Best Gaming Monitors of 2023: 1440p, 4K, Ultrawide, 1080p, HDR and Value Picks - May Update

foreign [Music] boxed it's time for our almost middle of the Year monitor buying guide last time we provided an update on the best gaming monitors was back in the holiday period of 2022 and since then well we've gotten many more displays including brand new OLED monitors that are well worth including in this video our previous best of videos we tend to talk about and recommend monitors we've personally tested and know to be good or monitors that are very similar to products we have tested it's always worth going back and checking out the dedicated monitor reviews we produce for more in-depth thoughts on each product but just so you know these recommendations are not sponsored in any way by any company they're based on our testing and reviews most of our reviews these days are sitting over on our dedicated monitors unbox channel so be sure to head over there and subscribe so you don't miss the full Suite of our monitor coverage also the goal of this video is to go through five different monitor categories covering 1080p 1440p 4K ultrawide and HDI gaming monitors with several recommendations in each category but if you're interested in a specific category of display I'd highly recommend checking out the dedicated best of video we've produced for that category which tends to go into a bit more detail than we do in these videos with more options finally a note on pricing while pricing was accurate when we we made this video prices do change pretty often so it's always worth checking out the links in the description which will provide up-to-date pricing information [Music] the 1440p monitor Market continues to evolve at a fast pace and I think it's currently the hardest it has ever been to recommend products in this category but what's making it harder than ever right now is simply the amount of 1440p monitors that are available as well as some supply issues for some of my favorite choices from prior buying guides let's start with the budget 1440p category which these days consists of medium refresh rate monitors in that 144 to 180 Hertz range right now there's about a thousand of these to choose from every company seems to have one and that makes choosing a specific product difficult but I have a few pointers to get you started as well as some great choices right now at the moment I think it's difficult to recommend spending more than 350 us on a 1440p 165 Hertz ish gaming monitor above that price you start entering the territory of other products with better specifications and to be honest most 1440p bang for buck monitors a price below 350 so I just immediately remove any priced above that threshold from your thinking from there it's a bit of a split between the 250 to 300 range and the 300 to 350 range as to whether you go for a super budget option or an upgrade pick within their specs in the budget class I usually recommend 27 inch 1440p IPS monitors as I believe they deliver the best performance which specific model can be a bit of a much of a muchness as they are lots of great options that deliver value for money of course with differing performance in various categories right now I'd be looking at the LG 27 gl850 the LG 27 gl83 a and the gigabyte m27q which are all priced around 270 to 300 us the best value of which is the 27 gl850 Fast Response times great resolution decent color performance not amazing contrast ratio and it's priced at just 270 US the 27 gl83a is also similar from a hardware standpoint right now it's 300 us but I've seen it as low as 260 dollars another great buy the gigabyte m27q isn't quite as good in my opinion but I still think it's a decent buy so it depends on exact pricing and the features you want for an upgrade pick there are lots of products to be considering mostly when grabbing something above 300 I'd be wanting upgraded colors or upgraded Motion Performance so that's where my recommendations lie the MSI g274 qpf-qd is a reasonable Choice here at 330 it offers similar performance to the 27 gl850 but a better contrast ratio and much wider color gamut thanks to the use of quantum dots the MSI mag274 qrf-qd takes it to the next level again at 350 dollars with upgraded response times and also quantum.tech so that is very tempting and would be my first choice occasionally I've seen the gigabyte M27 QP in here too though it seems hard to come by these days if you're after a faster 1440p 240Hz monitor in the past of recommended products like the gigabyte M27 QX at 400 us which has been an epic value purchase unfortunately the m207qx has been out of stock for several months now which might mean a sneaky discontinuation and that would suck as it was a great product given what the m27qx was offering I find it very difficult to recommend people just spend 200 more on similar Hardware right now I'd either wait for new 1440p high refresh rate options