The best gaming monitors More Buying Guides Here are our lists of the best PC accessories and hardware: — Best gaming mice — Best gaming keyboards — Best gaming laptops — Best graphics cards — Best gaming headsets — Best webcams — New to PC Gaming? Here are 10 things every PC gamer should own. The search for the best gaming monitor is a tough challenge. Theres no perfect screen, and theres a whole lot of exciting new technology being squeezed into current monitors, so finding a panel that combines everything is an impossible mission. A mission so impossible (because 70’s TV shows have taught us there are gradations of impossibility), we might need to get Leonard Nimoy and Tom Cruise on the case. For PC gamers, the most important component is the graphics card we choose to jam into our machines. But without a quality screen to go with it, were not going to be getting the best out of that GPU. So what makes a gaming monitor worth the money? What makes it better than the average LCD? You might be reading this on a slow, dull, washed-out TN panel. Our eyeballs are lazy, and they quickly become used to whatever panel theyre looking at. Why upgrade? Because a good gaming monitor will improve your gaming experience just as much as a new graphics card. And it will last longer. Seeing Elite: Dangerous or Far Cry 4 running on a high-res, 144Hz G-Sync screen will make you question why its taken you so long to make the change. A great panel will likely outlast your entire PC. Possibly twice over. I’m running a decade-old 2560 x 1600 Dell 30-inch panel on our test bench and it still looks great. Is that titanic monitor the best gaming panel around right now? Of course not. The best gaming monitors right now are the Asus Republic of Gamers Swift PG287Q and the AOC U3477Pqu. They are both expensive screens, but both offer something unique, each with their own positives and slight drawbacks. panel technology There are three main types of panel technology: twisted nematic (TN) vertical alignment (VA) and in-plane switching (IPS). TN: The most common panels. Cheap, mature tech. Fast: Screens with sub-4ms pixel responses are TN. Generally the worst image quality and often poor, washed-out colour reproduction and weak viewing angles. VA: Cheaper than IPS, with better image quality and viewing angles than TN monitors. The colours will generally be better than TN, but dimmer than IPS. VA panels do have great contrast ratios. IPS: The expensive option, with fantastic colour reproduction, image quality and viewing angles. The downside is they require brighter backlights and consume more power, and have slower pixel response times. The difference between 1ms and 5ms response can be difficult to see, so they can still make fantastic gaming monitors. The Asus RoG Swift PG287Q has a 1ms pixel response, 144Hz refresh rate and instant-on capabilities. It’s the fastest gaming screen in existence. The 2560 x 1440 panel uses Nvidia’s G-Sync technology to smoothly sync the panels refresh rate to the graphics cards. Paired with a GeForce GPU, this is the best gaming monitor around. But then the AOC U3477Pqu has a stunning IPS panel and an utterly immersive and vision-filling 21:9 aspect ratio. With a native resolution of 3440 x 1440, it’s crisper and more vibrant than the Swift’s weaker panel, and when you’ve got proper widescreen content it’s more dramatic than anything I’ve had sat on my desk. Testing gaming monitors There are two main ways to test out our screens to determine the best gaming monitor. The first is by playing games on it. Obv. Subjectively testing the gaming performance of each panel isn’t necessarily going to give you the lowdown on the specifics of a particular screen, but will let you test the functioning aspect ratio, native resolution and any particular gamer-centric technologies they’re sporting. Side-by-side comparative testing in this manner is also incredibly valuable for keying into the sometimes subtle differences between each panel. When you use a screen in isolation it’s easy to become blind to its comparative faults as you simply get used to them. Testing screens back-to-back allows us to discover and highlight specific issues between them. You can do more objective testing using the LCD calibration pages here. This site offers several test screens you can bring up on any web connected panel to make reliable qualitative assessments. The days of actual retail space for such things are dwindling, but if you can get a look at a screen