A great gaming monitor is integral to enjoying your gaming PC to the fullest. Despite having the latest and greatest hardware, if your monitor cannot handle your CPU and GPU's output, all that power goes to waste. Your gaming monitor should at least be able to drive your preferred resolution and in-game settings in the FPS range your GPU is generating.

My current gaming monitor is over five years old, but I see no reason to consider an upgrade anytime soon. The kind of gaming PC I have and the games that I play, my monitor is more than enough to deliver a delightful gaming experience. Even though I have my eyes on some of the newest OLED monitors, I can't justify an upgrade seeing the prices they are going at. This probably means that I'll keep using my existing gaming monitor for another three to five years.

5 It was one of the best of its time

Might as well use it for a few more years

My existing monitor, the LG 27GL850, received universal acclaim for its feature set, gaming performance, and overall quality. It was featured on almost every “best gaming monitor” list at the time, thanks to its Nano IPS panel, 1440p resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, Nvidia G-Sync compatibility and AMD FreeSync support, exceptional response time, and extraordinary ergonomics.

It wasn't one of the most affordable models, but when I bought it, I truly felt that it offered a lot of value for its price. Its launch price of $499 undoubtedly placed it in the “expensive monitors” category, especially in 2019. However, I waited for a few months hoping for a deal, and grabbed it for around $450. I know that's not a steal, but I was still happy to get a discount on one of the best gaming monitors.

The 1ms hype about the 27GL850 was real. Its IPS panel was one of the best on the market, and its brightness and IPS glow were well-balanced, so the image quality was mostly impeccable. I'm unwilling to part with this monitor not just because I paid a lot for it (that's certainly a factor), but also because it's still a great gaming monitor by any standard.

4 It does everything I need for gaming

Why fix what ain't broke?

The exceptional feature set and quality control of the 27GL850 meant that it was easily going to top the charts regarding gaming performance. Switching from a 22-inch, 1080p, 75Hz monitor to a 27-inch, 1440p, 144Hz, 1ms model made me feel like my gaming experience had finally taken a giant leap. The large screen truly offered next-level immersion, the IPS panel and faster response time contributed to smooth-as-butter gameplay, and the jump in resolution delivered heightened image clarity while still being manageable on my graphics card.

Even after five years, I've rarely felt that the monitor falls short in any title I play. Be it a narrative-based, single-player game, a fast-paced online shooter, or a gorgeous indie title, I've been enjoying everything without feeling like I'm missing out. Sure, dark scenes aren't the monitor's greatest strength, especially when you compare it with OLED and Mini-LED monitors. But I'm able to easily control the lighting in my room, hence this downside doesn't hurt my experience as much as it could.

3 It's also a great monitor for work

A feature-packed all-rounder

Even though I try to squeeze in a gaming session whenever I can, I spend most of my PC time writing. I write about PC hardware and games much more than actually playing games. The silver lining, however, is that my monitor can support my work just as well as excel in my gaming sessions.

Its 27-inch screen size is a good sweet spot between screen real estate and physical footprint, the 144Hz refresh rate is high enough that scrolling is smooth, and the tilt, height, & pivot support ensure I can adjust the screen however I want. USB passthrough helps me keep all my keyboard, mouse, and headset dongles separated from each other, which is a huge plus for me, since it prevents interference between all my wireless peripherals.

The monitor can also get really dim, and as someone who doesn't enjoy using the monitor at more than 10% brightness, this is a definite plus. You can easily increase or decrease the brightness using the OSD joystick under the screen. And switching between the gamer and reader modes is quick and seamless as well.

2 I don't want to upgrade my PC anytime soon

My PC is still a (2yo) baby

My gaming PC is just over 2 years old, and considering the hardware I have right now — Ryzen 7 5700 and RTX 3080 — I don't see myself upgrading anytime soon. It still performs as well as I want it to in the latest titles, plus I don't want an enormous expense that comes with a platform upgrade and a potential RTX 50 series GPU (at least not for a few years).

Upgrading to a 4K gaming monitor in such a scenario would probably force me to consider at least a GPU upgrade to get the same performance I'm used to on my existing 1440p model. The 8-core Ryzen 7 5700 might be a capable CPU, but compared with the latest models, there's a lot more performance to be had. I just don't want to get into that entire mental exercise of contemplating a full PC upgrade, which is exactly what upgrading my monitor would entail.

The itch to upgrade their PC is something every gamer struggles with, but the trick lies in waiting for the right time to upgrade, and making the most of every PC upgrade you invest in.

1 The monitors I really want still cost a lot

It's not the age of OLED yet

Even if I could justify an accompanying PC upgrade, buying one of the gaming monitors I really want — something that would genuinely feel like a true upgrade — is still prohibitively expensive. I'm using an excellent IPS panel right now, and would want to upgrade to a high-refresh OLED monitor with insanely high brightness and contrast.

Such models have still not dropped in price as much as I'd like. Some Mini-LED monitors are more affordable than OLEDs, but they have a few glaring downsides, and seem like a big compromise compared to the premium gaming experience offered by OLED monitors. Spending close to a grand on a monitor is something I still haven't come to terms with.

Until OLED monitors drop in price to sane levels, I'm happy to use my existing monitor for all my gaming and work needs. Moreover, it's way too late to get a reasonable resale price compared to what I paid for it. So, I feel it's better to keep using it for a few more years, and extract the maximum value out of it before I eventually discard it.

A monitor upgrade in 2025 is a big decision

2025 will probably see many more OLED and Mini-LED monitors enter the market, but I don't think the prices of high-end models will go down anytime soon. This makes investing in a premium OLED monitor (which is what I want to buy) a pretty significant decision. Spending as much as an RTX 4080 Super on a gaming monitor does not sit right with me, at least not right now.

I fully intend to upgrade to an OLED monitor a few years later, and I want to grab something that feels like a night-and-day difference. By the time I'm more comfortable with the investment, the prices of OLED monitors will also have fallen considerably. At least that's what I'm hoping for. As more and more gamers gravitate towards OLED monitors, the market will mature, and manufacturers will be able to reduce prices while improving quality. Let's hope something even better with sky-high prices isn't out by then.