Let’s be sincere: searching for a gaming monitor can really feel like wading via mud. As quickly as you determine to purchase a show for gaming as an alternative of common productiveness use, an entire host of recent concerns come into the equation. Do you have to go for an LCD or OLED monitor? What in regards to the variations between NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync? How about refresh charges?
These are simply among the questions this information goals to reply. Within the course of, my hope is that can assist you discover the right gaming monitor in your finances.
Greatest gaming displays for 2024
Screen size: 27-inch | Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440 | Refresh rate: 180Hz | Panel type: VA | Response time: 1ms GtG | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Brightness: 1000 cd/m² | Weight: 11.9 pounds with stand
The Q27G3XMN offers a nearly unbeatable mix of features, performance and affordability. It’s a mini-LED monitor with HDR performance that’s not as good as the OLEDs on this list, but far better than anything you’ll find on an edge-lit LCD. With a 180Hz refresh rate, it’s also fast enough for all but the most fast-paced competitive esports games. Best of all, it’s priced affordably at under $300. For those reasons, unless you have a bigger budget or more specific needs, the Q27G3XMN is going to be the best bet for most people.
- Relatively affordable
- True HDR performance
- Fast enough
- Expect some smearing
- No USB ports
AOC
Screen Size: 23.8-inch | Resolution: 1,920 x 1080 | Refresh Rate: 180 Hz | Panel Type: VA | Response Rate: 4ms (gtg) | Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Brightness: 250 cd/m² | Weight: 6.9 pounds with stand
In 2024, there are only two reasons to buy a 1080p monitor: Either you want the fastest possible display, or you want to spend as little as possible and get as much performance as possible. If the latter is true, I would go for the AOC 24G15. For $110, you’ll get a 24-inch screen with a high contrast VA panel, 180Hz refresh rate and 1ms response rate. If you’re patient, I’ve seen the 24G15 go on sale for as little as $90.
One thing to note: AOC also sells a 27-inch version of the 24G15 for about $30 more. I would avoid that model; it won’t look good due to low pixel density.
- Affordable
- 180Hz refresh rate
- 1ms response rate
- Low resolution
- Epect some smearing
Alienware
Display measurement: 26.7-inch | Decision: 2,560 x 1,440 | Refresh fee: 360Hz | Panel kind: QD-OLED | Response time: 0.03ms (GtG) | Side ratio: 16:9 | Brightness: 250 cd/m² | Weight: 9.4 kilos with out stand
If you need a gaming monitor that mainly does all of it, the Alienware AW2725DF has quite a bit going for it. This QD-OLED includes a 360Hz refresh fee and 0.03ms response. It additionally carries a Vesa DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification, so count on near-flawless HDR efficiency. It even has a HDMI 2.1 port if you wish to use it with an Xbox Sequence X or PlayStation 5. From a efficiency standpoint, the one draw back is that it gained’t produce true blacks in rooms with an excessive amount of ambient gentle. Nevertheless, that is true of each QD-OLED monitor available on the market proper now.
At near $1,000, it’s additionally costly. However for what it’s price, the OLED market is extremely aggressive in the meanwhile. I’ve seen the AW2725DF go on sale just a few occasions over the previous couple of months, dropping to as little as $700.
- 360Hz refresh fee
- Improbable HDR efficiency
- Three-year burn-in protection
Dell
Display measurement: 34.18-inch | Decision: 3,440 x 1,440 | Refresh fee: 165 Hz | Panel kind: QD-OLED | Response time: 0.01ms (GtG) | Side Ratio: 21:9 | Brightness: 250 cd/m² | Weight: 13.8 kilos with stand
For these searching for a extra immersive gaming expertise, an ultrawide monitor is the way in which to go. And proper now, probably the greatest 21:9 shows you should purchase is the Dell AW3423DWF. It provides a wonderful 165Hz refresh fee, 0.01ms response time and AMD FreeSync Premium Professional help. The panel can also be DisplayHDR TrueBlack 400 licensed, making it nice for watching motion pictures and taking part in single-player video games. The one characteristic that may make the AW3423DWF higher is had Dell included an HDMI 2.1 port, however since ultrawide gaming isn’t actually a factor in console gaming, the omission is just not a deal breaker.
LG
Display measurement: 31.46-inch | Decision: 4K and 1080p | Refresh fee: 240Hz and 480Hz | Panel kind: WOLED | Response time: 0.03ms (GtG) | Side ratio: 16:9 | Brightness: 275 cd/m² | Weight: 19.8 kilos with stand
If cash is not any object and also you play a mixture of immersive video games and aggressive shooters, the LG 32GS95UE-B is the monitor for you. It provides one thing no different monitor on this listing does. The 32GS95UE-B4K is each a 4K, 240Hz show and an FHD, 480Hz one. Furthermore, it could possibly change between these two modes with the press of a button.
