Best 1440p Gaming Monitors of 2021, Plus Best Value Picks

[Music] welcome back to hardware unboxed today we're going through and giving our recommendations for the best 1440p gaming monitors you can buy right now our last update to this video was oh wow all the way back in january of 2020 we really should be updating these more often anyway we're back it's the middle of 2021 and there have been a lot of updates since then so let's talk about the most popular category of gaming monitors today in this video we're splitting things up into five categories we've got 1440p medium refresh rate monitors so around the 144 hertz mark then we'll talk about the high refresh rate to 40 hertz options i've split off the 32-inch monitors into their own categories there have been a number of recent new editions there the fourth category will cover more budget-friendly 1440p displays and then we'll round things off with a discussion about hdr feel free to skip to the section you're interested in using the the chapter selection tool and we have links to all the monitors we're talking about in the description below we're also going to be primarily talking about monitors we have personally tested and know to be quality although there could be a few other monitors of very similar products that are available we can't test absolutely everything on the market but i feel it's better to recommend stuff we've actually reviewed rather than just guessing a product could be good a couple of years ago we would have been talking about 1440p 144hz displays as high refresh rate monitors but with the emergence of new 240hz options i guess that's not really accurate anymore of course 144hz is still far superior to the 60hz monitors of old and if you've never tried something with this sort of refresh rate it's well worth an upgrade but these days i'd have to class 144hz as more of a medium refresh rate option at the same time today's 144hz displays don't usually top out at just 144hz with many of the best options giving you 165hz 170hz or even 180hz along with full adaptivesync variable refresh rate support for all gpus so in this video we won't be focusing heavily on g-sync or freesync branding as realistically all of these monitors work perfectly with variable refresh rate support on both nvidia and amd gpus if you're after the best 1440p 144hz ish display on the market today typically you'll need to fork out around 400 to 500 us dollars which is a bit less than when we last gave our recommendations always nice to see things getting cheaper over time you'll also be looking pretty much exclusively at ips displays as neither tn nor va is particularly competitive in this category either in overall performance or in value the wide range of high quality ips options today keeps nudging things further along with each release in this category there's really two ways to go right now depending on your exact preferences the lg 27 gp850 or the msi mag 274 qrf qd the lg model is typically priced around 450 us dollars while the msi model is around 420 and they both have different strengths and weaknesses which is why i can't class one or the other the outright best but i think between these two displays you'll find what you're looking for the lg 27 gp850 uses an lg nano ips panel with updated overdrive optimization to squeeze the most out of this technology it's a 27 inch 1440p display with a maximum 180 hertz refresh rate accessible through the built-in overclocking feature and has a wide color gamut around 96 percent dcrp3 in our testing it's the successor to the highly popular lg 27gl850 and is improved in many ways the major strength to the 27 gp850 is in response times this is one of the fastest monitors in its class with an impressive 4.7 millisecond average response at 180 hertz and 4.6 milliseconds across the refresh range it delivers a good single overdrive mode experience and lg are pushing the panel right up to its limits with virtually no visible overshoot artifacts using optimal settings it also includes a functional srgb mode so despite having wide support of dci p3 you don't have to suffer through oversaturation while watching standard content like youtube videos so you get this nice bounce of performance in games along with color accuracy i also like this display's build quality its viewing angles decent brightness and low input latency however the contrast ratio is poor so it wouldn't be my first choice for a monitor to use in darker gaming conditions under dim lights i'd also consider the lg 27 gp83b which is a 50 cheaper version of the 27 gp850 without some of its features like the usb hub 180 hertz overclocking and backlight strobing the msi mag274 qrf-qd is quite a similar monitor in many ways also being a 27-inch 1440p option with a 165hz maximum refresh rate and 97 dc ip3 coverage the difference between 180 and 165hz is negligible in my opinion however it uses a different au optronics panel which may be better suited to your use case unlike the 27 gp850 the msi model has a decent