Do I really need a gaming monitor to game?

I'm in the market for a new monitor and plan to be gaming & watching shows a lot on my desktop from now on. And was wondering do I really need a gaming monitor to game? How many of you are actually using a gaming monitor?

As of right i'm using a 20' in Acer monitor which is nice but isn't adjustable so i do a lot of looking down.

Nope, IPS monitor here for 7ish yrs and its brilliant.

I was looking into those awhile ago, I think the one i was looking at was a AOC brand didn't think those were good for gaming might have to reconsider.

@renegadesteve:

Well how much can you spend and what size is preferred? AOC is ok'ish, they do the work but aren't great, try get a better brand.

$400 is as high as I will go, was thinking about a 24' in but I think but i might go with a 27' in as for a brand probably an Asus or Samsung

Needing a great monitor is a myth propagated by elitists. It's literally the last component to be concerned about when building your setup. I'm rocking a 10-year old Acer LCD and it's perfectly fine.

Edit: didn't mean that as a reply, but whatever.

@renegadesteve:

One of if not the best in its class.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&sku=860-BBCG

Yes its a Dell, but they have the best IPS monitors in class, you wont be disappointed.

I'll try find a 27"

@krazyorange: So I pretty much can get by with a $200 something monitor is what your saying, which is sweet if that's what your saying

Umm you should clarify by what you meant, its confusing.

What's the point in spending $1000+ on a Titan or something and getting a crappy $100 monitor which only does 1080p...

You spend money on a GPU for eye-candy and a high-end monitor allows for you to see that eye-candy.

This is so wrong it's painful. Monitor is one of the most important aspects of computer gaming. I had a very expensive Dell 24in (was around $800 like 5 years ago). I just recently upgraded to a much cheaper Samsung screen and there was an absolutely MASSIVE difference in screen quality. The new Samsung had a much sharper picture, the Dell wasn't nearly as crisp. All games looked far better. I was really shocked at what a huge difference it was.

I am kind of confused, is there such a thing as a gaming monitor? Dead serious here :\ Ive seen monitors that are advertised as being great for gaming, but Ive never seen any whose sole point was for gaming (then Again I have not been looking for a monitor for ages).

I currently own a Samsung SA 950 (pre D moniker) monitor, it has alot of Things that makes it ideal for gaming, it has an incredibly fast response time, and for a TN panel i had a really impressive color representation.

the reason why it got bought? well the image looked good when I looked at the store, was not very power hungry, and for a TN panel looked quite impressive (especially contrasts and Blacks, Whites not so much). I don't consider it a gaming monitor.

I know some people harp on IPS panels having slow response time, but better image, which is a half truth at best. There is not one type of IPS panel, and some IPS monitors tend to have fairly old IPS technology in them. While newer IPS panels have a fairly impressive response time and quite good as gaming monitors.

The same ofcourse is true of TN panels (although I've seen few TN panels of old in new models). They are generally considered to have worse color representation but often better contrasts then IPS panels (although worse then MVA and PVA panels I think).In reality they do not need to be faster, it all depends on the monitor itself, and what mix of hardware is Applied. So it is possible for a TN panel to be slower then an IPS (they are measured slightly differently).

So the best of IPS Panels, will have a very good color representation, slightly worse contrast, and slower refresh rate, and better viewing angles viewing angles. (Do go visit a shop though to see them, since a thing called input lag, is a problem some IPS panels struggle with alot).

The Best of TN Panels will have a decent color representation (although not on the scale of IPS). A the better contrast, and better contrast, faster refresh rate, and usually less expensive.

Outside of professionel Work, such as presentations or imagery, I would likely state that an IPS panel is fairly pointless (outside of bragging rights or if you plan to have more people look at the monitor at the same time).

If it is just for gaming and movies I might want to go for a TN panel, especially if the pricerange is limited (if Price is no issue and you aim for a 60 fps average update I would simply spring for an IPS).

Or rather likely an S-VPA panel.

But panels aside every person has thier taste, I prefer the high refreshrate, and while my monitor on release had an almost abnormally good color reproduction for a TN panel, modern IPS panels would outperform it easily, with the exception of the refresh rate (note that it would mean you sould need a GPU setup to cover 120 fps, which although doable is not the most common in far the majority of games). So in any case I woud not advise the monitor I have, if that makes sense :P

but All this aside, you asked if a gaming monitor was needed for gaming? Well F**k no. any monitor with a 60 Hz responserate would Work just fine, and that is pretty much any monitor you can find.