wait for the m27qx to reappear or at a pinch grab the Samsung Odyssey G7 which admittedly is still a great buy for 500 us a fast 27 inch 1440p 240Hz VA monitor great contrast ratio curved display if you're into that excellent Motion Performance I still like this display and it's come down in price quite a bit since launch which always seems to put it into that tempting price category beyond that in the 1440p category we get into the ultimate overall best monitors you can buy and there's quite a large golf here in price between the best of the best and the best value products most of the time I wouldn't recommend spending much over 500 on 1440p these days but if you want the absolute best including true HDR capabilities those sorts of products are priced around a thousand dollars U.S which is a significant step up but boys it also a step up in visuals and performance my recommendation for high-end buyers right now is the Asus Rog Swift pg27 aqdm which is a 27 inch 1440p 240Hz OLED display this is a truly excellent product in a lot of ways delivering motion Clarity that destroys most LCD monitors and gets very close to 360 Hertz offerings even if you weren't that interested in HDR gaming the pg27aqdm is a great product for competitive multiplayer Gamers due to its speed and high refresh rate and it gets even better if you play a variety of games they include both multiplayer and single player that's down to the excellent HDR capabilities of this OLED deep zero level blacks per pixel local dimming and good levels of brightness lead to a stunning HDR experience while gaming there are a few downsides here such as the weak text Clarity and risk of permanent burning so it's not a great display for productivity but for 1440p gaming there are few products as good as this one also worth considering for the ultimate motion Clarity at 1440p is the Asus Rog Swift pg27aqn which provides a 1440p 360hz IPS LCD panel this display slightly edges out the OLED in motion while also delivering better input latency due to its higher refresh rate it's a well-calibrated great looking display too though its high 1050 price tag makes it hard to recommend for everyone definitely worth considering though for most people I'd go with the pg27 aqdm instead [Music] now that it's 2023 I think it might be time to start more seriously considering a 4k monitor for gaming especially as prices continue to be quite decent for suitable High refresh rate options with the abundance of scaling options in modern games plus the desktop and productivity advantages of a 4K resolution there's no better time to jump into the ecosystem than now when researching for this video there were a few clear standouts for me in this category the first of which is the LG 27gn 950 which is available these days for just 550 U.S this is the older version of the 27 GP 950 we've been recommending at times and it lacks some more modern features like HDMI 2.1 but for PC specific Gamers that don't need that feature the 27gn 950 is a great buy at this price it has decent response times it's got good levels of brightness and great DCI P3 code space coverage plus thanks to a firmware update it can now hit 160 Hertz which is well suited to Modern gaming previous months we had been recommending the 27 GP 950 at more like 750 dollars as an upgrade pick over some of the more budget choices but with the prime model now being available for below 600 it becomes the go-to choice given it performs very similarly to the gp950 it also makes it harder to justify any non-hdr 4K monitors above 700 as the main differentiating factor previously was the use of this LG Nano IPS panel versus the inner Lux panel on cheaper alternatives speaking of cheaper alternatives there are a few other options still worth considering though these days they aren't necessarily cheaper the gigabyte m28u at around 550 is still a great buy and it does offer HDMI 2.1 functionality which the LG monitor does not as well as similar response time performance it isn't as strong in terms of color gamut coverage but as a 28 inch 4K 144hz IPS it should definitely still be on the radar of shoppers there are several monitors that are very similar to this gigabyte as well though they tend to be more expensive products like the Asus tough gaming vg28 uql1a MSI Optics mag281 URF and Samsung Odyssey G7 s28 are all great buys too if you can find them for 600 us or less anything more than that you may as well buy the gigabyte option or whatever is cheaper the gigabyte m27u has also caught my eye lately as a product that's selling for just 530 dollars while offering a 27 inch 4K 160hz IPS panel I'm yet to test this monitor but I'm hoping to do so early next month so if it holds up in our review it could be a good recommendation also important to think about when going 4K is whether you'd like a larger screen size as 4K still looks excellent at 32 inches generally you'll be needing to