I've been considering purchasing a gaming monitor for some time but I'm having trouble deciding which to buy.
I've been researching features but I would like to hear the opinions and insights from ozbargainers.
What features do you consider a must? Common mistakes when choosing a monitor? Good brands? Recommended models? Etc.
My considerations
- Size: Not too big, around 28"
- Refresh rate: I think 100Hz+ is preferable
- Latency: I'm not sure if 5ms is too slow or not
- Type (IPS/TN/VA): I'm leaning towards IPS because better colour reproduction and viewing angles
- Resolution: 1080p to QHD, not really into anything higher
- Curved or flat: Probably flat, not sure if curved is worth it
- Ultrawidesceen: Sounds cool but not sure if particularly good for gaming
- G-Sync/Free-Sync: Nvidia user so maybe G-Sync, seems to be expensive and not sure if worth it
Hope to get a good deal this Black Friday/Cyber Monday
It comes down to what sort of games you play and what other things you do apart from gaming.
If you have aspirations of being a competitive CS:GO or fighting game player and you're at a level where you're starting to lower your reaction times, then yes, refresh rate and latency are the most important things. I would also suggest going for a smaller monitor (it's easier to focus over a smaller area). Basically BenQ's Zowie line are the only real choice in this field.
If you care more about cinematics, then I'd rather go with something that's higher resolution and IPS. The more details you're able to see and the better colour reproduction will make your games look much better, but make sure you have the graphics power to be able to push those pixels. If you're doing anything apart from gaming, then colour gamut and colour accuracy are also extremely important. I find that IPS panels tend to be the best (in general), but high-end VA panels can be better than cheap IPS panels.