Modern games are awe-inspiringly beautiful. Designers work day and night and developers pour money like hot sauce on chicken wings to make graphics that look down upon reality itself. But are you even seeing those graphics? Now that’s a highly debatable question.
An average monitor is meant to update excel and write essays, not play video games. Gaming monitors are specifically designed to play games. They have a high resolution which enables you to witness those amazing graphics in its purest form. The high refresh rate ensures that you don’t miss out an enemy moment in that high stake FPS title that you’ve been drooling over.
So what exactly makes a monitor a ‘Gaming Monitor’ and how you should choose the perfect gaming monitor for yourself?
How to choose an ideal Gaming Monitor
A high resolution is a basic requirement that a gaming monitor must fulfil. A few of the new games and all the games that are bound to come out in the future support 4K, if they don’t burn your GPU before that. But a 4K monitor is pretty heavy on the pocket and only the top-end gaming rigs can support 4K output. So a full HD 1080p display can be used as a basic requirement, anything below that will look ugly.
2. Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate is the number of times a screen refreshes in a second. A high refresh rate is one of the most important of an FPS gaming monitor. A few of the top-end gaming monitors are supporting a refresh rate as high as 240Hz, but honestly, that’s just overkill. A refresh rate between 90Hz-140Hz is a good standard for gaming monitors, but a refresh rate as low as 60Hz will also suffice if you’re tight on the budget.
3. Size
The size of a gaming monitor is a factor that simply boils down to personal preference. You can find a gaming monitor as big as 37 inches edge to edge and as small as 11-inch edge to edge and there is everything else in between. Anything above 20 inches is good enough for a gaming monitor, but again personal preferences such as how far you’re going to place the monitor are the factors that you need to look for when you’re choosing a gaming monitor.
4. Looks
Looks, just like size, boil down to personal preference just like size, if not even more so. Many gaming monitors have aggressive designs, edgy curves and LED lights that just seem mandatory for anything to be related to gaming nowadays. Then there are others that are sleeker and more sophisticated. Perhaps you want that gamer feel all the time or perhaps you use your monitor for both works and play and don’t want the ‘gamer’ vibes seeping out of your monitor while you’re trying to work.
5. Aspect Ratio
If you step out in the market for a gaming monitor, you’ll come across many aspect ratios which climb all the way up to 21:9 ultra wide. The idea behind a wider aspect ratio is to fit more content into the screen. It’s amazing for FPS games and a lot of newer games also support a wide aspect ratio. However, many of the old games don’t support it and you’ll be stuck with black screen on the edges if you plan to give the old gems a go.
Nonetheless, here we’ve got it all covered. We’ve got budget options and baller options. We’ve got sleek options and we’ve got aggressive options. But one thing that’s all the monitors below share is the fact that they all best in their class.
Best Gaming Monitor of 2021
BEST OVERALL
ASUS ROG Swift PG348Q 34"
- Panel Type & Backlight- AH-IPS / W-LED edge array
- Screen Size & Aspect Ratio- 34" / 21:9
- Max Resolution & Refresh- 3440x1440 @ 75Hz, 100Hz w/overclock
RUNNER UP
Dell Alienware 34" Curved Gaming Monitor
- Panel Type- IPS
- Screen Size & Aspect Ratio- 34'' / 21:9
- Max Resolution- 3440x1440 @120Hz
BUDGET PICK
BenQ EL2870U 28 inch HDR 4K Gaming Monitor
- Panel type & Backlight- TN / LED Backlight
- Screen Size & Aspect Ratio- 28'' / 16:9
- Max Resolution- 3840x2160 @60Hz
Best Gaming Controller
Pros
- Curved Display
- Futuristic Design
- G-Sync
Cons
- Pricey
- Not the highest resolution
ASUS ROG Swift PG348Q, in simple words, can be described as one of the best gaming monitors money can buy. Built by gamers for gamers, this gaming monitor packs in monstrous specs with a Curved Ultra-Wide display with a resolution of 3440×1440. G-Sync technology delivers exceptionally smooth frame rates. It’s a 34-inch edge to edge display with a 100Hz IPS 1440p display. To be honest, that pixel density does not really justify the price, but that is when you keep the curved surface out of consideration.
