⏩ The list in brief
1. Best 360Hz
2. Best 280Hz
3. Best 165Hz
4. Best budget
5. Best 4K
6. Also tested
7. Where to buy
8. FAQ
For the gamer than values speed above all else there's nothing better than a high refresh rate gaming monitor. Providing exceptionally high refresh rates often upwards of 240Hz, these panels ensure you're never left wanting in competitive games like Counter-Strike 2.
The fastest gaming monitor I recommend is the MSI MPG 271QRX. Fit with a 360Hz refresh rate, this OLED monitor also benefits from naturally speedy response times around the 0.03ms mark. That's a fraction of the response time we're used to seeing with LCD-based screen technologies, such as IPS.
You can still score a refresh rate over 144Hz even on a tighter budget. The BenQ Mobiuz EX240 comes with a 165Hz refresh rate and snappy response time from a good-looking IPS panel. It's a fraction of the cost of the 360Hz MSI, too.
Jacob has been testing gaming monitors for over half a decade. In that time he's come to appreciate the smaller details that make a monitor great. With the rest of the PC Gamer team, Jacob has compiled the following list of the best high refresh rate monitors to help you pick one that's best suited to your gaming style.
The quick List
The best 360Hz
Combining OLED technology with a need for speed, the MSI MPG 271QRX delivers a frighteningly fast refresh rate and response time for competitive gaming.
The best 280Hz
Alienware offers a speedy and impressive IPS panel in the AW2723DF. It's a strong all-round gaming monitor with a penchant for speed.
The best 165Hz
Our favorite gaming monitor isn't the fastest, but it's still a speedy panel with all the benefits of an OLED, including that rapid response time.
The best budget
You don't have to settle for slow with a budget panel, as this BenQ proves. It's capable of running up to 165Hz, which is speedy if you have the GPU to drive it.
The best 4K
It can be difficult to drive a 4K, high refresh rate gaming monitor, but if you're rocking an RTX 4090 or similar you can make it work in some games. The LG is the best pairing with that sort of high-end setup.
Recent updates
This guide was updated on March 15 to include brand new selections for 2024, including the MSI MPG 271QRX in the top spot.
The best 360Hz gaming monitor
✅ You want the best of both worlds: Refresh rate and picture quality are not often shared qualities in most gaming monitors, but the MPG 271QRX manages to deliver both in swathes.
❌ You don't have a high-end GPU: You'll need a powerful graphics card to drive 1440p anywhere close to 360Hz.
The MSI MPG 271QRX is awarded our pick for the best 360Hz gaming monitor. It combines two things we love: an extremely quick refresh rate and an OLED panel.
The exact panel used here is Samsung's QD-OLED, which we've seen many times before, including the excellent Alienware 34 AW3423DWF, but never with such a high refresh rate as this. MSI is really pushing the panel to new heights here, though this is also using a newer generation QD-OLED panel that Samsung has itself pushed to 240Hz in the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9.
A snappy response time of 0.03ms is also made possible by the inclusion of an OLED. That's far and away above what even the faster IPS panels can muster.
Beyond speed, OLED offers a rich and vibrant picture that can't be beaten by your standard LCD screen. It's rare that a monitor can claim both picture quality and speed, but this MSI also comes with decent HDR ratings, too. The generally high picture quality comes in handy for single-player games or times when you're happy to game at a slower pace in exchange for a higher graphics preset.
You will have to be considerate of burn-in on any OLED panel, and this MSI is no different. Luckily, MSI does include some OLED protection measures as standard, and there's a three-year burn-in protection warranty for peace of mind.
You will need a powerful graphics card to get the most out of this monitor. Even with an RTX 4090 under the hood, you'll struggle to maximise the 360Hz panel without turning down the graphics settings and maybe even the resolution. That's the one major downside to this screen's 1440p resolution: competitive players may prefer 1080p for the performance gain.
Otherwise, there's no escaping that price premium here, but that's come to be expected from an OLED. The technology is becoming more prevalent but it remains a premium technology. In many ways, an OLED is worth the extra dosh, and the MSI MPG 271QRX still gets my vote as the best high refresh rate gaming monitor. You'll find a budget option below if you want to save some cash.
Read our full MSI MPG 271QRX review.
The best 280Hz gaming monitor
✅ You don't want to worry about burn-in: Rather than the newer OLED technology, Alienware has opted for a snappy IPS panel. Good news is you don't have to worry about burn-in (within reason) and you still score a snappy refresh rate.