spend at least 100 to 200 more to upgrade in size which is something to factor into your buying decision in this sort of category I'd recommend the gigabyte m32u which offers excellent value at 680 U.S it's well balanced between color performance and Motion Performance without excelling in either area although I think you'll be satisfied with what it brings more expensive monitors like the MSI Optics MPG 321 ur-qd do offer a wider color gamut at a higher price tag more around 900 but for the majority of Gamers I think the m32u is a great choice for 680 bucks as for the ultimate 4k monitor the best of the best for this I think we need to start looking at HDR options where several choices are available adding HDR into the mix real HDR that is typically comes at a several hundred dollar premium but in some cases that is definitely worth it for the visual upgrade it brings especially if you're after the best while I will elaborate more on this shortly I think the two best options right now for 4K buyers looking for for a premium monitor are the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 and the LG C2 42 inch OLED these are very different products of course but both offer true HDR hardware and a great buys depending on what you're after the Odyssey Neo G7 is the more straightforward Choice it's a 32 inch 4K 165 Hertz VA LCD priced at a thousand dollars US these days the killer feature here is the 1196 Zone full array local during backlight which helps deliver fantastic HDR visuals including deep blacks great Shadow detail and bright highlights all at the same time on top of this you're getting the elite VA LCD speed with Samsung's excellent tuning and while the panel is annoyingly curved and isn't the best for productivity work the HDR gaming experience it offers is next level the LG C2 OLED is also a good choice these days being offered for 900 in its 42 inch size which is much cheaper than some Alternatives that use the same panel like the Asus pg42 YouTube as it's an OLED it has per pixel local dimming delivering an unbeatable HDR experience with excellent deep blacks and still solid levels of brightness it's also extremely fast in terms of response times although limited due to its 120hz refresh rate the C2 is a large display as well so it's not always going to fit into a standard gaming setup and it has some old Ed related limitations like the risk of burning and so on but if you're after a great 4K gaming display with proper HDR capabilities the C2 is one to look out for especially now that it's priced below a thousand dollars [Music] foreign an HDR monitor in 2023 the usual caveat Supply when researching the range of HDR options out there be very careful about products that advertise HDR without actually offering any real HR capabilities these monitors often advertised as display hdr400 simply aren't worth buying or considering in any way but if you do want a true HDR product luckily these days there are some great products on the market and yes while they are quite expensive The Experience on offer is excellent to determine which HDR monitor is best for you I'd recommend first deciding between a regular 16x9 format or an ultrawide and then considering screen resolution and display technology if you're after a normal 16x9 monitor the choice is between three options in my opinion the Asus Rog Swift pg27aqdn the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 and the LG C2 OLED TV in a 42 inch size all offer something a bit different and what is right for you may come down to the size resolution and format the best of these in my opinion is the Asus Rog Swift pg27 aqdn as I talked about earlier this is a 27 inch 1440p 240Hz OLED with excellent motion Clarity and Elite HDR performance it's a highly versatile product that's well suited to both competitive multiplayer gaming and Visually installing single player experiences thanks to its strong combination of features and performance it's bright especially for a w OLED panel it's vibrant fast and responsive really hard to go wrong here although the drawbacks for all that like burning and sub pixel layout hurt this monitor's usability for desktop work if you want something larger or higher resolution The Next Step Up Is the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 which offers a 32 inch 4K 165hz fare LCD experience with 1196 full rate local dimming zones this is a great Monitor and it doesn't have some of the drawbacks of the Asus OLED like burning or subpixel layout which makes it more suited to desktop apps and productivity work this is limited somewhat by the curved nature of this monitor but it's also a bigger screen with a 4K resolution and there are some benefits there for gaming as well the mini LED backlight delivers great HDR performance not quite as good as the OLED but certainly very impressive and Samsung have well tuned this VA panel for Motion Performance I'd get this over