Gaming Monitor

[Danp]

Mate of mine has asked what's my thoughts on these monitors as he wants to buy one for his lad. My answer was, they all look about the same to me! So, I'd like to open it up to others who might know more than me about them.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-Monitor-FreeSync-Premium-Compatible/dp/B08CZMB9L6

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Viewsonic-VX2758-PC-MH-27-inch-FreeSync-Speakers/dp/B07WHHSH8X

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-TUF-Gaming-VG279Q1R-Monitor/dp/B0887147DX

 

Any other suggestions worth considering?

[synaesthesia]

For a PC with monitor at typical distance, 27" is too big for full HD - they look awful.

[Danp]

For a PC with monitor at typical distance, 27" is too big for full HD - they look awful.

 

Very good point! So, smaller screen at 144Hz would be better?

[DGardiner]

Very good point! So, smaller screen at 144Hz would be better?

 

if you only want 1080p sure, try and find one with 1440p atleast for that size

[mrbios]

Very good point! So, smaller screen at 144Hz would be better?

 

That or 27" but with a resolution of 2560x1440 ideally.

 

EDIT: Dgardiner beat me to it

[synaesthesia]

Indeed. 144hz is absolutely the "gold standard" for gaming monitors, and make sure it has a response time of 1ms.

I'd happily go on about not being able to tell the difference between one of those and my 60hz 5ms IPS panel (a £40 bargain buy for a 29" ultrawidescreen!) but that's just because I'm too old an slow

[mrbios]

The only other thing i'd add is that TN screens are a bit disgusting, but they are cheap. You want IPS, or at least VA panel ideally. Otherwise the colour/image (I'm not sure of the technical way to put it...) isn't great. (Two of those you linked are IPS, no idea what middle one is)

[Garacesh]

Parrotting what others have said, yes, for a screen that size you absolutely want 1440p. I personally find 1440p, 144Hz, 1ms response time is the 'sweet spot' for me. Big enough resolution that big screens still look good, with a fast enough refresh rate to be good for gaming, but neither of those are too high to stress my GPU too much (still using a 1080, personally).

 

One of the big things you're going to need to know is what kind of GPU they have. Most monitors now incorporate some kind of variable refresh rate, G-Sync for NVidia cards, Freesync for AMD cards. This eliminates annoying screen tearing and reduces noticeable framerate tanks (older versions of V-Sync used to limit your FPS to 1/x of your refresh rate, so a 60Hz monitor would do 60, 30 or 15 fps.. Those were dark times...)

 

Generally speaking, AMD cards want a Freesync monitor, and NVidia cards want a G-Sync monitor, but G-Sync comes with a pretty hefty price tax, and NVidia have released an official list of Freesync monitors that are G-Sync compatible. A list of G-Sync and compatible monitors can be found here.

[Danp]

Thanks all

 

He's got a build with a GeForce GTX 1660

[DGardiner]

also one of them lists ps5/xbox compatable.

 

if this is a requrement id make sure to check the reviews as they can be a bit funny - My brothers monitor wont let his ps5 turn on the increased refreshrate modes, not sure if thats the ps5 or the monitor playing funny though

[sonofsanta]

Thanks all

 

He's got a build with a GeForce GTX 1660

 

 

If he's got a GTX1660 then he wants a 1080p monitor, for sure--1440p will be too much for that card. 24in 1080p 120+Hz would be the category to look for, ideally VA or IPS as @mrbios says--VA has higher contrast so has more "punch", IPS is more colour accurate which is useful if you do other stuff on the monitor but it can have more glow/backlight bleed as well as the lower contrast.

 

I wouldn't say it's worth spending on a G-Sync monitor. Cost an arm and a bloody leg and most Freesync monitors will work with an nVidia card anyway, even if it's not on a compatibility list (there's an option in the control panel to enable it now). Worth a Google to check, but all the compatibility list means is "nVidia have tested to confirm"; it's not an exclusive list.

 

This looks a good pick for £160; iiyama are a solid display brand: https://www.ebuyer.com/1124498-iiyama-g-master-g2466hsu-b1-24-full-hd-165hz-1ms-gaming-monitor-g2466hsu-b1

 

RTings.com have no end of monitor reviews and searchable/sortable tables if you really want to dig into your wants and needs. Spent far too much time on there a month or two back, as @ICTDirect_Dave will attest. The Dell s3220DGF I got at the end of it is very nice, though

Edited April 27, 2021 by sonofsanta

[BenQ_Chris]

I may be biased, but I can very much vouch for the BenQ Mobiuz range. If your budget stretches to it I would look at the BenQ EX2780Q, fantastic on the Series X. Control Ultimate Edition is out of this world at 1440p.

[the_quick]

If the budget can stretch, LG UltraGear 27GL850 are one of the best in that range. Amazing monitor for gaming, it has all you need, 1ms response time, 144Hz, 1440p, support from NVidia Gsync and AMD Freesync.

[Jawloms]

If you're not in a hurry, keep an eye on hotukdeals and wait for something to turn up on there. Got myself a 28" 4k IPS Samsung monitor for £250 a couple of months ago.

[sonofsanta]

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