10 Best Gaming Monitors (Review) In 2021

How We Chose Our Best Gaming Monitors

Our process for selecting the best gaming monitors involved extensive hands-on testing, interviews with pro gamers and careful consideration of technical, aesthetic and material considerations. To a lesser, but still important, extent we also considered:

Brand - While a great monitor is a great monitor some companies have been producing great gaming monitors longer than others and have a well-deserved reputation for producing reliable, cutting edge technology.

Price - Unfortunately, some of the best gaming monitors are very expensive, which puts them out of the reach of many average gamers. As such we’re always on the lookout for outstanding values we can introduce to our readers.

Reviews - Gaming monitor reviews can become an endless slog through techno-speak. And while that’s understandable, we’re more concerned about the experience the monitor provides rather than whether it ramps up the voltage to artificially inflate response rates.

Features To Look For In The Best Gaming Monitors

Panel Size & Resolution - Until now gamers got around the need for a more immersive experience by linking 2 or more monitors side by side. Today’s ultra-widescreen monitors, however, do away with the need for this type of technical hack. As for resolution, 1080p is the current standard and any monitor you buy should have at least this level of resolution.

Panel Technology - The LCD gaming monitor utilizes a range of different technologies including:

• TN technology - TN panels are the most common type used for gaming today. TN stand for “Twisted Nematic”, which would take too long to explain here. TN technology is what you call “tried and true” because it’s been around since the first LCD monitors hit the market way back when.
• IPS technology - IPS is another type of LCD technology. IPS (In Plane Switching) monitors are considered by most to produce the highest quality colors and the widest array of viewing angles. Graphic designers often seek out IPS PC monitors for their ability to generate accurate color representation. If you are into graphics-intensive gaming an IPS panel can help faithfully reproduce the look and feel intended by the developer.
• VA technology - VA (Vertical Alignment) panels occupy a kind of middle ground between TN and IPS. They typically produce better color reproduction than TN panels but they also tend to suffer from slower response times.

Pixel Response - The response rate denotes how fast a pixel on the gaming screen turns to white and then back to color. The pixel response rate is typically expressed in milliseconds. The lower the pixel response rate number the better. For instance, a response rate of 2 milliseconds, or 2 ms, is better (faster) than a response rate of 8 ms. The faster the response rate the better able the monitor is to handle a rapid refresh rate.

Refresh Rate - The refresh rate indicates how often the image on the monitor is redrawn. It is typically expressed in Hz. So a monitor with a 60Hz refresh rate will redraw the monitor 60 times per second. While a monitor with a 120Hz refresh rate will redraw it 120 times per second. The more frames per second, the sharper the image. As long as your PC can handle it.

Ports - Your gaming monitor should have a variety of different input ports to stay connected with other computers and various gaming consoles as well, such as XBox One and PS4. Most major consoles today use HDMI so it’s essential your monitor have HDMI ports. Both USB 3.0 and DisplayPort connectivity will also likely come in handy when high-end graphics cards are in the mix. P.S. If you can get more than 1 USB port for various peripherals that’s probably a good thing.

G-Sync - G-Sync technology manipulates the time interval between the end of the current frame display and the start of the next one. By regulating response rates in this fashion it greatly reduces visual artifacts that can distract from your gaming performance.

FreeSync - Freesync also manipulates response rates. In this case, the goal is to reduce visual stuttering caused by overlap between the previous frame and the new frame.

Gaming Monitor FAQ

Q: Do I really need a Gaming Monitor?

A: As with most things in life the answer is “it depends”. It depends on how seriously you take gaming. It depends on what type of games you play. It depends on what type of PC you have since a gaming monitor with a refresh rate of 144Hz won’t do you any good if your PC can’t keep up with that level of data flow. It also depends to some extent on your budget, how much space you have to work with and whether you see yourself continuing to game for the foreseeable future. The bottom line is that if you love gaming, are fond of graphics-heavy 3D games and have adequate financial resources then, by all means, you should get yourself a good gaming monitor.

Q: Is it better to use a monitor or TV for gaming?