contrast ratio for an ips panel 28 higher than what the lg option offers it has an even wider color gamut supporting 99 of the adobe rgb color space in addition to great dc ip3 coverage which makes it more versatile for content creators especially if you can calibrate it and for gamers msi offers better backlight strobing functionality with a clearer end result and no artifacts like red fringing which makes it better suited for competitive gaming what the mag274 qrf dash duty lacks in comparison to the lg model is a functional srgb mode so calibrating this display using an icc profile is a must and even then not every aspect to this displays oversaturation when viewing srgb content is fixable it's also somewhat slower in terms of its raw response time performance although still very competitive and it too offers a single overdrive mode experience minimizing the need to fumble around in the osd either way you go you'll end up with a very solid monitor and with pricing so close there's no clear winner in terms of value do the research on what is available in your region and go from there [Music] over the past year 1440p 240hz monitors have really come into their own with many more options available to buyers we don't just have tn options anymore samsung's odyssey g7 gives us an excellent experience using a va panel while there are many new ips options hitting the market that also offer great gaming performance in this new high refresh rate category that is set to last buyers multiple generations like with the 1440p 144hz category there are several ways you can go with 1440p 240hz with no single monitor offering the best of all worlds depending on your budget pricing in your region and your use case here's what i would recommend for pure gamers the samsung odyssey g7 is an extremely compelling option samsung's latest generation of va panels are mighty impressive in the performance they offer with class leading response time numbers this displays peak performance at 240hz is 22 percent faster than any ips alternative i've tested and thanks to variable overdrive maintains excellent results at any refresh rate you throw at it overshoot is kept to a minimum and despite being a va panel dark level smearing is a non-issue thanks to samsung's excellent overdrive optimization throw in backlight strobing as well and samsung comfortably lead the pack in motion clarity while gaming the odyssey g7 is also an outstanding choice for gamers that play in the dark the va panel delivers a contrast ratio at least double that of ips competitors which helps deliver richer blacks and better shadows this is all complemented by low input lag and a decent build quality just make sure you update it to the latest firmware when you get it to resolve any flickering concerns the main drawback to the odyssey g7 is its versatility while not a bad monitor for image quality this display has a smaller gamut than its competitors with mediocre dci p3 coverage of 89 and no working srgb emulation mode the aggressively curved 1000r panel isn't for everyone hurts viewing angles and can distort the image which makes this display a poor choice for content creation and why i described it as good for gamers while not being particularly versatile the units i've tested also had unimpressive display uniformity relative to ips alternatives however like i said for gamers the odyssey g7 is a great choice and it's available in two sizes 27 inch for 700 and 32 inch for 800 us which is pretty fair for what it offers if you need a better balance between gaming performance and image quality you should consider an ips monitor the best of which is the asus rog swift pg279qm this is a 27 inch 1440p flat ips monitor using an aoptronics panel a new version that tops out at 240 hertz the feature set asus offering here is second to none and in my opinion this is an excellent alternative the pg279qm isn't as fast as the odyssey g7 in terms of response time performance but it is among the fastest ips monitors i've tested with excellent motion clarity unfortunately there is no backlight strobing support though however it balances this with outstanding color quality probably the best mixture of features and performance i've ever seen this is an extremely wide gamut monitor with 96 dc ip3 coverage 100 adobe rgb coverage and over 80 rec 2020 in total the widest you can get from an lcd gaming monitor today but it also features an elite implementation of an srgb mode reducing over saturation when viewing standard content completely and helping to deliver well above average factory calibration unmatched by its rivals it also uses a flat panel with excellent viewing angles making it well suited to creative and productivity work without distortion the pg279qm is hard to find it's often out of stock although it is a relatively new product and it is expensive 850 us dollars which is 150 more than the same size odyssey g7 it's a great monitor but it's one of those cases you do have to pay for the best for those after a 1440p 240hz ips monitor