before purchasing it, plugging a notebook or such into it and checking out the Lagom pages is very handy. On the next page: The best gaming monitor Page 1: Introduction to the best gaming monitor Page 2: The best gaming monitorPage 3: The best 4K monitor for gamingPage 4: The best 1080p monitor for gamingPage 5: The best widescreen monitor for gamingPage 6: Competitors and future testing The best gaming monitor: Asus Republic of Gamers Swift PG287Q Asus weren’t messing around when they named this gaming monitor the Swift. Its lightning quick and really does nail what it means to be a bonafide high refresh rate gaming monitor. Specs Panel size: 27-inchNative resolution: 2560 x 1440Panel technology: TNRefresh rate: 144HzPixel response: 1msInputs: 1x DisplayPortG-Sync: Yes The Asus Swift PG278Q is actually dangerously close to being the perfect gaming display thanks to the sheer amount of tech it has shoved into its slimline chassis. But that also means the price is seriously high at around $800 (£629). Compared with other 1440p monitors, that’s a hell of a lot to pay. We think its worth the money. Its the first screen to hit the 2560 x 1440 native resolution along with a 1ms pixel response and the full 144Hz refresh rate, all while sporting Nvidia’s G-Sync hardware inside the monitor itself. As well as being capable of delivering super smooth motion on the desktop, thanks to the glorious high refresh rate, it also complements high-end Nvidia graphics hardware in-game. The Swift delivers the smoothest experience you could hope for via that G-Sync hardware. If your attached gaming rig is capable of delivering over sixty frames per second at this 1440p native resolution, then Nvidia’s synchronization tech can make your real-time PC gaming experience look like a pre-rendered animation. Therein lies the beauty of G-Sync. The trouble with G-Sync is that at the moment it’s limited to the TN (twisted nematic) panel technology and only Nvidia graphics cards. Unfortunately the Swift isn’t sporting the latest take on the TN tech which we’ve seen in recent 4K monitors. Those panels have almost nailed the problems which have blighted TN screens over the years, but the Swift still suffers from rather poor viewing angles. Screen sync Nvidias G-Sync is the first to synchronize GPU and monitor. Its a way to avoid screen tearing without the stutter or slowdown of V-Sync. Game tearing appears when the monitor isnt receiving frames from the GPU when its ready to present them on-screen. Most monitors run at 60Hz, refreshing the screen 60 times a second. Game framerates vary: the GPU may spit out 33 or 46 or 110 frames per second. The G-Sync hardware added to compatible screens allows the GPU to synchronize with the screen so that it will only deliver full frames when the screen is ready to display them. Because its a proprietary tech and requires additional hardware installed in the monitor, there is a price premium attached. AMD, on the other hand, is introducing a technology called FreeSync which piggybacks the new DisplayPort 1.2a standards AdaptiveSync protocols. Monitors utilising the next version of DisplayPort should then be compatible with AMDs FreeSync tech without needing additional hardware. Those arent yet available, but will work with existing Hawaii and Tonga-based AMD cards once the driver issues have been dealt with. Sat in front of it at your desk that might not seem like an issue—for our use, the horizontal viewing angles arent a problem—but because of the 27-inch size of the screen the poor vertical performance is noticeable. You’re also not getting the vibrant colour reproduction of the beautiful IPS (in-plane switching) panel technology we’ve grown to love. Sat next to a good IPS screen the slightly washed out colours are evident on the Swift. But the contrast levels are pretty good and the black levels are immaculate. The gradients are similarly good too, showing no banding at all in different gradations of colour. The white saturation levels are pretty poor, something most other TN panels suffer from. But in terms gaming prowess the RoG Swift is second to none, and that’s what makes it our pick as the best gaming monitor. Running something like Elite: Dangerous or Far Cry 4 at 144Hz with G-Sync is a seminal experience and something you have to experience in person. They should have sent...a poet. With normal monitors it almost seems evident the images are being drawn in front of your eyes; with a high refresh rate G-Sync