The Best Gaming Monitors in 2020 [Tested & Trusted]
In this article, we’re going to check out the top 7 best gaming monitors in 2020. I made this list based on my personal opinion and I tried to list them based on their specialties such as 4k, Gysnc, Freesync, Budget, Ultrawide, curved, price, quality, durability and more. In 2020 there are Best Gaming Laptops in the market but the real fun is with gaming monitors. To find out more information about these best gaming monitors, you can read each gaming monitor review.
7 Best Gaming Monitors 2020 – Reviews
Best G-Sync Gaming Monitor – Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ
Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ brings amazing value if you can afford its premium price point. This monitor is future proof. It consists of amazing features such as 4k resolution on an LCD IPS panel and a 144 Hz refresh rate. And if you have an NVIDIA graphics card you can take advantage of the g sync technology.
True HDR capability and its main selling point is a full away local dimming that uses separate zones to achieve better and more precise brightness and achieves true HDR. This, in turn, helps the HDR and makes this monitor one of the most capable in the market. The response time of this monitor is 4 ms but considering the display is 4K that’s probably the best. If you prefer performance over aesthetics you definitely love it.
For connectivity, it has 1 DisplayPort 1.2a and 1 HDMI 1.4 input. Of course, being an almost perfect gaming monitor, ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q is expensive. But this is something you will use for the next 5-6 years, so it is an investment worth making.
Best 4k Gaming Monitor – Acer Predator X27
The Acer Predator X27 is the most advanced and most feature packed monitor in the market. The X27 delivers excellency with its high resolution and high refresh rates. It even supports HDR 10 with one of the widest color gamut and NVIDIA G sync to provide you the best gaming experience that you could ever find in the market. But even if you can afford this monitor, you require a high-performance machine to achieve its full potential.
Acer adopts an AU optronics IPS panel for the predator X27 to achieve 8.3 million pixels on this 27-inch screen. In addition to that, it achieves a refresh rate of 144 Hz. This is simply amazing. This monitor has G Sync support to prevent screen tearing and maintain the near-instant 4ms response time and it supports HDR 10 too.
Design-wise the Acer predator X27 is marvelous. It has a very clean design without clusters or unnecessary details or accessories. It has an aluminum base that looks amazing that connects to the monitor with a rotating mechanism that also acts as the stand very well designed. There are VESA 100×100 mounts present on the back so you can choose another amount if you wish as well.
You also get a wide range of ports you can choose from 1 Display Port, 1 HDMI & 4 USB 3.0. There are 2 4W speakers as well. But then again if you can afford this gaming monitor, you will get the very best gaming experience.
Best 240Hz Gaming Monitor – BenQ ZOWIE XL2540
If you’re a gamer you’ve probably used a BenQ product before they make high-quality, simple to use products and the monitors, are all very famous because they bring great value to the table. The XL2540 is one of the few 240 Hertz monitors available out there and considering how much modern monitors cost, this one is cheap in comparison. If you play FPS games every day then you’ll surely notice the difference with this monitor but not if you rarely play any.
This monitor has a 24.5 inch TB panel with a resolution of 1920 by 1080p and an aspect ratio of 16:9. There’s plenty to appreciate about the BenQ ZOWIE XL2540 in terms of design. It’s dressed in matte black with small touches of red, the Finnish serves to keep your attention fully on the game at hand.
The black equalizer feature that enhances the visibility of the darker areas on the screen to give you an advantage over the competition combined with low response time and high refresh rate with perfect responsiveness and brightness.
So a very useful thing I found on this monitor is the S switch which allows you to easily access settings and navigate the on-screen menu without having to use the buttons on the screen which is annoying on other monitors. This monitor is indeed a beast when it comes to gaming but when it comes to watching videos and movies it fails to provide the quality that other monitors do.
Best Curved Gaming Monitor – Dell Alienware AW3418DW
Alienware AW3418DW is the best curved gaming monitor. It has the beauty, design, power and everything else you could wish for in a monitor. It is a 34-inch curved display with a 21: 9 ratio with a 4 ms response time and overclock of a 120-hertz refresh rate and GSync capabilities.Most ultra-wide monitors provide only 2560 by 1080p resolution. This isn’t the case with this monitor because it has the power to bring you a 3440 by 1440p resolution which is very rare on monitors in this price range.