that don't want to wait for stock and don't want to spend so much there are other options one is the alienware aw 2721d which uses an lg nano ips panel it performs very well certainly befitting of a high-end product but it is a step down from the asus model in most regards whether we're talking response performance color accuracy or wide gamut support though it does have a better contrast ratio the aw 2721d isn't that much cheaper in the us usually going for 825 us dollars but it is much cheaper here in australia where currently you'll find it for like 600 less than the asus model so it's always a good idea to check pricing in your region specifically then there's the gigabyte fi 27q-x which is a step down in performance again it uses the sharp panel with the bgr subpixel array not as optimal or clear for viewing text is the standard rgb array that other monitors use it also has worse response time performance than any of the monitors we've been talking about today while it is more affordable at 700 i'd choose the odyssey g7 in most situations instead or grab one of the more premium ips offerings we've just been discussing [Music] the 32-inch 1440p category has received a ton of new options in the last year or so as high-end ips models have begun entering the market just a couple of years ago if you wanted a 32-inch 1440p monitor with a decent refresh rate for gaming your only set of options were va panels with ok performance but more mid-range overall and with issues like dark level smearing today that is no longer the case one of the primary options to consider in this larger size class is the samsung odyssey g7 which we just talked about in the 240hz section so i won't rehash all of that again here but essentially if you want a 32-inch 1440p 240hz monitor then your only choice is the odyssey g7 as ips panels haven't reached those refresh rates yet but that's not a bad thing as the odyssey is an excellent product that's well worth buying as a flagship monitor with future proof specifications if you don't want to spend 800 but you still want a larger 32 inch monitor for gaming or you'd rather something with an ips panel well luckily there are a lot of options on the market today using a new wave of 32 inch panels the best of the bunch is the asus rog swift pg329q which uses an au optronics panel it's a 32 inch 1440p 175hz display that offers excellent performance in most areas a response time average below 5 milliseconds leads to great motion clarity at 175 hertz and performance holds up very well across the refresh range thanks to the inclusion of variable overdrive asus complements this single overdrive mode experience with backlight strobing that delivers a clear image and it even works with adaptive sync enabled though not always with the best results compared to at a static refresh rate then we also get the great image quality benefits of au optronic's latest generation of ips panels an extremely wide color gamut headlines the feature list along with great viewing angles and good uniformity unfortunately asus didn't nail the srgb mode although it does exist so some level of calibration is required for the best results contrast is also mediocre so it's not as good of an option for gaming in dark environments as the samsung odyssey g7 but on the balance of features and performance the pg329q is a great option with a lot of versatility the pg329q is often out of stock and hard to find but it is slightly cheaper than the odyssey g7 at its msrp of 700. it's the best 32 inch 1440p ips monitor available right now but there's also a good choice for more budget conscious shoppers and that's the gigabyte m32q this display is very similar on the spec sheet with a 32 inch 1440p 170hz ips offering however it uses an interlux panel which can't quite match the au optronics model in performance and therefore is able to be purchased at a lower price despite this the m32q still performs quite well and offers excellent bang for buck response time performance at the highest refresh rate isn't that far behind the pg329q it just lacks variable overdrive so it isn't as good across the entire refresh range and ultimately doesn't have a single overdrive mode experience it also doesn't have as wide of a gamut though it is better factory calibrated and has a superior sigb mode image quality is very good and a contrast ratio of eleven hundred to one beats the asus monitor for black levels the real selling point here is the price tag of just five hundred dollars much cheaper than the pg329q and odyssey g7 which makes it far more suitable for more budget-conscious shoppers it can also be occasionally found on sale below that price even further strengthening its value personally i would choose it over the similar lg 32gp850 which tends to be priced 50-100 high for similar performance though as always you should assess pricing in your region as these things can vary [Music] if you're after the best 1440p gaming monitor today generally you'll have to spend between 400 and 800 us dollars