It’s getting harder to buy a gaming monitor without adaptive refresh but if you’re OK with just 144Hz, there are some great deals available. We know that G-Sync adds around $200 to the price and even FreeSync monitors are sold at a premium. When framerates are high, tearing is less evident and the action becomes very smooth and fluid. While we recommend adaptive refresh for any new gaming monitor purchase, you can still have a great playing experience with one of these budget screens.
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Best High Refresh Rate Monitors
3/7/17 Update: added Asus ROG Swift PG279Q (Recommended award), removed BenQ XL2430T & BenQ XL2720Z.
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AOC G2460PQU
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- Panel Type & Backlight
- TN / W-LED
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- Screen Size & Aspect Ratio
- 24" / 16:9
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- Curve Radius
- ✗
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- Max Resolution & Refresh
- 1920x1080 @ 144Hz
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- FreeSync Range
- ✗
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- Native Color Depth & Gamut
- 8-bit (6-bit w/FRC) / sRGB
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- Response Time (GTG)
- 1ms
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- Brightness
- 350cd/m²
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- Speakers
- (2) 2W
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- Video Inputs
- (1) DisplayPort, (1) DVI, (1) HDMI, (1) VGA
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- Audio
- (1) 3.5mm Stereo in, (1) 3.5mm Headphone in
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- USB
- v2.0 (1) up, (4) down
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- Power Consumption
- 40W Typical
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- Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base
- 22.3x15.5x9.6" (566x394x244mm)
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- Panel Thickness
- 2" (51mm)
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- Bezel Width
- 0.6-1" (15-25mm)
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- Weight
- 13.9 lbs (6.3kg)
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- Warranty
- 3 Years
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LG 24GM77
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- Panel Type & Backlight
- TN / W-LED
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- Screen Size & Aspect Ratio
- 24" / 16:9
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- Curve Radius
- ✗
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- Max Resolution & Refresh
- 1920x1080 @ 144Hz
-
- FreeSync Range
- ✗
-
- Native Color Depth & Gamut
- 8-bit / sRGB
-
- Response Time (GTG)
- 1ms
-
- Brightness
- 350cd/m²
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- Speakers
- ✗
-
- Video Inputs
- (1) DisplayPort, (1) DVI, (2) HDMI, (1) VGA
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- Audio
- (1) 3.5mm Headphone out
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- USB
- v3.0: (1) up, (2) down
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- Power Consumption
- 18W Typical
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- Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base
- 22.5x15.9x9.8" (567x401x248mm)
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- Panel Thickness
- 2.2" (57mm)
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- Bezel Width
- 0.6" (16mm)
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- Weight
- 11.9lbs (5.8kg)
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- Warranty
- 3 Years
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Asus RoG Swift PG279Q
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- Panel Type & Backlight
- AHVA / W-LED edge array
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- Screen Size & Aspect Ratio
- 27" / 16:9
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- Curve Radius
- ✗
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- Max Resolution & Refresh
- 2560x1440 @ 165Hz
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- FreeSync Range
- ✗
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- Native Color Depth & Gamut
- 8-bit / sRGB
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- Response Time (GTG)
- 4ms
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- Brightness
- 350cd/m²
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- Speakers
- (2) 2W
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- Video Inputs
- (1) DisplayPort v1.2, (1) HDMI v1.4
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- Audio
- (1) 3.5mm Headphone out
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- USB
- v3.0: (1) up, (2) down
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- Power Consumption
- 90W Max, 0.5W Standby
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- Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base
- 24.4x21.8x9.4" (620x553x238mm)
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- Panel Thickness
- 2.6" (66mm)
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- Bezel Width
- 0.3-0.5" (8-12mm)
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- Weight
- 15.4lbs (7kg)
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- Warranty
- 3 Years
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BenQ XR3501
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- Panel Type & Backlight
- AMVA / W-LED edge array
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- Screen Size & Aspect Ratio
- 35" / 21:9
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- Curve Radius
- ✗
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- Max Resolution & Refresh
- 2560x1080 @ 144Hz
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- FreeSync Range
- ✗
-
- Native Color Depth & Gamut
- 8-bit / sRGB
-
- Response Time (GTG)
- 4ms
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- Brightness
- 300cd/m²
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- Speakers
- ✗
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- Video Inputs
- (2) DisplayPort, (2) HDMI
-
- Audio
- (1) 3.5mm in, (1) 3.5mm out, (1) Headphone out
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- USB
- ✗
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- Power Consumption
- 45W Typical
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- Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base
- 33.6x19.6x8.1" (853x499x206mm)
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- Panel Thickness
- 2.2" (55mm)
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- Bezel Width
- 0.6-0.9" (14-23mm)
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- Weight
- 24.5lbs (11.1kg)
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- Warranty
- 3 Years
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Best 24-Inch High Refresh Rate Gaming Monitors
These days, it’s hard to justify buying a gaming monitor without adaptive refresh. But the least expensive screens still leave the feature out to cut costs. For under $300 though, you can have the next best thing – 144Hz. That extra speed, coupled with a capable graphics board, enables smooth gaming performance with very low lag and almost no tearing. The G2460PQU represents a fading genre but remains a good value with solid color performance. FHD resolution means you won’t need an expensive video card to achieve 100fps and up. And its 24” size makes it reasonably portable. FreeSync has opened up adaptive refresh to a large group of budget-conscious users but this AOC is still a slightly better deal.