Get 5ms IPS monitor by Asus for 130$ and you're good to go.

Didn't know there was such a thing as a "gaming monitor" .... anyway

I would recommend an upgrade from a 20" monitor simply because of the size and probably the resolution. Monitors have become pretty cheap, you could get a decent 24" monitor 1920x1080 for $200 or less. Although I would recommend 2560 x 1440 and 27", it will make your overall experience considerably better (if you have a graphics card to support).

Don't think so. Different people hold different opinions, maybe some other players who seek for the great game playing experience need this badly.

All graphics card support 1440p, its another scenario playing games at 1440p and maintaining the graphical fidelity playing at a high resolution. Don't forget, you will need to upgrade more frequently which basically means, you need more money to spend.

I've used a standard HDTV fir a while now, its been great. Can be a little annoying if you do a lot of reading, browsing, or play certain games like old school RPG that require a lot of reading,

I had to switch to a standard monitor for planescape torment playthrough,

You just need a monitor with a nice colors, display surface and fast response. Price doesnt mean a monitors good. My 1000 dollar dell monitor is pure garbage compared to my 200 dollar LG monitor. I can't even stand using it anymore, I completely use my cheaper monitor, it looks better, games run blur free on it. My expensive dell monitor has a terrible antiglare mat surface on it which really lowers the display quality of the whole monitor, it also blurs games badly.

Your monitor isn't adjustable... but does it have VESA mounts? if so, you could get a adjustable arm or something and have the monitor adjusted perfectly that way. But its at least 100-150 dollar investment for a decent one... but you can use on any future monitor you get.

No. You should use whatever feels right to you. Personally I like HD TVs more.

You really don't.

Owning a barebones 1080p monitor, i can say that games already look good enough if you got a system good enough to maintain a solid 60fps in your games.

Gaming will be much more enjoyable on 144hz. The difference is very large, as I know people who have went in Quake Live from 28% lg to 42% just by swapping monitors (60hz to 144hz).

Moving your mouse and dragging windows is several orders of magnitudes smoother than 60hz displays.

Basically it's p2w.

There are a few ips monitors than can be overclocked to 120hz+. The x270oc has the same input lag as the vg248qe and it's 2560x1440. It's around $500 but it's nearly impossible to find.

I personally use the vg248qe 144hz monitor. It's TN, but colors and such look fine to me.

That depends entirely on what genres and games your into, fortunately the pc library doesn't consist of only fast paced fps's..

had my old dell 24'' for around 7 years and replaced it with an 27'' dell monitor, both IPS, my advice go for 27'' you getting used to the size very fast

both are not "meant for gaming" but they are great

This so much. I mean, the brand isn't that important, but just getting a new monitor you will notice improvements to picture quality for sure.

Really depends if you get more enjoyment from having a better looking picture versus better looking motion. If 60Hz doesn't bother you, but weak image quality does, you probably want to avoid TN panels. Personally I've always found 60Hz to be more than satisfactory for gaming. The people who really only need those high refresh rate monitors are people who do a ton of competitive gaming and get more enjoyment from getting kills than actually looking at a good picture.

As I said there are ips displays which work at high refresh rates. I don't think you need to be into competitive gaming at all to benefit from a high refresh rate monitor, Quite a few people here use 120hz/144hz and know how much better they feel(even on desktop).

"Gaming" monitors are only for people who like to play competitive shooters and have ultra high end hardware. An IPS monitor will look a lot better for every other gaming need.

If you want an excellent monitor for gaming on pc AND consoles, I recommend this IPS monitor.

http://www.amazon.com/MX279H-27-Inch-Screen-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B00B17C5KO

If you're not a stickler for delay and optimal performance... Any 5ms or less display will work just fine for gaming. The old standard used to be 10 ms or less. But that was way back in 2008.

Heck I wish they would make a 100 Hz IPS that was 5 ms and have G-sync. I would buy it instantly. Don't need 120 or 144 Hz... Sure it's nice to cut down on motion blur... But 100 Hz should cut it down more then enough.

THIS.

Get Dell Ultrasharp series for best IPS panel. I have the 24" 1080p model, but i'm upgrading to 27" 1440p soon. They have the best GtG response time and color accuracy compared to other similar priced IPS panels.

EDIT: wow. i fell for a necro.

old thread is old 2 years old

Really old thread - 2 years, locked.