With near zero latency, this gaming monitor features the g sync technology which eliminates screen tearing and minimizes displaced data and input lag to deliver the smoothest, fastest, most breathtaking gaming which will definitely give you a competitive edge over your enemies.
The design is what I fell in love with. It has a futuristic sense especially when you look at it from the back. It boasts amazing colors and the best brightness in the market. The blacks are pretty good as well. The resolution is one of the best and g sync works to perfection.
The hinge supports Tilt, Swivel and height to ability. So wherever you feel most comfortable you’ll still have the best possible advantage point. It has a wide range of connectivity ports to make this a very versatile monitor. Gaming performance on this monitor was a definite joy with amazing colors that popped and amazing detail. You can watch movies, play games, edit videos, work on spreadsheets and do everything else on it without getting the feeling that if you had something better your job would be easier.
Overall if you’re looking to buy a monitor that can do it all and will make your battle station look much better than definitely go with a Dell AW3418DW because you won’t regret it. It checks all the boxes for a serious gamer.
Best Ultrawide Gaming Monitor – AOC Agon AG352UCG6
AOC Agon AG352UCG6 is the best ultrawide gaming monitor that combines both widescreen and curved. To start off, this amazing monitor is one of the first to provide the 120Hz refresh rate to the 21:9 aspect ratio, which to be honest is a niche ratio but the results here are excellent. I found that right out of the box the monitor was calibrated precisely and it didn’t need much tinkering. I was extremely impressed with the blacks as the Monitor could instantly produce deep blacks to provide amazing contrast.
A lot of people argue that you really don’t need very high refresh rates but once you go above 100 hertz everything below that number looks muddy thanks to that and the amazing 3440 by 1440p resolution. It provides amazing performance on this curved 35 inch super wide display. This VA panel is also capable of 4ms G2G response time and G sync which is very helpful. If you have NVIDIA graphics card and if you’ve tried this feature you know that it’s exceptionally good.
The design is simply fantastic. Built with an aluminum base built of two parts, the main part latches to the back the screen and the other part connects to the three-leg base. I found that this provides amazing support and security to this gigantic 35-inch monitor in the aesthetics department.
The AOC Agon AG352UCG6 is on the game aside things rocking those games of vibes and it’s definitely not an office monitor. It’s completely adjustable to your preferences and likes so you can get the best angle for your comfort. However, there is no portrait mode due to its extra width and curvature. Definitely one of the best widescreen gaming monitors on the market and your best bet for a combination of both ultrawide and curved Monitor.
Best Budget Gaming Monitor – ViewSonic XG2402
ViewSonic XG2402 is the best budget gaming monitor out there. But recently the XG2402 took its spot and managed to become the go to monitor for people with a lower budget. This monitor is available in two different sizes 24 inches and 27 inches. Both of them have the same specs. The XG2402 managed to become the best low-budget gaming monitor out there because of its low price tag and features rich spec sheet.
This monitor features a 1080P full HD resolution with a 1 ms response time combined with a 144 Hz refresh rate, makes it a great monitor for people that play fast-paced FPS games such as CSGO, fortnite and more. It offers AMD’s freesync technology which will provide smooth frame rates.
Another great feature that this monitor has to offer is the 22 levels black stabilization which contains 22 customizable levels of black stabilization controls for enhancing your visibility and even the darkest scenes in your games. This feature will definitely give you an advantage in the game.
As for connectivity options, it has 2 HDMI ports, a display port, and a USB hub. This may not sound like a lot to you but trust me it’s enough to get the most out of your monitor. There are games such as CSGO and fortnite which do not require high-end computers to be played smoothly. You can get the best performance on those games with a mid-range computer but you definitely need a 144 Hz monitor to have an advantage over your enemies. This monitor has exactly that and I think it’s the most important feature out of all.
It may not be very good for watching movies as it doesn’t have fancy things such as Blue Light protection, Gsync, etc. but considering the price, it’s definitely worth it. That being said if you’re looking for a gaming monitor that can do most of the things that high-end monitors do and pay less. You should definitely go with the ViewSonic XG2402.
