The best 1080p gaming monitors offer a comfortable balance between affordability, speed, and performance. While 4K monitors undoubtedly offer a different level of immersion, a 1080p gaming monitor can deliver buttery smooth refresh rates at a budget-friendly price – even up to a whopping 500Hz!
TL;DR – These are the Best 1080p Gaming Monitors:
- Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM
- Alienware 500Hz Gaming Monitor (AW2524H)
- Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor (AW2523HF)
- Asus TUF Gaming VG259QR
- Acer Nitro XZ270
- Dell 27 Curved Gaming Monitor (S2721HGF)
- ASUS TUF Gaming VG328H1B
Some of the best budget gaming monitors are 1080p, and just because the resolution is less than 1440p or 4K, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to be able to enjoy a great and immersive gaming experience. To make your decision easier, we’ve hunted down the best 1080p gaming monitors on the market, varying in shape, size, and affordability – click here to see them in the UK.
Best 1080p Gaming Monitors
1. Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM
Best 1080p Gaming Monitor
For a solid mix of affordability and impressive functionality, grab the Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM. It’s one of the best gaming monitors. Coming in at $300, you get a screen that delivers an overclockable 280Hz refresh rate, a one-millisecond response time, and low input lag for some insanely smooth motion. FreeSync support and G-Sync compatibility also ensure your monitor and GPU are on the same team for visuals that look great without tearing.
This 27-inch gaming monitor is a reasonable size for 1080p, but there may be some pixel peeping in exchange for a more immersive viewing experience. Going for an IPS panel rather than TN, you’ll also get decent viewing angles and color reproduction. A 400 nit brightness makes the monitor perfect for bright rooms, and it has DisplayHDR 400 certification. But given there’s no local dimming and a mediocre contrast ratio, we don’t recommend it for HDR gaming.
2. Alienware 500Hz Gaming Monitor (AW2524H)
Fastest 1080p Gaming Monitor
Speed is the name of the game when it comes to 1080p monitors, and Alienware understands the assignment with their 500Hz Gaming Monitor (AW2524H). If you couldn’t tell from the name, this monitor can be overclocked to a wicked-fast 500Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth action while also future-proofing the display. It doesn’t stop there, as this is one of the few displays with native G-Sync support for your Nvidia graphics card, so when you go for those high frame rates, your PC and display will play nicely to prevent screen tearing. You even get the Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer, a boon for pro gamers.
Beyond the game-changing refresh rate, the Alienware 500Hz Gaming Monitor (AW2524H) has a Fast IPS panel, allowing quicker response times and better color performance than traditional IPS panels. The screen gets relatively bright and has decent contrast for an IPS display. It even offers a VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification. However, to make the most of this monitor, you want to be sure you’ve got a beefy PC that can keep up.
3. Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor (AW2523HF)
Best 1080p Gaming Monitor for Esports
When playing esports titles, 1080p gives you an advantage over 1440p and 4K gaming monitors, as it’s much easier to reach high speeds. With that in mind, the Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor AW2523HF hits blazing-fast frames up to 360Hz, while AMD FreeSync support and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility ensure your screen and graphics card play nicely for some next-level silky smooth gaming. Add in virtually no motion blur and super low input lag for a hard-to-beat monitor ideal for competitive E-sports players.
The Alienware AW2523HF doesn’t stop there, delivering decent color accuracy and better-than-average contrast performance for an IPS monitor. The 1080p resolution is not the sharpest, but that’s an acceptable trade-off given the monitor’s high refresh rate and an easily attainable price. The solid display also rests on a robust adjustable stand offering a hexagonal base and an integrated retractable hanger for your gaming headset.
4. Asus TUF Gaming VG259QR
Best Budget 1080p Gaming Monitor
You’ve been working on a wallet-friendly PC build, so you need a quality budget gaming monitor to keep your spending in check, and the Asus TUF Gaming VG259QR is exactly that. At slightly over $200, this monitor still rocks a 165Hz refresh rate and G-Sync compatibility for butter-smooth frames in all your games. There’s also a speedy one-millisecond response time to keep those visuals on point, while a shadow boost feature helps expose enemies lurking in the shadows.
On top of its stellar gaming specs, the 24.5-inch monitor offers a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees and a height-adjustable, pivoting stand to ensure the screen is at the perfect eye level. Its display brings crisp, clear images in 1080p with an anti-flicker feature and ultra-low blue light to prevent eye fatigue, letting you game for hours. However, the display isn’t the brightest and has a less-than-stellar contrast ratio, but those flaws can be forgiven given the low price tag.
5. Acer Nitro XZ270
Best Curved 1080p Gaming Monitor
If you want to add a 1080p gaming monitor to your setup without breaking the bank, and you happen to be interested in a curved monitor, the Acer Nitro XZ270 ticks all the boxes. It’s incredibly affordable, and offers a 1500R curvature and Adaptive-Sync Technology. With built-in speakers, a 240Hz refresh rate, and 1ms response time, this budget gaming monitor shouldn’t be missed.
In terms of ergonomics, the Acer Nitro XZ270 can be tilted, raised, and turned. You can pretty much customize it to your liking. And with a 27-inch display, there’s plenty of room to enjoy your favorite titles in HD quality.
