Gaming has always been one of the few most pleasurable activities known to man. Where else can you get to kill uncountable numbers of your enemies, save or destroy entire galaxies, be famous, win everything winnable in the field of sports, and do all these doughty deeds in the comfort of your home? Indeed, so pleasurable, addictive and fabulous is gaming that we have long been racking our brains as to why it has not been banned by governments the world over for being too sinfully-delicious for our own good.
Naturally, gaming like life to be enjoyed to the utmost requires top-notch hardware and other accessories that crank up the eye-candy and overall performance so high as to be visible even to a blind newt and properly body-jarring. From the monitors to the CPU to the keyboards, gaming does require the latest accessory. Not only for the hefty bragging rights it confers on those lucky enough to possess state-of-the-art hardware, but also for the futuristic opportunities it makes possible.
12 Best Gaming Monitors of All Time
When shopping for a gaming monitor, do bear in mind that if wisely chosen, you can use it to deliriously game away for close to a decade before needing to get a replacement. Which is quite unlike most graphic cards or other gaming accessories that need to be replaced almost yearly as better and fancier ones are churned out.
Keyboards and Controllers we have not. Instead, today we are covering the best gaming monitors and helping you decide which among those being proudly touted by their manufactures as being the next big thing in gaming really deserve pride of place in your living room, helping you mold your destiny to your desired form.
With the plethora of gaming monitors out there, this is by no means an easy task. Still, we must soldier on and show your eyes what it has been dreadfully missing and without which the fate of the galaxy is in dire jeopardy. Here are our picks of what we think are the top 12 monitors for gaming, which are set in no particular order. Ready, set, and action!
1. Asus ROG Swift PG279Q
And the winner goes to emm… Asus. The Asus ROG Swift PG 279Q is sinfully-obscene and so loaded with features that you start looking for a calendar to check if it’s Christmas and your birthday all rolled into one incredibly vivid package. Rather than forcing you to choose between faster refresh rates or screen quality, it conveniently makes both available like a well-cooked meal. Screen size is 27 inches, with a resolution of 2560 x 1440. Which incidentally is neither too small nor so great that you get dizzy. It is instead just-right and less likely to gut-shot your GPU. Particularly if it’s a low-end one.
The refresh rate of the IPS screen is 60Hz. If this is too snail-slow for you, it has the potential of being over-locked to an eye-watering 165Hz. This Asus gaming display also has Nvidia G-Sync tech and lots of connectivity options. All these, however, doesn’t come cheap. Expect to have to fork out the equivalent of the US trade deficit with China. Or nearly, giving that this Asus gaming monitor costs upward of $800!
2. Acer Predator XB271HU
The Acer Predator XB271HU looks almost good enough to eat! Or even marry!!! An oh-so-sexy 27-inch beautiful bride, it offers an unbelievably brilliant and colorful look at the on-screen action. With a 144Hz refresh rate and Nvidia’s ferociously effective G-Sync available, the eye is clearly the limit! However, poor audio quality as well as a comparative lack of ports place this otherwise awesome and apex predator lower down the food chain than you might expect. Overall, though, it’s still one sleek monster your living room would dearly love to play host to. Cheap it ain’t as the price starts from $800.
3. Dell Alienware 34 QD-OLED (AW3423DW)
We can’t leave Dell out of our conversations when talking about PC gaming. The tech giant isn’t new to gaming and has been offering premium hardware and software to aid gamers. As such, it presently has an OLED monitor, something that is among the best for gaming. The 34 inches panel-type OLED lit display promises crystal clear images and razor-sharp edges. Furthermore, it works in a 21:9 aspect ratio and offers screen resolutions up to 3440 x 1440. The Dell Alienware is perfect for games as it comes with a 175 Hz screen refresh rate and uses a rare G-Sync Ultimate. Despite offering great pixel contrast and genuine HDR support, some users might shriek away from the monitor as it lacks the HDMI 2.1 outlet.
4. Asus ROG PG348Q
The Asus PG 348Q is big, bold, beautiful and as stunning as a hard slap to the face with a very hot slice of pizza. Packing a ginormous 34-inch curved screen, and a 21.9 aspect ratio, it’s for those for whom price is no object when shopping for the most extreme and capable gaming monitor out there. The 34-inch curved IPS screen sports a resolution of 3440 x 1440 and do its job amazingly effectively and fabulously. The monitor rocks the fabled G-Sync tech and a very respectable 100Hz refresh rate.
Once switched on, do expect to be so immersed and bewitched with what is happening on the screen that you forget your own surname! At £888 pounds, it doesn’t come cheap. But with the curvy and tight welcome, it can offer to gamers, it sure is a must-have if you are well-heeled and into really hard-core stuff.
