If you are a PC gamer and want to experience games at their best, then a 4K gaming monitor is a must. The only question is: what should you look out for when buying a 4K gaming monitor? We'll tell you what refresh rate, response time, and other specifications to look out for.
Choosing a 4K gaming monitor
In order to choose the right 4K gaming monitor, there are a few things that are important to consider.
- What refresh rate do you want?
- What should the maximum response time be?
- How big should the screen be?
- Is the support of G-Sync or FreeSync important to you?
- Would you like to use the monitor for a console too?
See all 4K gaming monitors
Refresh rate
A 4K gaming monitor is slightly different from a regular 4K monitor. Apart from the resolution (3840 x 2160), a game monitor differs in important specifications. The number of hertz, or refresh rate, is an important factor. The refresh rate determines how many frames per second the image is updated. The higher the Hertz number, the smoother the picture looks. A 144 Hertz monitor updates significantly more images than one with 60 Hertz. If you are serious about your game, choose at least a 144 Hertz monitor.
How do you choose the right response time?
Another important piece of information is the response time. The response time indicates how many milliseconds it takes to transmit an image to the monitor. The lower the time, the better. Ideally, you want 1 ms response time, which is the lowest possible right now. However, some 4K game monitors have a response time of 3 or 4 ms. If you want to play games with fast images, choose a 1 ms monitor. If you play other games as well, 3 or 4 ms is fine too.
How do you choose the right screen size?
4K gaming monitors come in a variety of formats. Which screen size suits you depends on your personal preferences. We recommend a minimum of 27 inches and a maximum of 32 inches for screen size. This format is ideal for 4K games because everything can be seen clearly with a screen this size. There are also larger monitors with a screen size of 43 inches, although this size is only recommended if you are sitting further away from the screen.
How important are FreeSync and G-Sync?
FreeSync and G-Sync are options that have a major impact on how images are displayed on your monitor. With this technique, your graphics card works with the screen to adjust the refresh rate. This reduces the likelihood of a faltering picture. FreeSync works with AMD graphics cards and G-Sync works with NVIDIA graphics cards. Note that G-Sync monitors in particular are expensive. We recommend G-Sync or FreeSync if you want the best playback while playing.
4K gaming monitor for consoles
4K gaming monitors aren't just for PC gamers. Console gamers also benefit from a 4K game monitor for their PS4 Pro or Xbox One X. These consoles are optimized for 4K games. With consoles it is particularly important to pay attention to the screen format. Frame rate and FreeSync / G-Sync do not apply to consoles. Choose a smaller monitor if you are closer to the screen or choose a larger monitor if you are further away from the screen.