If you recently bought a budget or high-end gaming PC and you have been looking for a good gaming monitor to play your favorite gaming titles, then you might have noticed that there are a huge amount of options online. With so many options and specs, it can become quite confusing at times to select the right monitor. So, we at DesktopNinja created a list of our top choices for our gaming fans.
Budget Monitors:
Monitors can cost several hundred dollars and if you are on a tight budget, then these might be way out of your reach. However, there are some great budget friendly offerings from some of the best manufacturers on the market.
HP Pavilion 22cwa 21.5-inch
Our smallest monitor on our list at just 21.5-inch, the HP Pavilion 22cwa offers great viewing angles thanks to its IPS technology. It also offers rich colors and great image quality. With a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 you will have no issue playing your favorite AAA gaming titles. You also get an 8,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio which is pretty impressive for a monitor under $100. This monitor can easily be adjusted and offers -2 degree forward and up to +25 degree backward tilt, making it suitable for most setups. However, the stand does not allow the display to swivel, but at this price it would be impossible to expect this from the HP Pavilion 22cwa. The only issue that we have with this monitor is that it has a 7ms response time, however at under $100 it is hardly an issue that you should have to worry about. If you want a faster response rate, then have a look at our second monitor in our budget section. You get both a VGA and an HDMI (with HDCP support) port which will allow you to connect your new gaming PC.
From $99.99
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Acer R240HY 23.8-inch
Acer have a great selection of monitors on the market that won’t break the bank, the Acer R240HY is priced at under $150 and offers quite a bit of options for its low price. The viewing angles are great and much like our first monitor it used IPS technology to achieve this. However the IPS panel is not the best on the market, but at under $150 we hardly expect it to be. You also get a faster response time as the Acer R240HY offers a much snappier 4ms for an improved gaming experience. Its Zero Frame Design will mean that if you choose to purchase two of these monitors you will be get virtually no gap between the two display panels as it has one of the smallest screen bezels on the market. This seamless continuity is something that makes the Acer R240HY standout from many of its competitors. One of the drawbacks of this display is that it does not offer mounting screws if you intend on using it on a desk mount or if you want to mount it on the wall. The display offers VGA, DVI and HDMI ports to allow you a wider selection of connectivity than the HP monitor.
From $129.99
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Mid-Range Monitors:
If you have a slightly bigger budget and want to invest in a great monitor, then this section is just for you. These monitors offer better specs than our budget friendly ones, while still not breaking the bank.
AOC G2460PF 24-inch
(My personal favorite)
While many people have not heard of the brand AOC, this Taiwan based company offers a great selection of monitors at competitive prices. The AOC G2460PF offers an impressive 144MHz response rate and a super impressive 1ms response time, however the 144MHz is only available while using the DVI or DisplayPort. You will have no issue playing Battlefield 1 or Titanfall 2 on this monitor. However, you do not get an IPS display panel, but the TFT Active Matrix panel offers 160 degrees of horizontal viewing angles, which is quite impressive. This model comes with AMD FreeSync which promises to put an end to choppy frame rates at virtually any frame rate. One nifty trick that the AOC G2460PF has to offer is the fact that you can swivel the display to allow it to be viewed in both landscape and in portrait mode. While most of you will only be using it in landscape mode, this is still a great feature to have. You also get stereo speakers which offer 2w of power, if you prefer using headphones then you can use the headphone jack in conjunction with the HDMI or DisplayPort. When it comes to ports, the AOC G2460PF offers a USB hub, DisplayPort, HDMI port, VGA port and an HDMI port. However, the USB hub only offers USB 2.0, but with four ports you can easily plug in your keyboard, mouse and charge your smartphone thanks to one of the ports being a fast-charging port
From $209.99
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Acer GN276HL 27-inch
If you are after a bigger monitor, then have a look at the 27-inch GN276HL from Acer. This display also offers a 1ms response time and a refresh rate of 144MHz. This is great news for gamers as this will up your gaming experience over the cheaper models 60MHz or 75MHz refresh rates. You get crystal clear image quality and vivid colors for both gaming and for streaming your favorite 1080p series and movies. This monitor also offers NVIDIA 3D Lightboost, which offers immersive 3d imagery that is on average twice as bright as other solutions. If you intend to use the Acer GN276HL for both gaming and for design work, then you will be pleased to know that the Acer GN276HL offers an impressive 99% of sRGB’s color gamut and 79% of AdobeRGB’s color gamut. Both these figures are above the average that many of its competitors offer. The Acer 3D experience is ideal for home entertainment and you can use multiple pairs of glasses at the same time. However, the 3D trend did not quite take off as intended and I can see many of you not bothering with this feature. While it does offer a VGA, HDMI and a DVI port, it lacks a DisplayPort for those users who want to use multiple monitors, but whose graphics cards only offer HDMI and DisplayPorts.
