Enhance your gaming experience with a gaming monitor that is as serious as you are. Here are the features to look for in a gaming monitor and the list of models we recommend you buy. We will review in detail the best gaming screens available on the market.
Whether you’re a veteran of PC gaming or a casual player playing a few games after work, hardware can mean the difference between a win and a loss. To fully enjoy the latest first person shooters (aka FPS), sports games, racing games and all the other hottest titles, you will not only need a powerful graphics card, but also a monitor that can render the action without trails, flickering, tearing and other motion artifacts.
With this guide, we will help you choose a display that gives you an edge, and that is able to offer you a smooth and immersive gaming experience. What are the factors to consider when choosing the best gaming monitor? Read on to find out.
You can go directly to the list of options we have selected for you if you want, but first we will give you all the information you need, and in detail, so that you can be informed consumers.
Even if you do not currently have the need to buy a new monitor, this article will still provide you with all the knowledge you need to be able to buy the best monitor on the market that will meet your needs in the future .
Best Gaming Monitor | 2022
Table of Contents
Best Gaming Monitor | 2022
Best Gaming Monitor | 2022
Best Gaming Monitor | Unrivaled Guide 2022
What is a gaming monitor
Let’s start immediately with a consideration that may seem obvious but necessary: each monitor can be used for any purpose, in fact it is not uncommon for a gaming monitor to be described as a normal screen to be used on any PC.
However, this is not to say that each monitor can meet the needs of different users.
The monitors marketed for the average consumer, standard multimedia monitors, will hardly find appreciation in the player looking for an advanced experience and greater involvement when sitting in front of the game of the moment.
For this reason, monitors have been created dedicated to those who love to play, whether they consider themselves a professional or not, monitors that have such characteristics that distinguish them from all other screens in circulation.
There are some peculiarities that make gaming monitors different from traditional ones, capable of enriching the user’s gaming experience.
What is it for?
The answer to the question ” what is a monitor for gaming ” is less trivial than you might think.
It is obvious that it is used to play, but its purpose, the reason for choosing it, lies in many different aspects, all of equal importance.
There is a first consideration to make: a gamer spends many hours in front of the monitor, this implies that the first quality of a monitor should be precisely that of affecting as little as possible the eye strain .
Games, over the years, have become incredibly realistic, what we ask of a monitor in this case is to support this realism, guaranteeing bright colors, as similar as possible to the real ones, and a fluid movement of all graphic elements.
Then we ask that there is depth in the scenography and that the elements are well contrasted, so as to transmit the feeling of something real even more strongly, as if we were living that experience live.
These are some of the reasons why a dedicated gaming monitor is worth considering .
How a gaming monitor works
The operation of a gaming monitor does not differ much from a traditional one, although there are some features that need to be paid particular attention to.
Certainly among the first things to take into consideration are the size and resolution. If you’re aiming for engaging gaming experiences then the screen size shouldn’t drop below a certain value.
Let’s say 27 inches is the perfect size. It is true that this involves some logistical problems, related to the management of space. If the room allows it, a larger size can be evaluated, otherwise it should not go below 24/25 inches. Size, however, matters little if it is not weighted with resolution.
Currently the market offers 3 main resolutions :
- Full HD : resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. This is the standard that allows you to keep the quality / price ratio under control;
- 2K monitor : Here the resolution is 2560 × 1440. It goes down a bit but we are still at a good level;
- 4K monitor : the best, or 3840 × 2160 pixels, to which you can also associate a machine with excellent performance, to make the most of it.
In the last period, the best ultrawide monitors have managed to achieve truly excellent performance thanks to the WQHD resolution.
How to choose a gaming monitor
After having decided the size and its resolution, at this point we see how to make a choice that is as aware as possible.
In the next paragraphs we will analyze the main features to pay attention to in order to choose the monitor model that best suits your needs .
Panel technology
The first feature is the panel technology. With LCD monitors, the panels available on the market are 3 ( TN, VA and IPS ), each with its strengths and weaknesses.
The word TN stands for Twisted Nematic . In this case we are dealing with a panel with a high response speed, low consumption and high brightness, which is why they are also very cheap, but their defect consists in the annoying color variation when we look at it from a side angle.
Angular viewing is best in VA panels , which also feature a high black rendering, which perhaps makes them more suitable for movies. The IPS technology, on the other hand, has a lower response time than the others but the color rendering is superior, even when viewed from side angles.
Response time and refresh rate
Response time is another very important factor, as is refresh rate .
The latter is expressed in HERTZ and it is good to remember that it does not affect the quality of the image so much but its fluidity.
Here you have to be careful, because the refresh rate value, which could be 120 or 140 Hz , must be measured against the performance of the graphics card. It is not enough to have a high frequency if the graphics card is not able to process a number of frames per second adequate to the frequency of the monitor.
The response time , on the other hand, is measured in milliseconds and tells us the speed with which the pixels pass from black to white, in a more technical way it is said the time it takes to pass from one gray scale to another.
Ever heard of the ghosting effect ?
