A Comprehensive Guide To Choosing And Buying A Gaming Monitor

Herbert Huffner Monitors & TVs September 4, 2021

A Gaming PC Is Not Complete Without A Well-Proportioned Display. In This Article, We Will Review The Types Of Screens And Selection Criteria For Buying The Best Gaming Models.

Professional gamers should always think about choosing a monitor that fits the needs and capabilities of their gaming computer after being relieved about choosing the parts of their gaming case and assembling their favorite PC for the game. A gaming device without a powerful monitor with appropriate capabilities can not give the gamer a great visual experience and distinctive game consoles.

We know that until now, game consoles have generally been connected to regular monitors or TVs capable of displaying 60Hz high-quality images. Still, PC monitors have been equipped with more advanced capabilities to make images smoother, better quality, and delayed for many years. Show less, and this is not possible without a graphics card and powerful components in the gaming computer.

Previously, choosing the right model was limited to the screen size, resolution, or resolution of images based on the number of pixels and refresh rate, but now, with the advancement of display technology, choosing the right model for the gaming system has become even more difficult. Technologies such as G-Sync from NVIDIA and FreeSync from AMD that both images are made to resolve ruptures, the rates reconstruct images in some models, the 144 and 250 Hz (the number of repeated images per second) mature.

Although the display quality in different panels has increased significantly in recent years, the quality difference between different panels, including TN, IPS, and VA panels.

Even the priority of the purchase criteria varies depending on which category of gamers you belong to.

For example, gamers working in e-sports should have the least latency on the screen, but if you are interested in shooter and first-person shooter games, a fast screen with more HDR capability will be a priority for you.

Types of display panels

IPS panels are the best and most balanced technology available in terms of image quality, color accuracy, and viewing angle

Common LCD monitors (liquid-crystal displays) are flat-panel displays consisting of liquid crystals and several polarizing filters. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly and use background light to emit light and display images in different colors. Older LCDs used fluorescent lamps to produce backlighting. Still, the use of light-emitting diodes or LEDs to produce light has long replaced fluorescent lamps that are both less energy consuming and produce higher contrast. LCDs that use LEDs for backlighting are also abbreviated as LEDs, which some people mistakenly think have replaced LCDs, while only the brightness generation has changed.

Newer and newer OLED panels, unlike LCDs, are made of light-emitting diodes that produce light data and do not require backlighting. OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panels are still not common due to their high cost and the difficulty of large-scale production for use in PC monitors and are not the subject of our discussion here. But LCDs are made of different types, which we will describe in the following.

TN panel

TN (Twisted Nematic ) panels have long been used in displays, have the highest production and lowest manufacturing cost, and at the same time, their biggest advantage is the T shortest response time among the available types. But on the other hand, the disadvantage of this panel is the limited viewing angle and less contrast than other types. TN panels can only produce 6 bits per color in the color spectrum (the full-color spectrum for 16.7 million colors consists of 3 colors blue, red, and green with 8-bit data that make up a total of 24 bits of data), and They use a technique called dithering to simulate other colors. But the quality of TN panels has greatly improved in recent years, and its high-end models display acceptable quality in many applications.

Panel VA

Panels VA (abbreviation of Vertical Alignment ) panel can display higher-definition color spectrum TN and better viewing angle than they are. Despite these advantages, their overall response speed is slower than that of TN and even IPS panels. The contrast of these models is usually higher than the average of other panels, and they show black color and dark scenes with more realistic quality. VA panels can produce 8-bit colors, and some of them can be called MVA, S-PVA, and of course, AMVA (short for Advanced MVA).

IPS panel

IPS ( In-Plane Switching ) panels can be considered the best and most balanced technology available regarding image quality, color accuracy, and viewing angle. Therefore, they have more acceptance and priority for designing graphic works and producing media content. The response speed of these panels is higher than VA types but slower than TN. These panels are also 8-bit and support a full-color gamut. Species S-IPS and H-IPS subsidiary of the technology and panel PLS Samsung is also produced in the technology IPS. PLS offers a better viewing angle and more brightness. Even the AHVA panel was also invented by the famous panel maker called AUO. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, it is a kind of IPS panel and not VA.