Sure, the 1080p output seems to be muddy stretched throughout a 32-inch display screen, however for a characteristic that extends the flexibility of an already unbelievable monitor, that’s a small sacrifice. At $1,400, the 2GS95UE-B is the costliest monitor on this listing. However in case you’re out there for a 4K show, likelihood is you’ve got already spent some huge cash constructing a PC that may drive that many pixels.
- Twin 4K and 1080p modes
- As much as 480Hz refresh fee
- OLED
- Very costly
- Low pixel density at FHD
How we take a look at gaming displays
Whereas I’ve not used each product advisable in our listing, I’ve extensively examined dozens of gaming displays previously, together with fashions with WOLED and QD-OLED panels. Within the case of the Alienware monitor I spotlight above, I purchased one for myself with my very own cash. Individually, I spent dozens of hours over a two-year interval researching gaming displays to jot down the present model of this information.
Components to contemplate earlier than shopping for a gaming monitor
LCD vs OLED
When searching for a gaming monitor, you first must determine if you wish to go together with a display screen that has an LCD or OLED panel. For most individuals, that selection will come down to cost; OLED gaming displays are costlier than their LCD counterparts. Even when cash isn’t a priority, the selection may not be as easy as you assume; each LCD and OLED panels are available in just a few completely different flavors, and figuring out the variations between every kind is necessary to creating an knowledgeable resolution.
LCD displays are available in three completely different varieties: twisted nematic (TN), vertical alignment (VA) or in-plane switching (IPS). For essentially the most half, you need to keep away from TN displays until you’re strapped for money or need a monitor with the quickest potential refresh fee. TN screens characteristic the worst viewing angles, distinction ratios and colours of the group.
The variations between VA and IPS panels are extra refined. Traditionally, VA gaming displays featured slower pixel response occasions than their TN and IPS counterparts, resulting in ugly picture smearing. Nevertheless, that’s improved lately. VA panels additionally steadily sport higher distinction ratios than each TN and IPS screens. They’re not dramatically higher than their IPS siblings on that entrance, however when distinction ratios aren’t an inherent power of LCDs, each bit helps.
Alternatively, IPS panels excel at coloration accuracy and plenty of supply refresh charges and response occasions which might be as quick because the quickest TN panels. The vast majority of LCD gaming displays available on the market in the present day characteristic IPS panels, although you’ll steadily discover VA screens on ultrawide displays.
What about OLED?
For those who can afford one, OLED screens make for the very best gaming displays. The flexibility of natural light-emitting diodes to supply true blacks is transformational. Merely put, each recreation seems to be higher when there isn’t a backlight to clean out shadow element. Plus, you may expertise true HDR with an OLED display screen, one thing that LCDs aren’t identified for.
Immediately, OLED screens are available in two completely different flavors: WOLED and QD-OLED, with LG producing the previous and Samsung the latter. I gained’t bore you with the technical particulars of how the 2 panel sorts differ from each other aside from to notice each applied sciences broadly supply the identical set of shortcomings.
Most notably, OLED displays don’t get very vivid. At greatest, essentially the most succesful fashions peak at round 250 nits when measuring brightness throughout your entire display screen. I didn’t discover this to be a problem in my testing, however your expertise could fluctuate relying on the ambient gentle in your gaming room.
If brightness is necessary to you, be aware that because of producer tunings, completely different fashions can carry out higher than others, even when they characteristic the identical panel from LG or Samsung. It’s price evaluating displays in the identical class to search out the mannequin that’s best for you.
Individually, nearly all OLEDs characteristic sub-pixel layouts that produce textual content fringing in Home windows. The newest technology of OLED panels from each LG and Samsung are significantly better on this regard, to the purpose the place fashionable OLEDs are ok for studying and picture modifying. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless price going to your native Micro Heart or Greatest Purchase to see the mannequin you need in individual, because the textual content fringing problem is tough to seize in pictures and movies.
One other (probably extra severe) problem is burn-in. Natural light-emitting diodes can get “stuck” in the event that they show the identical picture for lengthy intervals of time. Each OLED gaming monitor you should purchase in the present day comes with options designed to stop burn-in and different picture retention points. Offered you don’t use your new OLED monitor for eight hours of each day productiveness work, I don’t assume you must fear about burn-in an excessive amount of.