the 240Hz version the Neo G8 as that monitor has a few deal breaker flaws and all up the Neo G7 is a great option if you want a larger LCD if neither of these two sound like the best choice you can go even larger with the LG C2 OLED in a 42 inch size which is available for a low price of just 900 these days I think this is a great screen but with its low lower 120hz refresh rate and weaker brightness than the pg27aqdm ultimately it's not as good for gaming it is however much larger and packs a higher 4K resolution along with full Smart TV functionality as this is well it's a TV so this could also be a great choice depending on your needs if you want to go down the ultra wide path and feel that format is right for you you've certainly made a great call as in my opinion the Cutie OLED ultrawides are some of the best HDR gaming screens available today I also personally like the 21x9 format and it's better immersion than standard 16x9 monitors but it's not for everyone if it does sound like something you're after well let's get talking about the best ultrawide monitors because the top choices there are also what I'd pick for ultrawide HDR so let's get into it [Music] Ultra wide category is another that features quite a stark split between the top and bottom ends of the market in my opinion if you're after an ultra wide you should either spend big and grab a kudi OLED for over a thousand dollars US or go something budget and spend more like 400 us anything between these prices typically isn't worth buying as it either offers only a minor upgrade on our value picks or a significant downgrade on the top picks for hind Choppers it's quite clear that the ultrawide market is now dominated by QD OLED monitors and there are many to choose from all offering a 34 inch 3440x1440 qdo lid panel and up to 175 Hertz we have a great breakdown available on monitors unboxed that compares the four main choices in detail the two Alienware options the MSI 342c and the Samsung OLED G8 right now I think of these options there are two standout choices and it'll ultimately come down to your budget as to which of these make sense for around a thousand dollars you can grab the Alienware aw3423dwf which is a 100 discount on its launch price while for thirteen hundred dollars you can grab the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 which is 200 less than it launched and in my opinion is the better monitor on this spec sheet the olig8 is superior with a 175 Hertz refresh rate instead of 165 Hertz that you get with the aw3423 DWF though this is a minor difference that isn't worth considering really both also feature the same panel so the fundamental aspects to Performance such as the excellent HDR capabilities zero level blacks per pixel local dimming and high 1000 it's a peak brightness remain the same whether you go Dell or Samsung what separates the two is Samsung's Superior HDR tuning and better ability to hit 1000 nits without an image quality reduction as well as a greater range of color calibration options thanks to the oledgates use of of a smart TV processor it's also a better looking monitor with no active Cooling and therefore silent operation if you want the best of the best and have a Nvidia GPU which works best with this display the OLED G8 is what I'd buy but if you want to save 300 which is a reasonable saving and a comfortable with reduced HDR performance and fewer features the aw3423dwf is also a great choice you're still getting a decent HDR experience here for gaming it just isn't as good as the G8 and isn't as well calibrated in its 1000it mode if you have an experienced HDR gaming before I'm sure that aw3423dwf will impress you greatly especially if you apply some of the tweaks I mentioned in my firmware update video like many OLED monitors though I wouldn't recommend these for productivity work mostly due to the risk of permanent burning as well as some minor concerns around text quality these QD OLED monitors also have poor screen Coatings that require optimal placement of Lights in your room to reduce Reflections just something to keep in mind not everyone has one thousand dollars to spend those so if HDR isn't what you're after and you just want a regular ultrawide that's affordable I'd recommend the gigabyte m34wq it's a bit unusual being a flat 34 inch 3440 by 1440 144hz IPS display but what it offers at just 400 US is an excellent balance of performance across the various areas we test and look for response times are good color performance is good and there are no huge negatives such as dark level smearing that you do get with most budget via Ultra wides at a similar price seriously VA isn't that much cheaper these days and therefore I can't recommend a VA ultrawide right now that's not to say there are no cons here the contrast ratio is very weak in comparison to its VA competitors and response times aren't as fast as premium IPS gaming ultrawides but the