Color display quality in pixel dimensions in IPS, TN, and VA panels from top to bottom, top, bottom, and sides, respectively

Refresh rate

The image refresh rate or Refresh rate, the number of updates or depictions image in a second display is said to be the basis of the unit of frequency is the hertz. A 60 Hz panel reconstructs the image received from the graphics card up to 60 times per second.

We should Refresh rate and Frame rate or frame rate to speed processing output graphics card will be confused because the refresh rate could be a recurrence of a frame to embrace, but the frame rate to the number of repetitions of a frame with new data for Indicates the display on the monitor.

G-Sync vs. FreeSync

At the beginning of this article, we mentioned that Nvidia and AMD to fix the problem of rupture Pictures ( Screen Tearing ) sometimes very annoying is, each technology has its own to solve this problem by providing a way to run the refresh rate dynamic image ( Adaptive Refresh rate ) Developed. G-Sync technology requires the installation of a hardware chip inside the display. Still, according to the Adaptive-Sync standard, FreeSync uses the graphics card capability to synchronize the frame rate and image refresh rate on the monitor and does not require separate hardware inside the display.

How Nvidia G-Sync technology works in synchronizing frame drawing and scanning a new image on the display panel

That’s why G-Sync-branded monitors are much more expensive than similar monitors with the same panel and specifications but with FreeSync technology. In addition, monitor makers will have to pay a fee for advanced on-screen testing and Nvidia endorsement for G-Sync if they use FreeSync technology. Free for builders.

The two technologies are very similar in performance, and by synchronizing the “frame drawing operation in the graphics card output buffer” and the “screen refresh operation,” so-called scanning, eliminate the cut and tearing effect on the screen.

Even interrupts or stutters that result from V-Sync activation in games will be avoided, so owners of G-Sync and FreeSync monitors should not enable the V-Sync option in the game’s graphical settings.

In addition, FreeSync has its drawbacks, including the more limited range of image refresh rates, ranging from 36 to 75 Hz depending on the model and up to 144 Hz on more advanced models.

If the game frame rate is outside this range, FreeSync will not work. The good news is that Nvidia recently allowed GeForce graphics cards to work with standard Adaptive-Sync technology (a standardized form of FreeSync), which is compatible with the G-Sync Compatible standard with FreeSync displays, and the image refresh rate Provide dynamic.

HDR

HDR (High Dynamic Range) monitors can display higher quality shadows and deeper colors. The ability to display much higher contrast is a prerequisite for the HDR panel. On an HDR monitor, darker scenes and brighter scenes will be displayed brighter than a normal monitor. HDR implementation is not the same between monitors and TVs, and the technology has several variants such as Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10 +, among which HDR10 support is more common among manufacturers.

G-Sync Ultimate and FreeSync Premium Pro

G-Sync Ultimate is essentially the same G-Sync technology to which Nvidia has added the minimum requirements for HDR. The display that receives this badge must be capable of producing a contrast of 1000-nit. A display with this much contrast usually has a Full Array Backlighting Local Dimming backlight, which we will explain below.

FreeSync Premium Pro is a regular FreeSync with HDR capability, and at least a 120 Hz panel added to the requirements. The FreeSync Premium logo includes only FreeSync technology and a 120Hz panel and lacks HDR capability.

Full-Array Backlighting and Local Dimming

A monitor with a full array of background light sources ( Full Array Backlighting ) can display the best possible contrast with the highest quality. The Local Dimming technique also approaches the display of dark colors and light shadows in reality by turning off the backlight in areas that are supposed to be dark and steps into the range that OLED displays and old plasmas were skilled at creating.

The quality of Local Dimming depends on the number of areas in which the backlight is distributed. The more of these areas and the more accurate their creation with moving scenes, the better the experience created by this technique.

Arrangement of LED lamps to produce backlight in two ways: Full-array and Edge-lit

Edge lighting

In this background light model, unlike the Full Array Backlighting method, light-emitting diodes are used only at the edges of the screen to provide full LCD light. As a result, the edges of such displays are usually brighter than the center, and it isn’t easy to achieve proper uniformity or uniformity of the backlight.

