Well it feels like it has been about 100 years since I last bought a monitor. It used to be simple, limited choices and you got what you got lol.

Doing research, it got me thinking (more confused lol) wtf do I upgrade to.

So many aspect to consider

Panel Type: TN vs VA vs IPS

Panel Design: Straight vs Curved (1000R 15000R 18000R lol)

Refresh Rate: 100HZ vs 144HZ vs 165HZ vs 200HZ

Ratio: Wide 16:9 vs Ultra-Wide 21:9 

Resolution: 1080p vs 1440p vs 4K (at lower refresh rates)

Display size: 24inch to 38inch

It almost feels like you need to have multiple monitors these days depending on the game you are playing so you are not at a disadvantage when playing online lol

So here the questions:

1. If you have on monitor, how did you select the right one for you based on the aspects above?

2. If you are hardcore gamer of different genres, do you get different monitors lol?

3. If you graphics card can't output at 200fps is there any value in a 200HZ monitor? i.e. can you future proof for when you upgrade to one that can, or image will be shit at a lower frame rate.

4.  Resolution does it matter too much? Does pixel density bother you? ie. 1080p on say a 32inch monitor vs 24inch.

5. What size screen have you found to be a sweet spot for working with close proximity to your eyes?

6. what other factors did you consider when buying a monitor?

7. eSports gamers, is there really that much a competitive advantage?

8. Is it all just marketing and in reality any monitor you use won't make that much of a difference in your ability to play (if you are a skilled games vs non skilled gamer)

You forgot

HDR: no HDR, HDR, HDR+, HDR10, Dolby Vision

adaptive Sync: G-Sync compatible, G-sync, G-Sync Ultimate, Freesync, Freesync 2

Everyone has different preferences. Just filter in a price search engine the features which are a must for you and there are a lot less monitors to choose from.

F.e. the last time I was searching for a monitor, i absolutely wanted more than 1080p, so I filtered away any 1080p-monitor and below.

Coming from a 120 Hz monitor I didn't want go back to 60 Hz or 75 Hz (100 Hz would have been the lowest acceptable). At that time there weren't any 4K monitors with more than 60 Hz available, so 4K was out... my GPU also was glad about that.

I'm no fan of ultra wide monitor since 95% of games are optimized to 16:9 aspect anyway.

I also absolutely wanted adaptive sync, compatible to my Nvidia GPU.

After these decisions there were only a few 2560x1440p G-Sync-monitors with 120 - 165 Hz to choose from. Two of them were on sale, the rest much more expensive.

So I bought one of the bargains (HP Omen 27, 2560x1440p, G-Sync, 165 Hz, only TN panel, no HDR) and I am still very happy with it.

Meanwhile I can switch between the HP Omen 27 and my LG C9 OLED TV, so if I want to play a slower game in 4K and HDR up to 60 Hz, I just change the video output. For 4K, HDR, 120 Hz, G-Sync compatible I have to wait for the new graphic cards with HDMI 2.1

My current monitor is an Alienware aw3418dw 34 Inch 120Hz 3440 x 1440p G-sync 1900R curved 4ms



The reason I went for it is that I wanted an Ultrawide gaming monitor since the games that do support it looks fap worthy and movies look awesome. Since I was willing to spend the money, I also wanted one with a good warranty, 120hz or above and had G-sync. Alienware was the only one at the time doing 120hz where as everyone else had a max of 100hz for Ultrawide gaming monitor. Since Alienware got bought by Dell, this had an advanced exchange warranty for 3 years. When I got it, it was on sale + I got 20% off on top by doing Unidays and Ebates. Alienwares are normally overpriced but when you stack discounts by timing it right, the value does end up being really good.

Overall I love it. There are benefits to multi-monitor setups for sure but for me, I never really go into them outside of work. Instead, I have a desktop and a laptop which for me is much more useful. Gaming on the monitor is very fap worthy for those games that support it. Playing games that don't or playing consoles on it isn't as great since you have black borders around the sides but still pretty good.

I've been waiting for displays to get up to speed with all of the features of next gen I/O at a reasonable price for a while now. Keeping an eye on the upcoming Eve Spectrum line, for one.

The monitor I had started doing weird electric noises late last year so I replaced it with a new one and, given that I was already getting a new one, I also wanted to get something a bit better.

So, I went from a 23" 1080p monitor with IPS and 60Hz to a 25" 1440p monitor with IPS and 60Hz. Both from Dell.

I went with an IPS monitor because that type of panels offer the best colours. For comparison, TN have higher refresh rates and VA have better blacks and contrast.