panel though it feels more like a window to a world that continues to exist once you pull the curtains together. Then there’s the speed of it. I’ve tested screens that can take up to twelve seconds to wake up. The Asus Swift responds the very second you hit the ‘on’ button. There is also zero input lag displayed by the panel—it’s as responsive as you’re going to see a modern monitor. Though Ive become a fan of the latest 21:9 screens as gaming monitors, none of them as yet can come close to the Swift’s high refresh rate and G-Sync capabilities. The IPS panel is beautiful, but still retains the 60Hz limit and a 5ms response, which some find too long for high-speed gaming. Because of its relatively weak TN panel though I’m not going to call the Asus RoG Swift PG278Q the absolute perfect monitor, but it’s definitely the best gaming monitor right now. If you’re willing to pay the price, and have a high-end Nvidia card that is. For UK Readers While the ASUS RoG Swift is hard to get on Amazon in the US, its in stock on Amazon.co.uk. You can grab it for £620. On the next page: the best 4K monitor for gaming Page 1: Introduction to the best gaming monitorPage 2: The best gaming monitorPage 3: The best 4K monitor for gamingPage 4: The best 1080p monitor for gamingPage 5: The best widescreen monitor for gamingPage 6: Competitors and future testing The best 4K monitor for gaming: Acer XB280HK For the same price as the Asus Swift you can actually pick up the very first 4K monitor with G-Sync built in, the $800 Acer XB280HK. Your excitement levels about such a thing are going to be entirely bound up in just how powerful a graphics array you have in your PC, and whether it’s an Nvidia-based setup. Specs Panel size: 28-inchNative resolution: 3840 x 2160Panel technology: TNRefresh rate: 60HzPixel response: 1msInputs: 1x DisplayPortG-Sync: Yes One of the biggest issues with gaming on 4K monitors is that you need a colossal amount of rendering power to game at decent frame rates at such high resolution. And arguably the best hardware for 4K gaming resides in the top AMD graphics cards, mostly thanks to their far speedier memory interfaces. When youre chucking around so many more pixels you need that extra bandwidth, something which Maxwells augmented 256-bit bus struggles with. But the AMD Radeon R9 295X2 requires a pair of GPUs to actually be able to hit 60FPS at Ultra 4K settings in Battlefield 4, where even the best GTX 980 struggles to hit 36FPS. A good 1440p screen will generally offer around twice the frame rate a 4K monitor will display because of the demands it puts on your graphics card (assuming youre playing at native resolution). So, is a G-Sync 4K monitor worth the money or the effort? Most affordable 4K monitors are now rocking the speedy TN panel tech, which allows for a 1ms pixel response. That means they’re actually pretty good receptacles for having a bit of G-Sync hardware chucked inside. And because this screen is around $800 (£500), a similar price to most other 28-inch 4K monitors, you’re almost getting the G-Sync tech in this display for free. The added bonus is the latest TN panels used for the latest 4K monitors are far better than most of the other panels weve tested. Even the otherwise lovely RoG Swift has to make do with a screen that’s noticeably lower quality than this cheaper, higher-resolution TN. The better quality of the latest panels is shown most noticeably in the viewing angles of the Acer XB280HK. The vertical angles still aren’t on the same level as a good IPS or VA display, especially when you’re looking up at the screen, but the horizontal angles are almost indistinguishable from an 8-bit IPS monitor. You’ll also see the difference in the white saturation levels too; this Acer screen gets almost perfect image quality in that regard. This panels black levels are unfortunately worse than the whites. With the other TN screens I’ve tested it’s completely the other way around. Elsewhere, the contrast is excellent and there is no visible banding to the gradients. There is one other problem with 4K: size, and how it affects pixel density. At 28 inches, the Acer XB280HK is almost too small to be a 4K display; you’ll still end up having to scale the OS to get comfortably readable text and icons at the screen’s native resolution. And Windows scaling is still not great. Things have improved with Windows 8, but you will still get some fuzziness and a whole host of third-party applications will struggle to cope or fit