From $259.93
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Premium Gaming Monitors:
If you have the budget to spend close to $1000 on a gaming monitor then this is the right category for you. These monitors offer amazing specs, however this does not come cheap, but it will offer you the very best gaming experience possible. So if you are a hardcore gamer then this is the category for you.
ASUS ROG SWIFT PG279Q 27-inch
If you are an avid gamer, then you would have heard of the ROG series of gaming desktop PCs and laptops from ASUS. These are some of the best gaming rigs in the world and it comes as no surprise that the ASUS ROG SWIFT PG279Q is a top of the line gaming monitor. With an ultra slim screen bezel, the ASUS ROG SWIFT PG279Q not just looks beautiful, but it will also fit almost seamlessly if you choose to run two of these monitors side by side. While our two mid-range gaming monitors offered a good 144MHz response rate, the ASUS ROG SWIFT PG279Q offers an even more impressive 165MHz response rate. However, unlike our two mid-range monitors, it only offers a 4ms response time. We would have preferred to see this monitor offering a 1ms response time for its massive price, but this is still makes it a great gaming monitor. The ASUS ROG SWIFT PG279Q also offers NVIDIA’s G-SYNC which will allow your graphics card to sync its frame rates with that of the monitors. This will offer you the smoothest gaming experience possible. You also get a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1440, putting this monitor in the in the Quad-HD category and it also offers 178 degrees of viewing angles thanks to its IPS technology. However, some of the older or mid-range graphics cards will struggle to offer a smooth experience at this resolution. The stand allows you to adjust the height, swivel between landscape and portrait mode and to tilt and pivot, making it a very versatile monitor. Like the AOC G2460PF monitor, you also get a USB hub, however you only get two ports vs the AOC’s four ports, the good news is that you get two USB 3.0 ports. The bad news is that you only get an HDMI and DisplayPort as your only input methods.
From $799.00
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Acer Predator XB271HU 27-inch
The Predator range of gaming hardware from Acer is among the world’s best and their Acer Predator XB271HU monitor deserves its spot in our list. The monitor looks every bit as aggressive as their gaming laptops and desktop computers and it is exactly what you would expect with a product with the Predator logo on it. The Acer ErgoStand will allow you to adjust the height of the monitor and it will allow you to swivel the display from landscape mode to portrait mode. The monitor offers a response rate of 144MHz, which can be overclocked to 165MHz when using the DisplayPort. Like the ASUS ROG you get a response time of 4ms and while we would have liked to see a quicker response time, it is still a great gaming monitor. The viewing angles are great thanks to the IPS technology and the panel offers a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1440. If you have an older or mid-range graphics card then you might have issues with maintaining good frame rates at this resolution. Consider running your games at 1080p or purchasing a new graphics card that can handle the higher resolution. Just like the ASUS ROG, you get NVIDIA’s G-SYNC which will allow your graphics card to sync its frame rates with that of the monitors. The Ultra Low Motion Blur technology will make moving objects appear sharper than on cheaper displays, which will come in handy when you are pushing your system to the limits. While the ASUS ROG only offers two USB 3.0 ports, the Acer Predator will offer you four USB 3.0 ports to connect your keyboard, mouse and to charge your smartphone. Just like the ASUS ROG monitor, you only get an HDMI port and a DisplayPort as your only input methods. While most newer graphics cards offer both HDMI and DisplayPorts, some older ones will require an adapter in order to use two of these monitors side by side.
From $777.89
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Conclusion:
No matter what your budget is, there is a perfect gaming monitor for you on the market. I personally recommend the AOC G2460PF as it offers great value for money and impressive specs for the avid gamer. If you are looking for a new gaming PC, then head over to our Best Gaming PCs guide or our Best Cheap Gaming PCs guide where you might find your next upgrade to pair with your new gaming monitor.
