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The best High Refresh Rate Monitors will give you the smoothest images no matter what you’re doing. That means not only a more enjoyable experience, but also a better chance of winning, since a fast display can show more images per second to keep up with your quick movements. This makes them great for competitive gaming.
60Hz and 120Hz monitors aren’t really old, and they’ll be fine for most of what you want to see. But there are times when you do need a higher refresh rate. The best monitors for gamers have refresh rates of 144Hz or more. However, there is no perfect solution for everyone. We’ve tried out a lot of High Refresh Rate Monitors, and here are our suggestions for the best ones to buy.
Best High Refresh Rate Monitors
MSI Oculux NXG253R Gaming Monitor
Features
Choose two from refresh rate, resolution, black levels, and screen size. Since we all realised that, yes, playing Counter-Strike at a higher refresh rate does make you better, this has been the problem for people who want to buy a PC monitor.
The Oculux NXG253R, which is MSI’s newest panel and has a catchy name, is meant to at least deal with the most common trade-off in modern gaming panels, which is between refresh rate and colour quality. Most high refresh rate panels are VA or TN screens, which have limited viewing angles and colours that are not very deep.
Pros
- Esports-tier refresh speed
- Neat IPS colours
- Some handy bonus features
Cons
- A lot of money for 1080p
- Basic bezel and stand
Dell S2722DGM Curved Gaming Monitor
Features
The classic 27-inch Dell S2722DGM combines a large screen with a native resolution of 2560 x 1440, which makes it easy to see small details. At 1440p, it’s also a good resolution for getting high frame rates without the GPU demands of a 4K display. It can also deliver that resolution at 165Hz, which is nice.
At 2ms GtG response, it’s just a little slower than the best IPS panels, which are rated at 1ms and 0.5ms, so you’re good in terms of speed. Still, if you really want to go fast, you can find faster panels. At least, this VA panel has a high contrast ratio, since the technology itself has a high contrast.
Pros
- 1440p and 165Hz is a very nice combo
- Strong inherent contrast from VA panel
- Affordable for a gaming panel
Cons
- No HDR support
- Adequate rather than excellent response
Alienware 34 AW3423DW QD-OLED
Features
Yes, the best high refresh rate monitor you can get right now is also our pick for best gaming monitor. And it’s almost as easy as registering everything that makes the Alienware AW3423DW and then looking at the refresh rate numbers and saying, “Yes, that’s a high refresh rate, and yes, that makes this the best one.”
But a refresh rate of 175Hz makes it clear that this is a speedster. But it also has great pixel response times that are only a few hundredths of a millisecond. This is something that no other screen can do, even if it has a high refresh rate. This ultrawide monitor has better contrast and a faster response time than any LCD panel we’ve ever seen.
Pros
- Fabulous OLED panel
- Incredible pixel response
- True HDR performance
- Wonderful ultrawide resolution
Cons
- Less convincing as a desktop monitor
- Not the lowest latency option
Dell S2721DGF Monitor
Features
Now, this Dell monitor could be perfect for people who want a monitor with a high refresh rate that does a lot of things well. The S2721DGF is in the middle of Dell’s lineup and, arguably, the market as a whole. It has the best gaming performance at 1440p on a large 27-inch monitor, which is supported by a long list of rock-solid specs.
The refresh rate and response time are especially good. The S2721DGF has a refresh rate of 165Hz and a response time of 1ms, both of which we tested and found to be true. The IPS panel, which is great and adds to the monitor’s value for the money, is another thing that makes it appealing.
Pros
- All the best specs; 1440p, 165Hz, 1ms
- Wide viewing angles
- Stunning, sleek design
Cons
- Poor HDR performance and dark areas
Gigabyte AORUS CV27Q Gaming Monitor
Features
Monitors with a high refresh rate usually cost more, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find great options that are still affordable. The Gigabyte Aorus CV27Q may be the best of these because it has a fast refresh rate, QHD, and costs less than you might think. You can depend on its 165 Hz refresh rate and adaptive sync to make gaming go smoothly.
In case that isn’t enough to convince you, Gigabyte adds 1500R curvature, 3000:1 contrast ratio, VESA-certified DisplayHDR 400 should, and 1ms response time. That’s a lot of great features for immersion in games that you won’t find on some of the higher-end panels. Even though it only supports 90% DCI-P3 colours and doesn’t have a USB-C port, we’re not too upset about the price.
Pros
- Excellent features for the price
- Great curved design
Cons
- Color accuracy could be better
AOC CU34G2X Gaming Monitor
Features
Like the Samsung Odyssey G7, the AOC CU34G2X has a refresh rate of 144Hz, a response time of 1ms, and a 1440p resolution. This one, on the other hand, is much cheaper than the Samsung one, which makes it a great choice for people on a budget who need something cheap.
Even though this is a cheap monitor, that doesn’t mean it has very few features. On the other hand, you get an ultrawide 21:9 monitor that is curved and has a brightness of 300 nits. It also has two HDMI 2.0 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, and two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, which is a good selection of ports.
Pros
- Great specs
- Affordable price
- Slim bezels and sleek design
Cons
- Stand takes up a lot of desk space
- Sound quality isn’t very good
Corsair Xeneon 32QHD165
Features
The Corsair Xeneon 32QHD165 costs a lot, but you get more than just a fast refresh rate for your money. This display is great, and not just for gamers. It has a 1440p resolution, DisplayHDR 400, 100% Adobe RGB and 98% DCI-P3 colour gamuts, and all the ports you could want, including one USB-C port.
We found that its basic image quality was bright, colourful, and sharp, and that it looked natural and was well calibrated right out of the box. Because it has a fast refresh rate, there is almost no overshoot, inverse ghosting, or blurring that can be seen.
Pros
- Fantastic image quality
- Impressive feature set
Cons
- A bit too expensive
FAQs
Which is faster 144Hz or 240Hz?
A 144Hz monitor can show 144 frames per second, with 6.94ms between each one. A 240Hz monitor, on the other hand, can show 240 frames, with 4.17ms between each one. This means that a monitor with 240Hz can show a new image 2.77ms faster than one with 144Hz.
Is there a 500 Hz monitor?
The first 500Hz monitor from Dell has been shown to the public. The 24.5-inch 500Hz Gaming Monitor has a Full HD screen and a native refresh rate of 480Hz, which can be sped up to 500Hz by overclocking.
Is 144Hz good for gaming?
Even though high-refresh-rate monitors are becoming more popular and easier to buy, 144Hz monitors are still useful for new gamers whose graphics cards can’t reach high frame rates. More 4k @ 144Hz monitors are also coming out, which is great if you’d rather play high-resolution games.
Is 165Hz faster than 144Hz?
The short answer is no, there isn’t much difference. Since 165 fps is only 21 fps faster than 144 fps. That is only a 13% rise. Most people won’t notice the extra frames, but if you’re getting a new gaming monitor, you should know that 165Hz is basically the same as 144Hz.