FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. Is Screen Resolution Necessary for Performance?
Resolution dictates how your current or planned GPU will be able to handle the graphics requirement of each title. As you go higher, pixel count exponentially increases resulting in improved detail and sharpness of the image. Of course, your GPU will have to render more pixels to create a larger field of view and expanded detail so your frames will take a hit. 1080p is still widely favored since it does not take a lot to push 140 frames or more, making it ideal for E-Sports setups. 4K and Ultra-Wide are mostly luxury options since they both require a ton of horsepower to run, so they are mostly chosen by gamers who value immersive experiences and eye-candy more than performance. 1440p sits as the happy medium in between the divide, since it does offer improvements graphics-wise while requiring substantial but lesser processing than 4K.
2. Where Can I Find My Next Gaming Monitor?
After a lot of research, we have collected a list of the best gaming monitors in their respective categories. You can find our best picks in our main menu under Gaming monitors. Here you can choose the right type for you and view all our best picks in detail. We also have links to where you can buy them. The best monitor for gaming in 2018 is the Asus ROG Swift PG278Q.
We have compared service, prices, quality, reliability, customer reviews, etc.sor, and found that Amazon is a good place to buy from based on the mentioned points. So we will only show relevant ads and links from Amazon.
3. Is Screen Resolution Necessary for Performance?
Resolution dictates how your current or planned GPU will be able to handle the graphics requirement of each title. As you go higher, pixel count exponentially increases resulting in improved detail and sharpness of the image. Of course, your GPU will have to render more pixels to create a larger field of view and expanded detail so your frames will take a hit. 1080p is still widely favored since it does not take a lot to push 140 frames or more, making it ideal for E-Sports setups. 4K and Ultra-Wide are mostly luxury options since they both require a ton of horsepower to run, so they are mostly chosen by gamers who value immersive experiences and eye-candy more than performance. 1440p sits as the happy medium in between the divide, since it does offer improvements graphics-wise while requiring substantial but lesser processing than 4K.
4. What is Input Lag/ Display Lag and Why is it Important?
Input lag time is, in regards to monitors, the time it takes from pressing a button (on the keyboard or mouse) to that signal being processed through the I/O (input/output) ports of the cables and viewed on the screen. It just tells how much time it takes for that monitor to process the image received from your graphics card and the commands from your controls and show it on the screen. For professional or even average serious gamers, an input lag time of more than 30ms becomes the limit where it is noticeable, especially when playing FPS and racing games or generally games requiring quick actions. Besides the internet connection, high input lag is proclaimed as one of the reasons for mess-ups or in calculated mistakes during games. Therefore, input lag time, although not being a standardized unit of measurement for monitor general performance, is included as a factor in this guide and our reviews as it is quite important for most gamers. We recommend you to stay below an input lag time of 30 ms, of course depending on which level of gamer you are, as described before. An excellent gaming monitor with a very low input lag of 10 ms is the BenQ XL2730Z. Combined with its low response time and 144 Hz refresh rate makes the BenQ XL2730Z (includes Black Equalizer as well) a good choice for all level of gamers. See this monitor on Amazon here.
5. How does Contrast Ratio make a difference in gaming?
Contrast ratio means the difference between the darkest and brightest color value the monitor can project. It is the difference between the white and black color value, but since all monitors use a backlight when turned on the black is in reality, a very dark gray since black is by definition the absence of light. You may have noticed that contrast ratio is presented two times when looking at the monitor specs. It may look something like 1000:1 and then beneath it is a number that could look like 1,000,000:1. The smaller number (first one), is the static contrast ratio, which is defined by the difference between the darkest and brightest color value as-is (the brightest color value is 1000 times brighter than the darkest color value). The higher number ( the second one) shows the difference between the darkest color value at the lowest brightness possible compared to the brightest color value at the highest brightness the monitor is capable. The most useful information between the two is the static contrast ratio since you have no use of the dynamic contrast ratio during gaming (you can only have one brightness setting at a time). IPS panels can have a higher contrast ratio than TN panels, but additional brand-specific features can also have an effect on the contrast. Acer is well-known for the contrast ratios on their monitors for example. BenQ has developed a feature called Black Equalizer, which is very convenient during gaming.
One would then think that the higher the contrast ratio, the wider color display range but there are numerous examples of this not being true – mainly because there is no standard for measuring the contrast ratio (no room lamination of reflection standards), so every manufacturer has their way of measuring the contrast ratio. However, regardless its sincerity, it should still be regarded as an important factor when deciding upon a gaming monitor. You don’t want a situation where you can’t see the difference between a dark blue and a dark gray or black pixel as it can have a tremendous effect on your gameplay when playing in a dark room where brightness is reduced.
6. Which panel type should you choose for your gaming monitor?
The Panel type is one of the most important aspects when you select a gaming monitor. There are three main types of panels- TN panels VA panels and IPS panels. We will explore the most significant differences and find out which suits you best.
A. TN panel: Twisted Nematic
TN panels usually have static contrast ratios of 1000:1, which is much lower than VA panels and about the same as IPS panels.
Pros:
They have the lowest prices of the three-panel types. If you compare three identical monitors with the only difference being the panel type, the monitor with TN panel will have the lowest price.
TN panels have the lowest response times and the highest refresh rates for the money.
Cons:
They have the worst viewing angles and color performance of the three-panel types. The color distortion can be noticed even a few degrees away from the center of the screen.