Buying Guide
Resolution
In this guide, we have shared the specs, what resolution you should choose, What should be the best refresh rate for a gaming computer, Panel Type, How fast your Computer should respond as per Response time, Which Screen Size is best for a gaming monitor. All these questions are answered below one by one.
When buying a monitor, the first thing you should consider is your screen resolution. Resolution is the measurement of pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. For example, if a screen has 1920×1080 resolution, it means it has 1920 pixels horizontally and 1080 pixels vertically.
If you are planning to buy a monitor in 2020, you need to first choose what type of games you want to play. If you want to play highly competitive shooters like CS: GO, going with a 1080p screen can be enough since 1080p displays usually have faster response times, lower input lag and higher refresh rates. If you want to play games casually in a high quality setting, though, 1440p is becoming the new industry standard. If you have a strong PC, you can even go for a 4K monitor.
Refresh Rate
One of the most important features a gaming monitor has is its refresh rate. Refresh rate is basically how many times a display refreshes itself in a second. So a 60Hz monitor refreshes itself 60 times per second. This means your refresh rate is the upper limit of frames per second you can see.
If you want to make a monitor buy for the future, choosing a high refresh rate is key. Being able to see 120, 144 or even 240 frames per second completely changes your gaming experience and gives you a great advantage in competitive shooters. Of course, you need a powerful PC to be able to produce that much FPS and higher refresh rate comes with a higher price tag.
Panel Type
There are 3 main panel types in monitors: TN, VA and IPS.
TN (Twisted Nematic) is the most common and cheap one. It is easier to implement higher refresh rates and response times to TN panels, so most of the competitive shooter monitors you’ll see in the market are TN panels. But they are the worst in color accuracy and suffer from bad viewing angles.
IPS (In-Plane Switching) is the newest and the most high-end one. It has the best color accuracy and viewing angles out of 3. If you do not want 240Hz monitors and have the money, IPS is the future.
VA (Vertical Alignment) is the middle ground between these two. It has above average response times and refresh rates and better color quailty than TN, but doesn’t excel at anything.
Which one to choose? It is up to you. If you are going to play games like CS: GO or Overwatch competitively, a TN panel with high refresh rates and low response times can make sense. If you want the best color quality, IPS is the future. If you want some of the both, VN is your choice.
Response Time
Not to be confused with input lag, response is how quickly a pixel can change from black to white. A higher response time can result in “ghosting”.
Ghosting is when you can see the trails of a moving object on a screen. This is caused by the fact that pixels took too long to change between the shades of gray. It is not a huge problem for everyday users, but it distracts gamers easily and can be seen in movies with fast action.
If you are going to buy a new monitor, a maximum refresh rate you can accept should be 5 ms.
Input Lag
Your input lag is the time between entering a command to your PC and seeing its results on the screen. A high input lag can give you a latency feel, disconnecting you from the experience.
Though it affects shooter players the most, a low input lag is a feature that every gamer should look for. Monitor manufacturers do not usually give this information, though, you need to look for it separately through reviews on the Internet.
Adaptive Sync
Screen tearing is one of gaming’s biggest problems. But finally, adaptive sync technologies came to our rescue, those mainly being AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. It matches your monitor’s set refresh rate with your current FPS, eliminating screen tear. But which one to choose?
This is mainly dependent on your GPU. If you have an AMD, you have to buy a monitor with FreeSync and vice versa, since neither works with its rival’s graphics cards. But if you are planning to change your PC, things change.
To put simply, AMD FreeSync monitors are usually cheaper and more common but work in narrower FPS ranges. Nvidia G-Sync monitors are more expensive but usually perform a little bit better. It is ultimately your choice.
Screen Size
The last thing is the real estate of your screen. This is usually heavily dependent on your resolution. To give you a broad idea, 1080p usually looks best between 21-24”, 1440p looks best 24-27” and 4K looks best between 27-32”. This will ultimately depend on your PC specifications and personal preference. But most people seem to enjoy 27” screens the most since it is a good sweet spot.
Conclusion:
Here they are The best gaming monitors you can buy in 2020 from every class and category you can think of: 4K, 2K, 1080p, curved, high-end and budget monitors. No matter what your budget or PC specifications are, we believe you can find the right monitor for you in this list and if you did, let us know!