Boost Your In-Game Performance With the Best Gaming Monitors

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Buying Guide: Gaming Monitors

Gamers equip their PCs with the most powerful processors and graphic cards with just one goal, getting the sharpest resolution at the highest FPS (frames per second). The ultimate objective is to play the latest and greatest triple-A titles at 4K (sometimes even 8K) resolution, with 120+ FPS. But, even if you got those insane performance metrics on the most graphically demanding modern games, you won’t see any of it without a gaming monitor that matches up in specifications. For instance, you could set your game’s resolution at 4K for super crisp image quality, but if you’ve only got a 1080p resolution monitor, you won’t see that sharpness. Similarly, even if your game runs at 120 FPS, you will only see a maximum of 60 FPS on a standard 60Hz monitor. If you’re facing these issues, you need an upgrade. Here are our favorite high-performance gaming monitors of 2023!

The Sceptre Curved Gaming Monitor comfortably sits at the top spot with a display size that’s bigger than all other monitors listed below. At 30 inches, it’ll almost make you feel like you’re physically in the game, especially since it has an aggressive curved display for maximum immersion! It has a response time of just one millisecond, which is as low as it gets in modern monitors. This means it’ll give you the biggest competitive advantage as it cuts down performance delays to essentially nothing, to the point where it’s almost like you’re playing in real time. There’s no screen tearing either, thanks to Free Sync!

This monitor has the highest refresh rate out of all other options on this list, which means every single movement will be buttery smooth (as long as your FPS is just as high), making it the top choice overall!

Pros

• Very fast refresh rate
• Large, 30-inch display size
• Highly immersive curved design

Cons

• Very low resolution for its 30-inch size

Just like we’ve seen the bezels on our smartphones shrink away in the last few years, the trend has trickled over to PC displays as well, and this LG Gaming Monitor is a prime example of it. It almost has no visible border, with clear edge-to-edge visibility, making it look futuristic and immersive. But, aside from aesthetics, this monitor doesn’t fall behind in terms of specifications either!

Even though it’s only a Full HD (1080p), 24-inch display, it has a super high refresh rate of 165Hz. It also features one-millisecond motion blur reduction, which can make all the difference when you’re tracking an opponent in a game like “Fortnite” or “Call of Duty: Warzone”. Best of all, this gaming monitor has AMD FreeSync Premium to deal with tearing issues and can be wall mounted to save space on your desk.

Pros

• The very fast refresh rate for smoother movements
• Futuristic-looking, borderless design for maximum immersion
• One-millisecond motion blur reduction

Cons

• Relatively mediocre five-millisecond response time

If you primarily like playing first-person shooter (FPS) games during your gaming sessions, this Pixio Gaming Monitor could be a great fit. Such games include “Counter-Strike”, “Call of Duty”, “Fortnite”, “Battlefield”, and any such game that typically gets 200 to 300+ frame rates on a decently powerful PC. This provides a massive advantage to the player as a faster refresh rate allows them to react quicker.

Aside from its high refresh rate, the monitor pairs it with an industry-leading response time of just one millisecond, which makes it almost instantaneous with no noticeable input lag. With that said, if you’re interested in sight-seeing titles like “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” or “Red Dead Redemption 2”, the 1080p resolution can still bottleneck your PC as those games are most enjoyable at higher, more crisp resolutions like 4K.

Pros

• Extremely fast refresh rate and response time
• Features flicker-free technology that’s safer for eyes
• Available in both 24-inch and 27-inch sizes

Cons

• Maxes out at 1080p resolution

If you’re on a tight budget, there aren’t many displays out there that are quite as well-rounded as the BenQ Gaming Monitor. It starts at 22 inches and comes at a super affordable price range that’s even below the $130 mark! For slight bumps in price, you can also get the 24 and 27-inch variants, which have everything you could need in your gaming monitor to get the most out of your powerful PC. 

The 75Hz refresh rate means that it can display 15 more FPS than the average 60Hz monitor, which is solid for such a competitive price. Aside from that, you get an insanely fast one-millisecond response time, as well as an ultra-high contrast ratio and a wide color gamut for accurate color representation. Whether you play a gorgeous-looking game on it or use it to watch Netflix, color reproduction will be on point!

Pros

• Includes eye-care features like low blue light
• Very high value for money
• Available in three sizes

Cons

• Refresh rate and resolution are both low

Our last pick is the MSI Full HD Gaming Monitor. At a pretty reasonable price for its size, it offers many key features like a sufficiently high 144Hz refresh rate, curved angle, non-glare finish, and a lightning-fast one-millisecond response time! 

Aside from the Sceptre monitor at the top, this is the only other option that features a curve, which is super impressive to see in this price range. And, thanks to its Adaptive Sync technology and ultra-fast response time, you won’t ever have to complain about choppy frame rates or screen tearing — unless, of course, your PC is too slow to put out high enough frames per second

Pros

• Great bang for your buck
• One of the cheapest available curved monitors 
• High refresh rate and low response time

Cons

• Has a maximum resolution of 1080p

Will a curved gaming monitor improve my performance?

Not really, no. Unlike faster refresh rates or quicker response times, having a curvature in your screen will not impact your gaming performance. It’ll make the experience more enjoyable through a significant boost in immersion, but that’s about it.

Do I need to have a 4K resolution display for gaming?

No, you don’t need it. It’s for people who prefer to have a sharper image quality. The sweet spot for most gamers is 1440p resolution, though even a 1080p monitor is good enough for casual gaming.

What refresh rate should my gaming monitor have?

It depends on the types of games you mainly play. High refresh rate (like 144Hz or 240Hz) monitors are only useful for first-person shooter games. If you only play campaign-focused games like Grand Theft Auto, Assassin’s Creed, and Red Dead Redemption, you won’t need anything over a 60Hz monitor.