This is the effect where a moving image on the screen tends to leave its own trail. This is due to an excessively slow response time. Usually a value beyond which not to rise is 8ms.
Video inputs and extra features
Finally, there are the extra features, which in some cases can make a difference.
The first thing to pay attention to are definitely the outputs available on the monitor, so you can get an idea depending on the device you need to connect it to.
In addition to the traditional HDMI output , a Dual Link output or a DisplayPort may also be of interest .
The presence of at least one USB port is another aspect to consider, in some cases it could be very useful. If you do not want to equip yourself with a sophisticated external audio system, then the presence of integrated multimedia speakers and their quality must also be evaluated.
Then there is the far from secondary issue of convenience. Unless relying on impromptu inventions, it may be important to have a monitor that has some height and tilt adjustment system.
Most of the standard monitors in circulation do not provide this kind of option, or do not allow particularly fluid movements, while a good adjustment of the height and the horizontal viewing angle can greatly affect the gaming experience.
Resolution of a gaming monitor
Starting from the origin, a pixel is the smallest part of the display, thus a tiny dot visible when you turn on your computer screen.
Then, once all these dots join each other, they form images, the very ones visible on the PC monitor.
At this point it is possible to decipher the term resolution. It is a numbering that is given by multiplying the vertical pixels with the horizontal pixels. The larger the number of pixels, the higher the resolution.
HD (High Definition) : this term indicates a high resolution monitor. It can be 1280 × 720 or 1920 × 1080. Often it reads HD Ready, but this happens when a monitor does not have the high resolution feature, so it is always good to check before buying it.
The formats currently available on the market are 720p, 1080i and 1080p, where the letter “p” indicates a real progressive resolution, while the letter “i” indicates a kind of computer system that aims to add pixels for improve image quality.
Full HD (Full High Definition) : is considered an evolution of the HD format. The only thing is that this resolution must have cells of at least 1920 × 1080 pixels, which means free of any compression or reduction, as was the case for the previous resolution.
2K : is an intermediary between Full HD and 4K. There are several monitors with this type of resolution (2048 × 1080), but few are purchased, because there are no films, games or TV programs with this resolution on the market, but they switch directly to 4K or remain stable at Full HD. .
4K : A big leap in quality has been made here. The resolution consists of 3840 horizontal pixels and 2160 vertical pixels. There are no television programs at this resolution, but it is possible to find movies or TV series on some platform. DVDs have also been put on the market with such graphics, obviously they have a higher cost.
The main technologies
AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-SYNC
Before explaining the function of these two technologies, it is good to introduce the meaning of refresh rate, that is the monitor refresh rate which is measured in Hz (Hertz). This parameter is of vital importance in gaming monitors, in fact it varies. The video card sends frames to the monitor and, if the frequency of the latter is 30 Hz, it means that it updates the screen 30 times per second. This is why it is important to have a good refresh rate, otherwise shots or non-fluid images occur, which is not very nice to gamers.
At this point it is possible to talk about the two technologies. Both are based on a variable or adaptive refresh rate and, thanks to them, the video card communicates with the monitor, starting a real synchronization to improve image quality. However, there are differences between the two.
For example, the G-SYNC technology was the first to be designed at the hardware level, that is, it is managed by a particular module made from materials characteristic of NVIDIA. The advantage is that it prevents ghosting by improving the refresh rate. Ghosting is a replica of a part of the image being broadcast, superimposed on the new frame.
As for the FreeSync technology, it is managed by the monitor firmware and the video card drivers, so not by proprietary components as was the case with the previous technology. In fact, AMD FreeSync is based on open systems, and this is a benefit that should not be underestimated. This technology is based on a connection that takes the name of DisplayPort and implies a decrease in the price of the monitor.
In short, if you don’t want to spend a lot, you can turn to AMD FreeSync by choosing a compatible video card and monitor; if instead you want to aim for the highest quality, then it is good to turn to AMD G-SYNC, spending a little more.
HDR (High Dynamic Range)
It is a very important technology because it improves the images in those areas where there is a lot or little light.
It makes them more realistic by increasing the level of detail in each light shade. HDR technology is not only found on smart TVs, but can also be found in gaming monitors, because it samples the variation of any dark or bright tone within a broadcast scene, avoiding overlapping bright images or loss of detail for images. dark.
HDR is possible because it uses a common electro-optical transfer function, that is, it reproduces images on the monitor that are almost identical to reality. The goal is to make sure that the human eye does not distinguish what it sees inside the screen from what it sees outside the screen, making everything homogeneous. Hence, HDR technology is undoubtedly better than SDR technology, which is common for older monitors.
Motion Blur Reduction Technology
This technology was created with the aim of breaking down the Motion Blur on the monitors, thanks to a stroboscopic effect that provides for an activation and deactivation of the backlight at high frequencies.
This type of effect is very close to reality, or rather, to what is visible and perceptible to the human eye. Motion Blur generates a kind of trail during a quick change of view, just what happens to all of us when we quickly turn our heads while observing objects that have a minimum of their own light. The most classic examples are: a lighted lamp, the headlights of a car, a candle etc.