Flicker-free

The Flicker, flicker, and jump in images are due to high-speed changes caused by backlighting. The problem in monitors, CRT (an abbreviation of ( cathode ray tube is quite common and well-known, but still there. Contrary to popular perception, monitors, LCD from the issue are no exception because some of them control the brightness of pulse modulation ( PWM As the brightness adjustment decreases and the dimming decreases, the flicker in the image becomes more noticeable, as the period of the active backlight in each PWM cycle is shortened. This problem is much more pronounced in monitors with LED backlight background of LED Reacts faster to changes inflow.

Compare the animated image on the monitor with the Flicker-Free feature on the left and without this feature on the right.

Displays with Flicker-free feature, instead of PWM, use the Direct Current or DC technique to produce brightness, which does not have the above effect when displaying images and does not cause eye fatigue.

OverDrive – Trace Free – AMA

Due to the nature of their construction and the way they work, LCD monitors are prone to produce a ghost-like sequence on moving objects called Ghosting. Asymmetric transfer speeds in pixels usually cause ghosting. This means that LCD pixels often move faster or more completely to a particular color and return later than a particular color.

This difference in color change speed creates an edge or sequence in moving objects on the LCD screen. OverDrive, AMA, or Trace Free techniques: different manufacturers have given different names to this troubleshooting technique. They are supposed to reduce the creation of this ghost on moving images or eliminate it.

However, it should be noted that increasing the image refresh rate in the panel or using faster 120, 144, and 240 Hz panels can logically reduce the effect of this problem, and the higher the image frequency, the less Ghosting effect.

The effect of the Overdrive technique on the display quality of moving objects at different display frequencies and different degrees

This technique helps increase the speed of color change in the pixels by increasing the voltage in them and reducing the blurring of objects while moving. Of course, if this increase in voltage is more than necessary, it will cause inverse ghosting, which is the opposite of the previous state and will cause an edge on the other side of the moving object.

For this feature, most manufacturers have considered adjusting the degree or amount of application of this technique in their monitors so that users can choose the amount that has the best visual efficiency and balance to use Trace Free or OverDrive in their monitors; depending on the image frequency…

If measuring the response speed of the monitor based on each pixel with laboratory accuracy, an oscilloscope and a photosensor are used to measure the transition time from each color to other colors, from 0 for black to white for 255. For example, the results of testing the Asus PG278Q display at 144 Hz and the Normal settings for OverDrive are as follows:

The results of the response rate test for each pixel for different colors in the off state at the top and normal at the bottom

As you can see, without using OverDrive and pixel acceleration, the delay in switching between some colors (for example, from 0 to 150, which is 11 milliseconds) is much faster than the response speed advertised for this display, which is 1 millisecond. It is clear that the speed of the manufacturer is, in fact, the best and most ideal speed and using the OverDrive technique to improve the results, and the amount of cover version or the same error in accelerating and sharpening the image is still in the appropriate range and very good.

Based on this, the OD technique used in this display at a frequency of 144 Hz has succeeded in significantly reducing the response speed with the least error and the amount of G2G index (stands for Gray to Gray, which is a measure of the average response speed in pixels) that its use It is common among manufacturers, reduced from 6.9 milliseconds to 2.9 milliseconds.

ULMB

Ultra Low Motion Blur, or ULMB for short, was developed by Nvidia and is specifically designed to reduce the effect of motion blur by simulating the methods used in CRT displays. ULMB reduces motion blur, which significantly affects playing fast games such as shooters but reduces the image’s brightness. This technique is also called strobe backlighting. This technique was originally invented for 3D glasses but was also used in new displays.

The difference between displaying fast objects on the screen with frequencies of 60 and 120 Hz and ULMB mode

The best gaming monitors in various categories

In this section, according to the latest products globally and reviewing reputable sites, we introduce some of the best displays offered by different manufacturers. Some of these models may be scarce in the domestic market or have a false price, but in any case, they will be effective as a model for choosing the best in the coming months.

ASUS VG255H

The most economical 1080p gaming display suitable for consoles and PCs

This relatively inexpensive Asus monitor with two HDMI inputs can connect to the console and PC simultaneously, and the user can switch between them from the display menu whenever needed. The VG255H monitor also has a frequency of 60 Hz, which reaches 75 Hz with overclocking, and Free Sync (or Adaptive Sync, which also works with Nvidia Pascal series graphics cards or higher), which helps to avoid tearing in moving images. The color display quality and viewing angle of each look high for a TN panel.

