Wirecutter best budget gaming laptop how to#
Wirecutter best budget gaming laptop full#

Regarding competitive gaming, the AW2524H is an excellent tool for your arsenal. In addition to its outright speed, the AW2524H commands a 2ms advantage in control lag over its 360Hz peers. While 360Hz displays are commonplace today, Dell's new entry ensures no frame tears or motion blur with flagship graphics cards capable of pushing 400+ frames per second.

Requires premium hardware to maximize its potentialĪs the world's first 500Hz gaming monitor, the Alienware AW2524H plants its flag in the ground for all to see.

Because they have to push many more pixels, 4K monitors usually top out at a 144 Hz refresh rate, although some can hit 240 Hz. Generally speaking, the lowest resolution monitors push the fastest refresh rates, reaching upwards of 500 Hz.

Wirecutter best budget gaming laptop full#

So a 4K monitor will show a more crisp image and more detail than a lower resolution Full HD monitor. The more pixels a screen has, the sharper its image should look. The most popular screen resolutions for gaming monitors are Full HD (1920 x 1080), QHD (2560 x 1440) and 4K (3840 x 2160). Refresh rate is especially important for gamers, so you'll want to shoot for a monitor with at least 120 Hz (most gaming monitors offer at least 144 Hz), combined with the lowest response time you can find. This number explains the number of times your monitor updates with new information per second - stated in hertz (Hz) - and, therefore, how many frames per second (fps) the monitor can display. Displays with OLED panels are expensive but the most colorful by far. The best gaming monitors for contrast are VA, but VA also has slower response times. IPS displays have slightly slower response times but better color than VA monitors.

For image quality, TN < IPS < VA < OLED. Typically, TN monitors are the fastest and cheapest but have weaker viewing angles.

For a detailed comparison of the two technologies' performance, see our Nvidia G-Sync vs. FreeSync monitors tend to be cheaper, and performance is comparable. So you can technically run G-Sync on a FreeSync-only monitor, but performance isn't guaranteed.

G-Sync or FreeSync? G-Sync only works with PCs with Nvidia graphics cards, while FreeSync only works with systems using AMD ones.

When trying to buy the best gaming monitor for your PC, consider the following: Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Below is a list of the best gaming monitors currently available based on our own tests.

Wirecutter best budget gaming laptop how to#

So many options are available to gamers, so some guidance is necessary to make the best possible pick.įor a deep dive into how to pick the best monitor, check out our PC Monitor Buying Guide. And we haven't even discussed bonuses, like speakers, RGB or port selection. Of course, you can't forget about screen size and aspect ratio, which affect your views, desk space and, again, bank account.

When seeking the best gaming monitor for your rig, different panel types are vying for your eyeballs - IPS, TN, VA and even OLED - each with its own pros and cons. For example, do you need AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync support? Do you prefer a traditional flat monitor or a more immersive experience with a curved monitor? The best thing about having so many available options to the consumer is that you can ideally pick the perfect monitor based on your gaming needs. There are many panel sizes, panel types, resolutions, aspect ratios, refresh rates, and features to choose from produced my numerous popular brands. It's an exciting time to be a PC gamer needing a new gaming monitor.