What size monitor for gaming will work best for you? And how does size relate to resolution and other monitor features? It can be really confusing when you are looking for the best gaming monitor, but are not familiar with all the latest terminologies.
Finding the best gaming monitor used to be a relatively simple thing. It was just screen size. That and price were literally the only determining factors. These days, however, there are so many buzzwords and features associated with displays, whether they are gaming oriented or not. There are terms like ‘refresh rate’, ‘HDR’, ‘DPI’, ‘resolution’, ‘latency’, and so on. What does it all mean?
Manufacturers don’t make it any easier as their marketing materials each claim that the respective company is the best and uses the best and most fancy monitor features. With so much to learn and so many options to choose from, finding the best gaming monitor can be a daunting operation.
Most of the time, a 24 inch class monitor (24 to 25 inches) is the perfect size for a gaming monitor. There are some rare situations where you can either make do with a smaller 22 inch gaming monitor or tolerate a larger 27 or 32 inch gaming monitor, but a 24 inch gaming monitor is the best size overall. 24 inch gaming monitors come in a variety of resolution with a variety of features across all price ranges. Most of the time, a 24 inch monitor will fit just fine on any desk and will fit in with any surrounding décor.
In this article, we will go monitor features and specifications and what they mean in terms of performance and user experience. Then, we will discuss some factors that come into play in determining the best monitor size for gaming.
How Is Monitor Size Measured?
Before we get into the nitty gritty details of gaming monitors, first we need to discuss how monitors are sized. While you may think a 22″ display is 22″ inches wide, it’s actually only about 18 inches wide.
This is because monitors are measured diagonally. Remember, for every inch a screen is bigger diagonally, a much larger surface area is gained. So that means a monitor that has only a slightly larger screen size than another monitor will have much more screen real-estate.
What Are The Standard Monitor Sizes?
| Brand/Name | Price | Size | Resolution | Max Refresh Rate | Pixel Type | Variable Refresh Rate |
| ASUS TUF Gaming VG259QM | $249 | 25 Inch | 1920×1080 | 280 Hz | IPS | FreeSync |
| ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM | $840 | 27 Inch | 2560×1440 | 240 Hz | IPS | G-SYNC |
| Samsung LC32G75TQSNXZA | $579.99 | 32 Inch | 2560×1440 | 240 Hz | VA | FreeSync |
22 Inches
This is a good place to start when looking for a gaming monitor. While there are smaller gaming monitors than 22 inches, this size is typically the minimum screen size that you would consider for a gaming-oriented display.
As far as resolution, if you are looking for a 22-inch gaming monitor, you want it to be at least 1080P. The falling price of 24″ monitors has somewhat pushed 22 inch gaming monitors into somewhat of a state of obscurity.
24 Inches
24 inch gaming monitors are by far the most common display. The lowest end 24″ gaming monitors have a 1080P resolution, but it’s not unusual to find a mid-range or even lower-end 24″ gaming monitor that has a 1440P LCD panel. There are also some 4k resolution 24 inch gaming monitors on the market that are worth taking a look at.
These are by far the most common size when it comes to gaming monitors. There are so many 24 inch monitors in production, there is bound to be one that has the right features and price for you.
27 Inches
27-inch monitors usually have a 1440p resolution. You can find some that are 1080P, but I would recommend avoiding those. This is because at 27 inches, the pixels in a 1080P display are rather large and can easily be discerned by the human eye. This drastically reduces impressiveness and lowers the overall experience.
32 Inches
At 32 inches, we are in TV territory. There are, however, some fundamental differences between a TV and a monitor. With that being said, a 32″ gaming monitor is often too big for most circumstances and requires a special setup to really get the most out of them.
Some people care more than others about how much their monitor fits in with the rest of their décor. So, you might want to ask yourself, ‘Do I want to put a massive, TV-sized monitor on my desk?’
What Size Monitor For Gaming Is Best For Me?
When it comes to what size monitor for gaming is best for you, there are a few things you need to take into consideration.
PC Performance Influences What Size Monitor For Gaming Is Best
You need to make sure your computer is powerful enough to run the games that you like to play at the monitor’s native resolution. If you are not running a high resolution monitor at its proper, native resolution, the image will most certainly be blurry and could possibly be distorted along the X axis.
Most larger displays have higher resolutions. So, if you don’t have a really fast computer, you may want to pick either a 22 inch gaming monitor or a 24 inch gaming monitor with a 1080p native resolution.
The Size Of Your Room Influences What Size Monitor For Gaming Is Best
If you have a small room, you simply might not have the space to practically house a giant display. So, if you have a normal-sized desk in a somewhat-small-sized room, 27 inches is pretty much going to be your upper limit the best size for a gaming monitor.
The Size Of Your Budget Influences What Size Monitor For Gaming Is Best
If you aren’t working with a lot of resources, then you may be limited to smaller display sizes. It’s no coincidence that larger displays are often more expensive than small displays. The good news is resolution is cheap. Resolution is the digital size of an image, and a gaming monitor’s size is the physical size of the image.