depending on the exact category and features you are after but that doesn't mean you have to spend at least 400 to get something good because these days there are a ton of great budget friendly options available for those after a 1440p gaming experience for most buyers the budget 1440p monitor i'd recommend is the gigabyte m27q typically available for just 320 the m27q offers outstanding bang for buck and a great array of features for gaming it's a 27 inch 1440p 170hz rps monitor that includes a kvm switch and uses a sharp panel offering decent performance plus it tends to be widely available in many regions at an affordable price the m27q is naturally a step down in terms of response time performance compared to the best 1440p monitors on the market today but that doesn't mean it performs badly the overall balance between response time and overshoot puts it around 10 behind a typical lg nano ips monitor which is not too bad at all given the price difference and it still includes features like low input lag and backlight strobing which is below average but still functional the m27q also holds up well in image quality while the contrast ratio is nothing amazing compared to va models it's better than average for an ips viewing angles are really good the panel is nice and flat and there is wide gamut functionality with 93 dci p3 coverage the only point of contention here is the use of a bgr subpixel array not as optimal as the standard rgb but on windows with clear type i find this to be generally of only minimal concern and certainly not enough to detract from the otherwise excellent value proposition there's even a height adjustable stand here which you don't get with every budget monitor if you want something a little better than the m27q another decent choice is the dell s 2721 dgf in some areas this monitor is a marginal upgrade offering slightly better response times the benefit of a normal rgb subpixel layout and better factory calibration for grayscale in particular while retaining similar wide gamut support however it lacks the kvm switch and also features inferior contrast due to its use of an lg panel generally speaking i wouldn't pay more than about 370 us for the s 2721 dgf and feel 350 would be a great price but like with many dell products this does vary substantially by region here in australia and in a few other countries the dell model is often outstanding value and sometimes even cheaper than the m27q but is less so in america it's it's one to keep in mind though with the m27q and s2721 dgf covering most price points between 300 and 400 dollars i don't think it's worth considering many of the other options available today one example is a monitor like the pixio px277 prime which is available for 330 dollars it's a good product but doesn't perform as well as the gigabyte m27q while being priced around the same mark and you'll see similar issues with a few of the other budget models like the gigabyte g27q and some of the asus tough gaming models anything that uses these sorts of older generation ips panels i feel would be a somewhat decent buy below 300 but i couldn't justify spending the same or more than an m27q in australia for example i feel that aoc q27 g2s at just 410 australian dollars could be something to look out for as it is a bit cheaper than the m27qs msrp locally and that's a fair price considering the performance discrepancy but the q27 g2s isn't available in every country and i would also avoid the latest budget view sonic models as their new iteration is significantly worse than prior iterations so right now it looks like the price floor for 1440p ips monitors with at least a 144hz refresh rate is approximately 300 so what are the options below that well it's here that we get into va monitor territory and i honestly would not spend any more than 300 us on a budget or mid-range va as they get smoked in response time performance by the m27q and better ips displays aside from the samsung odyssey g7 the va panels we have today are simply not competitive at higher price tiers where ips is dominant but va does have its place in the market if you only have 250 to spend then your options are either a budget curved 1440p 144hz va or a 1080p 144hz ips and for a lot of people the resolution difference makes the 1080p option a no go yes at this price point you'll have to deal with va's dark level smearing inferior response times worse viewing angles less expansive colour gamuts and the abundance of curved panels but as an entry-level option i still think they are reasonably good in fact response time performance is often not too far away from budget ips monitors the difference mostly amounts to dark level smearing you still get better viewing angles than tn monitors excellent contrast ratios which are great for gaming in dark environments and decent color quality overall as for specific display options most budget vas use a variation of the same samsung va panels so the difference in performance between each model are small the samsung