with a scaled display. You’ll also need a beefy system to get the best out of a 4K screen and, because this is a G-Sync monitor, you’re also stuck Nvidia cards to get the most out of the glorious smoothness it can bestow upon your games. Until our graphics hardware gets to the point where you can run a 4K display from a modestly-priced single GPU, Id recommend sticking with a lower resolution screen like the RoG Swift above. That way you get great gaming frame rates and are better able to take advantage of the benefits of the 144Hz and G-Sync technology. For UK readers: the Iiyama Prolite B2888UHSU In a rare twist, folks in the UK actually get a better deal when it comes to 4K monitors, because they’re blessed with affordable access to monitors from Iiyama. The price of Iiyama screens in the US makes them prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of people, while in the UK they can be amongst the best value. If you’re not fussed on G-Sync, or prefer an AMD GPU array for your rig, then the Iiyama Prolite B2888UHSU is one of the best 4K monitors you can buy. At just £420 the Prolite really is exceptional value for a 4K screen, and that doesn’t equate to any quality reduction either. The modern TN panels used for these affordable super high-res screens are the best examples of this cheaper display tech. The contrast levels and colour reproduction is genuinely hard to distinguish from an 8-bit IPS panel and that’s high praise for TN. And out-of-the-box this Iiyama screen shows that image quality right from the off. On the next page: the best 1080p monitor for gaming Page 1: Introduction to the best gaming monitorPage 2: The best gaming monitorPage 3: The best 4K monitor for gamingPage 4: The best 1080p monitor for gamingPage 5: The best widescreen monitor for gamingPage 6: Competitors and future testing The best 1080p monitor for gaming: Viewsonic VX2263Smhl This 22-inch Viewsonic screen is probably the most controversial choice in this whole test. It’s a small display, isn’t boasting any 144Hz refresh rate and the chassis isn’t particularly nice. So whys it our favorite 1080p gaming monitor? Becuase it has a decent IPS panel inside that minimal bezel. More importantly, it’s an astoundingly good value. The Viewsonic VX2263Smhl is only $140 on Amazon. Specs Panel size: 22-inchNative resolution: 1920 x 1080Panel technology: IPSRefresh rate: 60HzPixel response: 5msInputs: 2x HDMI, 1x VGAG-Sync: No I’ve been recommending Viewsonic’s VX2370Smh in the PC Gamer Rig of our mashed-up-dead-tree counterpart, but it is becoming harder and harder to track that 23-inch IPS screen down. This slightly smaller version is only a few months old, and is almost as cheap. At $140 (£110) it’s an IPS bargain, and given the screen size is relatively small compared to our other favorites, its diminutive pixel pitch makes it seem even sharper. And because it’s an IPS panel there’s none of the terrible washed out colours you get with a cheap 1080p TN panel. It’s not the best IPS you’ll ever see—I’d wager it’s a 6-bit screen as there’s a certain amount of visible dithering in the gradients (in many cases, manufacturers dont reveal the exact specifications of their panel technology). That means the colours aren’t as vibrant as you’ll see on a true 8-bit or 10-bit IPS, but they’re easily as good or better than the very latest 28-inch TN panels that make up the affordable 4K ranges. And that makes them way better than most other TN screens you’ll see. The contrast levels are good, the black levels and white saturation levels are almost perfect and the viewing angles are excellent. It’s a great panel for the price. And if you’re going for a 1080p screen, you shouldnt spend much on it. If you’re going to spend good money on a brand new monitor, make sure it’s at least a 27-inch 1440p panel. That’s why the Viewsonic VX2263Smhl makes the most sense at this size, and thats why Im calling it the best 1080p gaming monitor. Yes, there are 1080p monitors with better specs and larger screens, but if youre seriously investing in a gaming monitor—one youll be using for years to come—its worth it to spend a bit more on one of the other models in this guide. Picking the Viewsonic itself from a sea of 1080p monitors was a tough call: the AOC G2460PG is a fantastic 1080p monitor with a great panel, but it’s $450 (£330) which is a ludicrous amount of money to spend on a 1080p TN screen, even if it does have 144Hz and G-Sync. For UK readers The Viewsonic VX2263SMHL isnt