With the best gaming monitor on your desk, you’ll be able to see what a powerful PC is meant to deliver: outstanding picture quality and speed for your games. A 4K capable graphics card needs a monitor that’ll let it put on a show. Don’t bottleneck your PC with a lousy monitor, upgrade to something that will wow onlookers with high refresh rates and stunning resolution.<\/p>\n
The GPU-monitor symbiosis is important to understand. Picking up a super expensive 4K monitor with a high refresh rate would be overkill if you’re still packing a GTX 1070 that can only pump out 50fps at 1080p. The best displays need to best graphics cards<\/a> to achieve their full glory. If you managed to score yourself a fancy new Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti<\/a> or one of those AMD’s RX 6000<\/a> series GPUs, you’ve got plenty of options to choose when it comes to gaming monitors. They’ll give up decent framerates even on 4K panels.<\/p>\n If you’re thinking of future-proofing your setup, why not go for a higher resolution? You can always use it at a lower res for now. And for the competitive gamer who values speed above all else, one of the high refresh rate monitors<\/a> is where you want to look.\u00a0<\/p>\n We tested an exhaustive number of gaming monitors over the past year, to make sure we found the best gaming monitors for each budget bracket, and performance needs. This list frequently gets updated as newer models pass our rigorous testing.<\/p>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: Alienware)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: Alienware)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: Alienware)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: Alienware)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n At last, a true OLED gaming monitor for the PC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Screen size: <\/strong>34-inch | Panel type: <\/strong>QD OLED | Aspect ratio: <\/strong>21:9 | Resolution: <\/strong>3440 x 1440 | Response time: <\/strong>0.1ms | Refresh rate: <\/strong>175Hz | Weight: <\/strong>15.26lbs | Refresh rate technology: <\/strong>G-Sync Ultimate<\/p>\n OLED has truly arrived on PC, and in ultrawide format no less. Alienware’s 34 QD-OLED is one of very few gaming monitors to receive such a stellar score from us, and it’s no surprise. Dell has nailed the OLED panel in this screen and it’s absolutely gorgeous for PC gaming. Although this monitor isn\u2019t perfect, it is dramatically better than any LCD-based monitor by several gaming-critical metrics. And it\u2019s a genuine thrill to use.<\/p>\n What that\u00a034-inch, 21:9 panel can deliver in either of its HDR modes\u2014HDR 400 True Black or HDR Peak 1000\u2014is nothing short of exceptional. The 3440 x 1440 native resolution image it produces across that gentle 1800R curve is punchy and vibrant. With 99.3% coverage of the demanding DCI-P3 colour space, and fully 1,000 nits brightness, it makes a good go, though that brightness level can only be achieved on a small portion of the panel.<\/p>\n Still, there\u2019s so much depth, saturation and clarity to the in-game image thanks to that per-pixel lighting, but this OLED screen needs to be in HDR mode to do its thing. And that applies to SDR content, too. HDR Peak 1000 mode enables that maximum 1,000 nit performance in small areas of the panel but actually looks less vibrant and punchy most of the time.<\/p>\n HDR 400 True Black mode generally gives the best results, after you jump into the Windows Display Settings menu and crank the SDR brightness up, it looks much more zingy.<\/p>\n Burn-in is the great fear and that leads to a few quirks. For starters, you\u2019ll occasionally notice the entire image shifting by a pixel or two. The panel is actually overprovisioned with pixels by about 20 in both axes, providing plenty of leeway. It\u2019s a little like the overprovisioning of memory cells in an SSD and it allows Alienware to prevent static elements from \u201cburning\u201d into the display over time.<\/p>\n Latency is also traditionally a weak point for OLED, and while we didn\u2019t sense any subjective issue with this 175Hz monitor, there\u2019s little doubt that if your gaming fun and success hinges on having the lowest possible latency, there are faster screens available. You can only achieve the full 175Hz with the single DisplayPort input, too.<\/p>\n The Alienware 34 QD-OLED’s response time is absurdly quick at 0.1ms, and it cruised through our monitor testing suite. You really notice that speed in-game, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n There’s no HDMI 2.1 on this panel, however. So it’s probably not the best fit for console gaming as a result. But this is PC Gamer, and if you’re going to hook your PC up to a high-end gaming monitor, we recommend it be this one.<\/p>\n Read our full Alienware 34 AW3423DW review<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: LG )<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: LG)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: LG)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: LG)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: LG)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The fastest, most responsive 4K gaming monitor<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Screen size: <\/strong>27-inch | Panel type: <\/strong>Nano IPS | Aspect ratio: <\/strong>16:9 | Resolution: <\/strong>3840 x 2160 | Response time: <\/strong>1ms | Refresh rate: <\/strong>144Hz | Weight: <\/strong>16.9lbs | Refresh rate technology: <\/strong>G-Sync Compatible, FreeSync Premium Pro<\/p>\n 4K gaming is a premium endeavor. You need a colossal amount of rendering power to hit decent frame rates at such a high resolution. But if you’re rocking a top-shelf graphics card, like an\u00a0RTX 3080<\/a>,\u00a0RTX 3090<\/a>, or\u00a0RX 6800 XT<\/a>\u00a0then this dream can be a reality, at last. While the LG 27GN950-B is a fantastic gaming panel, it’s also infuriatingly flawed.