A: To a large extent it comes down to how important the gaming experience is to you, what you want out of it and maybe most important, what kind of games you’re playing. You can play most games on your HDTV and they’ll look pretty good, especially story-driven games that take you on a journey. However, for fast-paced action-filled games where it does or die in a millisecond the high-performance gaming monitor with that lightning fast response rate we discussed above is going to be needed to really deliver the goods.

Q: What is the best Technology to get?

A: As we said above today’s LDC gaming monitors employ a range of technologies to deliver high-quality images including:

• TN technology - “Twisted Nematic” or TN panels are the most common gaming panels in use today. The technology has been around awhile but is still prized for its ability to deliver crisp, clear game imagery.
• IPS - IPS (in-plane switching) is intended to improve color visibility and light distortion in the TN (Twisted Nematic) monitors most people use for gaming. IPS uses 8-bit color as opposed to the 6-bit color used by TN monitors, which enables a wider range of display colors.
• VA technology - The VA (Vertical Alignment) panel can be counted on to produce better color reproduction than TN panels. On the downside, they aren’t exactly world beaters when it comes to response times.

Q: How Does the Refresh Rate Affect My Gaming?

A: A refresh rate of 60Hz means new images are introduced at a rate of 60 per second. A 144hz gaming monitor is one where new images are introduced at a rate of 144 per second. Obviously, the faster images are introduced the smoother and clearer the action will appear to the brain. Industry standard as of this writing is 60Hz, which is more than sufficient for most desktop applications and things like 2D animated games. But for something like Deus Ex 60Hz just won’t provide the wealth of detail you need to be effective against top-flight competition. The higher refresh rate should make tracking easier and improve your ability to aim quickly and accurately as well.

Q: Do I need overdrive or motion blur reduction?

A: Motion blur reduction addresses an innate weakness in monitor technology; the fact that pixels cannot instantaneously refresh. It takes the average pixel on the average contemporary monitor a couple of milliseconds to do so and, depending on the refresh rate of your monitor, this may create an unwanted blur effect, particularly during times of intense action. There are several ways blur reduction addresses this issue. One of the most common ways is to reduce the amount of time the pixels are displayed. Another way to do so is to turn off the backlight between refreshes. Do you need it? It depends on what type of games you’re playing and the refresh rate of your monitor, as well as your own personal tastes.

Overdrive is a result of manufacturers trying to artificially boost response times by ramping up the voltage. It does work to improve response times but it also creates an unintended effect of increasing input lag and creating what’s called “inverse ghosting”. This effect is so subtle that 99.9% of people won’t notice it. So whether you need your gaming pc monitor to provide overdrive reduction will depend on how seriously you take picture quality, and whether in fact, you’re even able to notice inverse ghosting.

Q: Should I get G-Sync or FreeSync?

A: Both FreeSync and G-Sync perform essentially the same function of removing screen tearing and stutters from gameplay. Which one you choose will depend on your graphics card. G-Sync is only compatible with Nvidia graphics cards. While FreeSync is only compatible with AMD supported cards. Keep in mind you will not likely benefit from either if your monitor refresh rate is too low.

Q: Is an UltraWide Gaming Monitor Worth It?

A: The ultrawide monitor was created for those who typically install 2 or more monitors side by side on their desktop to optimize the gaming experience (though some do it simply to multitask). The thinking behind the ultrawide is to remove the disorienting bezel running down the middle of the image where the two monitors meet. Does it work? Those enamored of ultrawide monitors (and there are many of them) claim that the 21:9 aspect ratio allows for easier multitasking, more immersive gaming experience and a movie watching experience to beat the band. If those things are important to you then an ultrawide monitor might be just what the tech doctor ordered.

Q: What is the best way to clean a PC monitor?

A: For everyday maintenance simply blast the monitor with compressed air to remove dust and environmental debris. From time to time, however, you’ll want to do a more thorough cleaning and for that dampen a clean microfiber cloth with distilled water. Wring it out to the point that no more water can be extracted from it that way. Fluff it up a bit after wringing then wipe the game screen using broad strokes either top to bottom or side to side. Avoid circular motions and don’t spend too much time on a single spot. It doesn’t take much to leave a permanent scratch or scrape on the monitor surface, so be careful how much pressure you’re applying as well.