Choosing a gaming monitor to suit your needs can be hard in today’s worlds with numerous features and gimmicks. Choosing between a higher resolution vs. a better refresh rate can be quite confusing. So we have compiled a list of the best gaming monitors you can buy in 2019.
The first step in choosing the perfect gaming monitor for you is to figure out what kind of games you play for the most part. Someone who is into RPGs will appreciate better picture quality over higher refresh rates as compared to an FPS player. The next step is figuring out the resolution and the refresh best suited to your hardware. And finally, some extra features that help sweeten the deal.
60Hz vs 144Hz: Why Refresh Rate Matters
If you play a lot of First-Person-Shooters, you’ve probably heard of the term refresh rate. Simply put, it’s the frequency with which an image is refreshed on your monitor. The higher it is, the smoother movement looks on your screen. In competitive shooters, refresh rate makes a huge difference. Being able to more accurately track your enemy improves your reaction time and improves your aim. If you’re, however, more into RPGs and single-player games, it doesn’t make a huge difference and should put more emphasis on resolution and color accuracy.
1080p vs 4K: Choosing the Perfect Resolution
Resolution of a monitor refers to the number of pixels on your screen. While one might think going for a monitor with the highest resolution is always a no-brainier, there’s a lot of other things that should be taken into consideration. Firstly, aspect ratio plays a huge part. For example, an ultrawide monitor will have an aspect ratio of 21:9 with a resolution of 2560 x 1080 for 1080p and 3440 x 1440 for 1440p while an aspect ratio of 16:9 will have a resolution of 2560 x 1440 for 1440p and 11920 x 1080 for 1080p. While games typically look better on an ultrawide, quite a few games don’t support custom resolutions; which means you’ll end playing them with black bars or unequal scaling.
Some other things to consider:
Firstly, there are predominantly 3 different types of panels: TN, IPS and VA. TN panels have the fastest response times (~1ms) with poor color quality and narrower viewing angles while an IPS panel has the best color reproduction with the best viewing angles while having slow response times (4ms-8ms). A VA panel lies somewhere in between the two. Lastly, you need to get a monitor based off of your PC hardware. A GTX 1650 or an RX 570 is suited to gaming at 1080p 60Hz while for 4K 60Hz or 1440p 240Hz, an RTX 2080 or an RX 5700 XT is recommended. Consider the following baselines for your monitor:
- GTX 1650/RX 570: 1080p@60Hz
- GTX 1660Ti/RX 580: 1080p@144Hz
- RTX 2070/RX 590 or Vega64: 1440p@144Hz
- RTX 2080Ti/RX 5700 XT: 4K@60Hz
BenQ Zowie XL2546: The Best Gaming Monitor for FPS
- Size: 24.5-inch TN
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Refresh Rate: 240Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Price: Rs 32,999
The Zowie XL2546 is the flagship e-Sports gaming monitor and used ubiquitously at the biggest LAN events, it’s probably the most popular monitor on this list. With a 1ms response time and a 240Hz refresh rate, it features a sturdy, sleek design for no-nonsense gaming. It also comes with a height-adjustable stand in the box. For its I/O, it comes with an HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, DVI-DL, a microphone and a headphone jack and 4 x full-sized-USB ports. Though lacking in color accuracy and picture quality, the XL2546 is a great, simple monitor for the hardcore competitive gamer.
Acer Predator XB281HK: The Best 4K Gaming Monitor
- Size: 28-inch IPS
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Price: Rs 46,990
The Acer Predator XB281HK comes with an excellent panel with NVIDIA G-SYNC technology and a whopping 1ms response time on an IPS panel! It also comes with built-in 2W speakers and some of the best viewing angles at 178 degrees. For its I/O, it comes with a DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4 and a USB 3.0 port. While it lacks HDR capabilities of the XB3, it makes up for it in excellent color accuracy covering over 99% of the sRGB spectrum and flicker-less technology, making it a compelling buy at the price-point.
Acer Nitro VG271U: The Best 1440p Gaming Monitor
- Size: 27-inch IPS
- Resolution: 2560 x 1400
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Price: Rs 28,709
The Acer Nitro VG271U offers a 1440p IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and motion-blur reduction technology. It also comes with AMD FreeSync technology to reduce screen-tearing and is rated at 400 nits brightness. For its I/O, it contains 2 x HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort 1.2 and a USB pass-through. While the built-in speakers can be a bit hit or miss, the VG271U offers the best 1440p gaming experience at a price that doesn’t break the bank.
LG 24MP59G: The Best Budget Gaming Monitor
- Size: 24-inch IPS
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Refresh Rate: 75Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Price: Rs 9,499
The LG 24MP59G comes with AMD FreeSync and flicker-free technology to prevent eye strain. For its I/O, it has a VGA port, an HDMI port, a DisplayPort 1.2 and a headphone jack. The 24MP59G offers value for the price-point packing in flagship features in a budget parcel. While the low refresh rate might be a turn off for some, the 1080p IPS panel along with great viewing angles makes it a worthwhile consideration.
If we’ve missed some great monitors, feel free to let us know in the comments below.
Further Reading:
Doesn’t the VG271U have an IPS panel and not a TN Panel. It uses the Innolux panel afaik.
Thanks for pointing that out. Was my fault.
The IPS variant of the VG271U comes with a response rate of 4ms if I remember correctly but idk
Vg271u is plagued by flickering issue…..almost all the reviews on newegg amazon.com reddit points out…very bad choice for 1440p…acer xv272u and aopen 32hc1 is much better option