AOC G2460PQU
If you can live without frame-rate matching, the LG 24GM77 is a great value in 144Hz gaming monitors. With some of the best stock performance we’ve seen in any category, you don’t have to adjust anything save brightness to see a superb image in all contexts. With its well-engineered gaming features, excellent performance and relatively low price, this is an easy recommendation.
LG 24GM77
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Best 27-Inch High Refresh Rate Gaming Monitor
Asus' new addition to its ROG line isn't perfect but it certainly delivers on its promise. With a sharp and bright IPS panel, 165Hz and G-Sync, the PG279Q has everything an enthusiast could want. It doesn't come cheap but we suspect that buyer's remorse will be rare to non-existent. We enjoyed gaming on it and think you will too.
Asus RoG Swift PG279Q
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Best 35-Inch High Refresh Rate Gaming Monitor
It seems that these days, no gaming monitor has everything. BenQ has created a unique product but a couple of omissions make the buying decision more difficult. Discriminating users will want G-Sync/FreeSync and at least QHD resolution. But others may be attracted to the extra-tight curvature and the gorgeous AMVA panel. Ultimately, it's up to the buyer to decide which features matter most.
BenQ XR3501
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Aspect ratio 1:1 Length:2.82 Width:2.82 Diameter:4
AR 5:4 L:3.16 W:2.53 D:4.048
AR 4:3 L:3.266 W2.45 D:4.0825
AR 16:10 L:3.577 W:2.236 D:4.219
AR 16:9 L:3.26 W2.121 D:4.326
AR 18:9 L:4 W:2 D:4.5
AR 21:9 L:4.3205 W1.85 D:4.7
AR 32:9 L:5.333 W:1.5 D:5.54
Like I said all these rectangles got the same exact size if you multiply length and width you're gonna get 8, which is the accurate way to measure the size of rectangles(displays), but as you could notice the diameter which is used to indicate the size of the display changes with aspect ratio. So a 4:3 display with 4.1 inch size display equals 4.7 inch 21:9, I'll mention few more realistic examples, 5:4 19" display with resolution 1280X1024 equals 20.3 16:9 display, 29" old CRT TV equals 30.73 16:9 TV, and 27" 16:9 equals 29.3 21:9, 31.5 display 16:9 equals 34.2, 21:9, 35" 16:9 equals 38" 21:9, 6.2 inch phone 18.5:9 equals 5.95 inch 16:9, 6" 18:9 equals 16:9 5.8 so these phones looks smaller not just because they are bezel less but because the actual size of the display is smaller as well, and finally double full HD 49" 32:9 equals 38" 16:9 displays.
I also want to mention since the size of the display is measured by the diameter of the display that when you double the size of the display the actual size double 4 times for example 8" display is actually 4 times bigger than 4" display, the same goes for the way we measures pixel density which measured by pixel per inch AKA PPI so 200 PPI display has 4 times more pixels than 100 PPI display, How do we calculate PPI? We use Pythagorean equation of triangles which is length^2+width^2=diameter^2
So for example if you want to measure the pixel density of display FHD 27" 1920^2+1080^2=4852800 then you get the root of that number to get the diameter pixels 4852800^0.5=2202.9 then divide that number to the diameter of the display which is in this case is 27 so 2202.9/27=81.5 PPI, a 4k 27" which got 4 times more pixels has 163 PPI.
I didn’t want turn tech site into math class but after double full HD (32:9) displays came out and apparently most people were getting the wrong idea that's when I decided to write this.
Is the AOC G2460PQU still as good? It is about three years old. What about for example the LG 24FGM-79G? It's from 2017 and about the same price(at least in germany).
Was there any progress in this area or is it safe to assume that a three year olds monitor can compete with a new one?
"Will the Samsung C32HG70 and/or C27HG70 be reviewed soon?"
There is a review of the C27HG70 at pcmonitors.info
Link: https://pcmonitors.info/reviews/samsung-c27hg70/
Going back to the PG278QR... For web-browsing and vid-streaming, it was terrible. Blacks would appear as dark red and/or blocky black/grey areas. And the screen coating. Wow! Wayyyy too thick for my liking. It made the appearance of swirls that almost appeared like pixels of white/light backgrounds when on the desktop or web-browsing. After researching, found this to apparently be an ASUS manufacturing process, not an actual defect. Unfortunate.
So, I bought an AOC AGON AG271QG 27" IPS 1440p G-Sync panel as a direct head-to-head comparo to the PG278QR (as I still had time to return it) to see how/if any differences I could note between them and decide which would be the keeper. Viewing angles... Not so much of an issue for me, as I sit directly in front of my monitor.
Long story shortened... The AOC had much better contrast/no clouding/dark seen issues, no screen coating issues (desktop or web-browsing swirl artifacting) and actually appeared/felt like better gaming response which is rather odd as an IPS has a slightly higher ms response time as compared to a TN.
The AOC ended up staying. No backlight bleed or glow issues noted either, which is a blessing. I steered clear of the ASUS PG279Q because of the glaring customer complaints of excessive bleed and glow problems and also tends to be amongst the higher priced 27" 1440p IPS G-Sync on the market; not worth the IPS/RMA lottery IMO.
I also went with current panel tech vs. forthcoming HDR monitors, as Windows is not quite there yet with HDR support being spot-on and game title-flow with HDR support will be slow-rolling too. Perhaps within the next three to five years HDR will be "common-place" for monitor tech, who knows.