Question Any good Monitor guides?

Soundwave

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Hey all,

Sorry but couldn't see anywhere for a dedicated Monitor forum & just wondered if anyone can recommend a good online guide??

Last time I gamed on a PC we were still using 4:3 CRT's so now I need to do some reading before I decide on my monitor as I honestly don't understand IPS panels / Refresh Rates / G-Sync / 2K or 4K it's all greek to me.

I won't have bundles of money to spend on one & reading the TechRadar / tomsguide reviews they all seem upwards of £200 to get something good & I didn't really want to spend that much

I'll mostly be on FPS but would be happy to game at 1080p levels if it keeps prices within reason

Anyway if you can point me in the right direction it would be appreciated

Thanks

Neil
 
What GPU do you have?
I would go for a higher refresh rate over higher resolution
 
Basically going over 60fps needs a monitor with a better than 60Hz output.

One of the most common high refresh rates on monitors is 144Hz, this is paired with a variable refresh rate system like Freesync or G-Sync so your games don't need to run at a constant 144fps they can vary anywhere in the displays VRR range delivering very smooth motion & lower input lag.

Nvidia now supports Freesync so you can use Nvidia or AMD with monitors though Nvidia only works with Freesync over Displayport not HDMI.

Some examples this AOC 24" £177 or Acer 24" £139 has a 40-144Hz Freesync range so you can go all the way up to much higher 144 frame rates were the system can push it. That acer is AMD Freesync only, uses HDMI not DP.

This Iiyama 27" £154 has a 48-75Hz Freesync range so you aren't really going to get that much of a benefit over 60fps but still useful none the less if you cannot hit 60fps consistently.

Different monitors have different types of panels IPS, VA and TN are the most common, TN has the lowest input lag but some trade offs like narrow viewing angles, at your budget TN is very common as are all 3 displays I linked to.

Extra tips
* Freesync typically must be enabled in the monitor settings before enabling it in GPU driver control panel. For Nvidia you enable G-Sync compatible mode, ignore if it says display is not validated.
* In display resolutions switch to max refresh rate supported like 144Hz.
* Now for optimal results with Freesync displays install RTSS, have it auto run at startup and enable the frame rate limiter, set it to a number below the max refresh rate like 143fps and leave vsync enabled in games.

This ensures the frame rate of the game will always be in Freesync mode delivering the best results and lowest input lag, proper G-Sync monitors don't require this as they do it automatically but they cost more.

If your looking for other buying suggestions the dutch site hardware.info has a large database and reviews the hardware itself, use google chrome with auto translate enabled, tick the box for best value (blue star icon) in the column.
 
Last edited:
No need to limit FPS in RTSS, the radeon software has this option and works fine. Good information but it all depends on his GPU
 
What GPU do you have?
I would go for a higher refresh rate over higher resolution

I don't actually have anything yet but I am looking at this build with a Geforce RTX 2060

CCL Ronin Gaming PC | CCL Computers

Basically going over 60fps needs a monitor with a better than 60Hz output.

One of the most common high refresh rates on monitors is 144Hz, this is paired with a variable refresh rate system like Freesync or G-Sync so your games don't need to run at a constant 144fps they can vary anywhere in the displays VRR range delivering very smooth motion & lower input lag.

Nvidia now supports Freesync so you can use Nvidia or AMD with monitors though Nvidia only works with Freesync over Displayport not HDMI.

Some examples this AOC 24" £177 or Acer 24" £139 has a 40-144Hz Freesync range so you can go all the way up to much higher 144 frame rates were the system can push it. That acer is AMD Freesync only, uses HDMI not DP.

This Iiyama 27" £154 has a 48-75Hz Freesync range so you aren't really going to get that much of a benefit over 60fps but still useful none the less if you cannot hit 60fps consistently.

Different monitors have different types of panels IPS, VA and TN are the most common, TN has the lowest input lag but some trade offs like narrow viewing angles, at your budget TN is very common as are all 3 displays I linked to.

Extra tips
* Freesync typically must be enabled in the monitor settings before enabling it in GPU driver control panel. For Nvidia you enable G-Sync compatible mode, ignore if it says display is not validated.
* In display resolutions switch to max refresh rate supported like 144Hz.
* Now for optimal results with Freesync displays install RTSS, have it auto run at startup and enable the frame rate limiter, set it to a number below the max refresh rate like 143fps and leave vsync enabled in games.

This ensures the frame rate of the game will always be in Freesync mode delivering the best results and lowest input lag, proper G-Sync monitors don't require this as they do it automatically but they cost more.

If your looking for other buying suggestions the dutch site hardware.info has a large database and reviews the hardware itself, use google chrome with auto translate enabled, tick the box for best value (blue star icon) in the column.

Thank you so much for that reply, that's a great help & now I at least understand the terms & what they all mean in a gaming sense.

Thank you as well for the links to the Monitors & that dutch website, much appreciated
I don't have the space to go too big so I'll be looking at 24-27" monitors really.

Thanks again for the replies guys I really appreciate the assistance

Neil
 
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The Acer posted by Next above looks good. Might order one myself
 
A lot of good advice here. With a good GPU, high refresh rate is really nice to have and it makes sense to have g-sync or freesync. Beyond that, if you can stretch to an IPS-type panel you'll get better results than a TN-type. Finally, I've had bad experiences with Acer kit and couldn't recommend that brand. Others on here may have had good experiences, I'm not denying that. Just saying.
 

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