versatility of its IPS panel and general balance of performance is what swings me towards this product compared to others on the market [Music] in the 1080p product class I think it's actually quite a simple story these days either you're after an entry level monitor to get started with PC gaming and I think 1080p is still a suitable choice if you have less than 200 to spend or you're more interested in a super high refresh rate option for Competitive Gaming with features like backlight strobing and Fast Response times a priority there's only been one small update to my recommendations in the 1080p space and that's replacing the older AOC 24 G2 with its new version the 24 g2sp so the same as the previous update to this video this display offers excellent bang for buck at just 160 us and it's just as good as the 24 G2 but with a slightly higher 165 Hertz refresh rate instead of 144 Hertz it retains the 24 inch 1080p IPS panel and other aspects to Performance it can sometimes be priced too high at more like 200 though so I'd be on the lookout for sales that bring that back down to a more realistic 160 dollar price point the 22 G2 SP is a solid Choice offering great response time performance in its class solid color quality and handy features like a height adjustable stand which you still don't always get at this price point the overall package AOC offering is nicely balanced between gaming performance and image quality so I'm comfortable continuing to recommend it the main negatives are simply that it doesn't have class leading performance in any area it's not the highest resolution on the highest refresh rate or the best performing display but it's so well bounced that it doesn't really matter especially for just a hundred and sixty dollars I'd also be looking at products like the gigabyte g24f and MSI g274 around this price but we haven't tested them so it's harder to recommend some people may question why you'd buy a 1080p monitor in 2022 but the simple answer here is that 1440p monitors aren't that cheap yet for most Gamers I would recommend getting one of our 1440p choices instead but if you simply don't have 250 dollars to spend then going 1080p is your option and the 24 g2sp offers something great here if you're after a premium monitor for Esports gaming the best choice is the BenQ XL 2566k which I recently tested and strongly recommend for hardcore or professional competitive multiplayer Gamers it's a 24.5 inch 1080p 360hz TN panel with Elite backlight strobing thanks to benq's diac plus technology seriously this is the clearest monitor in motion I've ever used it beats 240Hz oleds and the pg27aqn quite comfortably when the backlight streaming mode is enabled giving that Competitive Edge to Serious Gamers this is a pretty Niche product though as Bank you have priced it at a whopping 600 which is very expensive for a 1080p Monitor and something that only serious competitive Gamers should buy for everyday more casual gamers there's a lot more value to be had buying a say 600 or 4k monitor or an elite 1440p display especially as the tan panel used here doesn't deliver very good color performance or viewing angles but the xl2566k is there if motion Clarity is the number one thing that you are interested in it really executes very well in that one area and for some people it will be worth buying and that does it for today's monitor recommendation video lots and lots of options to choose from covering most of the categories I hope you were considering at the moment if you do want to learn more about the monitors we've talked about today we do have dedicated reviews for most of them that will go into the specifics around performance and features which are well worth watching I also have longer breakdowns available for the best say 1440p 4K and HDL monitors they'll just be aware that some of these recommendations may be less relevant in today's market depending on pricing and other options since we made those videos and don't forget about monitors unboxed our new channel which is the best source of monitor content around I'll use we think so and I hope you do too so yeah check out monitors unboxed anyway that's it for this video If you do appreciate all the mountain of testing that goes into making this sorts of recommendation videos then please do consider supporting the channel via our patreon or floatplane accounts links to those are in the description below if you do support the channel you will be helping us to buy monitors that we test for our reviews and these recommendation videos and you'll get a few cool bonuses as well such as our Discord Community our monthly live streams BTS videos all sorts of great things over there so thanks for watching and I'll catch you in the next one [Music] thank you [Music]

Channel: Hardware Unboxed

Views: 407,314

Keywords: hardware unboxed

Id: Qtpbv8HUrtE

Length: 24min 53sec (1493 seconds)

Published: Sat May 27 2023