Top pick in the best gaming monitor category. This IPS monitor boasts stunning colors and a fast response time, making it perfect for FPS games. It also supports Nvidia’s G-Sync technology to reduce screen tearing.
Featuring LG’s QD-OLED panel, this monitor offers stunning color performance, especially in dark or blindingly bright scenes. Its HDR capabilities help to bring Cyberpunk 2077’s neon-drenched streets to life.
Alienware 34 QD-OLED AW3423DWF-Best Gaming Monitor
Alienware’s 34-inch ultrawide curved OLED monitor takes the brand to the next level. Its QD-OLED technology combines the brightness of LCD with the deep blacks of OLED, and PC gamers have only had access to this sort of image quality in a few giant TVs before now.
But this Alienware model is smaller, more portable, and still offers a premium gaming experience for the price. It’s a worthy successor to the original AW3423DW, and even better than some of the more expensive curved OLED displays that we’ve seen out there recently.
The AW3423DWF features a 3440×1440 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate, which gives it a huge gaming advantage over most of its competitors in this price range. It also supports AMD’s FreeSync tech to smooth out uneven frame rates and has HDR capabilities with a 1,000-nit peak brightness and wide color gamut.
This screen can display a staggering 1 billion colors, which gives it an incredible degree of visual detail and makes games look gorgeous. Its excellent response times also make it one of the fastest displays on the market, able to show a single frame with minimal delay even at 165Hz.
Unfortunately, its input lag is a bit higher than we’d like to see at this price point, but not significantly so compared to other HDR gaming monitors we’ve tested. There’s also no USB-C support on this monitor, which may limit its multi-purpose appeal a bit.
The AW3423DWF is an absolute stunner, but if the $1,100 price tag is too much to bear, there are plenty of solid alternatives that still offer a high-quality gaming experience for less money. The $999 Gigabyte M32U and the $799 Aorus FI32U are two of our favorites, as they’re both incredibly fast and feature some great specs. The Asus PA246QW and Acer P2410QW are also worth checking out, as they offer similar performance for around the same price. We’d love to see a few more 4K, HDR, 144Hz, and FreeSync options in this price range, though. It would really open up a lot of possibilities for gaming fans in 2023.
BenQ Mobiuz EX240 – Best Gaming Monitor
This 24-inch BenQ gaming monitor has a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels and an IPS panel, which is known for its accurate color reproduction and wide viewing angles. Its color gamut extends a bit beyond sRGB for a little more saturation, which can be a good thing depending on what you’re using the monitor for.
A quick 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time keep the action onscreen smooth, while AMD FreeSync Premium technology eliminates screen tearing. A light matte anti-glare coating helps keep the image clear without adding too much graininess. The stand on this BenQ monitor offers tilt, swivel, and height adjustments for optimal positioning. VESA mount compatibility is also available for those who need to save desk space.
The Quick OSD and Scenario Mapping features of this BenQ gaming monitor make it easy to centrally manage the display’s settings, while Brightness Intelligence Plus makes the screen easier on your eyes. This reduces eye fatigue, strain, and headaches that can result from long gaming sessions. The IPS panel on this monitor has a wide viewing angle of 178°, making it easy to view from different positions.
Despite its low price, this BenQ monitor is still capable of delivering a solid gaming experience. Its fast refresh rate, IPS panel tech, and HDR10 support give it a competitive performance that is perfect for the budget-conscious gamer.
Its design is simple and modern, with a clean base, gunmetal finish, and red accent on the back of the stand. It is lightweight and sturdy enough to withstand regular use. It has an IPS panel with a good contrast ratio of 1000:1 and a high gamma curve. It has a 1ms response time and a quick 144Hz refresh rate for fluid gameplay.
The BenQ EX240 is one of the best monitors for gaming in 2023. Its IPS panel gives it a wide viewing angle and great color accuracy, while its AMD FreeSync technology ensures that you’ll never see screen tearing. It also has a range of built-in image presets that make it easy to get the perfect look for your game. The Black eQualizer feature improves visibility in dark scenes and the Light Tuner function lets you customize your color settings.
