4K Monitors 120Hz vs 144Hz Review: 4K Gaming Monitors the next Upgrade in 2021?
When building a gaming PC, maybe the most crucial part of the build, besides a powerful CPU and graphics card is the monitor you are going to use for all that awesome graphics and gaming immersion. We talked about building desk PCs, so continuing this trend of awesomeness, once you’ve build your beast you really need one or two and why not three 4K monitors?
Why getting a 4K monitor you might ask? Sure you can go with 1080p or 1440p, and those monitors will be great as well, but since we are going all in, and we want to be awesome, 4k monitors are the way to go, in our humble opinion.
There are many 4K capable display monitors these days but most of the time we get stuck on the specs. What to chose between a 4K monitor at 120Hz or a 4K monitor at 144 Hz for example? Of course we might think that we choose the 144Hz 4K monitor but what about the panel it uses? If the 4K monitor with 120Hz uses an IPS panel and the 144Hz uses a TN panel, which one would be the right choice?
In our research for 4Kgaming monitors we stumbled upon many differences and we think we can clear things out for you such that you can make a well documented choice.
So here is what we want to talk about today on the topic of 4K monitors:
Are 4K Monitors Good for Gaming?
4K monitors have been around for a while now, but 4K did not really get much traction within the gaming community up until recently for two simple reasons: first there were not enough affordable graphics cards available on the market for the average user such that one can game on 4K and have playable frame rates with decent graphic details and secondly the display panels, did not allow high refresh rates and low latency and in some cases you could not even reach the common 60Hz.
To be honest, gaming was never about high resolution. 1080p was enough, and is still enough today for many gamers who value low latency and higher refresh rates as those things are what makes them competitive.
However all these were true until now, as the current situation is rapidly changing due to technology advances for both gaming consoles and PC graphics cards.
The biggest push for better 4K gaming, from our perspective and not just ours, came from the next generation gaming consoles that now support 4K resolution by default. Surprisingly 4K is not pushed by the advancement made in the PC gaming industry as some of you might think as these new consoles even provide 120Hz refresh rate for 4K resolution which is quite impressive. Who would have thought that a gaming console would actually be powerful enough to deliver this kind of performance? This seems like a topic for a future article where we will dive in more detail on what made these things possible.
In addition to gaming consoles, latest GPU releases by both AMD and NVIDIA (starting with the RTX 2xxx, RTX 3xxx series and even the 16xx series from NVIDIA as well as the Radeon 5700 or the 5700XT or the newer Radeon 6800 and 6800XT from AMD) are making 4K gaming possible with high refresh rates.
Currently both PC and consoles are capable of pushing the display panel technology, to offer proper 4K gaming displays with low latency and high refresh rates. These advancements made things happen and since very recently gamers are seeing these kind of gaming monitors popup on the market, but many come with a premium price.
But, like always, prices will slowly become more and more affordable as competition between manufacturers is on the rise and that means only good things for us.
What Refresh Rate to Pick for 4K gaming? 120Hz, 144Hz or is 60Hz enough?
As you might noticed by now, we keep mentioning refresh rates and let us tell you why. Refresh rate is at the heart of all gaming monitors, and from our point of view, refresh rate is what differentiates a gaming monitor form the others.
So what does refresh rates mean? Refresh rates is how fast a monitor can display multiple frames in one second without screen tearing. Screen tearing happens when your graphics card sends out frames at a higher rate than your monitor can handle so if you try to play a game at high frame rates on a low refresh monitor (like a 60Hz one) you will see the displayed images have been torn along the middle of the screen or half-loaded. This is something high-refresh rates screens are trying to avoid without the help of software for capping the FPS at the screen’s refresh rate (60Hz = 60 FPS max to avoid screen tearing).
To avoid screen tearing at high FPS with a low refresh rate monitor technologies such as V-Sync, Freesync and G-Sync are used to avoid screen tearing without FPS capping, but this is a story for another time.
We are used to see high refresh rates for lower than 4K monitors so we think it is very important to understand the current technology and what your gaming PC can support when it comes to 4K gaming monitors as these monitors will demand a more than decent amount of compute power to be actually usable.