as cheap in the UK, but its still well-priced for an IPS monitor at £123 on Amazon. On the next page: The best widescreen monitor for gaming Page 1: Introduction to the best gaming monitorPage 2: The best gaming monitorPage 3: The best 4K monitor for gamingPage 4: The best 1080p monitor for gamingPage 5: The best widescreen monitor for gamingPage 6: Competitors and future testing The best widescreen monitor for gaming: AOC U3477Pqu The AOC U3477Pqu very nearly took the overall award for the best gaming monitor from the Asus RoG Swift. I am still quite torn over which should actually get the full honours, but for now the gorgeous 34-inch AOC will have to make do with the tag as the best widescreen gaming monitor. Specs Panel size: 34-inchNative resolution: 3440 x 1440Panel technology: IPSRefresh rate: 60HzPixel response: 5msInputs: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI, 1x DVI-D, 1x D-subG-Sync: No And boy, is it wide. The 34-inch span across its diagonal is measured with a 21:9 aspect ratio, making it the same height as the Swift but almost a third again as wide. The 3440 x 1440 native resolution isn’t as demanding on the GPU as a move up to 4K would be, but I would argue that it’s a far more dramatic change to your gaming experience. For the better. Sat at your desk, the 34-inch panel will almost entirely fill your field of view. That makes a big difference in-game, adding another level of immersion that the standard 16:9 aspect ratio cannot manage. The AOC also has an absolutely beautiful IPS panel. It’s a stunning screen, with glorious colour reproduction and contrast levels, and the 1440 pixel height makes it just as effective on the Windows desktop as it is with the wind and bullets whistling through your hair in Kyrat. Where the Asus Swift has the edge is its 1ms pixel response and 144Hz refresh rate. For games, that speedy response is important. It also has the added bonus of G-Sync as well, offsetting the weaker TN panel it’s sporting. Another minor drawback for the AOC U3477Pqu: some games dont provide native 21:9 support. This can lead to images being stretched or unsightly black bars being placed around your screen. Thankfully, the PC gaming community has come to the rescue as always with the excellent Flawless Widescreen application. Its a piece of third-party software that is continually being updated with to support games that dont have native 21:9. The AOC is also an incredibly high-priced screen, with a recommended retail price of some $900 (£600). That’s a bitter pill to swallow, but the good news is the beauty of this screen will wash away the nasty taste that leaves in your mouth the instant you boot up your favourite game in its full 21:9 glory. This particular AOC monitor is currently hard to find online in the US, but well update this post with a link when its more readily available. For UK readers The AOC is hard to find on Amazon in the US, but its available on Amazon.co.uk for approximately £640. On the next page: Competitors and future testing Page 1: Introduction to the best gaming monitorPage 2: The best gaming monitorPage 3: The best 4K monitor for gamingPage 4: The best 1080p monitor for gamingPage 5: The best widescreen monitor for gamingPage 6: Competitors and future testing Wrapping up: competitors and future testing We tested a huge range of monitors to get a bead on the best panels to recommend, so we can be confident in our choice of the best gaming monitor. We think a gaming monitor is a serious investment, and its worth spending money now on something like the Asus RoG Swift or the AOC ultrawide. Theyll both make your gaming experience better and still be great monitors years from now. But if you dont have that much to spend, there are some good alternatives below. Some of these are still great monitors, but not the best. For example, check out the Ben-Q GW2765HT for a more affordable 27-inch IPS monitor, without the RoG Swifts amazing refresh rate or G-Sync. Asus PQ321QE: This 32-inch panel was our very first taste of 4K, and it is an utterly superlative panel. But while it’s price has halved since launch it’s still around $1,500 (£1,500), which is still too much. Asus PB287Q: This was one of the first affordable 4K monitors we saw and is still quite beguiling. It is though running the same 28-inch TN panel as the Iiyama 4K we love and is a good bit more expensive at $560. AOC U2868Pqu: It’s pretty much the same situation for AOC’s affordable 4K panel. It’s almost as good