Factors to consider when buying gaming monitors.

Factors to consider when buying gaming monitors.

Monitors have quite an interesting history. The first CRT monitor was made in 1922 it wasn’t until 32 years later that they began being sold commercially. It then took another 50 years for the LCD monitors, which we all love, to hit the market.

Now 100 years later you will get the best gaming monitors that display your adventures without blurring, flickering or tearing. Do you have an excellent gaming PC with first-rate GPU? It is time you invest on a top monitor. That is a sure way to elevate your gaming adventures.

Every gamer desires a monitor that suits FPS, car contests, open world, or any other fast paced games. I have listed the perfect gaming monitors in the market right now.

First, let’s see the factors to consider to avoid incurring extra costs for features that you might not need.

1. Screen Size

20 or so years ago, you wouldn’t have had much of a choice with size. The monitors came in 14-inch and 15-inch CRT monitors and boy were they heavy. But how far technology has advanced. You can now choose size from a variety flat screen monitors.

The size is the diagonal length of the screen measured in inches. With gaming monitors, a big sized screen may lead to a better gaming experience because screens with larger displays will create a more immersive gaming experience.

However, this is not always the case because it all narrows down to two things: display resolution and the kind of games you play. So bigger may not always mean better for your gaming monitors. The best monitor size is the one that suits your gaming preferences. There are many monitor sizes with the most common being the 24-inch and 27-inch.

24-inch Monitors.

The 24-inch monitors will be amazing for you if you prefer sitting close to the screen. You will be able to view the entire screen which is strategic if you play first-person shooter games like Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Another thing to like is you can check all the game information being displayed on the screen at the edges as you play for example the mini-map.

Do you want sharp images? I would recommend a resolution of 1080p (Full HD) for 24-inch monitors. This gives you a pixel density of close to 92 pixels per inch (PPI). There are also 24-inch displays with a higher resolution of 1440p such as the AOC Agon AG241QX.

You can also find monitors with a 2160p resolution but they are not the best for gaming. At least not in the 24-inch category.

27-inch monitors.

27-inch displays are also great if you sit close to the monitor. Something like four feet from the screen. Sitting too close to a 27-inch means a you have a hard time viewing the entire screen. You will see some bigger details in the game which is not suitable for fast games.

If you go for a 27-inch monitor it goes well 1440p resolution which has a pixel density of around 109 PPI. Your images and texts will be more detailed and sharper.

A good combination will be a 27-inch QHD display with a 144Hz refresh rate such the Asus ROG Swift PG279QZ. When you play both fast games and slower story driven ones, the 27-inch QHD monitor with a fast refresh rate will blow your mind.

32-inch monitors.

32-inch monitors will allow you to sit further away from the screen, as far as five feet. If you love multiplayer monitors that are best for games with finer graphic the large screen will allow great multiplayer exploits with friends.

However, you may not like them for competitive gaming because you need to move your head a lot in order to view the entire screen.

The recommended resolution for these monitors is 4K UHD because it gives you a high pixel density. A 32-inch QHD display won’t be bad since it gives you the same pixel density to a 24-inch 1080p.

34-inch Ultrawide monitors.

Are you looking for a more immersive game experience with a wider field of view? The 34-inch monitors offer exactly that. For an even more immersive game experience, most 34-inch screens are curved such as the Dell Alienware AW3418DW. The screen also allows you to sit as far from screen as you prefer but around five feet would be best.

Many 34-inch displays have a 1440p resolution which gives a pixel density of around 109PPI. If you are a professional looking for the best monitor for various tasks other than gaming, the 34-inch display is suitable for you. You can have multiple windows open at a time and be able to multitask.

2. Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio of a monitor is what determines the size of the display. Basically, you get the aspect ratio of a monitor from the ratio of the width of the screen to its height. Older monitors had an aspect ratio of 4:3 which is somehow outdated for gaming purposes. Now widescreen monitors usually have an aspect ratio of 16:9.

When it comes to gaming monitors ultra wide monitors with an aspect ratio of 21:9 carry the day. They have steadily gained popularity because they offer a large view of your games. When it comes to aspect ratio that is one of the things to look at.

However, do not dismiss the 16:9 monitors yet. They are still the most bought and you find many manufacturers design games to fit these monitors. One of the advantages of this ratio is that you can easily downscale to other resolutions. Therefore if you are a gamer looking for an aspect ratio specifically for gaming, the 16:9 is the best for you. It is also the most popular because you may have games that are not compatible with the wider 21:9 displays. If you play such a game on these displays, your screen will stretch resulting in unclear images. That is not a gaming experience you wish to have.

