pro, and even a USB 3.2 hub.

The M32UC runs at a perfectly reasonable 144Hz out of the box—and you"ll need a powerful graphics card to make the most of that at 4K. However, if you hook this monitor up via DisplayPort 1.4 you can also overclock the panel via the OSD. That bumps the refresh rate up to 160Hz, and while that"s probably excessive for most, if you"re going big with the rest of your rig (or plan to pick up a powerful next-gen GPU sometime in the future) then it"s a decent option to have at the ready.Fine details are well preserved and this panel doesn"t struggle with saturation.

But something to consider with the M32UC"s blend of resolution and refresh rate is that even a high-end GPU won"t always make the most of it. That"s what makes the M32UC"s FreeSync capabilities so crucially important. Keeping this panel in sync with your graphics card when it"s underthe max refresh rate of the screen, as it is likely going to be at times, prevents a whole lot of screen tearing.

It should come as no surprise that the 32-inch panel running at 4K results in a stunningly crisp image while gaming. I"ve been playing arguably too much Destiny 2 right now and the M32UC is a stunning way to experience the game. Fine details are well preserved and this panel doesn"t struggle with saturation, which makes for a luscious and vibrant image.

The M32U also offers a DisplayHDR 400 rating on the box, though I wouldn"t consider it for its HDR capabilities. It"s lacking much of what"s required of a true HDR monitor, such as a higher brightness and local dimming. You also have to look past what is otherwise a fairly bland outer shell on the Gigabyte.

In terms of value for money, Gigabyte has hit the nail on the head with the M32UC. If you look around for competition with similar specs at around the same price, you"ll often only find other Gigabyte models coming close, including a handful of often discounted Aorus models. That makes the M32UC a great choice if you"re planning ahead for a next-gen 4K-capable gaming PC or if you already have a high-end GPU but are not yet making the most of it.

If your mantra for displays is "go big or go home," Acer hears you, and its Predator X38 is a massive 38-inch curved screen that looks stunning. It features a not-quite-4K QHD ultrawide panel with a 3840x1600 resolution. With an aspect ratio of 24:9, the IPS panel looks great, and the size means you have a lot of screen real estate for gaming.

It’s curved a little, with a relatively relaxed 2300R bend, and comes with a sturdy, pre-fitted big metal stand—one that tilts back a full 35 degrees, exposing its display and power ports underneath for effortless, no-fumble plugging in.

The display also features G-Sync technology with up to 175Hz variable refresh rates. That"s a huge boost over lower refresh rate curved gaming monitors, and Acer has overcome the big IPS downside of typically high response times, too. This beast has a 1ms GtG response, which is truly IPS coming of age and doing it all without the compromises of old.

Banding was pretty much non-existent and the backlighting was even, though with a faintly noticeable glow coming from the edges in dark scenes, but nothing to be troubled about and not noticeable at all while gaming.

Pushing the overclock to 175Hz yielded a perfect result with no ghosting visible. Small details like text were rock solid, too, with no shimmering. At such a huge resolution your graphics card will obviously be taxed in many games, and for me while testing this I generally left it at 144Hz, though for several days I used it on 175Hz for everything – including boring work, and it was rock solid and crisp all the time.

It"s a big, bold, and beautiful-looking display. If you"re looking for something to turn heads, this is one of the best widescreen gaming monitors out there.

It"s taller than the 27-inch 16:9 displays and nearly half again as wide, but the higher resolution means the dot pitch is slightly lower than, the lesser panels. And for games that properly support ultrawide resolutions, the surround effect of the XR382CQK is incredibly immersive—sitting at your desk, the 38-inch panel will fill your field of view.

The best just got a whole lot better. That’s surely a foregone conclusion for the new Samsung Odyssey Neo G9. After all, the original Odyssey G9 was already Samsung’s tip-top gaming monitor. Now it’s been given the one upgrade it really needed. Yup, the Neo G9 is packing a mini-LED backlight.

