In the market today, there are a lot of gaming monitors to choose from - knowing which one to pick is always tricky, as most monitor manufacturers advertise the same specs. We've gone through a huge list of gaming monitors and picked out seven of the best you can buy in 2017. READ NEXT: Best monitors 2017
Investing in the right gaming monitor is important, so before purchasing a gaming monitor, you should ask yourself: What games will I play? Will my graphics card be powerful enough at this resolution? There are a few things you might want to consider before making the plunge and for this reason, we've created a small buyer's guide dedicated to gamers. If you're looking for an in-depth guide, see our separate buyer's guide.
Resolution: All monitors now come at a 1,920 x 1,080 (Full HD) resolution, but if you're looking to see more pixels, you'll also find WQHD (2,560 x 1,440) and 4K (3,840 x 2,160) monitors on the market - it goes without saying they come at a more premium price.
Refresh rate: Arguably the most important spec for any serious gamer. A 60Hz monitor is common nowadays, but there are 75Hz, 144Hz and even up to 200Hz monitors in the market. Why should you care about refresh rate? The higher the refresh rate, the smoother your game will be, resulting in a drastically different experience!
Panel type: All monitors have LED backlighting, but there are different ways they are displayed. There are TN, IPS/PLS and VA panels - each has their pros and cons. Generally speaking, TN panels have a fast response time, but poor colour accuracy. IPS/PLS are known for their colour accuracy, but slow response times, while VA is the in-betweener. TNs are therefore regarded as the best panels for gaming, but this isn't necessarily true in every case.
Response time: You want to look for a panel with the lowest possible response time - quoted response times from manufacturers are G2G (Grey-to-grey) and 1ms is the fastest time achievable.
Input lag: This is the time it takes for an input (such as your mouse) to be registered on your monitor. This is never quoted by manufacturers and is a little hard to test, however, it's a crucial spec to know for competitive gamers.
PWM flicker-free: Flicker can make your eyes tired. Monitors that come with PWM flicker-free technology, help your eyes from getting tired.
Design and build quality: It goes without saying a well-built monitor is more pleasant to look at and can be adjusted to your heart's content.
ULMB, Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync: ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur) is used to reduce blur from your screen, a very handy tool for seriously competitive gamers. Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync are proprietary hardware placed within a monitor, to reduce screen tearing. G-sync comes at a premium, while AMD's FreeSync is as the name suggests, free. A detailed comparison can be found here.
1. Acer Predator XB270HU: The best gaming monitor
Price when reviewed: £680
The Predator XB270HU comes at a serious cost, but for that £680 asking price you get the most technically advanced gaming monitor we've ever seen. It comes with G-Sync, Nvidia's adaptive sync technology, but that's only a side show for the true star of the show: the panel. (If you aren't interested in G-Sync, or have an AMD graphics card, you can save yourself a few hundred pounds and get the Predator XF270HU instead for around £400)
Using IPS-like AHVA technology, this screen produces high contrast, vibrant images in a huge 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. Not only that, it refreshes at 144Hz, which is the first time we've ever seen a screen with such great colours also manage to refresh at a rate that hardcore gamers will actually want. Essentially, it's the best of all worlds. Its only downfall is a G-Sync limitation: it only has one DisplayPort input and nothing else. Aside from that, if you have an Nvidia graphics card and a whole lot of money to spend on a monitor, this should be on your shortlist. However, in 2017 it's now hard to find.
Read our full Acer Predator XB270HU review for details
Key specs – Screen size: 27in, Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440, Screen technology: AHVA, Video inputs: DisplayPort, Refresh rate: 144Hz
2. AOC AGON AG271QX: 1440p gaming
Price when reviewed: £410
The AOC AGON AG271QX is a 144Hz 2560 x 1440 gaming monitor that features AMD's FreeSync, a 1ms response time and has a fantastic design. Despite having a TN panel, which aren't as good as IPS/PLS panels when it comes to colour reproduction, the AG271QX has a seriously impressive 0.8 Delta E average (close to 0 is better). Alongside its sRGB colour-gamut coverage of 96.5%, the monitor can be used by both gamers and photo editors who are looking for an accurate sRGB colour reproduction from their monitor.
Orientated towards gamers, it ticks all the right boxes and tests with a 1ms response time and low perceived input lag. It also has an impressive design, where you'll be able to pivot, rotate, tilt and use its height adjustments to your heart's content. The AG271QX is truly a jack of all trades - you can game competitively, while also having the luxury of its accurate colour reproduction.
