Choosing a gaming monitor

Start from the graphics card

A monitor shows the images the computer produces, no more. The rendering load grows roughly with the number of pixels:

Upscaling (DLSS, FSR, XeSS) renders fewer pixels than the screen shows and reconstructs the rest; it makes 4K accessible to more cards, with slight artefacts. Even so, buy the screen your card can feed today: a 4K 240 Hz monitor driven at 60 images per second shows 60.

Size and distance

The rules of viewing angle apply to games with one nuance. For competitive shooters, players want the whole image within the central field of view, to read the mini-map and the corners without moving the eyes: 24 or 27 inches at 60 to 70 cm, an angle of 45 degrees or so. For immersive games, a wider angle is an advantage: a 34-inch ultrawide at 75 cm fills 56 degrees and the peripheral vision with it.

On a 60 cm desk, 24 inches is the right size; from 65 to 70 cm of viewing distance, 27 inches; an ultrawide asks for 70 cm or more.

Refresh rate and response

At 144 Hz each image lasts 6.9 ms instead of 16.7 at 60 Hz: motion blur falls by more than half and the delay between your action and its display shortens. This is the largest improvement a player can buy. Beyond, 240 Hz halves blur again, an appreciable gain in fast games; 360 Hz and more concern competition.

Three points complete the rate, detailed in refresh rate and response time:

• Variable refresh rate (G-Sync, FreeSync, Adaptive-Sync) synchronises the screen with the irregular pace of the card and removes tearing. Indispensable.
• Measured response time must stay under the frame time: under 4 ms at 240 Hz. Rely on independent tests, not on the “1 ms” of the box.
• The connection must carry the rate: DisplayPort 1.4 for 1440p at 240 Hz, DSC or HDMI 2.1 for 4K at 144 Hz.

Which panel

Fast IPS is the safe all-rounder: response of 2 to 5 ms, accurate colours, no risk with static content. Its contrast of 1000:1 shows in dark scenes.

OLED gives the best picture in games: response in a tenth of a millisecond, perfect blacks, real HDR. It costs more, its brightness falls on bright full-screen images, and static elements (interface of a game played for thousands of hours, taskbar) can mark the panel over time; choose a model whose warranty covers burn-in.

VA offers three times the contrast of IPS at a low price, mostly in curved formats. Check the tests for black smearing: the good VA panels are free of it, the cheap ones are not.

The chapter on panel types compares the technologies in detail.

Three coherent configurations

• Competitive, any budget: 24 or 27 inches, 1080p or 1440p, 240 Hz or more, fast IPS or OLED.
• All-round: 27 inches, 1440p, 144 to 240 Hz, IPS or OLED. The recommendation of the selector for most desks.
• Immersion: 34-inch ultrawide in 3440 × 1440 at 144 Hz or more, or 32-inch 4K at 144 Hz with a top-range card, on a desk of 75 cm or more.