Buying a gaming monitor in 2025 is both easier and tougher than before. On the one hand, you have more options than ever, with the quality of modern displays better than ever. On the other hand, comparing these excellent gaming monitors against each other to decide which one to buy requires serious effort, especially when you don't know which specs you need to look out for. That's why I've put this list together to list the most important specs that should factor into the decision, and the ones that are safe to ignore for gamers.

10 Size and aspect ratio

Fundamental but essential

The size of the display is, of course, one of the first things you'll notice when buying a gaming monitor. While 27-inch monitors are widely regarded as the best for gaming, you also have other sizes to consider — 32", 43", 34" ultrawide, 49" super ultrawide, and many in between. Smaller sizes like 24" and 22" are no longer considered by most gamers, especially since larger displays have grown more affordable than ever.

The most common display sizes you'll find are still 27" and 32", commonly paired with 1440p and 4K panels, respectively. If you want a curved ultrawide monitor for more immersion and better productivity, the 34" and 49" are the most popular form factors. The other factor to consider is the aspect ratio, which is directly linked to the form factor or size of your monitor. Other than the standard 16:9 displays available in 27" and 32" sizes, you also see 21:9 (ultrawide) and 32:9 (super ultrawide) aspect ratios.

Choosing the aspect ratio depends on your primary use case — for gaming, 16:9 and 21:9 work great since all games support them. Super ultrawide 32:9 gaming is the most immersive, but you'll lose compatibility with some games (unless you use workarounds) and the limited vertical screen real estate. And, of course, you need to consider the additional GPU horsepower needed to drive ultrawide and super ultrawide displays.

9 Resolution

Details vs. performance

Next up, the resolution of your monitor determines the level of detail you'll experience. The greater the pixel count, the sharper the image, and the better it will look. Of course, resolution always goes hand-in-hand with the display size, since the combination of the two decides the PPI (pixels per inch) of your display. The higher the resolution and smaller the screen, the greater the PPI, and consequently, the perceived image clarity.

The reason 27" monitors are the sweet spot for gaming is that 1440p on a 27" display has a decent PPI, and is easy enough to drive for most GPUs. You can also upgrade to a 4K monitor for greater clarity, now that 4K monitors are more affordable than ever. However, you'll need a more capable gaming PC to get the same performance you expect on a 1440p monitor.

1080p displays are good for non-gaming workflows, and for esports enthusiasts who don't mind the drop in image clarity, and only want the maximum framerates. Ultrawide and super ultrawide displays have different resolutions, depending on the size and aspect ratio of the monitor.

8 Refresh rate

Modern GPUs demand the biggest numbers

The refresh rate of the panel tells you how smooth your gaming experience will be on the monitor. It represents the number of times the display can refresh the incoming image, so the greater the number, the more fluid your experience. While 60Hz monitors are now relegated to office computers, even 144–180Hz models are considered "budget" these days. Mid-range and premium monitors are more commonly shipping with 240Hz and 360Hz panels, coupled with either 1440p or 4K resolutions.

Most people don't have a GPU that can drive 240Hz at high settings, even with the help of upscaling, but with techniques like frame generation and lossless scaling, modern GPUs can now achieve these sky-high refresh rates, albeit with some latency compromises. If you own a high-end current-gen or previous-gen GPU from Nvidia or AMD, you can consider a 1440p 240Hz monitor, if it fits your budget. Otherwise, 1440p 165–180Hz models are still the sweet spot for the majority of gamers.

Dual-mode monitors are premium models that can switch between a relatively low and high refresh rate to deliver the best of both worlds, such as 4K 240Hz and 1080 480Hz. While I consider dual-mode monitors pointless for most people, you might find them useful, if you like to enjoy both competitive shooters and single-player games, and have the funds to grab one.

7 Connectivity and ergonomics

For power users

I know many friends and fellow PC users who couldn't care less if their new monitor's stand supports height adjustment or pivot orientation. They simply want the highest resolution, refresh rate, and features for the lowest price. That said, there are many users, like myself, who value ergonomics and connectivity when choosing a new monitor. Every PC setup is different, and hence, a stand with height, tilt, and swivel adjustment is a must for perfect alignment with the user's eyeline.

As far as connectivity features on a monitor are concerned, besides the latest HDMI and DP inputs, you should look for USB-A ports with USB passthrough, multi-function USB-C ports (for productivity), and an Ethernet port (to connect a laptop that doesn't have one). While you might not use each of these ports every day, they can come in handy when you're using your setup for work. Professionals will value USB-C power delivery, Thunderbolt connectivity, and a KVM switch for connecting two systems at once.

6 Panel type

IPS, VA, or OLED?

You might have started your PC journey with a TN panel, but today's market has mostly consolidated around VA, IPS, and OLED panels. While VA and IPS monitors often compete against each other, OLED models sit comfortably at the top, but they demand a premium. IPS panels offer accurate colors, great viewing angles, decent brightness, and an average contrast ratio. VA panels, on the other hand, combine decent color accuracy and brightness with better contrast ratios, but have poorer viewing angles.