❌ You want the full HDR experience: This IPS panel comes with an impressive 600 nits peak brightness, but its black levels and contrast are lacking compared to an OLED.
The Alienware AW2723DF is the best 280Hz gaming monitor, and much like the MSI, it somehow delivers both speed and quality in a single package.
This Alienware offers an IPS panel that's capable of screeching speed and a surprisingly little ghosting. The final 40Hz is accessed through overclocking, which we'd usually expect to introduce some spectres into the system, but surprisingly few show up. There are three overdrive options available on this monitor, and even the most aggressive is very good at keeping ghosting to a minimum.
The punchy backlight helps produce a vibrant and colorful image on this IPS screen. Rated to 600 nits, HDR is very much a thing this monitor can do. It's not the best HDR panel around, namely for a lack of depth to the black levels, and that's where an OLED stands out. Still, it's good to know you're not only scoring a fast panel here—it's also of a high picture quality.
Alienware's stands are some of the best around and there's also a generous four-port USB hub on the rear of this monitor. No USB Type-C connectivity, but that's not a deal breaker.
Inclusive of both FreeSync and G-Sync compatibility, this monitor should pair well with just about any graphics card on the market today capable of pushing 280Hz at 1440p. That's something to bear in mind: a high refresh monitor requires a high-end graphics card to fully utilize it in all but the best performing, low-rent games.
Read our full Alienware AW2723DF review.
The best 165Hz gaming monitor
✅ You want a more generalist gaming monitor: It's not the quickest but the Alienware 34 AW3423DWF is the best gaming monitor.
❌ You want truly world-beating speed: 165Hz is rather pedestrian next to the 240Hz+ monitors on this list.
The Alienware 34 AW3423DWF offers 165Hz of OLED goodness. That's a more pedestrian speed than some on this list, but it's faster than most monitors around today. The Alienware has a few other enviable characteristics, too.
You can expect awesomely quick response times in the region of 0.1ms on this OLED monitor, or a tenth of the time it takes for a speedy LCD panel to change a pixel's value. That's paired with FreeSync Premium Pro support, which will work to keep your graphics card and monitor singing the same tune at the same time.
HDR is a strong point for the AW3423DWF. It's not often that we're praising a PC monitor for HDR performance, but the combination of an OLED panel with practically infinite contrast and a glossy finish helps to produce a vibrant picture that brings out the best bits of HDR games.
Epic color reproduction, contrast and black levels make the Alienware a wonderful all-round monitor for gaming. That's why we also rate it as the best gaming monitor. Funny that. But with some impressive refresh rate and response time stats, it'll also make a good stand-in for competitive gaming if you can't quite stretch your setup to 360Hz.
Read our full Alienware 34 AW3423DWF review.
The best budget high refresh rate gaming monitor
✅ You want a well-provisioned 1080p panel: The EX240 brings a swift response time and 165Hz refresh rate to the table for not a huge amount of money.
❌ You want a HDR capable monitor: With a peak brightness of only 350 nits, you can forget about genuine HDR.
There are few genuinely affordable 1080p gaming monitors as good as this, but it's our pick for the best budget high refresh rate gaming monitor because it rocks an above average 165Hz refresh rate.
It can be beneficial for some competitive games to reduce the load on your graphics card to the absolute minimum and keep any extraneous graphics options disabled. Within reason, anyways—no one should be gaming at 480p for a 'competitive edge'. 1080p is sacrifice enough. The EX240 is a 1080p panel, which makes reaching a full 165Hz refresh rate that much easier on cheaper graphics cards.
The EX240 is also a 24-inch monitor, which usually would be seen as a touch on the small side but is surprisingly often seen as preferable for gamers hoping to keep everything in their vision while sat close to the screen.
You won't find any of the premium features of an OLED panel or even a high-end IPS here: peak brightness is 350 nits and HDR is basically a no-go. Though this is still an IPS panel, and that means the picture quality and color reproduction is generally very good.
The EX240 is a great example of how far your money can go when it comes to a gaming monitor in 2024. It's a great all-rounder with lots to offer all kinds of gamer.
Read our full BenQ Mobiuz EX240 review.
The best high refresh rate 4K gaming monitor
✅ You demand 4K: High refresh rates and 4K go together like chalk and cheese, but if you can't stand to sacrifice resolution then you'll score a superb 144Hz here.
