So, you have a doubt whether the monitor you’re going to purchase is worth it or not. We get it; there are tons of gaming monitors in the market to try from. As if that’s not enough, many of them cost way more than you can even imagine.
Hence, you might be asking yourself what to look for in a gaming monitor. It turns out; some certain key points will make it easy for you when buying a gaming monitor. If you don’t know about these, then things might get a bit confusing for you.
Don’t worry. We got you covered. In fact, we’ve compiled simple steps that’ll help you decide on a gaming monitor. Moreover, we’ve even prepared some important features to look out for. So, let’s begin.
If you need a monitor for specific GPU or gaming console, check out these:
What to Look For in a Gaming Monitor?
At the end of the day, you want to balance out different aspects to choose the monitor that will be the best for you. However, there are certain key points that you might want to focus on when buying a gaming monitor.
Let’s look at 6 key points that you should consider in a gaming monitor:
Resolution
There are three types of resolutions in a gaming monitor: 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p. It’s true that higher resolutions are better in a gaming monitor. But why is it so? Well, higher resolutions or show a better pixel count. These pixel counts provide better image clarity and visual details.
But, you should know that gamers have an obstacle from 1440p and 2160p. This obstacle is the hardware limitation. Even though there is a hardware limitation, 1440p is still a standard in mid-range gaming. This is mainly because of its ability to maintain a stable FPS of 30 in this resolution.
On the other hand, only modern GPUs can push 30 to 60 FPS in a 2160p resolution. Therefore, you should first consider whether you want a display quality or performance. Then, check the power of your GPU.
Refresh Rate
The refresh rate mainly indicates how much your monitor refreshes an image in one second. Moreover, it also indicates the FPS on the display of your monitor. Here, FPS means the frames a monitor can display in a second.
The refresh rates are 60Hz, 144Hz, and 240 Hz. Turns out, even if you have a higher refresh rate, it won’t serve any purpose without a strong GPU. This is because strong GPUs can push the number of FPS needed.
Hence, you should first check whether you have a graphics card that can run games at a high frame rate. Then, decide on getting a higher refresh rate.
Adaptive Sync
G-Sync and Free-Sync make sure your screen doesn’t tear out when you’re playing games. You might ask yourself why screen tearing happens. Well, sometimes refresh rate and FPS don’t sync together in some scenarios. As a result, screen tearing happens.
Free-Sync doesn’t take up any cost on the price of the monitor. However, it’s compatible with only an AMD graphics card. On the other hand, G-Sync takes $100-$150, and it’s compatible with cards of NVIDIA.
Panel Technology
There are mainly two types of panels: TN and IPS. Between the two, IPS panels have better visual quality. Moreover, IPS panels are vibrant and color accurate. As a result, they produce great viewing angles.
On the other hand, TN panels have fast response times. Also, it’s a panel that mainly focuses on speed and budget.
Response Time
In gaming, if the response time is low, the camera movements will be much smoother. Whereas, higher response time leads to blur motion of the game.
Screen Size
Even though screen size wouldn’t be that much of an issue, to begin with, it’s still better to have an idea of them. Nowadays, gaming monitors are from 21 to 27 inches. In this range, they provide perfect visual clarity and comfort. If you go for a larger size or a smaller size, you will miss out on a lot of things.
Also, if you decide on getting a monitor with 1080p resolution, don’t go more than 24-inches. As you won’t enjoy the low pixel density in a large size.
How Much Should I Spend?
By now, you should know what’s more important when buying a gaming monitor. But wait, let me tell you something.
Even though you’ll get the best features at a high price, it won’t do you any better. I mean, you don’t want to break your bank while buying a better monitor, will you? In addition to this, you can get better monitors at an affordable price range too.
It depends on your budget. If you want a higher FPS, you can sacrifice the gorgeous display. If your priorities are different, you’ll act differently in selecting your budget.
On a budget, you shouldn’t spend more than $500. And on mid-range, go for $600-$800. On the other hand, you can go even higher than $1000 on high ranges.
What features are most important?
So, you know what to look for in a gaming monitor when buying them. However, you might not want all of those features if you’re on a budget. So, what can you do about it?
Well, if you know the essential features, you can quickly look for them only.
For those who priorities performance and speed:
- If you’re a competitive gamer, go for a higher refresh rate. Also, go for low response time. Furthermore, purchase 25 to 27 inches of monitor size without any HDR.
For those with smoothness as priorities:
- Perhaps you’re more into casual gaming. So, you might not want to do competitive gaming and enjoy the game.
- If that’s the case, go for 60Hz or more with G-Sync attached. Also, you can purchase a larger screen for yourself. This will cause great image quality and saturated color. In the end, you’ll love the game.
Conclusion:
That’s all we had for you. Hopefully, the article answered everything you needed to know what to look for in a gaming monitor.
We’ve even compiled a description of what a gaming monitor might cost. Moreover, you’ll also find the most critical features to go for. So, why don’t you try buying a monitor with the help of the factors we’ve discussed? Good Luck.