5. Benq XL2720Z
Apart from having a truly sexy name, the Benq XL2720 gaming monitor packs in gamer-useful features like a chipmunk frantically cramming in nuts into the cheek for eating later on at a party. It comes with motion-blur tech, ZeroFlicker tech, and even has specific settings for the ultimate visual orgasm during FPS shoot-em-ups, strategy games and the like. With a 144Hz response time, games are sharper than most katanas. However, do expect the eye-candy to be dialed a little back as it outputs “only” 1080p rather than 4K. At £329 pounds, this monitor for gaming is a rather brazen steal and a wonderfully recommended monitor for gaming that punches far above its price tag.
6. LG 27GN950-B
LG is yet another reliable name when it comes to PC monitors. It is one of the best 4K gaming monitors available on the market. Although the screen size of 27 inches might be a bit smaller for some, it makes up for it by offering a Nano IPS display with a response time of only 1 ms. The screen supports the popular 16:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 3840 x 2160, making your device future ready for more advanced HD gaming. It has bright vivid colors, as one would expect from LG, and an excellent refresh rate of 144 Hz. Hence, the viewing angles on this monitor are beyond expectations. But sadly, the panel is missing the basic HDMI 2.1 and USB type C slot, limiting its use to only PCs.
7. Samsung U28E590D
This Samsung gaming monitor makes no pretense as to what it was designed for. Which is to shower your poor eyes with over 8 billion truly glorious pixels that will leave you weak-kneed and addicted to its eye-fabulous picture quality. With 28-inches of screen real estate to stare entranced at, a very bright and astoundingly clear picture quality and a 1ms screen response time, this is one 4K gaming monitor that is rather easy to fall very deeply in love with.
Capable of outputting games at a butter-smooth 60Hz at 4K and with rather thin bezels so that as much of the screen as possible is always in your face. Equipped with a convenient smart port that makes fitting cables and other accessories a breeze, this is quite simply one of the best gaming monitors we have ever clapped eyes on. The pricing starts from $397.
8. Acer XR382CQK
This is Acer’s curvy riposte to the Asus PG348Q. That means it’s a glorious 38-inches that is as curved as a supermodel. Featuring an IPS display with a 3840 x 1600 resolution, AMD’s FreeSync, Alienware-like lightning effects, beefy speakers, a 75Hz refresh rate, connectivity and game modes aplenty, the Acer XR382CQK is pretty much loaded. It is very much compatible with the game recording needs. Priced at $1299 it’s certain to leave your wallet considerably lighter. At least your head would be too far up in the clouds, treating your eyes to some rather fantastic action to even notice!
9. Asus VG248QE
With the Asus VG248QE, we are reassured of the fact that it’s not really necessary to sell off one’s leg so as to afford a really great gaming monitor. The Asus VG248QE might be a little bare bones, but it’s also extremely effective at what it does, very functional and even comes with AMD’s FreeSync tech. With a 144Hz refresh rate and despite a relatively lack-luster 1080p TN screen, it still manages to considerably charm and provides you with something to boast about on a budget. Starting at $253, it’s quite a bargain made in gamer-heaven.
10. Acer Predator XB321HK
The Acer Predator XB321HK is a proudly 4K monitor that requires that you have enough graphical power on your gaming computer to fell an elephant before you can put it to good use. At 32 inches, it’s big enough and beautiful enough in action to make you forget to breath. Screen refresh time is a relatively pedestrian 60Hz and as it supports G-Sync not even the sky is the limit anymore. It’s rather up to your obscenely powerful gaming rig to make it dance a hearty jig, as the action rolls at such a smooth pace it seems to have been oiled with lightning. And with thunder as well, courtesy of surprisingly powerful speakers that give joyous voice to the on-screen antics of your character.
At $1288 one could never accuse the Acer Predator XB321HK of being cheap. For those rocking an ultra-powerful gaming rig, this is really the only choice and one of the best 4K gaming monitors on the planet.
11. Dell S2417DG
This is a small but mighty 24-inch gaming monitor with a resolution of 2560 x 1440. It comes with Nvidia’s G-Sync already locked and loaded, as well as a fast 144Hz refresh rate which can be overclocked to 166Hz. The Dell S2417DG certainly doesn’t play around and is boldly telling its bigger competitors to watch out or get smacked down. The screen is TN rather than IPS. This, however, fails to detract from its excellence.
The monitor performance is also user-adjustable to take into account the particular game you are having fun with on it. This optimizes performance and lets you feel rather like an all-conquering hero whom humanity owe their biggest thanks and gratitude. With plenty of ports and other connectivity options, you are spoiled as to just what to use it with. Costing $429 it’s a relatively cheap gaming monitor and certainly comes heavily recommended.
12. LG 34UC79G-B
Not one to do things by half, LG pumps their 34UC9G-B game monitor full of steroids and gifts it with the AMD FreeSync for ultra-smooth gameplay and pulse-pounding action. Featuring a slightly curved 34-inch screen with a generous 2560 x 1080 resolution, the display is crisp, colorful and bright. In an unforgivable slight, no speakers are present in the monitor, which can make things dull in a hurry till you slap on some headphones. Lots of gamer-friendly modes are available too for the most optimum utilization of the screen. Price is $699, which is rather hefty, if we do say so.