LG Ultragear 27GN950-B – Best Gaming Monitor
This LG monitor is a great choice for PC gamers who want a high-performance 4K IPS gaming display. Its 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time help to deliver a smooth gaming experience. It also supports HDR and G-SYNC. Its IPS panel offers excellent color accuracy and a wide color gamut with DisplayHDR 600 certification. It has an attractive design with interesting RGB lighting that can be synced to music, game sound effects, and on-screen content.
The LG 27GN950-B has a sturdy stand that provides a generous range of ergonomic adjustments. You can tilt it up to a maximum of 35 degrees, and adjust the height to 4.4 inches. The monitor can also be swiveled around a vertical axis. The monitor has two HDMI 2.0 ports, but it doesn’t support the HDMI 2.1 standard. This means that you can only get a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz with console gaming. If you want to use your monitor with consoles, you’ll need a DisplayPort cable with support for VESA Display Stream Compression.
You can choose from eight picture presets. The default is Gamer 1, which provides accurate colors for most games. There’s also an sRGB mode that narrows the color gamut and provides over 130% coverage. You can also use the monitor’s HDR Effect feature to add the look of HDR to SDR content. However, this feature can cause image duplication and isn’t perfect for gaming.
Another option is to calibrate the screen using the built-in LG software. This lets you fine-tune the image and reduce artifacts. You can also use the Game Mode feature to create a customized gaming profile that optimizes performance. This monitor has a USB 3.1 Gen 1 hub with two downstream and one upstream port for connecting compatible peripherals. It also has an integrated DAS (Dynamic Action Sync) mode that reduces input lag.
The LG 27GN950-B is a good monitor for gaming, but it doesn’t offer as many features as other competitors. The ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQ is a better option for most people because it has wider viewing angles, a faster response time at its maximum refresh rate of 160Hz, and better reflection handling in bright rooms. It also has a black frame insertion feature that’s useful for improving the appearance of dark scenes in some games, although it can cause image duplication and may not be suitable for all gamers.
SAMSUNG Odyssey G9
The Samsung Odyssey G9 is one of the best gaming monitors for PC gamers who want peak immersion and unrivaled productivity. It packs the equivalent of two 1440p displays into a 49-inch panel and offers the most immersive gaming experience out there. But it isn’t for everyone. If you’re considering the Samsung Odyssey G9, it’s important to understand how it differs from other ultra-wide gaming monitors and whether it’s right for you.
The Odyssey G9 is a huge beast with a gargantuan display that gives you plenty of room for games and productivity. It has a massive 240Hz refresh rate, which gives it incredible motion clarity, making games like Doom Eternal feel ruthlessly responsive. It also features AMD FreeSync Premium and DisplayHDR 1000 support, which is enough to push any modern graphics card to its limit and future-proof your investment for years to come.
There are a few minor snags, though. First, the Samsung Odyssey G9’s VA panel doesn’t have as good a contrast ratio as an IPS panel. This can lead to some washouts in darker scenes. Fortunately, the G9 has three user-configurable levels of overdrive built into its OSD menu, which can help with this. The Samsung Odyssey G9 also doesn’t have a low input-lag mode, but the monitor has a very responsive adaptive refresh or FreeSync mode.
Another issue is that the Samsung Odyssey G9 uses PWM to dim its backlight, which can cause flicker at higher brightness settings. However, you can turn off the backlight completely to avoid this problem.
The other major issue is that the Odyssey G9’s response time isn’t as low as advertised. The manufacturer claims a 1ms response, but when we tested it using MPRT, we found the panel to be about 2ms grey-to-grey (GtG). This isn’t the kind of slowness that will have an impact on gameplay, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you plan to use this monitor for a long time. Fortunately, most gamers won’t need to use this monitor for an extended period of time. We’re sure Samsung will address these issues in the next edition of the Odyssey G9. Then, you can pick up a monitor with an even better screen that’s almost certain to be less expensive than this one.