Up until today, there are two major high refresh rate categories for 4K monitors that are available on the market: 120Hz and 144Hz 4K gaming monitors. 60Hz monitors are also available, and are also branded as “gaming monitors” and in some cases that can be true if your graphics card can’t really do above 60 FPS in 4K (and the most affordable graphics cards can’t anyway) and with the help of the technologies mentioned above, these monitors can handle high FPS gaming as well but the difference between a high-refresh rate monitor and low one will be significant.
One thing to keep in mind when looking at a 4K monitor at 120Hz and above is the output you will be using. High refresh rates output at this moment is only possible with DisplayPort and HDMI 2.1 and HDMI 2.1 is not as common as you might think. Fortunately most of these 4K monitors as well as newer generation graphics cards support DisplayPort so you won’t have to worry about HDMI 2.1 too much except if you want to use a new generation console with the monitor.
What Are The Other Criteria To Take Into Account When Buying a 4K Monitor?
When looking to buy a 4K monitor you have to take into account more than just one parameter. While you might think (mistakenly) that only size matters, here are the most important criteria to remember when choosing your new 4K monitor.
The size of the external screen
Expressed in inches (most of the time), the choice of PC monitor size is above all a question of comfort. Remember to measure the desk on which the screen will be placed because when we talk about 4K monitors, they are generally quite large.
The majority of 4K displays come between 24 and 32 inches in size.
The refresh rate
We already mentioned this, but as said, it is one of the most important parameters when choosing a 4K gaming monitor. The refresh rates is measured in Hertz, and it represents the number of images per second a panel can display. For simplicity, we retain that in all cases, the higher the frequency, the smoother the rendering will be on the screen.
Response time
Indicated in milliseconds, often abbreviated as "ms". This criterion is another important parameter when choosing a gaming 4K monitor. We consider a screen displaying 0.5 to 5ms as very fast. It is important to choose a very low response time for a 4K gaming monitor as it goes hand in hand with its refresh rate. The lower the response time, the better. After all you want to spot your competitor very fast and never be first blood.
LED or LCD Panel?
More accurate in the display, LED screens are also more economical: they can achieve up to 30% energy savings compared to their LCD counterparts. LCD panels are a bit more fragile and heavier but have the advantage of being cheaper.
What is better: IPS or TN panel for a 4K display?
Two main categories of screen panels emerge regularly: IPS panels and TN panels.
The IPS panel: a question of viewing angles
The IPS panel has a higher color gamut than that of a TN display. An IPS panel will therefore display colors as realistic as possible. It also allows you to always "see" the image in the same way, regardless of the viewing angle. In other words, you can play a video game with others on the same screen and everyone will see the screen the same way.
The TN panel: the king of fluidity
The TN panel displays slightly duller colors compared to an IPS panel. It should also be taken into account that the viewing angle is not the same (with the example of the multiplayer game on a single screen above). In contrast, a panel of this type will generally have a much higher refresh rate than an IPS panel.
There are also newer display panels that use VA or Nano IPS. These newer technologies are basically variations of IPS panels.
VA panels come with better contrast display than IPS, but it lacks the excellent viewing angles of the IPS panel. They are better than TN panels but from our point of view IPS is still king when it comes to display technology
Nano IPS is an improved IPS technology patented by LG (this is why you will almost always see it in newer LG monitors). When applied to the LED backlight of an IPS display, it allows for a wider color gamut of up to 98% DCI-P3 or 135% sRGB. LG's Nano IPS technology involves nanoparticles that are applied to a LED backlight of an IPS-panel display.
In the next section we compiled a list of what we think are some of the best gaming 4K monitors at 120Hz, 144Hz as well as under 120Hz that will do great for your next gaming rig (or current one if you are looking for replacing your current monitor or adding extras). We are strongly encouraging you to do more research and search on multiple online stores for deals as you might be surprised on what you can find. Do note that these are just suggestions of 4K gaming monitors we liked and use. This list is not about the absolute best 4K monitors available on the market today.
4K Monitors at 120Hz
Acer Predator X27 4K 120Hz 27-inch Gaming Monitor
Our winner : Best 4K 120Hz UHD monitor. It has everything you need and more. We are sure that if you choose it you will not be disappointed, I know we aren’t.