BenQ Zowie XL2411P

The best high frequency 1080p gaming display

The ZOWIE XL2411P monitor, despite being 24 inches and taking advantage of the usual 1080p resolution, is designed for gaming with a high frame rate and has a frequency of 144 Hz. It also has DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort inputs and uses almost all existing communication standards. It has a high response speed and low input and is a good option for competitive and online games at high frame rates. The display quality of colors and viewing angles are also higher than normal despite the panel being TN.

BenQ PD3200U

The best display for graphic designers

Page size: 32 inches | Image resolution: 3840 by 2160 | Panel type: IPS | Dimensions ratio: 16 to 9 | Image refresh rate: 60 Hz | Response time: 4 milliseconds | Weight: 8.5 kg | Other features: AMA, Flicker Free, Low Blue Light, 100% sRGB color gamut coverage, built-in speaker and headphone jack, USB 3.0 port, and Card Reader.

Utilizing an IPS quality panel and providing a suitable color spectrum for designers and CAD / CAM and animation software, this monitor can meet the professional demands of these users and have a suitable response speed for gaming in 4K and 60 Hz resolution. Be suitable. The video inputs of this device are complete, and there is no shortage in this regard. A high-speed USB 3.0 hub and even a Card Reader are built into the display bezel for output.

ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q

The best gaming monitor in all respects (for strong PCs)

One of the best and most popular monitors made in the last few years, which is often available in the domestic market and has been completed quickly. This display has a very high-quality IPS panel and true 8-bit color, and yet it has recorded a high response speed in tests, which makes it very suitable for fighting games, racing, and shooting. It has a great viewing angle and can use the G-Sync chip to synchronize with the output frame rate of your GeForce graphics card.

It also has a high pixel density due to its 2K resolution, and the texts are displayed with much higher quality. This gaming monitor is designed to run games with a frame rate above 60 frames and in the range of 100 to 144 frames per second, and for such speed requires a powerful graphics card in the middle or higher category. Models like the GTX 1660Ti or RX 5700 can run at 2K resolution and high frame rates.

Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ

The best 4K display for gaming (for professional category PCs)

Page size: 27 inches | Image resolution: 3840 by 2160 | Panel type: IPS | Dimensions ratio: 16 to 9 | Image refresh rate: 120 Hz (144 Hz with overclocking) | Response time: 4 milliseconds | Weight: 9.2 kg | Other features: Local Dimming, Flicker Free, G-Sync, Low Blue Light, HDR, Quantum Dot, and two USB 3.0 ports.

One of the best monitors ever built for a PC that uses state-of-the-art technology and displays excellent video output. The IPS panel of this display is made with Quantum Dot technology to display more prominent colors. Beyond that, the backlight system in this display is of the type of Local Dimming array, which is distributed behind all parts of the panel and can turn off the LED in dark areas of the image. Achieve very high contrast and high-quality HDR1000 output, especially in games that have been seen on fewer displays before.

Because its 4K resolution requires a powerful graphics card, preferably from Nvidia and the RTX generation, to display all of its capabilities. It should note that the video output of this model in 4K mode with HDR data is limited to only 98 Hz. Otherwise, it must display the data sent from the graphics card in 4: 2: 2 Y’CbC format, which is Dithering or Chroma. It is also called subsampling, and the difference with the 4: 4: 4 “R’G’B is more pronounced in the display of texts. One of the disadvantages of this monitor is its very high price, which makes it difficult for many users to buy this product.

Acer Predator XB273K

Best 4K Alternative Gaming Display (for Professional Classes)

This monitor from Acer is also one of the best 4K models on the market. Still, it differs from the PG27UQ in using ordinary backlight Edge lighting at the edges of the screen, making the contrast only suitable for the HDR400 and slightly different from It has a normal SDR output. However, it has a high response speed and is suitable for playing in heavy 4K resolution and high image quality. More importantly, it is much more reasonably priced than the Asus flagship model and has a very high purchase value.

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