odyssey g5 and aoc cq27g2 are two options i'd be looking at provided you can get them for 260 or less but as always i'd recommend assessing what's available in your region and specifically the price difference between these models and entry-level ips [Music] variants if you're after a 1440p gaming monitor with true hdr functionality well stop your search now because they don't exist there isn't a single 1440p monitor on the market that uses either oled technology or is an lcd with a full array local dimming backlight which means that no current 1440p monitor is able to offer an adequate contrast ratio to properly reproduce hdr content the majority of hdr capable 1440p monitors are not really hdr capable at all outside of supporting hdr inputs most display hdr 400 monitors or worse those without any display hdr certification fail on multiple fronts their contrast ratio is far too low as they don't have adequate local dimming so bright and dark areas cannot properly be displayed on the screen at the same time defeating the entire purpose of hdr on top of that most of these monitors don't get bright enough and some don't even have a wide enough color gamut the easiest way to think of display hdr400 monitors is that they don't have hdr at all and should be considered sdr only in fact these monitors often look worse in their hdr mode than displaying good old sdr as zero effort goes into optimizing the hdr experience and getting it to look accurate there are some displays that are slightly better and we tend to call these semi-hdr displays usually these are display hdr 600 or greater monitors with edge lit local dimming and brightness that exceeds 600 nits while a good quality monitor with edge lit dimming can in some circumstances deliver image quality better than regular sdr in their hdr mode the overall hdr experience is poor relative to true hdr displays that deliver dazzling brightness and very high contrast i don't believe it's worth paying for poor hdr so my advice here is to buy the best sdr monitor and if you get something semi-hdr then it's a bonus examples of semi-hdr monitors with edge-lit dimming include the samsung odyssey g7 asus pg329q and alienware aw 2721d and of that bunch the odyssey g7 offers the best quality hdr but it's still several notches away from meeting the minimum standard for true hdr unfortunately right now if you want an hdr experience your options are to buy an expensive 4k lcd with full array local dimming usually costing you thousands of dollars or you can grab a decent tv with either oled or mini led technology but obviously that might be a bit larger than you want anyway that's it for our monitor recommendations or our 1440p monitor recommendations i still believe that this is the really the sweet spot for gaming in 2021 um gpus are getting more powerful up to sort of your 4k performance in some situations but for the majority of people especially if you do have a mid-range gpu and you are continuing to buy mid-range gpus then 1440p with a high refresh rate is going to last you several years and the current panels and you know monitors that we have overall are generally speaking quite good so you definitely get a lot of lifetime out of the monitors that we've been talking about in today's video if you do want to support our monitor testing you can become a patron or float plane supporter we'll get access to things like the icc profiles we create for all of the monitors that we review you'll also be able to ask us questions about monitors in our discord community we have behind the scenes videos monthly live streams all that sort of good stuff thanks for watching and i'll catch you in the next [Music] one [Music] you

Channel: Hardware Unboxed

Views: 672,758

Keywords: hardware unboxed

Id: qPqOfTnU2j4

Length: 24min 28sec (1468 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 06 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/sharingmyxp]

How thin are the hairs being split between the AW2721D and the PG279QM? It seems the latter is superior in a multitude of ways, but it’s too late for me to return the AW2721D. I’ve been quite happy with it to be honest, and rely on a 4K monitor for content creation.

[u/bl4kers]

Anyone have leads on a 24" 1440p above 60hz? Seems like this doesn't exist :/

[u/M4TT145]

Why is this getting mass downvotes? 28 comments and only 2 upvotes? Doesn't make sense for a helpful guide video from great content producers.

[u/Jimmie-Kun]

How can they say "there are no IPS options if you want 240hz+ 1440p 32" IPS" Maybe they should do some research first, since Acer have 2 270hz models and they have been in stock for some time now.

[u/vaccinecronofollower]

I like the hp omen x27....2nd best response times on that list and little inverse ghosting ....just a bad tn panel for colors buy hey if you have a nicer monitor for non esports gaming then it really doesn't matter .

I have a lg ultrawide for everything else and my hp omen for overwatch

[u/blorgenheim]

Making me rethink buying a pg279qm