Main specs:
4K UHD Resolution
Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate
DisplayHDR 1000 Certified
VESA Mountable
99% Adobe RGB color Gamut
Dynamically Controlled Backlight
DCI-P3 Color Space
120Hz refresh rate overclockable at 144Hz
4ms response time
ASUS ROG Strix 43-inch XG438Q 4K 120Hz Gaming Monitor
This monitor is huge and looks more like a TV than a monitor but on a desk PC, this 4K monitor will surely be the crown on the king’s head!
Main specs:
4K UHD Resolution
HDR 100 Certified
90% DCI-P3 Color Gamut
120Hz with FreeSync 2
Built-in 10W Dual Speakers
Included remote control
VESA Mount Compatible
LG 32BL75U-W 32" LED LCD 4K 120Hz Gaming Monitor
This 32 inch 4K monitor can really enjoy any gaming setup. With a monitor this size you really can’t really ask for more, just some good old gaming sessions.
Main specs:
4K UHD Resolution LED Panel
120Hz refresh rate
AMD FreeSync
DCI-P3 color Gamut
VESA mount compatible
Built-in Speakers
HDR400 Compliant
4K Monitors at 144Hz
Let’s have a look on the 144Hz refresh rate 4K monitors that we liked and we strongly recommend to look over in your search for a new monitor.
Acer Predator XB273K 27-inch 144Hz Gaming Monitor
Main specs:
3840x2160 4K UHD IPS Display
144Hz Refresh Rate
NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible
DCI-P3 90% Wide Color Gamut
Quantum Dot Technology
DisplayHDR 400
Predator GameView Mode
LG 32-Inch 32GK650F-B 4K 144Hz FreeSync Gaming Monitor
Main specs:
4K Resolution VA Panel
DCI-P3 90% Color Gamut
DisplayHDR 10 Compatible
AMD FreeSync Technology
Built-In Stereo Speakers
3-Side Borderless Design
VESA Mount Compatible
ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQ DSC Gaming Monitor 144Hz - 27-inch
Main specs:
3840x2160 4K UHD IPS Panel
1ms (MPRT) Response Time
Display Stream Compression (DSC)
DisplayHDR 400 Certification
125% sRGB Color Gamut
Adaptive Sync Technology
G-Sync Compatible
ASUS Eye Care Technology
Aura Sync LED Lighting
LG UltraGear 38GL950G 38-inch 144Hz Gaming Monitor
4K (3840x2160p) Nano IPS Display
1ms (GTG) Response Time
144Hz Refresh Rate
NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible
AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
DisplayHDR 600 Certified
4K Monitors under 120Hz
Samsung UH850 Series 31.5 inch 4K QHD QLED Desktop Monitor (60Hz refresh rate)
With this product, Samsung is banking on versatility of use. It will suit both a PC gaming enthusiast and an average user wishing to watch streaming videos in 4K resolution.
The strength of this screen lies in its responsiveness: only 1 ms measured in response time. Samsung has also worked well with the colors allowing for a vibrant and real rendering. We can therefore say that this screen will find its place with a graphic designer using tools such as Photoshop or Lightroom.
Asus VP28UQG 28" Monitor 4K/UHD 1ms DP HDMI Adaptive Sync/FreeSync (60-120Hz refresh rate with FreeSync enabled)
This 4K monitor resolution coupled with an ultra low response time (1 ms) makes it ideal screen an ideal choice for gaming use.
Designed to be used with a computer but also consoles, the screen has 2 HDMI ports so you don't have to switch between cables. A DisplayPort input is also provided (for a PC).
SAMSUNG LU28E570DS 28-Inch UE570 4K Gaming Monitor (60Hz refresh rate)
The promise of ultra-low response time is kept with this model from Samsung. Proudly displaying 1 ms of latency, the latter easily finds its way to the top of our selection.
If you are looking for a responsive display that is not too expensive, then you are probably looking for a good candidate. Offered at an attractive price, it has 2 HDMI inputs, 1 DisplayPort and 1 USB-C port.
BenQ PD3220U 32 inch 4K Monitor IPS (60Hz refresh rate)
BenQ comes straight to the field of Apple's PRO Display XDR displays. Designed for graphic work above all, this 31.5-inch 4K display is equipped with Thunderbolt ports, among other things, and offers a contrast of 1300:1, a latency of 5ms and a very high compatibility with DCI-P3 color spaces (95% ) and sRGB and Rec. 709 (100%). Small bonus, a remote control is provided and allows you to configure shortcuts.