Out of the box, it looks identical to the old G9. Deep inside, however, the original G9’s single most obvious shortcoming has been addressed. And then some. The Neo G9 still has a fantastic VA panel. But its new backlight is what counts here—it offers far more than just edge-lit dimming.

It packs a cutting-edge mini-LED tech with no fewer than 2,048 zones. This thing is several orders of magnitude more sophisticated than before. As if that wasn’t enough, the Neo G9’s peak brightness has doubled to a retina-wrecking 2,000 nits. What a beast.

Visible halos around small, bright objects are the sort of issue you expect from full-array dimming. But the Neo G9 has its own, surprisingly crude, backlight-induced image quality issues. Admittedly, they’re most visible on the Windows desktop rather than in-game or watching video.Graphics-heavy titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Witcher III are what the G9 does best.

If you position a bright white window next to an all-black window, the adjacent edge of the former visibly dims. Or let’s say you move a small, bright object over a dark background. The same thing happens. The small, bright object dims. Even uglier, if something like a bright dialogue box pops up across the divide between light and dark elements, the result is a gradient of brightness across the box.

All this applies to both SDR and HDR modes and, on the Windows desktop, it’s all rather messy and distracting. Sure, this monitor isn’t designed for serious content creation or office work. But at this price point, it’s surely a serious flaw.

Still, that 1000R curve, huge 49-inch proportions, and relatively high resolution combine to deliver an experience that few, if any, screens can match. Graphics-heavy titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Witcher III are what the G9 does best. In that context, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 delivers arguably the best visual experience on the PC today.

In practice, the Neo G9’s mini-LED creates as many problems as it solves. We also can’t help but observe that, at this price point, you have so many options. The most obvious alternative, perhaps, is a large-format 120Hz OLED TV with HDMI 2.1 connectivity.

Best gaming monitor FAQShould I go for an IPS, TN or VA panel?We would always recommend an IPS panel over TN(opens in new tab). The clarity of image, viewing angle, and color reproduction are far superior to the cheaper technology, but you"ll often find a faster TN for cheaper. The other alternative, less expensive than IPS and better than TN, is VA tech. The colors aren"t quite so hot, but the contrast performance is impressive.Should I go for a FreeSync or G-Sync monitor?In general, FreeSync monitors will be cheaper. It used to be the case that they would only work in combination with an AMD GPU. The same went for G-Sync monitors and Nvidia GPUs. Nowadays, though, it is possible to find G-Sync compatible FreeSync monitors(opens in new tab) if you"re intent on spending less.Should I buy a HDR monitor?With a High Dynamic Range monitor, you can take advantage of the ever-growing list of games and apps that feature HDR support. It offers more vibrant colors and greater contrast but is going to drive up the price a little. Windows" native HDR function also leaves a lot to be desired, and you may find you have to fiddle in the settings to get HDR looking like it should.What aspect ratio should I go for?Today"s movies and games are best enjoyed in a widescreen format at a 16:9 aspect ratio or above. In 4:3, those cinematic moments will look stunted with black strips along the top and bottom. There are a host of minute variations on each ratio, but at the end of the day choosing between these depends entirely on your personal preference.

The speed at which the screen refreshes. For example, 144Hz means the display refreshes 144 times a second. The higher the number, the smoother the screen will appear when you play games.

Graphics tech synchronizes a game"s framerate with your monitor"s refresh rate to help prevent screen tearing by syncing your GPU frame rate to the display"s maximum refresh rate. Turn V-Sync on in your games for a smoother experience, but you"ll lose information, so turn it off for fast-paced shooters (and live with the tearing). Useful if you have an older model display that can"t keep up with a new GPU.

The amount of time it takes a pixel to transition to a new color and back. Often referenced as G2G or Grey-to-Grey. Slow response times can lead to ghosting. A suitable range for a gaming monitor is between 1-4 milliseconds.

