These are all best (of the best) monitors for PC gaming

Dell Gaming monitor S2417DG

Dell Gaming monitor S2417DG

Best PC Gaming Monitors Windows Central 2019

If you’re looking to get into PC gaming — or you want to take your current PC gaming experience to the next level — you should strongly consider getting your hands on a good gaming monitor. The market for gaming monitors is filled with a huge variety of different options, and it’s hard to pin down which monitor is truly the best. Overall, though, we think that the BenQ EX3501R is the best gaming monitor out there due to its excellent immersive curved design, great specs, and fair price.

It’s important to note that if your heart is set on getting a good PC gaming monitor, there’s never a better time to do so than during Black Friday, which is coming up soon. Some (or maybe even all) of the monitors on this list will likely be on sale for Black Friday, but even if they’re not, there will no doubt be excellent alternatives out there too. We’re constantly updating our buyer’s guides to ensure that we’re giving you the best advice we can, and our deals teams are hard at work bringing you the best deals they can find as they appear, which we’ll feature right here.

Best Overall: BenQ EX3501R

The BenQ EX3501R is the best overall monitor out there if you’re looking for something high-end with awesome performance. It’s a 35-inch UWQHD monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a crisp, beautiful 3440×1440 resolution. Paired with the monitor’s HDR support, it makes colors and lighting look more vivid and realistic. Thanks even further to the 100Hz refresh rate and the curved monitor design, your games will look and feel immersive and run smoothly. The benefits extend to gameplay as well; since this monitor is wider than most other monitors, you’ll often be able to see more in your peripheral vision during gameplay.

The monitor itself comes with the ability to adjust the height and tilt so that you can find a viewing angle that works for you. It also has AMD’s Free Sync technology, which helps prevent screen tearing and ensure smooth gameplay. Adding to that is a 4ms response time. Yes, there are monitors with faster recording response times, but this still presents a solid choice. All of what this monitor has to offer is awesome, and while it is a fairly pricey display, you get what you pay for without a doubt.

Pros:

  • Awesome display
  • Great refresh rate
  • HDR support
  • Wider screen offers gameplay advantages

Cons:

  • Pricey
  • Could have faster response time

Best Overall

BenQ EX3501R

Premium performance at a fair price

The BenQ EX3501R is an incredible gaming monitor that offers very high-end performance for a high, yet fair price, making it our top pick.

Elite Pick: Acer Predator X27

The Acer Predator X27 is a ridiculously capable PC gaming monitor that will blow your mind, and also a hole through your bank account. This 27-inch beast features a glorious 4K display with HDR support and incredible lighting and color depth. It also comes with NVIDIA G-Sync Ultimate, which pretty much guarantees you’ll never experience any screen tearing. It comes with a 4ms response time, which is admittedly disappointing for a monitor this expensive, but it’s still fine and will be fast enough for nearly everyone.

In addition, the refresh rate is 120Hz and can be overclocked to 144Hz, which means that you’ll be able to play games in 4K at over 100 frames per second (FPS) provided you have a computer powerful enough to do that. The monitor can also be tilted for a customized viewing angle, and you can adjust the height as well. It even comes with detachable light-blocking shields that people who have their PC near a window will appreciate.

Ultimately, if you want the absolute best of the best and don’t mind dropping a fortune for it, the Acer Predator X27 is for you.

Pros:

  • Incredible display
  • Amazing refresh rate
  • HDR support
  • Light-blocking shields

Cons:

  • Extremely expensive
  • Response time disappointing at this price

Elite Pick

Acer Predator X27

The cream of the crop

The Acer Predator X27 is the monitor for you if you want the ultimate PC gaming monitor, and don’t mind shelling out a ton of cash to get it.

Affordable 4K: BenQ EW3270U

If you want to enjoy the gorgeous look of 4K without dropping a ton of money on a monitor, then the BenQ EW3270U will be a great choice. Its 32-inch 4K display comes with HDR support and features both AMD Free Sync and a great color gamut, meaning that games and all other visual media will look excellent on it, though not as excellent as it would on an Acer Predator X27.

In addition, this display has a refresh rate of just 60Hz, which, while currently the standard, is starting to become dated. Like the previous monitors on the list, this one has a 4ms response time. Also, while you can adjust the tilt of the monitor, you can’t adjust the height, which is disappointing. Even with these caveats, the BenQ EW3270U is an awesome monitor if you want to get your hands on affordable 4K capability.

Pros:

  • 4K at an affordable price
  • Display looks awesome overall
  • HDR support

Cons:

  • Lower refresh rate
  • Can’t adjust height

Affordable 4K

BenQ EW3270U

Higher resolution, lower price

The BenQ EW3270U is an incredible way to enter the 4K gaming space without breaking the bank, although you’ll be restricted somewhat.

Affordable Curved: AOC Agon AG273QCX

AOC Agon AG273QCX

AOC Agon AG273QCX

People who like curved monitors but don’t want to pay a lot for one should check out the 27-inch AOC Agon AG273QCX. It’s got a great-looking 2560×1440 QHD resolution and NVIDIA G-Sync. The monitor also supports HDR, has an amazing 144Hz refresh rate, and a kickass 1ms response time. Finally, the monitor has a full adjustment suite of height, tilt, and swivel.

All in all, there’s a lot to love about this monitor, but I hate the way its stand is shaped. I think it’s one of the ugliest PC gaming monitors on the market as a result, but these things come down to preference. Also, the monitor has RGB lights, which would have been cool if you could see them. They’re placed in the center of the back of the monitor, where you’ll never look. Even with the unappealing physical look, though, this is an awesome monitor if you want something affordable and curved.

