Best Gaming Monitor

By Shifali Rao . Last updated Aug 2, 2013.

A PC gaming experience can be only as good as the equipment that facilitates it. In other words, unless you have a high-quality, high-performance monitor along with an ergonomic keyboard/keypad, your virtual adventure may fall short of the thrill and adrenaline rush. Avid gamers will agree that it makes sense invest in a good, branded monitor. If you're buying one for the first time or not sure how to go about the process, here are some tips.

Screen Size
A large sized monitor offers a more dynamic gaming experience, and is recommended if you anticipate spending a couple of hours playing games regularly. Keep in mind that the price of the monitor is directly proportional to its size. Depending on your budget, preference and desktop space, you may want to invest in a 30-inch screen or be content with a 24-inch monitor.

Resolution and Contrast Ratio
When it comes to resolution, keep in mind that games render best on native resolutions. Basically, a monitor's native resolution is the sum of its horizontal and vertical pixels. So, even if you don't opt for resolutions as high as 1920x1080 or 1920x1200, you may want to play games at the native resolution. Contrast ratio is the difference in brightness between the maximum black and the maximum white a monitor can produce. A higher contrast ratio offers improved color resolution, with darker colors rendering better on the screen and adding to the gaming experience. Some of the best gaming monitors offer a superior viewing experience, so you may want to make this one of your priorities during the selection process.

Panels
Popular panel technologies like TN, VA and IPS have their pros and cons.

TN panels are cheap and have fast response times (good for fast-paced action) but poor color reproduction and viewing angles. This type of panel is recommended if you have a modest budget.
VA panels have a poor response time and some motion blur, but offer better color reproduction and viewing angles.
IPS panels offer good viewing angles and color accuracy though their response time is not that great. They are a bit pricey as well. If your budget is sizeable, you can invest in this panel technology.

You can opt for lcd or led monitors. The latter is advised if you can spare the extra cash for extended durability, energy-efficiency, better viewing angles and better contrast ratios.

Connections
Most present-day gaming monitors come with an array of ports such as HDMI, DVI-D and DisplayPort. You can easily connect your game console or Blu-ray player for a top-notch and immersive gaming experience. Note: The graphics card you use should support either of these connections, especially if yours is a 120Hz monitor.

Some of the best gaming monitor brands that deliver good value for money include Asus, LG, Acer, Samsung and Viewsonic.