The size is kind of a problem to me as I'm not comfortable with big monitors. 23" was already perfect to me but there are no 1440p screen at that size, so I went for the next best thing. Luckily, I got used to it very quickly, which gives me hope that one day I'll be able to get a 27" 4K monitor in a few years.

The refresh rate didn't matter to me, but you don't need high frames per second to enjoy the extra refresh rate.

It really depends on your budget. If you are invested in 4k gaming then it will require a lot of grunt. Especially in the GPU. If you can afford a RTX2080 card then sure, it might be worth it. Also, with 9th gen consoles you will get full use of the extra fidelity. And if you have an Nvidia GPU there's DLSS which drastically improves performance by up scaling at lower resolutions - see DLSS 2.0 patch for Control on YT.

The sweet spot imo is 1440p at the moment when it comes to value and with raytracing becoming the norm, you can push for even higher frames while keeping up fidelity for longer. And not lose much clarity since you are sitting closer the PPI difference won't be as apparent.

Size is dependent on how far you sit from your desk and what is comfortable. For me anything over 32" 16:9 is way too much as the top and bottom parts is out of my peripheral vision and requires me to look up or down and or move my neck. Whereas my current 21:9, 34" ultrawide is about as tall as a 27" and as long as a 40" screen which is almost perfect for sitting in front of my desk.

High refresh rates I wouldn't say is that important unless you play competitively - say games like Rocket League, CS Go etc.

I was also looking for a new monitor. It's not for now, but probably get a new one in fall.

One thing that irks me a bit is when the description only says adaptive sync. Is that compatible to Freesync, G-Sync, or both?

At least with this one I know it's both Freesync and G-sync, so no problem no matter which GPU is used. And it's also probably my next Monitor:

https://www.alternate.de/LG/27GL850-B-Gaming-Monitor/html/product/1564507?

Well looks like my post at 5am made a bit of sense as getting some good replies lol.

Yer I have been torn between

Flat 27inch IPS 144HZ panel @ 16:9 @ 1080p or a

Curved 27inch IPS 144HZ panel @ 16:9 @ 2560 x 1440
https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Monitors/25plus-inch/82598-OPTIX-MPG27CQ2


Curved 32inch IPS 144HZ panel @ 16:9 @ 2560 x 1440 with FreeSync
https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Monitors/25plus-inch/77873-MAG322CQRV


Curved 34inch VA 144HZ 1800R panel @ 21:9 @ 3440 x 1440
https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Monitors/25plus-inch/78205-OPTIX-MPG341CQR




The main reason I even contemplated the curved Ultra Wide Screen monitor was the benefits it would offer when working (also has a rail and cradle to hold up my webcam for work), having two things side by side but did not want to compromise on gaming but for work. Also I herd movies are great on 21:9 screens.

The thing that is turning me off the VA panel is that I read that people complained about ghosting in games. However the better angles and blacks make it a better option for watching movies. SO not sure if the ghosting is bad enough for me to say no to the VA, or if it would be tolerable by me.


I know it may feel odd why they all MSI monitors, I would like to match it up to my MSI laptop lol.

MS also announced a MEG381CQR (which has the same benefits for work as the MPG341 above) which will have an IPS panel, however it is 38inch lol. Ideally hoping to see maybe a 32 inch or 34 inch announced.


Then now we seeing also crazy curvature like the OPTIX MAG342CQR 1000R which supposedly is meant to eb close to the curvature of the eye to get the full benefit of a curved monitor lol

The main reason I asked about the refresh rate is because people seem to be slip on it if your video card is not up to the grunt.

Some say that 200-240hz monitors make games look worst if your gfx card can only output say 60fps

I am guessing this is where GSYNC or Freesync come into play? To help with that issue and in turn enable me to future proof the monitor for when I next upgrade? 

ATM running a MSI GE75 laptop with 8th gen inte cpu and a 2070 rtx, so not exactly the worlds fastest lol.

There are also some downsides, 16:9 content may not scale appropriately.
Do note that higher resolutions will ask more of your hardware, 1440P is definitely the sweet spot right now.

The higher the refresh rate, the less ghosting you will have... This goes for any LCD technology.

It is certainly a little more prevalent with VA, but I doubt it's much of an issue with higher 120-144-180-200hz panels.

I personally stick with IPS, but VA does have some advantages in the blacks department,
32" is a good size, been using one for a few years now.

LED or OLED in the mainstream needs to happen sooner rather than later.