When to choose TN:
Select a TN panel if you want the highest performance for your money and you don’t care as much about the viewing angles color accuracy and color consistency of your monitor. Since most of the time we sit right in front of the screen, the wide viewing angles are not that necessary for the majority of us. But when you use bigger screens you will experience color distortion on the sides of the monitor, even while sitting right in front of the screen. If you mainly play FPS, racing or other similar fast paced games, you have a limited budget, and you don’t want a bigger screen then about 24″ inches, then go for TN panel, and you will get the most for your money.
When not to choose a TN panel:
If you also use your gaming monitor for other purposes like video/photo/graphical work or similar where the color accuracy is essential, then never choose a TN Panel. Or if you value color quality and wide viewing angles, then a TN panel is not the right choice for you. And we don’t recommend a TN panel for bigger screens, because of the color distortion on the peripherals of the monitor.
B. VA Panel: Vertical Alignment
Pros:
Some of the main advantages of VA panels include high contrast ratios typically of 2000:1 and 5000:1. They have much better viewing angles and color reproduction than TN panels but still lower than IPS Panels. VA panels are also less prone to “backlight bleed” or “clouding” since they are good at blocking backlight leakage. The entire surface of an LCD panel is light from behind by a light source (CCFL or LED). Backlight bleeding occurs when this light is not completely blocked from reaching the surface of the screen.
Cons:
They are more expensive than the TN panels.
VA panels still don’t have the best color reproduction and viewing angles.
VA panels have significantly higher response times than TN panels, which can lead to more motion blur. Although the Backlight strobing technology has reduced the visual appearances of this issue a bit.
When to choose them:
Choose VA if you want a panel that has better color reproduction and viewing angles than TN. They are also good if you were watching a lot of movies and series on your monitor, especially because of their high contrast ratios. VA panels are usually found in many curved monitors. The latest and most popular screens now in days either have TN, or IPS panels and not as many monitors are equipped with VA panels. VA panels are still not ideal for color-critical work.
C. IPS panels: In- Plain Switching
Pros:
IPS panels have the best viewing angles, best color accuracy and best color consistency of all the different panel types. This makes IPS panel monitors ideal for color-critical work. In the recent years, IPS panels have got the same high refresh rates as the TN panels. And the pixel responsiveness has also got better, as well as the prices are getting lower. This also makes IPS panels an excellent candidate as a gaming monitor. Whether it is for gaming, photo editing, graphical work, video or watching movies IPS panel can handle them all at the same time. Many modern IPS panels are more responsive ( have lower response time) than VA panels.
Cons:
There is almost always some cons when there are pros, so let’s explore them. First of all, the price of IPS panels are significantly higher than their counterpart TN panel monitors, but in our opinion, it is worth it. The another thing is that IPS panels still don’t have as low response times as TN panels, but they are getting there. So if you play faced paced games, then there occur more motion blur and ghosting compared to TN panels. Another weakness of IPS panels are the relatively lower contrast ratios compared to VA panels. Nothing less modern IPS panels have a typically static contrast ratio of 1000:1 similar to TN panels. IPS glow is another con of these panel types, which is a glow of light when viewing dark content from off angles.
When to choose them:
IPS panels are the only right option for you if you also want to use your gaming monitor for color critical work besides gaming. Off course also, if you value color quality. You should also consider an IPS panel if you want a bigger screen than about 24” inches if you don’t want distorted colors on the peripherals of the monitor. And if you often watch movies with friends or when yourself or other people have to view the screen from different angles. We think that the modern IPS panels are the ideal choice for our gamers if you have the budget for it. When we buy a monitor, we keep it for extended periods of time and us usually only have that one display that we use for many other purposes than just gaming. You will never go wrong with a modern IPS panel monitor.
7. How Does the Refresh Rate Affect My Gaming?
The best-rated gaming monitor on Amazon is listed in our latest buyers guide. The refresh rate of your gaming monitor matters a lot when it comes to gaming experience. Whether it is for heavy graphical games like Battlefield, Call of Duty or less GPU demanding games like League of Legends. Since refresh rate is the number of frames the monitor is capable of showing per second, it is a relevant parameter to look for when browsing for a gaming monitor to fit your gaming needs. Keep in mind that console games only use a maximum of 60 Hz, so that is the exception. But if you play online against an opponent that uses a 60 Hz monitor on a computer game, the odds of you being able to react faster than him is significantly increased by the refresh rate alone. It makes the difference between shooting where the opponent was and where he is. Imagine that for every 60 frames that your opponent has seen, you have seen 144 frames with a 144 Hz monitor, thereby laying the foundation for you to react quicker.
8. Should I Choose a 144 Hz Monitor?
Higher refresh rates equal greater smoothness in gaming. The 144 Hz refresh rate is the new trending phenomenon in the industry and with good reason, since the graphic cards now commonly support more than the standard 60 Hz. Without a gaming monitor that can utilize the capabilities of your GPU, you will not experience the optimal performance your hardware can deliver.
It certainly has divided gamers, where some love to see perfect color production, others are blown away by the smoothness 144 Hz monitors can deliver. Some gamers state that “Once you try 144 Hz, you will never go lower (on refresh rates).” What you get for a higher refresh rate is valued greater than the compromise you get on color accuracy if you are a fan of online shooting games, for example. On the other hand, we see other gamers say “Once you try IPS, you will never go back to TN,” so it is pretty much up to each to identify their preferences and purpose of the monitor.
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