Pros
- Glossy nano IPS display
- 144 Hz refresh rate
- 4-side borderless display
Cons
- The ergonomics could have been better
Choosing a good gaming monitor plays a huge role in your gaming experience. LG 27GN950-B is certainly an incredible gaming monitor that can have multiple purposes. Starting off, with the display of the monitor, it has a 27” UHD nano IPS display. All four sides of the monitor are borderless to give you an elegant design.
Additionally, a refresh rate of 144 Hz makes it a sensational 4K gaming monitor. If you have a great graphic card, you can even get a refresh rate of 160 Hz over a DisplayPort connection.
Pros
- 4K HDR Panel
- 1ms Response Rate
Cons
- A rather low refresh rate, not recommended for e-sports players
- Viewing angles
The BenQ EL2870U 28 inch HDR 4K Gaming Monitor is your pass into the world of 4K gaming without having to spend big bucks. This BenQ monitor also prides itself with a lighting fast 1ms response rate with AMD Freesync. The 28-inch screen is big enough for all your games, although it’s not a wide-angle ratio. The screen blacks out at certain odd viewing angles and that’s more or less its only shortcoming apart from the 60Hz response rate which is not the worst, but not the best either.
Pros
- NVIDIA G-Sync for buttery smooth gameplay
- 34” curved display
- Anti-glare and hard-coat
Cons
- Struggles in dark scene performance
When you hear Alienware, you expect a top of the line product. The Alienware AW3418DW is yet another amazing product from the company that will leave your jaw open. It comes with a 34” 1900R curved display. The screen display is equipped with anti-glare and a hard-coating to improve your gaming experience.
In order to provide a seamless gameplay, the 120 Hz refresh rate with NVIDIA G-Sync is present. The cherry on the top is a 21:9 ratio that increases your field of view.
Pros
- Low input lag
- Upto 165 Hz refresh rate
- Good build quality
Cons
- The accuracy could have been better
Don’t have a budget to get a super expensive gaming monitor? What if we tell you that the Pixio PX277 Prime monitor will give you 1440p at 165HZ under $200? Yes, it is true the 27” monitor with NVIDIA G-Sync capabilities is a brilliant product. Despite falling in the budget category, the features are good. The screen comes with a matte finish.
It has an IPS panel that can provide 350 nits brightness. While the major use for the product is gaming, you can use it for office work as well.
Pros
- 32” curved display
- Vivid colors
- 240 Hz refresh rate with NVIDIA G-sync
Cons
- Lack of speakers
Moving towards arguably the best gaming monitor on the market right now, Samsung OdysseyG7. The product is superb in every way you can think of. The 32” screen comes with a 1000R panel with a curved display to absolutely maximize your gaming feel. It can provide up to 240 Hz refresh rate and is also adaptive to NVIDIA G-Sync. One of a type infinite core lightning to elevate the visual experience
Top end QLED technology that creates up to 125% more vivid colors than its competitors. On top of that it comes with HDR 600 which allows the monitor to be perfect for almost every scene be it dark or light.
Pros
- Amazing Display
- 144Hz Refresh Rate
Cons
- Price Tag
The Dell Alienware 34″ Curved Gaming Monitor is the ultimate dream set-up of a gamer. However, it will be heavy on your pocket with a staggering price tag of $900 which is a rather significant investment for a monitor. It is a 2560 X 1080 WFHD display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and Nvidia G-Sync. Although the Dell Alienware 34″ Curved Gaming Monitor is designed rather sleekly with no edgy trims nor any LEDs, the Alienware tag on the front makes it stand out.
So that was our round-up of the best gaming Monitors. We hope you found out just what you were looking for.
