What monitor should I use for a Gaming PC?

[Elf_Knight]

Here are my system specs: i5 4690k, 8gb ddr3 ram, gtx 970 4gb, 500 watt PSU, 1tb hdd, windows 10.

I currently have an old 1336x768 monitor from my old PC. I want to upgrade the monitor because it is quite small and doesn't have built in speakers. It's not even 1080p so I am not getting the full worth of my gpu. I want at least one 1080p monitor but I am considering getting 2 or 3 cause my gpu can support 2 monitor's.

I am also interested in either a curved monitor or a 4k monitor. There are some cheap ones on Amazon for about 250 british pounds. There is also a curved 23inch monitor for 150-160 pounds that I am considering.

What should I choose? Multiple monitors would be useful for gaming cause I want to do streaming and stuff eventually and I always look up stuff when I play games so then I won't have to alt+tab out of games and so on. I could also have a bigger screen via 3 monitors.

However the curved monitors and 4k one appeals to me because of obvious reasons so I am very confused. Or should I just buy one 1080p monitor for 60fps gameplay?

Many thanks in advance!!

 

[Gallarian]

Monitor buying is a pretty complicated business, you have to know exactly what you want before looking otherwise there is just TOO much to look at.

If you want to game at 4k, a single 970 simply won't cut it. You'll be playing most games at sub-30fps unless you crank the graphics settings down a long way. Its just simply not worth it, not to mention that most games dont have optimised UIs at 4k, so writing can sometimes be impossibly small.

As for curved, its only effective at larger sizes, such as super wide 29"+. At smaller screen sizes, the curving just looks odd.

With a single 970, what I would suggest is a nice 23-25" 1080p 144hz monitor. That will give you the best gaming experience to match your PC.

As for multiple monitors, if you simply want to be able to have a game on one screen, and some more room to have other things open at the same time, I'd suggest spending more on your main monitor, then getting a really cheap 21" 1080p as a secondary.

Here are some good suggestions:

Main monitor (£200-£250):

- Acer Predator GN246HLB [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-acer-predator-gn246hlbid-led-144hz-gaming-monitor-3d-hdmi-dvi-vga-1920x1080-350cd-m-1ms-nv-3d-rea]

- Asus VG248QE [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-asus-vg248qe-led-nvidia-3d-v2-gaming-monitor-144hz-dp-hdmi-dvi-1920x1080-350cd-m2-80m1-1ms-speake] *recommended

- Iyama ProLite GB2488HSU [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-iiyama-prolite-gb2488hsu-monitor-tn-panel-1920x1080-1ms-350cd-m-speakers-dp-dvi-hdmi-black]

Secondary monitors (£70-£100):

- Acer K222HQL [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/215-acer-k222hqlbd-led-monitor-dvi-vga-1920x1080-100m1-200cd-m2-5ms]

 

[Elf_Knight]

Monitor buying is a pretty complicated business, you have to know exactly what you want before looking otherwise there is just TOO much to look at.

If you want to game at 4k, a single 970 simply won't cut it. You'll be playing most games at sub-30fps unless you crank the graphics settings down a long way. Its just simply not worth it, not to mention that most games dont have optimised UIs at 4k, so writing can sometimes be impossibly small.

As for curved, its only effective at larger sizes, such as super wide 29"+. At smaller screen sizes, the curving just looks odd.

With a single 970, what I would suggest is a nice 23-25" 1080p 144hz monitor. That will give you the best gaming experience to match your PC.

As for multiple monitors, if you simply want to be able to have a game on one screen, and some more room to have other things open at the same time, I'd suggest spending more on your main monitor, then getting a really cheap 21" 1080p as a secondary.

Here are some good suggestions:

Main monitor (£200-£250):

- Acer Predator GN246HLB [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-acer-predator-gn246hlbid-led-144hz-gaming-monitor-3d-hdmi-dvi-vga-1920x1080-350cd-m-1ms-nv-3d-rea]

- Asus VG248QE [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-asus-vg248qe-led-nvidia-3d-v2-gaming-monitor-144hz-dp-hdmi-dvi-1920x1080-350cd-m2-80m1-1ms-speake] *recommended

- Iyama ProLite GB2488HSU [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-iiyama-prolite-gb2488hsu-monitor-tn-panel-1920x1080-1ms-350cd-m-speakers-dp-dvi-hdmi-black]

Secondary monitors (£70-£100):

- Acer K222HQL [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/215-acer-k222hqlbd-led-monitor-dvi-vga-1920x1080-100m1-200cd-m2-5ms]

After reading your review this was in concordance with several articles that I have read. I am now leaning towards multiple monitors for usefulness and better performance. I will hold off with 4k and curved monitors when I do SLI. I will eventually upgrade my set-up. I was thinking that I can always use my laptop and my current monitor as a second screen so I will then probably get one 1080p monitor. Since I have a gtx 970 should I get a monitor with Gsync capabilities? Also I am leaning towards a 24inch monitor and one that has built in speakers. Is 5mins response time a fast monitor?

