Best 1440p Monitors – Ultimate Buying Guide
As technology skyrocketed throughout the years, we came a long way from tiny pixelated screens to gigantic, 4K monitors. Today we will discuss whether 1440p monitors are worth it and how they differ from 4K monitors. If you are planning to buy a 1440p monitor, I got you covered there too as I will briefly talk about a couple of high quality 1440p monitors for you to choose from.
Your monitor is probably the longest-lasting investment you can make for your PC. For this reason, being farsighted about your buy is important. While 1080p gaming is still great for the time being, 1440p and 4K are slowly making their ways to our homes. But the problem with the 4K gaming is that you need an extremely powerful computer to power those 8.3 million pixels and often times you will have to turn off some effects in your games which defeats the purpose of having a 4K monitor. In this situation, 1440p 144hz monitors come to our rescue.
While running games on very high settings on 1440p resolution with a respectable framerate still requires a powerful PC, it is not as bad as a 4K monitor. You will also be prepared for the near future when 1440p monitors will be the new standard.
Best 1440p Gaming Monitors in 2018
Now let’s talk about some of the top-notch 1440p monitors out there. If you are looking for a budget monitor, you can take look at this article to choose one for yourself.
1. Asus ROG SWIFT PG279Q
One of the best 27-inch monitors you can find on the market. Excellent build quality, simple yet elegant design, IPS panel, and the G-Sync technology. It can go up to 165 Hz refresh rate and it is up there with the best when it comes to image quality. The only 2 downsides are the 4 ms response time and the limited connectivity due to Nvidia’s G-Sync processor. The response time should not make a difference if you do not play highly competitive FPS games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but we would still want it to be 1 ms. It also has just one DisplayPort and one HDMI port, meaning using this monitor for more than one device will be difficult. But if these 2 cons are not a problem for you, PG279Q is a solid choice.
Features:
– Screen: 27″, 2560 x 1440
– Panel: IPS LCD
– Ports: 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort
– Response Time: 4ms
– Refresh Rate: Up to 165Hz
2. MSI Optix MPG27CQ
MSI’s partnership with SteelSeries gave us Optix MPG line of curved gaming monitors, and they are beautiful. With cutting-edge features such as 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and the AMD’s FreeSync technology, MPG27CQ offers gamers a serious experience. The RGB lighting on the front and the back is not only visually gorgeous, but it can be customized to show you crucial information about the game you are playing as well. The screen has a frameless and a curved design which provides a much more immersive gaming experience. All in all, MPG27CQ provides a fast 1440p experience at a reasonable price.
Features:
– Screen: 27″, 2560 x 1440
– Panel: VA
– Ports: 1 x DisplayPort 1.2, 2 x HDMI 2.0
– Response Time: 1ms
– Refresh Rate: 144Hz
3. Acer Predator XB271HU
The design of the Acer Predator XB271HU is quite fitting for a monitor that carries the “Predator” title. With the pointy red feet, thick neck and its general angular look, Acer Predator XB271HU makes it apparent that it aims for gamers’ attention. Its IPS panel running at 144Hz with G-Sync is a standard for a monitor at this price tag. If you want the best refresh rate possible, you can overclock the monitor to 165Hz to give you the ultimate edge on competitive shooters. The response time is 4ms; which good, but it is not the best. The flexible neck provides a rotation capacity of 30 degrees in either direction and 40 degrees of tilt adjustment. While its 4ms response time is a serious drawback, XB271HU passes the test on almost every other aspect.
Features:
– Screen: 27″, 2560 x 1440
– Panel: IPS
– Ports: 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI
– Response Time: 4ms
– Refresh Rate: 144Hz, Up to 165Hz
4. BenQ Zowie XL2730
If you read this far, you are now probably familiar with the boxes high-end gaming monitors need to tick, and I am proud to say that BenQ Zowie XL2730 ticks all of those boxes: 2,560 x 1,440 resolution, 1ms response time and 144Hz top frequency, coupled with AMD’s FreeSync technology, XL2730 is all you need for a professional gaming experience. Despite the fact that this monitor is obviously for gamers, it has a rather simplistic style. We would much prefer a frameless design, however, since the screen has slightly thick edges. Also, the panel type is TN which in regard to the overall visual quality and the viewing angles, performs worse than IPS type panels. But TN makes up for it with generally lower response times. In conclusion, BenQ Zowie XL2730 is an easy choice for the gamers looking for a fast gaming experience.
Features:
– Screen: 27″, 2560 x 1440
– Panel: TN
– Ports: 2 x HDMI (one HDMI 2.0 only), DisplayPort 1.2a
– Response Time: 1ms
– Refresh Rate: 144Hz
5. Dell S2417DG
Since we reviewed 27″ monitors until here, we decided to give an option to the gamers who prefer to play video games on smaller screens, while still having access to high-end features. Dell S2417DG has all the specifications you need in order to enjoy your games to the maximum: a 1440p screen with a 1ms response time paired with the 165Hz refresh rate. Despite having all these high-end specifications, S2417DG has a very simple design. And since adaptive refresh technology has taken over the gaming monitor industry, now any gaming monitor needs to have one; and Dell S2417DG comes with Nvidia’s G-Sync technology. Ultimately, Dell S2417DG is the monitor you need if you desire a 24″ gaming monitor.
Features:
– Screen: 24″, 2560 x 1440
– Panel: TN
– Ports: 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI 1.4
– Response Time: 1ms
– Refresh Rate: 165Hz
6. AOC AGON AG241QX
Another 24″ gaming monitor, this time for the AMD users, since AOC AGON AG241QX uses AMD’s FreeSync adaptive refresh technology. While playing video games, especially twitch shooters, people do not want to move their heads to see what is happening on the corner of the screen, so a lot of gamers tend to use 24″ monitors. In other aspects, AOC AGON AG241QX has all the best qualities of the other monitors we reviewed here: 144Hz refresh rate, 1440p screen, and 1ms response time. If you are looking for a 24″ monitor and you want to benefit from the adaptive sync technologies as an AMD user, AOC AGON AG241QX is the monitor for you.
Features:
– Screen: 24″, 2560 x 1440
– Panel: TN
– Ports: 1 x DisplayPort, 2 x HDMI 2.0
– Response Time: 1ms
– Refresh Rate: 144Hz
7. Viewsonic XG2703-GS
The last monitor on our list is a big one. Even though Viewsonic is a newcomer to the gaming monitors scene, it is obvious that they were aiming to deliver a good product without a rush. Viewsonic XG2703-GS comes with a 27-inch, 1440p resolution, IPS panel technology, 165Hz refresh capability, and Nvidia’s G-Sync adaptive refresh technology. Even though the monitor delivers a superb image quality with an IPS panel, it cannot deliver an almost-instant 1ms response time like TN panels. After all, Viewsonic XG2703-GS is another option for those looking for a solid gaming monitor.
Conclusion:
There it is, we chose some of the best 1440p monitors for you. Of course, these are not the only options; we only listed the ones that tick the most boxes. If we missed a great WQHD gaming monitor, let us know. Now, depending on your preferences, you can choose one and enjoy gaming to the highest standards for the next couple of years. Have fun!