360Hz monitors and beyond are fantastic for competitive gaming simply because they are buttery smooth and extremely fast. E-Sports gaming is focused on these monitors since they prioritize speed and every advantage it presents, just like the BenQ XL2566K. You get benefits like superior motion clarity, visibility, and latency that’s next to zero.
However, you can’t just build an E-Sports setup with a 360Hz monitor while using minimum to midrange specs. Flagship GPUs are immediately necessary for higher resolutions, but it’s trickier if you are building with a 1080p display. They are not as reliant on GPU power as they were before, so you will need a good mix of specs to get the job done.
Here are our Tips for PC builders who want to use a 360Hz monitor:
1080p 360Hz Monitors Need a Fast Processor
GPUs have become quite powerful, so games have higher framerate ceilings at 1080p. However, processing more frames means significantly higher CPU loads since it has to communicate with the GPU. Higher clocks and IPC or instructions per cycle/clock are necessary for framerate stability.
As such, we recommend getting the processors with higher advertised clocks. You don’t need to go with each series’ flagship like Intel’s 13900K. Usually, the second best is the better pick, like the 13700K, since it has a higher base clock. The same goes for AMD processors since most of their top chips have more cores but slightly lower clock speeds.
Which GPU Should I Pick for my 360Hz Monitor?
If you’ve already secured a CPU like our recommendation above, then it would make sense to pour the rest of your budget into a powerful GPU. However, most of us mere mortals have a fixed budget, so getting a $1500+ card won’t always make sense. You should be able to get away with the second or third best, like Nvidia’s RTX 4070 or RTX 4070 Ti.
They are still aren’t cheap, but they should let you reach 360FPS or more in competitive titles without any issues. Doing this also saves you from having to buy other top-tier parts like a power supply since the card’s wattage requirements are much lower than the flagship. Of course, this recommendation is moot if you have plenty of dough to spend.
Is High-Speed RAM Important?
Getting a good set of RAM with lower timings isn’t as important as the two listed above, but it can help you get that slight boost to reach 360Hz. We don’t recommend going with the kits with crazy-high MHz speeds since they usually have higher latencies. You are paying for bragging rights if you choose those, but enthusiasts know lower timings and CAS latency are where it’s at.
You should also know that processors and motherboards have RAM speed limits. You can’t simply buy the fastest RAM available since your board or chip will most likely downclock it anyway. Some stability issues or boot failures can also happen, so it’s best to avoid those fancy kits and look at the timings instead.
Other Tips to Consider Before Running a 360Hz Monitor
If you’ve secured the hardware that will work best for your PC, it’s time to assemble and test-fire it. However, we also recommend you check which cable you are using and what GPU and monitor port you use. Brands invested in the E-Sports scene have always recommended using DisplayPort and the DP cable they include in each monitor package.
You can buy after-market cables, but we’re afraid it will be a waste of money most of the time. High-end monitors usually have the cable they need to function at their advertised speeds. You will only need to buy one if the default one somehow breaks or if you want something that matches your theme.
We recommend getting a good voltage regulator or UPS backup for your build. This is a priority if you live in areas with fluctuating voltage or regular outages since a good AVR or UPS will protect your investment. We’ve seen some feedback that mentioned sudden frame drops or stuttering when the wall socket drops its voltage, so it’s worth buying protection.
About the Author: Paolo is a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations and he believes that it’s every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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