Do you want a bigger display? With 21:9 displays, the main advantage is the wider screen. What this means for a gamer is a more immersive gaming experience compared to the smaller aspect ratio. More so if you get a curved monitor.

The ultrawide 21:9 may also come in handy if you are going to use the monitors for other functions. You will easily open multiple windows at once and view each of them clearly. You become more productive because it makes it easy for you to multitask. One thing you guessed right about the 21:9 displays is that they are very costly. That’s why most gamers go for the 16:9. However, if you can afford one, it will be great especially if you are a professional who needs it for other work besides gaming.

3. Resolution

Resolution refers to the number of pixels you have on the screen horizontally and vertically. The more there are, the clearer the image will be. Higher numbers means that the images are sharper compared to lower ones. With lower ones you will notice that the images and text appear bigger on the monitor because the pixels are more scattered.

The three most popular resolutions to choose from for gaming are Full HD (1080p), Quad HD (1440p) and Ultra HD (2160p). The resolution depends on the monitor’s aspect ratio.

Full HD

Full HD (1080p) is a term that you hear almost every day especially for seasoned gamers. 1080p was once the most advanced display technology when the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were released. It remains popular, even among pros, to this day for many good reasons.

First, they require less computational power especially compared to Ultra HD. Unless you have a very powerful PC, 1080p will do just great. With Full HD your eyes travel less. Trivial as it may seem this can make a huge difference in competitive gaming.

If 1080p is your choice use a monitor that is no bigger than 27-inches. Anything larger and you start seeing independent pixels.

However, watch out for low-quality monitors. These monitors are everywhere and it is easy to get an ‘amazing’ deal where you end up with a terrible monitor.

Quad HD (1440p)

Does Quad HD have any advantages over Ultra HD or Full HD? They are making more upgraded options and it might be your cup of tea. The 1080p is a shortened form of (1920-by-1080) and the 1440p gets its short form from its resolution (2560-by-1440).

The difference with 1080p is that its picture quality is better. However, factors such as the type of monitor you have and the distance you are from the screen may this difference unnoticeable. If the monitor is far from you, say 10 feet, you won’t notice the difference easily unless the screen is 65-inches or more. However, if you are closer, like 2 feet, a 27-inch monitors will do.

The advantage over Ultra HD (4K) is that 1440p is cheaper and it also needs lesser computational power.

Ultra HD (4K)

The 4K monitor is simply greater than the two. Why not go for it then? For gaming this may prove useless if your gaming rig is compatible. You have to do a little research if your setup can support any increased resolutions. Therefore, a powerful GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is needed.

Cost is another factor. You may find one where you may have to part with twice as much as for 1440p. Experts conclude that if a screen is 32-inches or smaller the difference is not very significant. Also if your setup isn’t powerful enough you sacrifice fps (frames per second) to use 4K. In short playing over 60 fps at 144op will definitely be better than low settings at 4K.

No, I am not advocating against 4K. If you love resolution over anything or if you have a powerful GPU go for it. It will give you deep color, better clarity and sharper images.

4. Refresh rate

If you are looking to play first person shooter games like Counter-Strike, the refresh rate of the monitor is the factor to consider. The refresh rate is how fast your monitor can switch from one image to another. A video is a set of still images that switch at a very fast rate and the refresh rate is what determines how the video will play. A high refresh rate enables your video to play smoothly without flickers that may disrupt your game.

The speed at which the images switch is measured in hertz (Hz). This means that if you have a 120Hz, for example, the images will refresh 120 times per second. The standard refresh rate for most monitors today is 60Hz. But more expensive monitors have refresh rates of 120Hz and 144Hz.

A higher refresh rate means the monitor can support more frames per second (fps) and this creates a smoother gaming experience. The most common refresh rate is 60Hz with others such as 144Hz and 200Hz gaining prominence.

6. Panel type

A monitor’s panel type is what determines its response time, refresh rate and the clarity of its images. When going through the specs of a monitor, you will come across different panel types such as TN, VA and IPS. You might be wondering what these panel types present for your gaming monitor and what is different about them. Well, these panel types have their differences and each has its own pros and cons. Each of these panel types may affect the quality of your gaming monitor differently.

Make sure you are conversant with the panel types including their various characteristics and their performance. Knowing this will push you a step closer to choosing a gaming monitor that will suit your particular needs. The common panel these days are TN (Twisted Nematic), VA (Vertical Alignment) and IPS (In-plane Switching)

1. TN (Twisted Nematic) panels

In most gaming monitors, you will find TN panels. You will particularly find TN panels in monitors with high refresh rates. What makes them common is that they are manufactured cheaply and have the fastest response time compared to the other panel types. Input lag, blurring or ghosting when playing your games will definitely be a thing of the past.