Cheers!

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

Yes, ignore the response time, all monitors are fast enough, the only reason high refresh rates monitors are standing out, is because of lightboost or black frames, something majority seems to have missed, when giving their biased opinions.


Here's my recommendation for a 60 Hz, the best curved monitor for your needs: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-LS24E65KCS-EN-S24E650C-LCD-Monitor/dp/B00X9FDRZI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450471650&sr=8-1&keywords=S24E650C

No reviews, but it's a fantastic monitor. It's got height, tilt, and pivot. At this price, it can't be beat by anything.



All thé best!

 

[Gallarian]

After reading your review this was in concordance with several articles that I have read. I am now leaning towards multiple monitors for usefulness and better performance. I will hold off with 4k and curved monitors when I do SLI. I will eventually upgrade my set-up. I was thinking that I can always use my laptop and my current monitor as a second screen so I will then probably get one 1080p monitor. Since I have a gtx 970 should I get a monitor with Gsync capabilities? Also I am leaning towards a 24inch monitor and one that has built in speakers. Is 5mins response time a fast monitor?

Cheers!

Good choice; 1080p and a GTX 970 are match made in heaven.

Response time is the amount of time in milliseconds that it takes a monitor panel to change the colour of its pixels. Different companies use different methods to test this. For example, some companies see how long it takes to go from Black, to White, and back to Black again; whereas some go from a Dark Grey, to Light Grey, then back to Dark Grey again. Obviously, the two methods will give totally different results, so you have to take most response times listed on spec sheets with a 'pinch of salt'.

As a rule of thumb, anything below 10ms shouldn't be noticeable, though below 5ms is a safer bet.

As for G-Sync; it's basically a module added to the back of a monitor that has its own built-in super fast memory. This allows it to 'store' frames as they're rendered by the GPU, and releases them only when the monitor is ready. The end result is an almost perfect match between frame rate and monitor refresh rate, which gets rid of almost all screen tearing and other nasty side effects.

I currently use a G-Sync monitor (the Asus ROG Swift), and can testify that it does give a very smooth gaming experience indeed. However, it comes at price, and is only worth using on a monitor with 120-144hz, as it wouldnt do a whole lot at 60hz (as your frame rate would rarely go below that with a 970 at 1080p).

If you have the money for a G-Sync monitor, here are some good suggestions (£280 - £340):

- AOC G2460PG [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-aoc-g2460pg-144-hz-g-sync-gaming-display-displayport-1920x1080-350cdm2-80m1-1ms-usb-hub]

- Acer Predator XB240HA [http://www.scan.co.uk/products/24-acer-predator-xb240ha-144hz-g-sync-widescreen-tn-led-backlit-1920x1080-80m1-1ms-displayport-hdmi-]

If you cannot go that high, then G-Sync is unfortunately not an option. However, that doesnt mean you wouldn't have a great gaming experience on any of the 144hz monitors I linked in my previous reply - you definitely would!


EDIT: Just realised I hadn't touched on speakers - In general, the quality of in-built speakers is very poor. In fact, your average set of £20 desk speakers will be 10x better. My monitor costs over £700, and even then the speakers in it sound like your listening to your neighbour's radio through a tin can.

I currently use some Speedlink 2.1 speakers I bought from Amazon for £25, theyve lasted me 6 years and sound excellent. Long story short, it's just not worth spending more on a monitor with in built speakers when they sound no where near as good as actual speakers that cost half as much!

 

[Gallarian]

Here's my recommendation for a 60 Hz, the best curved monitor for your needs: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-LS24E65KCS-EN-S24E650C-LCD-Monitor/dp/B00X9FDRZI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450471650&sr=8-1&keywords=S24E650C

No reviews, but it's a fantastic monitor. It's got height, tilt, and pivot. At this price, it can't be beat by anything.

All thé best!

Hey Suzuki, never heard of or seen that monitor before! What are the reasons you would suggest it over a cheaper 144hz monitor like the Asus VG248QE for gaming?

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

Hello,

OP was interested in a curved monitor. You already listed a high refresh monitor, Gallarian.

 

[Gallarian]

Hello,

OP was interested in a curved monitor. You already listed a high refresh monitor, Gallarian.

#

Ah ok, just thought there might have been some hidden tech that the monitor you listed had over the others!