Display measurement, decision and facet ratio
After deciding the place you fall on the LCD vs OLED debate, you can begin eager about the dimensions of your future gaming monitor. Private choice and the constraints of your gaming area will play an enormous half right here, however there are additionally just a few technical concerns. You need to take into consideration measurement along with decision and facet ratio.
A 1440p monitor has 78 p.c extra pixels than a 1080p display screen, and a 4K show has greater than twice as many pixels as a QHD panel. As the dimensions of a monitor will increase, pixel density decreases until you additionally enhance decision. For that motive, there are candy spots between measurement and backbone. As an example, I wouldn’t suggest shopping for an FHD monitor that’s bigger than 24 inches or a QHD one larger than 27 inches. Conversely, textual content and interface parts on a 4K monitor can look tiny with out scaling on panels smaller than 32 inches.
You additionally want to contemplate the efficiency prices of operating video games at larger resolutions. The newest entry-level GPUs can comfortably run most fashionable video games at 1080p and 60 frames per second. They will even render some aggressive titles at 120 frames per second and better — however push them to run those self same video games at 1440p and past, and also you’re sure to run into issues. And as you’ll see in a second, a persistently excessive body fee is significant to getting essentially the most out of the newest gaming displays.
In case your finances permits for it, 1440p provides the very best stability between visible readability and gaming efficiency. As for 1080p and 4K, I might solely think about the previous in case you’re on a decent finances otherwise you solely play aggressive shooters like Valorant and Overwatch 2. For most individuals, the person expertise and productiveness advantages of QHD far outweigh the efficiency positive aspects you get from going with a decrease decision display screen.
Only a few years in the past, 4K was not a viable decision for PC gaming, however then NVIDIA got here out with its 40 sequence GPUs. With these video playing cards providing the corporate’s DLSS 3 body technology know-how, there’s a case to be made that the know-how is lastly there to play 4K video games at an affordable body fee, significantly in case you solely play large, AAA single-player video games like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 or get pleasure from technique video games just like the Whole Warfare sequence. Nevertheless, even with body technology, you will want a GPU just like the $999 RTX 4080 Tremendous or $1,599 RTX 4090 to drive a 4K show. Plus, 4K gaming displays are inclined to value greater than their 1440p counterparts.
If you need an ultrawide, be aware that not each recreation helps the 21:9 facet ratio, and fewer nonetheless help 32:9. When searching for a curved monitor, a decrease Radius, or ‘R’ quantity, signifies a extra aggressive curve. So, a 1000R monitor is extra curved than an 1800R one.
Refresh charges and response occasions
And now, lastly, for the enjoyable stuff. All the motive to purchase a gaming monitor is for its capacity to attract extra photos than a standard PC show. As you store for a brand new display screen, you will notice fashions promoting refresh charges like 120Hz, 240Hz and 360Hz. The upper the refresh fee of a monitor, the extra occasions it could possibly replace the picture it shows on display screen each second, thereby producing a smoother transferring picture. In relation to video games like Overwatch, Valorant and League of Legends, a sooner refresh fee may give you a aggressive edge, however even immersive single-player video games can profit.
A monitor with a 360Hz refresh fee will look higher in movement than one with a 240Hz or 120Hz refresh fee, however there are diminishing returns. At 60Hz, the picture you see in your monitor is up to date each 16.67ms. At 120Hz, 240Hz and 360Hz, the hole between new frames shortens to eight.33ms, 4.17ms and a couple of.78ms, respectively. Put one other approach, though a 360Hz monitor can show 50 p.c extra frames than a 240Hz display screen in a given time interval, you’ll solely see a speedup of 1.14ms between body intervals. And all that is determined by your GPU’s capacity to render a constant 360 frames per second.
Finally, a quick monitor will do you no good if you do not have a graphics card that may sustain. For instance, with a 1440p 360Hz monitor, you realistically want a GPU just like the RTX 4070 Tremendous or RTX 4080 Tremendous to saturate that show whereas taking part in aggressive video games like Overwatch 2 and Valorant.
There’s additionally extra to movement readability than refresh charges alone. Simply as necessary are response occasions, or the period of time it takes for pixels to transition from one coloration to a different after which again once more. Screens with gradual response occasions have a tendency to supply smearing that’s distracting it doesn’t matter what form of recreation you’re taking part in. Sadly, response occasions are additionally one of many extra opaque features of selecting the very best gaming monitor in your wants.
Many LCD monitor producers declare their merchandise characteristic 1ms gray-to-gray (GtG) response occasions, but they don’t deal with movement blur to the identical normal. One of many causes for that’s that many corporations are inclined to cherry-pick GtG outcomes that make their displays look higher on paper. The Video Electronics Requirements Affiliation (VESA) just lately created a brand new certification program to handle that downside, however the grading system is unwieldy and, so far as I can inform, hasn’t had quite a lot of pickup from producers.