Pros:

  • Affordable curved design
  • HDR support
  • Excellent refresh and response times
  • Full swivel, tilt, and height adjustment

Cons:

  • Physical design is unappealing
  • RGB light placement makes no sense

Affordable Curved

AOC Agon AG273QCX

Curvy and well-priced

The curvaceous AOC Agon AG273QCX offers awesome performance for a great, affordable price, but the design itself looks terrible.

Ultra Ultra-Wide: Samsung CHG90 QLED Gaming Monitor

Samsung CHG90 QLED gaming monitor

Samsung CHG90 QLED gaming monitor

Feast your eyes upon this 49-inch (!) Samsung monitor, a curvaceous behemoth with a jaw-dropping 32:9 aspect ratio. If you’re someone who finds curved or wide screens more immersive when playing games, you’ll love this monitor.

The resolution is only standard 1080p, but the refresh rate is an excellent 144Hz and the monitor comes with both HDR support and AMD Free Sync 2. This means that, while the picture itself isn’t as crisp as some higher resolution monitors, the standard HD image will look as amazing as you can make one look. The display’s response time is a blazingly fast 1ms, and in addition, the monitor can be swiveled, tilted, and height-adjusted. Lastly, you’ll be able to see quite a bit more in your peripheral vision than you would with a standard 16:9 monitor, giving you a distinct edge in the visibility department during gameplay.

Pros:

  • Incredibly wide screen
  • Amazing refresh and response rates
  • HDR support
  • Full swivel, tilt, and height adjustment

Cons:

  • Only 1080p
  • Pricey

Ultra Ultra-Wide

Samsung CHG90 QLED Gaming Monitor

Surround yourself

This is an absurdly large monitor that fans of ultra-wide monitors will love, though it doesn’t have the best picture quality compared to other options.

Best Mid-Range: Dell Gaming Monitor S2417DG

Dell gaming monitor S2417dg

Dell gaming monitor S2417dg

Gamers looking for something affordable yet still great should look no further than the 24-inch Dell Gaming Monitor S2417DG. It features QHD 2560×1440 resolution, which looks quite sharp and is a noticeable upgrade compared to the standard 1080p. In addition, the color gamut and lighting depth is pretty good on this monitor, although the lack of HDR means that it won’t be as excellent as the previous options.

In terms of adjustment, you can tilt the monitor forward and back, too, and this monitor has the best refresh rate out of every option on this list, coming in at 165Hz, and it also has a fantastic 1ms response time. Ultimately, while this monitor doesn’t offer the same quality or features that the more expensive ones do, it’s still quite good, especially when you consider the lower price.

Pros:

  • Display looks great
  • Affordable
  • Extreme refresh and response rates
  • Tilt adjustable

Cons:

  • No HDR support
  • Fewer overall features

Best Mid-Range

Dell Gaming Monitor S2417DG

Middle of the road

The S2417DG offers a great balance between price and performance, ultimately solidifying itself as a fantastic mid-range choice.

Best Budget: BenQ ZOWIE RL2455S

People who want to get a solid monitor while only spending the bare minimum should opt for the 24-inch BenQ ZOWIE RL2455S. It’s got a standard 1080p HD display and a refresh rate of 75Hz, which is only slightly above the aging standard of 60Hz. In addition, while colors and lighting look good on it, there’s no HDR support, and the other monitors on this list look a lot better. One thing it does have going for it, though, is the fact that it comes with a 1ms response time. Still, this monitor is a far cry from being as good as the previous options.

When you consider the rock bottom price of the BenQ ZOWIE RL2455S, though, it’s easy to see just how good of a deal it is. While you aren’t getting top-of-the-line quality with this monitor, you are getting solid quality for a very low price, which is excellent if you don’t have much money to spend on a display.

Pros:

  • Rock bottom price
  • Slightly above-average refresh rate
  • Awesome response time

Cons:

  • Only 1080p
  • No HDR support
  • Less features overall

Best Budget

BenQ ZOWIE RL2455S

Solid quality for a low price

This is far from being a high-quality monitor, but it offers solid performance when you consider its rock bottom price.

Bottom line

You might not think of it this way, but a gaming monitor can make or break a gaming PC build. You can have all the strong hardware in the world in your PC, but without a monitor that can display what that horsepower can do, you won’t be able to reap the benefits.

At the end of the day, each of these monitors will appeal to somebody depending on what their wants and needs are. Ultimately, though, we think that the best overall gaming monitor you can get right now is the BenQ EX3501R, as it offers excellent quality for a fair price that’s accessible to many PC gamers.

How to find the best Black Friday deals on PC gaming laptops

When you begin your search for a PC gaming monitor, there are four main factors to consider: screen resolution, screen size, refresh rate, and adjustability. Screen size and adjustability are things that come down to preference, but in general, most gamers will want high resolutions, high refresh rates, and low response times. This is because a high resolution means a better image, higher refresh rates allow for a higher frame rate (so smoother gameplay), and a low response time means that your display can shift between colors faster, making the game look clean and sharp instead of blurry.

This Black Friday, you can expect to see plenty of deals from all of the main gaming monitor developers, which include Dell, ASUS, AOC, BenQ, Samsung, and many more. Since the market for monitors is constantly being refined and updated, it’s very likely that there will be older models on sale, too, and while these displays won’t be the absolute best the market has to offer, they’re still great and will be more than worth the reduced prices that they’ll sell for.

Our deals teams are working day-in, day-out to find the best deals on PC gaming monitors all over the market, so Windows Central is the go-to destination for Black Friday deals this year.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

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