❌ You have a mid or low-end GPU: You won't be able to drive anywhere close to 144Hz at 4K with anything but a modern high-end graphics card. A gaming monitor such as this demands an expensive rig to go with it.
The best high refresh rate gaming monitor with a 4K resolution is the LG UltraGear 27GR93U, but that's more because it's the best 4K monitor right now and less that it's particularly quick. It won't let you down with its 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, but that's nothing compared to 360Hz, right?
The thing is, you won't be able to get anything close to 360Hz with a 4K monitor. That's too many pixels flying around the screen at any one time for even the most impressive modern graphics cards to keep up. That's why 144Hz is a really rather reasonable refresh rate to expect at 4K—even this can be a push without upscaling technologies like DLSS and FSR coming to the rescue.
The UltraGear 27GR93U is a superb monitor in many ways, and its IPS panel is absolutely staggeringly good-looking. We had begun to think IPS panels were old hat once OLED arrived, but LG has proven you can still get more out of the display technology. This IPS monitor really pops, and we want our IPS monitors to pop.
Another strong point is the pixel density. That shouldn't be a surprise from a 27-inch 4K panel, but that combination really crams a lot of pixels into every inch. If you like a crisp, sharp image, this is one of the better ways of securing that. LG does charge a lot for this privilege, however, and the UltraGear 27GR93U could deliver better HDR for the price tag LG's asking.
While we await further 4K gaming monitors built with OLED panels capable of blisteringly quick refresh rates and response times, the LG UltraGear 27GR93U gets our recommendation.
Read our full LG UltraGear 27GR93U review.
Also tested
Basically a match for the Alienware AW2723DF, we do like a lot about the BenQ. However, it doesn't hit the same high refresh rate as the Alienware for similar money, so it doesn't make our list.
PC Gamer score: 80%
For
- Fab 1440p IPS panel
- Really zippy response
- 240Hz refresh
Against
- Simply too expensive
- Limited HDR support
Where to buy a gaming monitor
Where are best gaming monitor deals?
In the US:
- Amazon - Money off high refresh rate gaming monitors
- Walmart - Save on quick gaming monitors
- B&H Photo - Gaming monitors for as little as $110
- Best Buy - Often Samsung gaming monitors going for less
- Target - LG and Asus gaming monitors on sale
- Staples - Regular sales on selected HP gaming monitors
- Newegg - Lots of cheap gaming monitors to choose from
- Dell - Money off Alienware gaming monitors
In the UK:
- Amazon - Save on big-name monitor brands
- Overclockers - 1440p LG gaming monitors from £190
- Scan - AMD FreeSync monitors from as low as £100
- CCL - deals on the best screens around
- Box - discounts and refurbished monitors abound
High refresh rate gaming monitor FAQ
What's the best PC monitor panel type for gaming?
OLED is the newest and most impressive panel technology today, though Mini-LED is a popular alternative. If in doubt, however, you can't go wrong with an IPS. There are now VA screens with good response speed, but IPS more consistently delivers the goods and is now sufficiently fast in terms of refresh rate that you absolutely needn't settle for TN anymore.
What refresh rate do you really need for PC gaming?
144Hz is probably plenty, but PC gamers are not known for modesty. We're starting to see 165Hz as the more popular refresh rate for gaming monitors, and esports fiends who will really appreciate higher refresh rates are eyeing up 240Hz+ speeds.
What's the best resolution for a gaming monitor?
With the latest unobtainable graphics cards, 4K gaming at high triple-digit refresh rates is a stretch in the most demanding games. So, 1440p is probably the better compromise. 1080p is only of interest to those who demand the very highest frame rates for competitive shooters.
Should I buy a curved gaming monitor?
For our money, curved panels make the most sense in larger formats and with super-wide 21:9 or wider panels. A curved panel on, say, a smaller 27-inch 16:9 panel isn't necessarily a bad thing. But, nor does it really add much to the experience.
Does HDR matter for PC gaming monitors?
The problem with HDR is that few LCD monitors offer a true HDR experience. What's more, monitors with HDR-boosting local dimming remain painfully pricey and for what is really only marginal benefit. That said, the best OLED gaming monitors look absolutely superb with HDR enabled.
G-Sync or FreeSync: which adaptive screen tech is best?
We think screens with Nvidia's G-Sync module built-in have the edge when it comes to smooth performance at lower frame rates. At higher frame rates, mere G-Sync compatibility is fine, and AMD's FreeSync is likewise much of a muchness.