It does not cause any increase in the graphics sector, but is only adopted to add that touch of augmented reality. In addition to gaming monitors, it can be activated on professional cameras.
Flat or curved screen?
Between a flat screen and a curved screen, almost nothing changes, apart from their external structure. The monitors, in fact, have different resolutions (those described above), but there is no curved screen that has better graphics than a flat screen or vice versa. What changes is their construction method.
What a curved screen offers is a greater involvement and sense of immersion, due to the different angles compared to a flat screen and offers a better view, only if the person is in a correct position respecting the focal point.
The contrast is more or less similar, in the sense that it is obvious that the more you deviate from a central position, the lower the image quality appears.
From an aesthetic point of view, we must give a point in favor to the curved screen because it appears more elegant, more modern and avant-garde, so much so that it takes on a certain charm even when it is switched off. There are no big differences in quality between the two, because the resolutions are the same, but the price goes up for curved screens.
Graphics quality and speed?
What is most important to you? Stunning, crisp and absolutely immersive game graphics or a fast refresh rate with ultra-high FPS capabilities and low latency?
If you don’t play competitive shooters and just enjoy casual single player gameplay experiences, then it makes sense to opt for a monitor that will make the most of that experience. 4K monitors are often the most beautiful and pleasing to the eye. However, UHD resolution is still difficult to drive at a decent frame rate. So you need a good gaming PC or ultra gaming laptop to still have a smooth experience.
The competitive advantage
On the other hand, if you take your games seriously and want to play to win, then a smaller monitor (24 or 27 inches) with a resolution of 1080p and a high refresh rate of 240-300Hz is the best choice. These monitors are capable of displaying games much more accurately, with less latency and a more accurate representation of what is happening in the game, down to the millisecond.
If you’re playing games like CS: GO, Rainbow Six Siege, Valorant, and others that can handle 200-300FPS, these pro-grade monitors are a logical choice. If you always play triple A games at maximum settings, not that much.
FAQS
What games will you play?
Of course, if you’re looking for a gaming laptop, you’ll need it to run your favorite games. This will mostly come down to CPU and graphics card performance, but there are a few other factors to consider as well.
If you love graphically more demanding games like GTA V and Cyberpunk, then we recommend that you focus on finding a laptop full of high-end hardware. If you’re more into strategy games like Crusader Kings or casual titles like Fall Guys, then you might be happy with a more mid-range setup. Our gaming laptop reviews always test performance on some popular titles, so they should give you a good idea of what to expect.
The other things to consider are the keyboard, which can be very important if you plan to use it for first-person shooters, and the refresh rate of the monitor as well. If you play a lot of reaction-based competitive games then a 120Hz screen and the screen above will be ideal for you. If you prefer single player games, you can save money by purchasing a 60Hz option.
What do you need to do outside of the game?
One of the best things about PC gaming is that you can use your PC for all kinds of non-gaming activities. Thanks to the high-end hardware found in these devices, they are particularly suitable for creative tasks such as video editing, graphic design, 3D rendering and live broadcasting.
Video editors will want a screen with a high degree of color accuracy and usually a resolution greater than 1080p. While those who want a gaming laptop that can double as an office machine will likely want to focus a little more on webcam quality and battery life.
Where will you use it?
If your gaming laptop will spend most of its life on the desk, it doesn’t particularly matter if it weighs half a ton. However, if you will be dragging it in a backpack, we recommend that you keep an eye on the portability of the device. Battery life is also an important factor here, and it’s worth noting that performance can vary significantly when running on battery compared to mains power.
You will also need to consider the connectivity options. If you want to connect multiple monitors and a variety of peripherals, your ideal laptop should house them. Fortunately, in the gaming laptop space, we’re usually well covered in connectivity and rarely have to resort to dongle life.
What about audio on gaming laptops?
Most hardcore gamers prefer to use a headset for maximum audio fidelity, so they may not care much about a laptop’s speakers. However, as we have said, a PC can be used for many things. If you’re likely to watch a movie on the subject, then you’ll definitely want to watch the speaker performance – after all, there’s nothing worse than a tinny, quiet speaker to spoil the dive. This is one area where the options differ greatly, from barely audible to damn good. Check out some of our headphone guides for in-depth comparisons.
how much can you spend?
The sky really is the limit when it comes to a gaming laptop, and while ultra-premium options are often in the region of multiple thousands, there are some great budget options too. This is an area where a higher price tag usually means higher performing components, but there are a few things to watch out for.
To get the most of your money, you may want to look at a lower resolution display. A 1080p gaming experience will still look great on a relatively small laptop screen, and it won’t need such a robust graphics card to function.
Most gamers won’t need to lose loads of RAM. You can usually get by with around 16GB on even the most demanding titles. So as long as you’re not planning on any heavy-duty video rendering, you can avoid overspending by reducing system memory.
Final conclusions
Within this page you have finally been able to discover a complete guide to buying the best gaming monitor. Have you discovered your ideal device? Grab one of the many offers of the day on Amazon and enjoy your new gaming experience.
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