TN PanelsTwisted-nematic is the most common (and cheapest) gaming panel. TN panels tend to have poorer viewing angles and color reproduction but have higher refresh rates and response times.

IPSIn-plane switching, panels offer the best contrast and color despite having weaker blacks. IPS panels tend to be more expensive and have higher response times.

VAVertical Alignment panels provide good viewing angles and have better contrast than even IPS but are still slower than TN panels. They are often a compromise between a TN and IPS panel.

HDRHigh Dynamic Range. HDR provides a wider color range than normal SDR panels and offers increased brightness. The result is more vivid colors, deeper blacks, and a brighter picture.

ResolutionThe number of pixels that make up a monitor"s display, measured by height and width. For example: 1920 x 1080 (aka 1080p), 2560 x 1440 (2K), and 3840 x 2160 (4K).Round up of today"s best deals

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In this guide, we’ll go over the differences between the most common monitor panels. We’ve compared IPS panels, TN panels, and VA panels to help give you more insight on your upcoming purchase.

However, the average consumer is clueless on the LCD panel technology used in their LCD monitor. A monitor’s panel type is a crucial feature that dictates how it performs as well as the kind of tasks it is best suited to accomplish. Therefore, it is important to understand panel technology so that you can be sure to choose the appropriate monitor for your gaming needs.

And, it is important for gamers to become familiar with these various panel technologies so that they can understand the variety of marketing buzzwords that companies use to describe the different LCD panel monitors on the market.

For instance, phrases like “grey-to-grey response time” and “contrast ratio” are important to understand. There are also other specifications such as “color bit-depth” and “input delay” that are good to know as well.

This is the first question you need to ask yourself. Because, if you’re working with a budget of $150 or less for your monitor, your options will be much more limited than if you were working with a ~$500 budget.

For instance, if you have $150 or less to spend, you’ll likely be forced to choose a TN panel. However, if you have more to spend, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will want to avoid a TN panel monitor, it just means that you will have more options.

This is an important question because the type of usage your monitor will see will be a big determining factor in which type of panel you can get. If you are going to use your monitor solely for competitive gaming—I’m talking CS:GO, LoL, COD, Dota 2, etc.—then a TN panel with a high refresh rate and low response time will be your best bet.

On the other hand, if you are more of a casual gamer, or you are planning on doing a lot of graphic design work on your monitor, you might want to look into a VA panel or an IPS panel. These panels don’t quite perform on the same level as a TN panel (in terms of response rate) and they cost a lot more for the same refresh rate. However, their picture quality is much better than TN panels and therefore, they are better-suited for graphics design work.

This kind of ties into the question above, but it is worth considering as well. As I mentioned above, if you are a serious gamer and you are playing competitive games where every split-second could be the difference between victory and defeat, you might want to forego better visuals for a better performing monitor.

And, for that, a TN panel is your best bet as they offer lower response rates and higher refresh rates (at least, for the price you pay) than IPS or VA panels.

On the other hand, if you’re not playing super competitive games and you really enjoy the visual aspect of gaming, you’d be better off going with a VA or IPS panel as they offer better technology for displaying richer and more detailed visuals.

The other bit you ought to understand is that it is quite difficult, if not completely impossible, to find a monitor that is the best solution for every individual.

Some display types are appropriate for gaming, while others are best suited for graphics design. Other monitors are good for gamers who want the best visuals, while a different set of monitor panels work better for competitive gamers who need the most performance possible.

In this guide, we have broken down the different panel types and have explained their key features, as well as have compared them to their counterparts to help you better understand which type of panel would best meet your needs.

If you are looking at a monitor and it doesn’t clearly state what kind of panel it is, it’s probably safe to assume it’s a TN panel. What I mean by this is that, in most cases, for IPS panels and VA panels, the monitor manufacturer will include the panel type in the name of the monitor in an effort to make them stand out.