<\/p>\n The LG UltraGear is the first 4K, Nano IPS, gaming monitor with 1ms response times, that’ll properly show off your superpowered GPU. Coming in with Nvidia G-Sync and AMD\u2019s FreeSync adaptive refresh compatibility, this slick slim-bezel design even offers LG\u2019s Sphere Lighting 2.0 RGB visual theatrics.<\/p>\n And combined with the crazy-sharp detail that comes with the 4K pixel grid, that buttery smooth 144Hz is pretty special.<\/p>\n While it does suffer with a little characteristic IPS glow. It appears mostly at the screen extremities when you\u2019re spying darker game scenes, but isn’t an issue most of the time. The HDR is a little disappointing as, frankly, 16 edge-lit local dimming zones do not a true HDR panel make.<\/p>\n What is most impressive, however, is the Nano IPS tech that offers a wider color gamut and stellar viewing angles. And the colour fidelity of the NanoIPS panel is outstanding.<\/p>\n The LG UltraGear 27GN950-B bags you a terrific panel with exquisite IPS image quality. Despite the lesser HDR capabilities, it also nets beautiful colors and contrast for your games too. G-Sync offers stable pictures and smoothness, and the speedy refresh rate and response times back this up too.\u00a0<\/p>\n And while the lack of HDMI 2.1 and USB Type-C are a little limiting, especially looking forward, right now it’s one of the best monitors going.<\/p>\n Read our full LG 27GN950 review<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: GIGABYTE)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: GIGABYTE)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: GIGABYTE)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n (Image credit: Gigabyte)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The best FreeSync gaming monitor<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Screen size: <\/strong>27-inch | Panel type: <\/strong>IPS | Aspect ratio: <\/strong>16:9 | Resolution: <\/strong>2560 x 1440 | Response time: <\/strong>1ms | Refresh rate: <\/strong>144Hz | Weight: <\/strong>20.9lbs | Refresh rate technology: <\/strong>FreeSync Premium<\/p>\n The G27Q proves that you don’t need to spend a fortune for a decent IPS 1440p display. At around $330, Gigabyte’s 27-incher packs in plenty of sought-after features, but more importantly, it provides rich color and smooth gameplay.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a flat, 27-inch display with a design that wouldn’t stand out in an office environment, it looks pretty pedestrian. But it’s actually one of the best gaming monitors I’ve had the pleasure of using this year. Not only does it have a gorgeous, vibrant IPS panel, with 8-bit color with 92% DCI-P3 coverage, it’s also HDR capable.<\/p>\n As someone who loves visual fidelity, I appreciate this resolution for clarity and performance. Even the humble GTX 1660 Super in my desktop is comfortably driving games at 60FPS at high settings. If you spend all your time playing CS:GO or Valorant, then the 144Hz refresh could hold you back a bit, but that 1ms response time sure helps.<\/p>\n The Gigabyte G27Q handles gaming with aplomb thanks to adaptive sync via AMD FreeSync Premium. It’s also G-SYNC Compatible so whether you are team Green or Red, the G27Q plays nice. I didn’t have an AMD GPU to test but I did use an NVIDIA powered desktop and laptop. Neither had any problems running games with G-SYNC enabled.<\/p>\n It’s a bit of a plain Jane compared to other more pricey options, but it packs plenty of useful features designed to enhance your gaming pleasure.\u00a0<\/p>\n It gets eye-searingly bright thanks to it’s VESA Display HDR 400 Certification, but in gaming, sunny skies and other bright spots tend to blow out and lose definition at max brightness. Dark areas also sometimes get crushed. \u00a0<\/p>\n Movies and video on Netflix and YouTube fair a lot better though. Sadly, my Xbox One X wouldn’t recognize the G27Q as HDR-capable. But even the SDR mode on the G27Q is excellent, so I didn’t miss much.<\/p>\n Connection-wise, you’re looking at two HDMI 2.0 ports and a DisplayPort 1.2, along with a pair of USB 3.0 Type-A downstream ports and one USB 3.0 Type-B. Oh, and it also comes with a pair of 2W speakers integrated into the monitor.<\/p>\n The OSD on the G27Q opens you up to a ton of profiles and monitor settings. You navigate with the little joystick on the back and I love that you don’t need to press the joystick to activate menu options. There’s also the OSD Sidekick, a handy Windows app that gives you the same menu access but you navigate with your mouse instead of the joystick, which is neat.<\/p>\n Black Equalization, Aim Assist, Blue Light filtering and more. The Dashboard feature is one of my favorites. It’s a built-in hardware monitor that displays framerates, temps, voltages and more \u2014 all without extraneous software. Perfect for you overclockers.<\/p>\n Whether you use it for work or play, the G27Q excels with a sharp, vibrant and smooth picture.<\/p>\nBest gaming monitor<\/h2>\n
1. Alienware 34 QD-OLED (AW3423DW)<\/a><\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
2. LG 27GN950-B<\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
3. Gigabyte G27Q<\/a><\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n