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How to Choose a Gaming Monitor - A Buyer's Guide (2023)

What to look for in a gaming monitor and how to find the best one for your gaming setup.

How to Choose a Gaming Monitor - A Buyer's Guide (2023) Redd / Unsplash

Last Updated: March 18, 2023

Written by Brandon Jones

There are many types of monitors out there, so we will try to help with choosing the best one. This guide goes over the size, resolution, response time, refresh rate, panel types, and screen curvature.

We also include our recommended gaming monitors below to make a more knowledgeable and straightforward purchase.

Size of Gaming Monitors

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The best monitor size for your gaming setup depends on how far you'll be sitting from your monitor and which resolution you want.

If you want to sit farther away from the monitor, you'll probably want to get a larger one so that you can see all of the details.

Smaller monitors have the advantage of fitting more of the game into your field of view without having to move your eyes as much.

Larger monitors can allow you to see more details of the game. They feel like you are immersed in the environment, like in a movie theater.

In the chart below, you can see the optimal resolution for each size of monitor.

Any resolution higher than the optimal resolution listed below would not be noticeable. For this reason, it likely wouldn't be worth the extra added cost.

For example, you'll have the best experience if you get a 27-inch monitor with a 1440p or 4K resolution. Verify that your computer is capable of handling the higher resolution. If you're a console gamer, the PS5 and Xbox Series X can both support 4k resolution.

Monitor Sizing
Monitor Size Optimal Resolution
24 inch 1080p / 1440p
27 inch 1440p / 4K
32 inch 1440p / 4K
42+ inch 4K

Resolutions for Gaming Monitors

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Choosing a monitor can also depend on how much detail you want to be displayed.

Types of details in games can include textures, user interface elements, and text quality.

The amount of detail is based on the resolution, but a bigger screen allows you to see it at a more comfortable size. For gaming on a 27-inch monitor, a 1440p picture will look a lot more crisp compared to 1080p.

Non-Gaming Usage

You may plan to also use your monitor for computer apps, such as browsing websites or multitasking (having multiple windows open side-by-side).

The advantage to using a high-resolution monitor for general use is that you can fit more apps onto the screen at once.

If you don't scale the UI on your operating system, text and buttons will be smaller at high resolutions.

However, newer operating systems let you scale the UI, which means that everything can be the same size as on a low-resolution monitor but have greater detail.

Monitor Resolution Comparison Monitor Resolution Comparison Brandon Jones / TechReviewer

Panel Types for Gaming Monitors

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The display panels inside monitors can use a variety of different technologies. Common LCD panel types include TN, VA, and IPS. Non-LCD panel types include OLED.

Note that LED and QLED are types of backlight technologies and are used in combination with TN, VA, and IPS panels.

Below is a comparison of the different monitor panel types. Overall, IPS panels are our personal favorite because they provide the best features for the price.

We also include OLED TVs since they can be used as monitors due to their excellent motion handling, colors, and contrast.

Monitor Panel Types
TN VA IPS OLED
Response Time Excellent Good Very Good Excellent
Refresh Rate Excellent Excellent Very Good Excellent
Viewing Angle Okay Very Good Excellent Excellent
Color Okay Good Excellent Excellent
Contrast Good Very Good Good Excellent
Price $ $$ $$$ $$$$$

See my recommended IPS gaming monitors below.

See my recommended OLED TV for gaming below.

See my recommended VA gaming monitors below.

See my recommended TN gaming monitors below.

Refresh Rates for Gaming Monitors

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Refresh rates determine how well a monitor can handle motion — the higher the refresh rate, the better.

Gaming monitors can have a refresh rate ranging from 60 to 360 Hz.

Refresh rate is the number of times a display can redraw the screen. Refresh rate is measured in hertz (Hz), which is defined as one cycle per second. For example, a refresh rate of 60 Hz means that the screen will redraw 60 times each second.

A good refresh rate for gaming is around 120 Hz to 165 Hz or above. Refresh rates in this range will reduce motion blur and make animations smoother.

Response Times for Gaming Monitors

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Response time also determines how well a monitor can handle motion — the lower the response time, the better.

Typical gaming monitors usually have a response time of 1 to 6 ms.

Response time is the time it takes a display to change from one color to another. The timing of this is usually determined by going back and forth between white and black. The timing is measured in milliseconds, with lower being better.

If your monitor has a higher response time, you'll notice more ghosting. When ghosting occurs, it looks like the colors are blurring together whenever there's quick movement on the screen.

Try to get a monitor with a 1 ms response time for best results. Monitors with a slightly higher response time (e.g., 5 ms) can still make for a great gaming monitor if you don't mind some minor ghosting.

Some monitors are not capable of both being set to their highest refresh rate and achieving their fastest response time. Check the monitor specs to determine what it supports.

Curved or Flat Monitor for Gaming?

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Deciding to buy a curved or flat monitor for gaming is mainly a personal preference. Curved monitors can help with seeing the edges of the screen better, but overall it won't affect your gaming that much.

With a curved monitor, the distance between your eyes and the monitor is more consistent across the entire width of the monitor. Additionally, the viewing angle is also more consistent across the whole width of the monitor. These two factors can result in a more immersive experience.

  • Curved monitors are usually recommended for 27 inches or more.
  • If you are going to sit far away from the monitor, a flat monitor will be your best option.
  • On the other hand, if you will be using a wide monitor up close, a curved monitor may provide the best gaming experience.

IPS Gaming Monitors

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ASUS TUF Gaming (27 Inch)

ASUS ProArt PA278QV (27 Inch)

BenQ EX2780Q (27 Inch)

OLED TV for Gaming

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LG C2 Evo OLED (42-83 Inch)

  • 42-83 inch | 2160p (4K) | 120 Hz | 1 ms | OLED

  • While this isn't specifically a monitor, you can use it as one!

  • The LG C2 evo OLED TV has self-lit OLED pixels with superior image quality, extreme contrast, perfect blacks, and over a billion colors.

  • This is an exceptional TV for any use, whether for movies, games, sports, or as a PC monitor.

  • This TV has Nvidia G-Sync, FreeSync Premium, and variable refresh rates which are great for games.

  • These new OLED models can now work well in brightly-lit rooms with their brightness booster and a9 processor.

  • Check the latest price of the LG C2 evo OLED TV on Amazon (affiliate link). Photo of the LG 65-Inch Class OLED evo C2 Series LG 65-Inch Class OLED evo C2 Series Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

TN Gaming Monitors

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Dell S-Series (27 Inch)

VA Gaming Monitors

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Samsung Odyssey G7 (32 Inch)

ViewSonic VX2718-PC-MHD (27 Inch)

Samsung Odyssey G5 (32 Inch)

Other Considerations When Building a PC

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Want to brush up on other new technologies to consider when building a computer? Check out these articles:

A Note From the Authors

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