How To Choose a Gaming Monitor

Truly immersive gaming experience requires using the right combination of CPU, GPU and a high quality display unit that will deliver higher resolution and refresh rate with lower response time for enhanced and smoother gameplay. This extensive guide will help you choose the best monitor for your gaming pc.

The following are the major factors to be considered before selecting a gaming monitor.

  1. Panel Technology: Mainly there are three types of display panel that are being used for monitors.
    Tn ( Twisted Nematic ) : The TN panel is definitely budget friendly but with limited viewing angles and color accuracy, these are not the right selection for the purpose of gaming experience.
    IPS ( In-Plane Switching ) : IPS panel delivers wider viewing angles, better color accuracy and contrast ratios. But the disadvantage with the IPS panel is it delivers slightly slower response time in respect of the Frame Rates.
    VA ( Vertical Alignment ) : VA panel offers both good response time as well as deeper color accuracy and contrast.
  2. Size: Although the ideal size of the monitor depends on personal preferences, viewing distance plays a critical role in selection of the right size of a monitor.
    Long gaming sessions cause eye strain and fatigue, so in that case, viewing distance should be higher in case of large sized monitors and thus requires more wider desk space.
    24-32 inch monitors are popular choices for gaming. But for smaller desk space 22-24 inches monitors will be the right selection.
    27-32 inches monitors offer expansive viewing experience but will require more desk space than the smaller ones.
  3. Resolution : Higher resolution monitor provides more detail and sharper viewing experience in the gameplay.
    1080p ( 1920×1080 ) ( Full HD ) resolution is a good choice for beginners when used with a pc with a 6-core / 12-thread CPU (Central Processing Unit) with a dedicated GPU ( Graphics Processing Unit ) for 60 FPS ( Frames Per Second ) gaming experience. Most of the gaming monitors offer more than 60 Hz ( 60 Frames Per Second – FPS ) refresh rate.
    1440p ( 2560 x 1440 ) ( Quad HD ) resolution monitors offer refresh rates higher than 60 Frames Per Second ( above 60 Hz ) and it will be the right selection when used with a PC with 8-core / 16 thread CPU with a dedicated GPU for a seamless and immersive viewing experience.
    A 4K ( 3840 x 2160 ) ( Ultra HD ) monitor will be the right selection when used with a system unit with 12-core / 24 thread or even 16-core / 32 thread CPU along with advanced GPU for an amazing viewing experience for more clarity and sharpness.
  4. Refresh Rate : Refresh Rate is a critical factor which determines how many times the image on the monitor screen refreshes or updates per second. Higher refresh rates reduce input lag and motion blur and hence delivering a smoother and responsive gaming experience.
    For gaming a minimum refresh rate of 144 Hz ( 144 Frames Per Second ) monitor must be ensured.
    For competitive gaming, 240 Hz ( 240 Frames Per Second ) or even higher refresh rate monitor will be the preferred choice.
  5. Response Time: This is a measurement relating to how quickly a pixel can change color ( Pixel Response Time ).
    In fast-paced games blurring and ghosting on the screen happens if the pixel response time in the monitor is slow.
    Lower response time ( measured in milliseconds ) reduces blur, ghosting and enhances image clarity.
    For competitive gaming Response Time of 1 milliseconds or less will always be preferred.
  6. Connectivity: Gone are the days when the monitors would come with only the 15 pin VGA ( Video Graphics Array ) connector. Nowadays most of the monitors come with HDMI ( High Definition Multimedia Interface ) ports and DisplayPort connectors.

Other Technologies To Be Considered Before Choosing A Monitor

HDR ( High Dynamic Range ): HDR ensures improved contrast and color for a more immersive visual experience.

Low Blue Light Technology: This technology reduces eye strain during long gaming sessions.

G-Sync ( NVIDIA ) or Free Sync ( AMD ): G-SYNC Monitor Technology when combined with NVIDIA graphics card ensures reduced screen tearing and stuttering by synchronizing the monitor’s Refresh Rates ( Frames Per Second ) with the GPU’s frame rate.

Same thing happens in case of FreeSync ( AMD ) enabled monitor when combined with AMD RADEON graphics card.

Choosing a Gaming Monitor: An Insight

Currently, we are seeing a huge advancement in display technologies which make us wonder what more new technologies will be coming in the future. However, features and technologies like HDR technology, IPS panel and response time of less than 1 millisecond along with Refresh Rate of more than 244 Hz in gaming monitors, play critical role in enjoying immersive gaming experience.

We can only utilize all these features for an immersive gaming experience when we use the right combination of CPU and GPU along with the monitor. If we lack the right combinations which may cause bottlenecking, then we will be deprived of the real gaming experience that we always expect from a gaming PC.

Following and considering the earlier mentioned factors will make it easy to choose a monitor for a gaming computer for and immersive gameplay experience.