as the Iiyama panel, but more expensive and lacks the Acer’s G-Sync extras. Samsung 32SD850: This big-screen, 32-inch Samsung screen had all the hallmarks of a quality monitor. The VA screen tech should be better than TN and its 2560 x 1440 res is great for gaming...but it’s one of the poorest Samsung panels I’ve seen with terrible viewing angle problems. LG 34UM95: Again, it’s all down to price. I’ve got a feeling this is the exact same panel as in the other 34-inch 21:9 panel I’ve tested, but it’s got some extra Apple-pleasing Thunderbolt connectivity which bumps up the price without offering us much in return. Not worth the $900. Ben-Q GW2765HT: I’m actually rather taken by this BenQ panel. It’s a good price at $440 (£275) and offers a lovely 2560 x 1440 IPS panel with BenQ’s quality controls and chassis. A good 27-inch IPS option for gamers. Iiyama Prolite GB2773HS: If you can’t power a high-resolution monitor, but still want a bigger screen you can have a 27-inch 1080p panel instead. That said, we dont recommend it—pixel density is simply too low. This Iiyama’s also benefitting from a 144Hz TN panel too, but it’s got terrible white saturation levels and is super-expensive in the US. AOC G2770Pqu: The 27-inch AOC is running along the same lines as the Iiyama above. It’s a big, 1080p panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. But that TN screen is as bleached as the bones in Death Valley. Iiyama Prolite GB2488HSU: With possibly the worst TN panel I’ve ever seen, this Iiyama screen is beyond recommending even with a 144Hz display. The main issue is that it’s just so washed out, even without the brightness set at 100%. AOC G2460PG: This was almost my favourite 1080p gaming screen, and only misses out because I baulk at spending $450 (£330) on a 24-inch TN display. That said it is a lovely TN panel, almost as good as the current affordable 4K screens, and has both the G-Sync tech and a 144Hz refresh rate. The cheaper Viewsonic IPS though gets our vote for its sheer value. Viewsonic VG2401mh: And speaking of Viewsonic… This little 24-inch, 1080p panel is rocking the buttery-smooth 144Hz refresh rate, but still feels just a little too pricey for a wee TN panel. Viewsonic VG2438sm: The VG2438sm is a rarity both in this test and in real-life. It’s rocking a 16:10 aspect ratio giving you more height to your display. At 30-inches that works great with our old Dell 3007WFP, but at 24-inches this aspect ratio just feels a tad boxy to make a good gaming monitor. Future testing Obviously this isn’t a complete list of every single monitor available—I don’t have the desk-space for them all!—but we’ve covered a wide variety of different panel technologies, sizes, aspect ratios and manufacturers. Right now the Asus RoG Swift PG287Q is our number one choice, with the AOC U3477Pqu just behind with its mega-wide aspect ratio. But we’re still waiting on the perfect panel. For my money that would be a 21:9, 34-inch IPS panel, running at 144Hz with either G-Sync or FreeSync capabilities. A guy can dream, can’t he? There are some fascinating screens coming soon—there’s a 40-inch 4K Phillips monitor with a 60Hz refresh, a VA panel and a single stream connection to ease driver problems. That is big for a desktop monitor, but its pixel pitch will be about the same as a 27-inch 1440p monitor and ought to mean this is one 4K monitor we wont have to scale in Windows. I’m also jonesing for one of LG’s curved 21:9 34-inch screens, but their price is utterly prohibitive for the vast majority of us. New monitors will doubtless be announced at CES in January. The monitor landscape is moving pretty fast, and new panels will soon arrive and we’ll make sure we take a look at the very best on offer. If there are some we simply must check out, let us know in the comments. Well be updating this guide as we game on new screens. A note on affiliates: some of our stories, like this one, include affiliate links to stores like Amazon. These online stores share a small amount of revenue with us if you buy something through one of these links, which helps support our work evaluating PC components. Page 1: Introduction to the best gaming monitorPage 2: The best gaming monitorPage 3: The best 4K monitor for gamingPage 4: The best 1080p monitor for gamingPage 5: The best widescreen monitor for gamingPage 6: Competitors and future testing
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 22:08:13 +0000
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