As I mentioned above, TN Panels owe their popularity to low manufacturing costs.However, they are also known for being able to deliver much higher response rates than IPS or VA panels. However, they are also known for being able to deliver much higher response rates than IPS or VA panels.

Because of their affordability, Twisted Nematic Displays with higher refresh rates (a feature you will pay more for) are more readily available than competing panels with high refresh rates.

The viewing angles on a TN panel are touted to be 160 degrees vertical and 170 degrees horizontal: these angles are considerably lower than the viewing angles presented by other panel technologies

The eyes, for instance, will perceive a different viewing angle if you look at the center of the screen instead of the peripheral regions of the monitor. In this instance, a color shade can be represented to be a different shade depending on its position on the screen. It may appear darker when it is on the upper side of the screen or lighter when it is towards the bottom.

Because of these problems, the consistency and color accuracy on a TN panel will suffer in comparison to IPS and VA panels, which, ultimately, makes this panel type less ideal for color-critical work such as photography and design, or even for gamers who want the best visuals possible.

The most notable selling point of In-Plane Switching panels is their consistency, improved viewing angles, and superior color accuracy when compared to other LCD technologies. Every color shade retains its unique identity and distinctiveness regardless of its position on the monitor.

These factors make IPS panels suitable monitors for graphic design work, as well as for gamers looking for the best visuals possible (but who don’t mind a drop in response rate.)

Perhaps the greatest strength of a VA panel is its ability to block light from the backlight when it isn’t wanted. This ability results in higher contrast ratios and deeper blacks which are several times better than that of the other LCD technologies discussed in this guide.

As power users already understand, one problem with LCD monitors is light from the backlight. When an LCD monitor wants to display black, the color filter will be positioned in such a manner that very little light from the backlight will seep through. While they try to do a reasonable job, their filters aren’t always perfect, thus, incapable of rendering the blacks deep as they should be.

Thankfully, VA panels are magnificent at that task. And thanks to the fact that they are susceptible to clouding or bleeding towards the edges of the screen, the screens are often considered as ideal candidates for movie enthusiasts and suitable for general purpose work.

The VA panels also feature improved viewing angles and good color reproduction. Their excellent color reproduction abilities make the monitors ideal devices for color-critical work, or for gamers who want to play their games with the best picture quality possible.

A considerable drawback of the VA panel is its low level of responsiveness with its pixels transitioning from one state to the next. This can cause more noticeable blurring when gaming.

Thankfully, the more modern versions of VA panels use a superior pixel overdrive feature that is not susceptible to the problems of the earlier versions.

It is quite difficult to state definitively what LCD monitor is better in the battle of TN vs IPS. This is because both TN LCD displays and IPS LCD displays have a share of advantages and disadvantages.

The quick responsiveness of TN panels makes them suitable for competitive gamers who rely on every split-second to achieve victory. (Though there is a lot of debate surrounding this considering that some believe that the average human brain can just compute about 25 frames per second.) The response time of most TN Panels, save for the high-end and very exceptional ones, is between 2ms and 5ms. This quick response rate is why gamers love TN Panels, as they are perfect for fast-paced games.

IPS Panels, on the other hand, feature a rather sluggish response time compared with TN panels. But the good news is that IPS technology is improving with each new generation of monitors.

IPS Panels owe their popularity to superior viewing angles. They are also not susceptible to color washout when viewing at an angle, which is a problem that is very common with traditional TN panels.

TN panels suffer from limited viewing angles, especially when looking from a vertical position. Colors tend to shift if viewed from an off-perpendicular position. When viewing TN panels from vertical positions, colors will change so much that they’ll invert past a certain angle.

The reason is that higher resolution monitors typically cost more and, so, if you’re going to pay all of that money for an ultra high definition monitor, you might as well get the panel that is best suited for displaying high-end visuals.

Of course, if you want a balance between higher resolutions and lower response rates, you might be better off sacrificing some in the visual department and going with a TN panel to get a monitor with a better response rate.