The good news is that there’s this one neat treat that the monitor manufacturers don’t want you to know. If you cannot afford a slightly larger display, all you have to do is move the display slightly closer.
That’s right. I said it.
As long as the cheaper, smaller monitor is the same resolution as the more expensive, larger monitor, all you have to do is move the monitor forward just a little bit. Moving your monitor forward just 1 inch reduces the distance between you and the monitor by a significant percentage.
This makes the monitor seem bigger than it was, while providing the same exact digital image as the slightly larger, but much more expensive monitor.
The Size Of Your Desk Influences What Size Monitor For Gaming Is Best
have a small room, you simply might not have the space to practically house a giant display. So, if you have a normal-sized desk or your desk is in a somewhat-small-sized room, 27 inches is pretty much going to be your upper limit in regards to the best size for a gaming monitor.
This may not be a limiting factor for most people. I would most certainly be one of those people that puts a massive TV-sized monitor on their desk. I am also, however, the type of person that would put a 500HP engine in a $1400 dollar car.
Most people, on the other hand, are much more practical individuals. So, they aren’t going to want a massive, hulking display permanently in a situation that was both aesthetically and mechanically designed for a much smaller, lighter monitor.
What About Ultrawide Displays?
Back when i first got into computers, monitors typically had an aspect ratio of 5:4 or 4:3. To be honest, most of them had a 4:3 aspect ratio. For the longest time, however, 16:9 has been the de facto standard gaming monitor aspect ratio. Recently, however, there have been an influx of 21:9 monitors on the market. These displays are also known as ultrawide displays.
Most of the time an ultrawide monitor is not a practical gaming solution. There are some exceptions, however, in the case of racing games and flight simulators. In these use-cases, it makes sense to have an ultrawide gaming monitor.
In most cases, however, games don’t support a horizontal FOV wider than 90 degrees. This is not a problem on a 16:9 monitor, but on an ultrawide monitor, that results in the game looking stretched and distorted.
ASUS TUF Gaming VG259QM
Best 25 Inch Gaming Monitor
Most entry-level gaming monitors have a 1080p resolution. This provides several benefits. To start, having a lower resolution display makes your computer run games better because it’s less information per second that has to be processed.
Also, running at 1080P makes it really easy to push up the refresh rate. This delivers a silky smooth experience and excellent responsiveness in video games. With such a low resolution, however, 108P is not the best for reading text or multitasking.
The ASUS TUF Gaming VG259QM is arguably the best 25 inch gaming monitor you can get. It supports a blazing fast 240Hz refresh rate and an excellent outstanding response time, which makes it ideal for fast-paced games.
Another great thing about this monitor is that it has such incredibly little input lag. This monitor supports both FreeSync and G-sync, as long as you are using one of the more recent nVidia graphics cards.
ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM
Best 27 Inch Gaming Monitor
If you’re a PC gamer, you will find that the ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM with a high refresh rate and VRR support will provide an excellent gaming experience.
If you tend to play on a console, there are some 4k options available with HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and there are also a few 28 inch models with a 4k resolution if you want something slightly bigger.
When it comes to 27 inch gaming monitors, there are plenty of options. It’s not hard to find a 27 inch monitor with a high refresh rate. 27 inch gaming monitors with VRR support are a top pick for hardcore PC gamers. Most 27 inch monitors that support FreeSync also have some level of native G-SYNC support, as well.
Samsung LC32G75TQSNXZA
32 Inch Gaming Monitor
If you want a massive gaming display, the LC32G75TQSNXZA is the best gaming monitor for you. Anything bigger than that starts to become impractical for PC gaming. At 32 inches, 1440p and 4k are the most common resolutions. There are not going to be many 1080P 32 inch displays, because the pixels on this display would be as massive as dinner plates.
As you would expect, the Samsung LC32G75TQSNXZA 32 inch gaming monitor commonly features HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.0 ports. It’s common to find 32 inch gaming motors with high refresh rates that support 4k resolutions, but remember, if you are gaming at high resolutions are refresh rates, you are going to need a computer powerful enough to do that.
The Samsung LC32G75TQSNXZA is by far the best 32 inch gaming monitor you can get for the money. It has a high refresh rate and a fast response time, which along with its ultra low input lag make this an ideal gaming display. This monitor actually comes in two sizes; 27 inch and 32 inch inch.
Both sizes have a 1440p panel, so that means that smaller one will be the sharper of the two.
Conclusion
What size monitor for gaming will work best for you really will come down to your preferences and budget.
Finding the best gaming monitor can be complicated with so many many buzzwords and features associated with them. This is not made any easier by manufacturer marketing material that claims each company is the one that makes the best stuff.
Generally speaking, 24 inch monitors are the best monitor size for gaming. If you cant afford a larger display, you can go with a smaller model, and if you have space for a TV-sized display, you can go for a 32 inch. Most of the time, however, a 24 inch monitor is going to make the most sense and provide the best value.
We hope this article helped you find the best monitor size for gaming. Thanks for reading.
Marziano is a seasoned tech expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and multiple certifications, including CompTIA A+, Network+, and Cisco’s CCNA, he has a well-rounded and robust understanding of various aspects of technology.