PC Guide: Monitors

Shopping for a gaming monitor can be overwhelming if you don't know what to look for. Should you get that 144hz Monitor or will a 60hz suffice for your rig? Read on to find out. In this guide we’ll go through some basic specifications to look for, and how to get the most out of your monitor.

Resolution is decided on the amount of pixels a monitor utilizes. To understand resolution we must first know what pixels are. Pixels (Picture Element) are small squares containing a color. One pixel by itself creates just a square of color, but when millions of pixels are put together they create images. The individual pixels becomes harder to spot the more pixels an image has, and in turn the image becomes clearer.

You might have heard the terms: 1080p, 1440p, Full HD, Ultra HD & 4k. What do they really mean?

HD (720p)
has a max resolution of 1280 horizontal and 720 vertical pixels.

Full HD (1080p)
has a max resolution of 1920 horizontal and 1080 vertical pixels.

1440p
has a max resolution of 2560 horizontal and 1440 vertical pixels.

Ultra HD (“4K” or 2160p)
has a max resolution of 3840 horizontal and 2160 vertical pixels.

*The max resolutions are different for other aspect ratios than 16:9

The actual size of what you can see grows substantially with each increase in resolution. 1440p (3.8 million pixels) has almost two times the amount of pixels as a 1080p (2 million pixels). That means that your system will have to be more powerful to run a game with the same performance in 1440p as in 1080p.

Full HD (1080p) Monitors are the standard today, mid/high-range systems should be able to run most games with good performance in 1080p resolution.

High/Ultra high-end systems should be able to run most games with good performance using 1440p resolution.

Running 2160p with good performance is tricky, it is definitely achievable in some games, especially if you tone down your graphics a little. However don’t be surprised if your machine struggles to achieve decent fps in some games when running at Ultra HD resolution.

Screen sizes come in many variations; today the most common ones are between 23” and 28”. Choosing the perfect screen size is a preference question. Keep in mind that the larger screen size you get, the higher resolution you will want to make sure it doesn’t look too pixelated.

Aspect ratio defines the shape that you see. Today the standard aspect ratio used for gaming monitors is 16:9. Meaning that for every 16 horizontal pixels, the monitor will have 9 vertical pixels. Ultra wide monitors use 21:9.

You´ve probably heard the terms 60Hz, 75Hz, 144Hz and 240Hz before. When it comes to monitors, these refers to the refresh rate the monitor has. The refresh rate indicated the amount of times the monitor updates its pixels per second. This also means that if you have a refresh rate of 60Hz and you´re running your game at 200 frames per second, you will still only effectively see 60 fps as the monitor can´t keep up with your framerate. This could also cause screen-tearing, but is easily solved by using V-sync or (Freesync/G-sync *more info further down in the article) to lock your fps at 60. 60Hz refresh rate screens are fine for most games, but if you´re looking to play games that are visually astonishing and you’re looking to get the most out of it, you might want to consider opting for a 144Hz or even a 240Hz monitor.

If you´re looking to get the more out of your monitor, you can overclock the refresh rate. *Overclocking your refresh rate can lower the lifetime of your monitor.

NVIDIA GPU
Go to NVIDIA control panel, and select Change resolution. Choose adjust settings and custom resolution. After you´ve read and accepted the terms, you should find a box that says refresh rate. You can progressively add 1, 2 or 3 to your refresh rate. When you reach a point where the monitor can’t support it, it will revert back to previously working refresh rate.

AMD GPU
In the AMD control panel, choose Display settings. Within that window you should find an option to “Create custom resolution”. Find refresh rate and add 1, 2 or 3Hz to your refresh rate at a time. Once you reach a refresh rate your monitor can’t support, screen will either turn back and revert back to previous working refresh or send a prompt that the monitor doesn’t support the refresh rate you’ve suggested.

Have you ever noticed how your screen sometimes tear when you´re moving around quickly. This happens because monitors refresh rates are constant and GPU frame rates aren´t. G-sync and Freesync prevents screen tearing from happening without capping your framerate to your monitors refresh rate as it dynamically matches your monitors refresh rate to your GPU’s frame rate. G-sync only works with NVIDIA GPUs and Freesync only works with AMD GPUs.

The response time refers to the time it takes for each individual pixels to switch between shades. The lower response time a monitor has the more suited it is for fast-paced videos/games. If you´re planning to play any fast-paced games you should look to pick up a monitor less than 8ms response time.

VGA
An outdated output that rarely supported by newer monitors.

HDMI
Most newer monitors has HDMI outputs and it’s widely used as HDMI transfers both audio and video and is supported by most TV’s. However when it comes to gaming, HDMI can be a little restricted.
HDMI 1.4 supports 4k resolution but only at 24hz refresh rate. It’s noteworthy that you can run 1080p at 120hz but if you want to use a higher resolution or higher refresh rate, you will have to opt for a HDMI 2.0+ or another output.
HDMI 2.0 supports 4k at 60hz and will be able to run at 144hz up to 1440p.

DVI
DVI can comfortably run 1080p at 144hz refresh rate. If you’re looking to go for 4k or 1440p at 144hz you should opt for DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0.
DVI does not transfer audio.

DisplayPort
DisplayPort 1.2 can run 1440p at 144hz, and 4k at 75hz. To achieve 4k at 120hz your best option would be DisplayPort 1.4.

TN (Twisted Nematic)
The most common panel and cheapest panel type, it has the shortest response time out of all panels which makes them very good for gaming. Downside is that the colors shifts from certain viewing angles.

VA (Vertical Alignment)
Best contrast of all panels. Has better color reproduction than TN panels but not as good as IPS panels. The response time between white and black tones is low but is much higher between two darker tones causing ghosting effects.

IPS (In-Plane Switching)
King of color display. IPS panels show accurate color from all viewing angles. Making it very good for graphic design. Has a slower response time than TN panels and is usually the most expensive panel type.