Both VA and IPS panels are commonly used in LED-backlit TVs today. Though they are both Liquid Crystal Display types, there are vast differences between their performances. The differences touch on contrast, viewing angle, response time, and black uniformity.

IPS Panels are a clear winner when it comes to viewing angle. IPS Panels, as already explained, have a wide viewing angle without any noticeable drop in image quality on the monitor.

VA panels recoup their losses when it comes to contrast. Contrast, as you might be aware, is one of the most important factors when it comes to picture quality. VA surpasses IPS panels when it comes to contrast.

When in a dark environment, black images or shades will appear gray on an IPS panel, considerably undermining the experience. VA contrast ratios are usually in the range of 3000:1 to 6000:1 while IPS contrast ratios are around 1000:1.

Neither VA panels or IPS panels are ideal if one of the main features you are looking for in a monitor is response rate. However, of the two, VA panels offer a slightly faster response time than IPS panels.

VA panels, on the other hand, were built specifically to address the deficiencies in both TN Panels and IPS panels. Their response time is slightly faster than the response time of IPS panels yet considerably lower than the response time of TN panels.

There have been improvements on TN panels to make them more suitable for color-critical work such as photo editing, but even with the said improvements, TN panels are still far from ideal when it comes to these types of tasks.

From a visual standpoint, VA panels are better than TN panels as they are capable of 8-bit color depth as well as wider viewing angles. They also feature better black uniformity and high contrast ratios as compared to TN panels.

In my opinion, though, the choice between a TN panel and VA panel is somewhat similar to the choice between a TN panel and an IPS panel: choose an IPS panel if you are mostly into competitive gaming and pick a VA panel if you want better visuals.

If you are a competitive gamer, nothing will serve you better than a TN panel. TN panels might have weaker images, low contrast, and limited viewing angles, but they offer very fast response times.

However, if you are into the best visuals possible and you want images that are more crisp and detailed while you game, then the ideal panel for you is an IPS panel. IPS panels are excellent in reproducing color. They also come with a wide viewing angle, which is a feature well-suited for graphic design artists.

VA panels are the compromise panel. They offer accurate colors and wide viewing angles, almost comparable to IPS panels. Their response time is a little slower than that of TN panels, but also a little faster than IPS panels. So, if you want to get a monitor that brings balance to what a TN panel and IPS panel bring, VA panels are the way to go.

At the end of the day, TN panels are probably the most popular option for serious gamers. They are more affordable and perform better in competitive scenarios.

Only the best gaming monitor will give you the best visual experience for your games while catering perfectly for your setup, budget, and preferences. We think it"s one of a handful of ways to guarantee an instant enhancement to your setup too - after all, gaming monitors literally shape the way we see and experience all the awesome games we all play.

However, finding the best gaming monitor can prove to be a melon scratcher: it"s a massive market, and it"s constantly changing with new and exciting entries arriving, and old favourites being phased regularly. So, to navigate this, you"ll have to consider big-picture factors like resolution (1080p, 1440p, and 4K), screen techs (FreeSync and G-Sync), screen size, and more. Our guide will help you navigate this exciting minefield by covering all the relevant specs, and types and we"ll also find you the best prices too. An important point to make too is that these monitors are absolutely not just for PC gaming, as more and more console gamers are using them too nowadays.

As a result, we"re really spoilt for choice for the best gaming monitors around. At GamesRadar+ we"ve been working hard for years to pick out the best gaming monitor by constantly reviewing, testing, and comparing the best in the business to build this very list to help you find the best screen going. Our writers and reviewers spend masses of time with each screen we review and really put them through their paces with hard gaming sessions, as well as noting their qualities for every day and work use.

And to help you make the best decision, we strive to lay out all the facts as plainly as possible. After all, the best gaming monitors have more going on behind the scenes than the best gaming TV(opens in new tab) or the best home projectors(opens in new tab). So if you game separately to where you watch your films and TV content, then a monitor is a great idea to optimize your setup. Whatever your needs, our round-up will help you make the right call and get you something with a brilliant picture, and all the performance and features you need.