Depending on the brand and the model, however, both IPS and VA panels can give you a similar gaming experience, especially if you can control the lighting in your room. IPS monitors typically suffer from "IPS glow" or backlight bleeding, while VA panels usually exhibit black level smearing around fast-moving objects or in a dark scene. These downsides are minimized to a great extent if you buy a well-reviewed display from a reliable manufacturer.

OLED and QD-OLED monitors are the cream of the crop, thanks to per-pixel dimming, premium color accuracy, near-infinite contrast ratios, and high peak brightness. OLEDs and QD-OLEDs can be of different types, and even some IPS and VA monitors come with a Mini-LED backlight for better local dimming. If you have around $300-$500 to spend, you can pick the best IPS or VA gaming monitors, whereas a budget of $800 or more can allow you to choose a great OLED or QD-OLED monitor.

5 Brightness and contrast ratio

Meat of the matter

Often, a great panel combined with a high resolution and refresh rate isn't enough to guarantee a great gaming experience. The brightness and contrast ratio of a particular model are equally important, especially if you desire a good HDR experience. While the spec sheet might claim a high brightness number, you should check out third-party reviews for real-world testing. Often, the high numbers you see are only achieved in a tiny portion of the screen, not representing the full picture.

A consistently high brightness and contrast ratio are essential to delivering a quality HDR experience, which has been gaining ground among gamers of late. While you can mostly guarantee a superb HDR experience by picking an OLED or QD-OLED monitor, they're out of reach of most people. High-end IPS and VA monitors can deliver decent HDR gaming, but you need to be discerning when making your choice. Study the real specs in reviews, compare various models, check Reddit posts for first-hand accounts, and then make your decision.

4 DisplayHDR certification

Almost meaningless

Now that we've covered the things that you should study closely, let's get into the useless specs and gimmicks that you can safely ignore. The DisplayHDR certification is one such specification that almost tells you nothing about the true performance of the monitor. DisplayHDR 400 is commonly seen on affordable monitors, slapped on only to make the display seem more impressive than it really is. 400 nits of brightness alone does nothing to deliver a good HDR experience without a decent contrast ratio and local dimming.

There are higher tiers in the DisplayHDR standard, but they only begin to mean something starting at DisplayHDR 1000. These monitors will naturally cost more. For now, only OLED, QD-OLED, and Mini-LED panels deliver a decent HDR gaming experience, owing to excellent local dimming, high brightness, and great contrast ratios.

3 Built-in speakers

Do I really need to expand?

If you've used more than one monitor in your life, you've used enough to conclude that built-in speakers are a scam. Almost all built-in speakers are woefully insufficient, either in maximum volume or sound quality. Counting this as an extra feature while buying a new monitor is pointless, since you'll be forced to buy a separate PC speaker or soundbar anyway.

The only instances where I've come across decent monitor speakers are on super-premium displays. The kind of user buying that display will no doubt be investing in a dedicated speaker setup, making the feature mostly pointless. Considering budget PC speakers don't cost a lot, built-in monitor speakers should be glossed over any time you come across them on the spec sheet.

2 Color gamut

You already have a gamut of specs to care about

Unless you're a professional buying a monitor for precise, creative work, you can safely ignore the color gamut on the monitor spec sheet. Color accuracy isn't unimportant for gamers, but once you've already picked a decent model after studying specs like the panel type, brightness, and contrast, and looked at third-party reviews, you've almost guaranteed yourself a color-accurate display.

The best monitors on the market come with decent factory tuning, and don't need aftermarket calibration, unless you're a tech reviewer or creative professional. As a gamer, you're more concerned with how your IPS or OLED monitor looks and feels instead of how much of the sRGB or DCI-P3 color gamut it covers.

1 Response time and input lag

Don't waste your time

The pixel response time and input lag, while important considerations, have become too good to matter on most modern displays. OLED and QD-OLED monitors have instantaneous response times (around 0.30ms), but even the IPS and VA panels that most people buy can deliver average response times between 4ms and 7ms, perfectly fine for 144Hz–180Hz displays.

Input lag, often not reported by manufacturers, can often be in the 15–25 ms range — it represents the time it takes for your input to be displayed on the screen. Again, once you've chosen a decent panel already, you're unlikely to end up with a model with an atrocious response time or input lag. Besides, manufacturers advertising "1ms" response times are actually lying to you, since these numbers are only achieved in extreme overdrive modes that have problems of their own, such as pixel overshoot and inverse ghosting.

Hence, it's best to concentrate on the panel type, manufacturer reputation, and third-party reviews if you want to know the true response time and input lag of a monitor you're interested in buying.

Focus on what matters on a gaming monitor

A gaming monitor is one of the most important parts of any gaming setup. Without a decent combination of size, resolution, refresh rate, and panel type, you can't enjoy your gaming rig to the fullest. Fortunately, you don't need to get bogged down by everything on the spec sheet. Simply focus on the essentials, look for reviews from reliable publications, and don't overspend on gimmicks.