Whether you are a competitive gamer or a casual gamer, how to choose a gaming monitor, can be a very confusing question to find solution too. Quality of hardware can be the difference between average gamer and good gamer. To get the best results you not only need powerful graphics but also an advanced monitor. Using a high-quality monitor can not only enhance your gaming experience by reducing motion blur, screen tearing and ghosting effects but also improve your skills and performance. However, at the same time one should not ignore the budget that has been set aside and not overshoot it!
Here are a few factors that you may consider before choosing a monitor.
Panel size and resolution
Panel size and resolution is the first thing to consider when choosing a gaming monitor. For monitors, bigger display is always better. Full high definition (FHD) monitors provide resolution up to 1920 by 1080 pixels. Quad high definition (QHD) monitors offer wider and sharper vision than FHD monitors. QHDs have resolution of up to 1560 by 1440 pixels. But QHD models require a very powerful graphics engine and a lot of space to fit a 27 inch model.
There is also a 30 inch, Ultra high Definition monitor available with resolution of 3840 by 2160. It has 21:9 aspect ratio compared to 16:9 in traditional monitors. It also comes in curved panel to provide more wide and realistic vision.
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Panel Technology
There are mainly three types of panel display technologies. Twisted Nematic (TN) panels give fast responses and refresh rates at a low cost. But they don’t show accurate colors when viewing from angles. Vertical Alignment (VA) panels provide high contrast and stable colors. They sometimes produce ghost effects. In-plane switching panels (IPS) are best gaming monitors for gamers who require better vision. They offer great color quality even from wide viewing angles. One of the major drawback is that they give lesser response rate as compared to TN and VA panels. Hence, it depends upon your requirements.
Response Time
Response time is the time taken in transition of a pixel from black to white or between different shades of grey. It is measured in millisecond. A low pixel response time provided better vision while high response time can lead to motion blur and ghost effects.
TN panels can have response time as low as 1ms whereas IPS panels have response time of 4ms. Before choosing the best monitor for you, consider whether you give more importance to vision or response time.
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Refresh Rate
Refresh rate is the time monitor takes to refresh the images on the screen. It is measured in Hertz. Monitors can have refresh rates of 60Hz to 240Hz. Low refresh rate can cause motion blur, fast moving objects can appear blur, or screen tearing, screen splits into two or more parts. It is recommended to have a high refresh rate. 3D technology need refresh rate of more than or equal to 120Hz.
But one factor that must be considered is that high refresh rate monitors require more GPU speeds.
Adaptive Sync
G-Sync and freesync monitors provide better performance by syncing the refresh speed to the GPU speed. They reduce motion blur and screen tearing even in lower input lag.
Latest monitor models have Nvidia’s G-Sync or AMD’s FreeSync modules, which control the refresh rate according to GPU speed and give better vision with low input lag. But these modules require specific graphic cards to operate.
Ports
It is ideal to have HDMI ports as major gaming consoles such as PS4 and Xbox use HDMI ports. It can transfer both audio and video. USB ports are also useful as it is easy to connect gaming controllers and peripherals to USB port.
Display ports support a higher refresh rate and resolution. It is recommended to have both display and HDMI ports to make best use of all the features. Some latest monitor models are coming with 5mm audio port to connect speakers to monitor.
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Wrap up
Some of the best gaming monitors in 2018 for casual gamers include Dell SE2717H, BenQ GL2580HM. And for professional gamers some of the best gaming monitors are Asus PG278QR, ViewSonic XG2402, Acer XB252Q AOC, Agon AG251FZ.
You must first realize whether you are a casual or a professional gamer before deciding to purchase a monitor. Then set your priorities related to size, resolution, refresh rate, response time and price. Monitor which best suits your requirement is the best gaming monitor for you.
