Rome wasn't built in a day, nor was my gaming setup! Building a gaming setup is way harder than rocket science, as it needs patience and the right choice of peripherals. Besides a powerful GPU and processor (not going to mention RAM, it’s as costly as owning a good parking spot in a European country), comes the monitor.
Most of us either emphasize a good processor or a powerful GPU, but forget to put effort into buying a good gaming monitor.
A gaming monitor has a lot of potential to spend on, as it enhances the performance and gives an experience beyond belief to the users. So, don’t you worry, as I’ve got your back for choosing a correct and amazing gaming monitor for your setup.
How is a Gaming Monitor Different from a Normal Monitor
Well, both monitors have their separate advantages, but if you have chosen the path of buying a gaming monitor, then you need to understand the basic difference, which is the refresh rate. While a regular monitor usually comes with a refresh rate of 30 to 90 Hz, a gaming monitor stacks up to 144 to 240Hz.
What’s More to Check in a Gaming Pc Arsenal
Besides refresh rate, there’s a lot more to understand about buying a good gaming monitor. A good response time, adaptive sync to eliminate stuttering, and screen tearing.
Apart from visual enhancements, a gamer must focus on minimizing input lag, HDR support, and gaming-initiated OSD controls (which help a gamer to instantly change monitor settings like brightness and contrast directly from software).
How to Choose a Gaming Monitor that Perfectly Matches Your Setup
Investing in a gaming setup requires a lot of grit and savings! You must decide which type of gaming monitor to invest in: an ultra-wide screen, a curved display, or a portable gaming monitor, according to your habitat. Also, buy a monitor that suits your playing style. On the other hand, if you fear ghosting like me but are somehow tight on budget, go for VA panels, as VA panels are between IPS and TN panels, and these panels are great for their pricing (speaking from my gaming history).
However, if you fear ghosting and want to experience crystal clear gameplay, then go for OLED displays (not going to scare you, but buying an OLED in this economy kills my curiosity to play even further).
Moving forward, if you care about color resolution, IPS panels are a match made in heaven for you. Last but not least, if you are a hardcore gamer who doesn’t really care about color schemes, then TN panels are the ones to spend on.
Gaming Monitors According to Your Playstyle
Casual Gaming : If you are a weekly gamer who loves to have fun playing different games without grinding any further, or a corporate gamer who’s living his childhood dream playing his favorite game, then In-Plane Switching or IPS panels are your go-to.
These panels come with a 1080p resolution and are also paired with a 100Hz refresh rate, with wide viewing angles and an amazing color scheme, which will elevate your gaming performance, along with your day-to-day tasks.
Competitive Gaming : Don’t really care much about color schemes and wide viewing angles, but need a fast machine that adapts to your inputs like Mahoraga (a Jujutsu Kaisen reference for those wondering), then Twisted Nematic or TN panels are your go-to.
Usually, these LCD beasts are paired with 1080p resolution, 144Hz or higher refresh rate, and 1 ms (response time) to ensure smooth and fast gameplay.
Cinematic Gameplay : Want to bring out your version of Cristopher Nolan? Gaming monitors with VA and IPS panels are like icing on the cake. VA, or Vertically Alignment, is one of the best panels to buy if you are tight on budget, like me. Otherwise, IPS panels are the ones to invest in. Both these panels give monstrous performance as they also come with a full HD or 4K resolution and 144Hz or higher refresh rate.
Final Verdict
Choosing a perfect gaming pc sure takes time, but you've got your answers here in minutes! Surely, it's a daunting yet rewarding task for most of us, but when paired with good machines, the gaming experience elevates to the apex!
Fun fact: If you are rich (no sugarcoating), then my lad, you need to go for OLED panels. Made for real ballers out there, OLED panels are paired with a 120Hz to 480Hz refresh rate; resolution typically ranging from 1440p QHD to 4K UHD, and response time of (0.03 ms to 0.1 ms).