6. Dell 27 Curved Gaming Monitor (S2721HGF)
Best Curved 1080p Gaming Monitor with G-Sync
For the most immersive gaming experience, a curved monitor is often the way to go, and the best option with a 1080p resolution is the Dell 27 Curved Gaming Monitor (S2721HGF). This display offers 27 inches of screen real estate that wraps around your field of view with 1500R curvature. Its VA panel also delivers great contrast for deeper blacks to bring more depth to scenes, and bold, vibrant colors make for a more enjoyable viewing experience.
The Dell S2721HGF is ready to game. You get a 144Hz refresh rate with adaptive sync technology baked in to eliminate screen tearing. A quick response time also helps cut back on motion blur. However, given the 1080p resolution, the display has a low pixel density, so aliasing is an issue.
7. ASUS TUF Gaming VG328H1B
Best FreeSync 1080p Gaming Monitor
The best FreeSync monitors come at a much more affordable price than G-Sync, making the ASUS TUF Gaming VG328H1B an excellent value. You can snag this monitor for under $260. Though the 144Hz refresh rate is nothing to rave about, it’s overclockable to 165Hz and pairs perfectly with the FreeSync Premium support. That means you’ll enjoy tear-free frames, while a one-millisecond response time and Extreme Low Motion Blur help with motion fidelity.
The ASUS TUF Gaming VG328H1B delivers a large, 32-inch display with a slight curve for more immersion in the action. Given the size, be prepared for some pixel peeping. Its VA panel has high contrast for deeper blacks, and a Shadow Boost feature helps to enhance details in darker scenes. At 250 nits, this monitor isn’t the brightest and probably isn’t best for sunlit rooms, though its color performance is respectable.
Where to Get the Best 1080p 144Hz Gaming Monitors in the UK
Getting that delightfully smooth experience while gaming is important no matter what continent you’re on. UK readers should be happy to hear all the brilliant monitors we’ve mentioned across the length of this article, are also available on the British side of the pond. You’ve got a few options to choose from here, with our favourite currently the Asus TUF Gaming monitor, perfect for those fast-paced gaming experiences. But, all the options on show will impress even the most avid gamers, so take your time and consider the options.
1080P Gaming Monitor FAQ
Why should you consider a 1080p gaming monitor?
By sacrificing resolution, you gain speed. A 1080p monitor isn’t as crisp as a 1440p monitor, and it hardly holds a candle to a 4K display. However, without a powerful graphics card at the heart of your gaming PC, you probably won’t have an enjoyable, or even playable, frame rate at those higher resolutions. Keeping things at a Full HD resolution means you can enable some more graphical effects like tessellation and ambient occlusion.
Refresh rate is a measure of how fast a monitor can display a new image. A 60Hz monitor redraws the image 60 times a second, and a 144Hz monitor does so 144 times a second. Variable refresh rate is important because it puts a cap on how many frames per second you can achieve when syncing your GPU’s output to your monitor’s refresh rate via G-Sync or FreeSync to prevent tearing.
If you play fast-twitch shooters or engage in Esports competitions, then refresh rate is often a more important figure than a monitor’s pixel count. A refresh rate of 144Hz is in the sweet spot between the two most common 60Hz, which are too slow for serious gamers, and 240Hz gaming monitors, which you should only consider if you have a super high-end GPU that will let you push frame rates to their limits.
What monitor size is best for 1080p gaming?
One of the biggest problems you run into with 1080p monitors is pixel peeping as you go up in size. Therefore, it’s usually better to grab a smaller monitor to avoid a grainy picture. Of course, you still want to see all the action in games, so going too small can be an issue.
We’ve found that around 25 inches is ideal for Full HD monitors. You’ll get a good amount of screen real estate while the picture remains detailed and crisp. It’s also a great size for competitive FPS gaming since you won’t need to move your head as much to see the entire screen. Where you sit relative to the display comes into play as well, so the further away you sit from it, the larger the size of a 1080p monitor you can get away with.
Variable Refresh Rate and You
A fast 144Hz refresh rate (or faster) isn’t the only thing you need for smooth gaming. All that speed can lead to some ugly screen tearing. Screen tearing is when your GPU and screen are out of sync, and you see a partially-drawn frame before the previous frame is gone.
You’ve no doubt seen this effect before, especially if you played games on older consoles. You can turn on V-Sync in most games to eliminate the problem, but in the process, you add an extra strain on your hardware. A variable refresh rate monitor eliminates the hardware strain while making sure the only complete frames are drawn on your display.
G-Sync is Nvidia’s proprietary solution and works with Nvidia graphics cards. FreeSync is AMD’s solution and works with its GPUs, but unlike G-Sync, it doesn’t require special hardware built into the monitor.
Well, at least that was the way it did until January 15, 2019, when Nvidia announced it was enabling G-Sync on select FreeSync monitors. So, there are loads of officially G-Sync Compatible FreeSync monitors.
The waters on compatibility are a bit muddied now because even if some monitors aren’t officially recognized and listed as being G-Sync Compatible, they still might be.
Just look at our roundup of the Best FreeSync gaming monitors for Nvidia GPUs, and you’ll see we’ve picked quite a few that aren’t on Nvidia’s list of G-Sync compatible displays. That said, we’ve tested and confirmed that every FreeSync monitor on our list will support Nvidia’s version of variable refresh rate.
If you’re really worried about getting the best possible experience with a fast monitor, you’re going to want a G-Sync or certified G-Sync Compatible monitor.
Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer and unpaid music historian.
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