For now, your greatest guess is to show to sources like Rtings and Screens Unboxed when searching for a brand new gaming monitor. Each shops conduct intensive testing of each display screen they assessment and current their findings and suggestions in a approach that’s simple to grasp.
FreeSync vs G-Sync
Regardless of how highly effective your system, it would typically fail to keep up a constant framerate. In actual fact, it is best to count on body fee fluctuations when taking part in graphically-intensive video games like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077. For these moments, you need a gaming show with adaptive sync. In any other case, you may run into display screen tearing.
Adaptive sync applied sciences are available in just a few flavors. The 2 you’re almost definitely to come across are AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync, and every has its personal set of efficiency tiers. With G-Sync, as an illustration, they’re – from lowest to highest – G-Sync Appropriate, G-Sync and G-Sync Final.
The excellent news is that you simply don’t must assume an excessive amount of about which adaptive sync know-how a show helps. Within the early days of the tech, it was uncommon to see a gaming monitor that supplied each FreeSync and G-Sync since together with the latter meant a producer needed to equip their show with a devoted processor from NVIDIA. That modified in 2019 when the corporate launched its G-Sync Appropriate certification. In 2024, if a monitor helps FreeSync, it’s nearly definitely G-Sync Appropriate, too, which means you may get pleasure from tear-free gaming whether or not you’re utilizing an AMD or NVIDIA GPU.
In actual fact, I might go as far as to say you shouldn’t make your buying resolution based mostly on the extent of adaptive sync efficiency a monitor provides. As of 2024, the listing of G-Sync Final-certified shows is about two dozen fashions lengthy, and a few are just a few years previous now.
Inputs
Virtually each gaming show available on the market proper now comes with not less than one DisplayPort 1.4 connection, and that’s the port you’ll want to use to attach your new monitor to your graphics card. For those who personal a PS5 or Xbox Sequence X/S, it’s additionally price looking for displays that include HDMI 2.1 ports, as these will help you get essentially the most out of your present technology console.
A phrase about HDR
As quick and responsive gaming displays have turn out to be lately, there’s one space the place progress has been frustratingly gradual: HDR efficiency. The vast majority of gaming displays presently on sale, together with most high-end fashions, solely meet VESA’s DisplayHDR 400 certification. As somebody who owned one such monitor, let me inform you it’s not even price turning on HDR on these screens. You’ll solely be disenchanted.
The excellent news is that issues are getting higher, albeit slowly. The discharge of Home windows 11 did quite a bit to enhance the state of HDR on PC, and extra video games are delivery with competent HDR modes, not simply ones that enhance the brightness of highlights. Fortunately, with extra reasonably priced mini-LED displays, like our prime decide, making their solution to the market, HDR gaming is lastly inside attain of most PC players.
Gaming monitor FAQs
Are curved displays higher for gaming?
It is determined by private choice. Many producers declare curved displays supply a extra immersive gaming expertise as a result of approach the show wraps round your field of regard. Nevertheless, I discover the sting distortion distracting, significantly while you enhance the sector of view in a recreation.
What facet ratio ought to I search for in a gaming monitor?
The overwhelming majority of 24-, 27- and 32-inch gaming displays characteristic 16:9 facet ratio panels, and that’s been the case for a few years. In actual fact, practically each recreation made within the final 20 years helps 16:9 resolutions, equivalent to 1,920 x 1,080 and a couple of,560 by 1,440, and in case you purchase a standard-sized monitor, you gained’t want to fret about letterboxing.
Within the case of ultrawides, 21:9 is the most typical facet ratio, with some very broad fashions sporting 32:9 panels. Amongst video games, help for 21:9 and 32:9 resolutions is way from common, so don’t be shocked if a recreation doesn’t fill the whole lot of your display screen.
Is OLED good for gaming?
OLED displays are nice for gaming. Not solely do they provide glorious movement readability and enter latency, however they’re additionally simply the very best shows for HDR gaming. If cash is not any object, and also you primarily use your PC for gaming, you may’t go incorrect with an OLED monitor.
How a lot does an excellent gaming monitor value?
Whilst you might simply spend greater than $1,000 to acquire the very best gaming monitor available on the market now, the fact is that the finances and midrange classes have by no means been extra aggressive. In 2015, I spent $500 CAD to purchase a 1080p monitor with a 144Hz refresh fee and TN panel. The finances AOC mannequin I spotlight above is just not solely cheaper than my first gaming monitor, nevertheless it additionally includes a sooner 180Hz refresh fee and a better distinction VA panel.