Read our full AOC AGON AG271QX review for details
Key specs – Screen size: 27in, Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440, Screen technology: TN, Video inputs:DisplayPort, DVI, VGA, 2x HDMI (one of which is MHL compatible), Refresh rate: 144Hz
3. Samsung C24FG70FQU: Curved gaming
Price when reviewed: £320
If you're in the market for a curved gaming experience, the Samsung C24FG70FQU is an impressive monitor that offers a plethora of features. Its most impressive standout feature is its quantum dot display, which provides extremely impressive colour reproduction. With a Delta E of only 0.45 and 99.6% sRGB gamut colour coverage, the monitor is ideal for those looking to professionally edit photos and videos.
It goes without saying that the monitor is aimed at gamers, and with an impressive 144Hz, low perceived input lag and an extremely impressive response time for a VA panel, the C24FG70FQU is ideal for competitive gamers.
To complement its panel, Samsung has included an accessible joystick-button to use the OSD, a beautifully designed monitor arm and a low-profile bezel design.
Read our full Samsung C24FG70FQU review for details
Key specs – Screen size: 24in, Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080, Screen technology: VA, Video inputs: DisplayPort, 2x HDMI, Refresh rate: 144Hz
4. Acer Predator XB271HK: 4K gaming
Price when reviewed: £600
If the XB270HU doesn't have quite enough pixels for you, Acer's XB271HK is a massive 4K resolution at its disposal as well as Nvidia's G-Sync technology, allowing you to pack even more detail into your games. The one thing it doesn't have is a high refresh rate, instead, sticking with the traditional 60Hz rather than 144Hz.
However, you're not missing out on image quality, as the XB271HK's stunning IPS panel was already covering the full sRGB colour gamut out of the box and only needed very mild tweaking to bring its colour temperature into line. It also has more ports than the XB270HU, as it has both HDMI and DisplayPort inputs as well as a USB 3.0 hub. Add in an adjustable stand, and the XB271HK ticks all the right boxes for Ultra HD gaming.
Read our full Acer Predator XB271HK review for details
Key specs – Screen size: 27in, Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160, Screen technology: IPS, Video inputs: DisplayPort, HDMI, Refresh rate: 60Hz
5. Iiyama ProLite GB2488HSU-B1: Budget gaming monitor
Price when reviewed: £232
Iiyama's not-so-catchily-named gaming screen is about as no-frills as you can get. As a result, though, it's very cheap and one of the cheapest 144Hz monitors you can buy at the moment. It's a TN panel, which means image quality isn't perfect, but for the price, it's very good indeed. The 144Hz refresh rate results in silky smooth gameplay and reduces screen tearing to almost nothing, and the Full HD resolution and 24in form factor means you can see plenty of detail, too. It's not much to look at, but if you're a gamer on a budget, it's a great choice.
Read our full Iiyama ProLite GB2488HSU-B1 review for details
Key specs – Screen size: 24in, Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080, Screen technology: TN, Video inputs: DisplayPort, DVI, 2x HDMI, Refresh rate: 144Hz
6. Eizo Foris FS2434: Affordable IPS gaming monitor
Price when reviewed: £239
Eizo's monitor doesn't have fancy high refresh rates. Instead, it packages an IPS panel with great image quality into a good-looking frame with tiny bezels. It has most of the things you'll be looking for from a monitor, minus an adjustable stand. It has a USB hub, a remote control and some excellent Windows software to make fine adjustments to image quality to multiple monitors if you plump up the cash to buy more than one.
Read our full Eizo Foris FS2434 review for details
Key specs – Screen size: 23.8in, Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080, Screen technology: IPS, Video inputs: 2x DVI, HDMI, Refresh rate: 60Hz
7. Iiyama G-Master GB2888UHSU Gold Phoenix: Ultra HD gaming
Price when reviewed: £300
Who said that gaming monitors had to be expensive and that 4K gaming monitors even more so? At just £300, the Iiyama G-Master GB2888UHSU is incredible value for a 28in Ultra HD monitor and one that supports FreeSync, for use with AMD graphics cards, to boot.
One of the reasons that Iiyama has managed to keep the price down is by using a cheaper TN panel rather than an IPS panel. This means that viewing angles aren't quite as good, but it's easy to adjust the screen for a better view. You'll need to colour calibrate the monitor to get the best image quality, but overall, the GB2888UHSU is excellent value.
Read our full Iiyama G-Master GB2888UHSU Gold Phoenix review for details
Key specs – Screen size: 28in, Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160, Screen technology: TN, Video inputs: 2x DVI, HDMI, Refresh rate: 60Hz