TN panels may however not have the best color qualities and they have smaller viewing angles. But the color quality is not the case for all TN you will get. For example I find the ones certified by NVIDIA to meet certain standards of color accuracy.

Viewing angles may be a bit more of a struggle with TN panels. You have to be right in front of your screen or the images become unclear. Multiplayer games where you sit with friends can prove a bit difficult with it. Getting a TN panel with a vertically adjustable stand will be the best way to overcome this challenge.

1. IPS (In-Plane Switching) Panels

Unlike TN these monitors have a very high color accuracy. You also get wide viewing angles in comparison with the rest of the monitors. With these panels you will enjoy tasks like gaming that have lots of color. Their wide viewing angles means your images remain clear when you are not directly looking at the screen.

The main disadvantage of IPS panels is that their response times are usually slow, most at 4ms. However, many people overlook this because the panel’s response time in most cases never affects your gaming. Most people will therefore choose IPS monitors for their good quality images while ignoring the slow response time.

IPS panels are also more expensive than TN panels but if you have your finances right, this might be the better panel type to consider.

1. VA (Vertical Alignment) panels

There are many differents types of VA panels but the most common ones in gaming monitors are the MVA ( multi-domain vertical alignment) and the AMVA ( Advanced MVA).

MVA panels have better viewing angles than TN and higher contrast ratios than IPS screens. Their color quality is however not good compared to IPS and they have slow response times compared to TN screens. On the other hand, AMVA have improved color accuracy alongside the high ccontrast ratios. Its viewing angles while still better than TN panels are not as wide as IPS panels and the response times are still slower. There are features such as a monitor’s Overdrive function which have made VA response times faster making the VA panels common in gaming monitors especiallt the curved ultrawide displays.

5. Input Lag

Input lag, measured in millliseconds, is the time that your monitor will take to respond to your command. It is the time between when you press a command on your keyboard, controller, or mouse and when the commands you have inputted are displayed on the screen.

The amount of input lag is important for a good gaming monitor. Competitive gaming requires instant responses to commands because a perceptible lag will prove a challenge to gaming when your monitor does not immediately react once you press a key. For example, if there is lag, might kick a ball and the action will take half a second or more to be displayed on the screen. This will not be good when playing because it will slow down your game and you may end up frustrated.

For most devices however, the manufacturers do not normally state the input lag. This is why it is highly recommended that you research thoroughly on the features before purchasing your monitor.

5. Response time

Response time is basically how quickly it takes a pixel on a monitor to change from one color or shade to another. The response time is usually meausured in milliseconds. The response gtime meaaures how long it takes to change from black to white and vice versa. It also measures how long it will take to change from one shade of gray to another.

Since the response time determines the fastness of a pixel to chage color, it is primarily what determines the clarity and accuracy of an object displayed on your monitor. With response time, the best monitors have a low response time. This means that with a low response time, you will getting faster actions with little or no input lag. But the higher the response time, the slower fast moving images will be displayed on your monitor. For TN monitors, the response time is 1 millisecond while the newer IPS monitors have a response time of 4ms which is quite slower. For gamers, it is significant the response time is kept low so that you can get fast actions on your monitor.

If the response time is low and the images are not moving fast enough, you might have blurred images on your screen resulting from motion blur or ghosting. And what exactly does motion blur and ghosting mean?

1. Motion blur

A high response time often results in motion blur. This results from lack of enough time for pixels to switch colors and you will have blurred images on your screen. This might be unpleasant and a problem particularly if you suffer from motion sickness.

1. Ghosting

A simple explanation for ghosting is when the images do not change fast enough resulting to the previous image causing a smear like effect on the next image. The result is usually a ghost-like image on your screen. Ghosting affects tor gaming experience and can make you unable to play. The interference on the new images distorts your game making it slow and unplayable.

7. Viewing angle

The viewing angle is also an important factor to consider. Some people play games in front of their monitors but with an audience, people play around the monitor. A monitor’s viewing angle will help you know the angles from which you can look at the monitor clearly. Closer to 180 viewing angles means better viewing experience from the sides of the monitor or from above and below.

8. G-Sync and FreeSync

The best monitors are either G-Sync or FreeSync enabled or both. These technologies keep the monitors running smoothly by keeping frames per second (fps) smooth and minimizing input lag. G-Sync is made by Nvidia thus requires a Nvidia GPU. The G-Sync tech is inbuilt which can make the monitor more expensive. FreeSync is developed by AMD AND IS free to use by manufacturers hence the monitors are usually less expensive.