It’s been an awfully long time coming, but with the new Alienware 34 AW3423DW, OLED technology has finally come to the best gaming monitor. And, boy, does it deliver. This screen has better contrast and a faster response than any LCD panel we’ve ever seen while also looking richer, more convincing, more immersive, andbeing faster, sharper, and clearer. It really does do everything.

We found that it’s not absolutely perfect, though. The supposedly brighter HDR 1000 mode actually results in a duller image most of the time than the more usable HDR 400 setting. You will rarely if ever see the full 1,000 nits. The low pixel density also means this isn’t a great choice for an all-purpose display. It’s likewise not a good fit for console gaming. And strictly speaking, higher refresh panels will offer better latency.

Concerns involving OLED burn-in do linger, a little. If that proves unfounded, OLED could take off on the PC in a big way and for most types of gaming, we think this is an absolute revelation.

Limited to a budget of around $200 / £200? Don’t despair. A high-refresh monitor with a decent IPS panel is within reach and we think could be a top gaming monitor for a lot of folks. Enter the AOC 24G2 and its closely related AOC 24G2U sibling. Inevitably, some compromises have to be made. The 24G2 / 24G2U are mere 24-inch monitors with a modest 1,920 by 1,080 resolution, otherwise known as 1080p. The difference between the two? The 24G2U adds a USB hub.

Good for a seriously zappy 1ms pixel response and with both variable refresh rate support and a low input lag mode, they run at a fulsome 144Hz which was confirmed to us in testing. Of course, that’s a far lower resolution than a 4K panel with just one-quarter the number of pixels. But then fewer pixels means more frames and lower latency which might just give you that critical edge in your Battle Royale or team-based shooter of choice, be that Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, Battlefield 5, or Overwatch.

One obvious omission for us, spec-wise, is HDR capability of any kind. But then very few monitors deliver a true HDR experience from our experience. So, at least AOC doesn’t tease you with the promise of HDR only to ultimately disappoint. What’s more, with slim bezels and both height and tilt adjustment, this panel doesn’t feel or look like a budget option.

The ASUS TUF VG27AQ is not exactly a flashy entry to our best gaming monitor list but it is bursting at the seams with quality. It"s ordinary-looking but that didn"t fool us, as it packs a punch and offers an incredibly speedy monitor for gaming. There"s a 165Hz (featuring Adaptive Sync Support), a 1ms response rate of 1ms, and it is both G-Sync and FreeSync compatible. Add into this ASUS" own Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync technology and the in-game pictures this monitor provides are some of the smoothest and best you can get on a 1440p monitor.

When we tested the monitor, the image quality was excellently crisp, too - it"s not all about the speed. Stir in a rating of HDR10 high dynamic range for colour and brightness levels, too, and they are some of the nicest images we"ve seen on a 1440p. The VG27AQ does a great job of balancing overall picture quality, speeds, and, importantly, the price point. It"s a great do-it-all monitor that we think will serve people well for PC gaming and console gaming.

Dell offers a lotof monitors, from basic 1080p run-of-the-mill office jobs to uber impressive 4K beauties. The S2721DGF slots firmly in the middle, offering gaming performance at 1440p, and while we find that the specs are those you"d expect of a top-notch competitive esports ready screen, when we took it out of the box it certainly doesn"t look like one on the outside.

When any PC gamer is looking for a monitor, two specs are vital; refresh rate and response time. The Dell S2721DGF is almost perfect in this regard, offering 165Hz and 1ms respectively and this was confirmed to us in testing. Another attraction is the IPS panel, which is excellent and contributes to the bang-to-buck value that the monitor offers.The monitor is covered in a matte, all-black finish, with thin, flat bezels around the edge, making it a brilliant choice for anyone looking for a double or triple-monitor set-up.

The only place we think this monitor trips up is in HDR performance, especia