If you’ve been holding back from upgrading that old 1080p monitor screen from your PlayStation 3 days, it’s time for an upgrade.
The ninth generation of consoles brings true 4K gaming to your living room, and your PlayStation 5 has the power to deliver ultra-high-definition resolutions at up to 120 frames per second. To fully enjoy all that it has to offer, you’ll need a monitor that can keep up.
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Best Budget Monitors for PS5
You don’t need to spend big to get a quality gaming monitor. These are our favorite screens for gamers looking for a great modern gaming experience on a tight budget.
Dell G2724D
| Key specs | • 27″ IPS LCD • 1440p resolution • 165 Hz refresh rate |
| What we like about it | • Great refresh rate • Low input delay • FreeSync VRR and G-SYNC support |
| What we don’t like about it | • No USB ports or audio jack • Poor contrast range |
The Dell G2724D is a great choice for budget-conscious gamers, with full VRR support, a 165 Hz refresh rate, and ultra-low input lag. These features together make competitive games, like first-person shooters and fighters, perform smoothly, with minimal screen tearing and only slight smearing. Sure, the contrast range isn’t the best and it’s missing some quality-of-life features like USB ports and audio jacks, but few monitors can match its value at this price point.
AOC Q27G3XMN
| Key specs | • 27″ VA display • 1440p resolution • 185 Hz refresh rate |
| What we like about it | • High contrast ratio and brightness • 336 dimming zones |
| What we don’t like about it | • Occasional VRR flicker • Smearing on fast-moving objects • No USB ports or audio jack |
If you’re willing to spend a bit more cash for better-looking visuals, the AOC Q27G3XMN is the way to go. Its VA display features mini LED backlighting with 336 dimming zones, allowing for a very high contrast range and impressive visual quality compared to other budget-friendly options on the market. The screen’s biggest weakness is that there’s some slight black smearing on fast-moving objects, which is a known downside to VA displays.
Best Monitors for Visual Quality
What if you want the best visual fidelity possible? Here are two of the best QD-OLED screens that let you really show off the graphics power of Sony’s console.
Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD S32DG80
| Key specs | • 32″ QD-OLED • 4K resolution • 240 Hz refresh rate • 0.3 ms response time |
| What we like about it | • No discernible ghosting or smearing • Incredible color reproduction and contrast ratio • Outstanding response time |
| What we don’t like about it | • VRR flicker reduction increases response time • Loses image clarity in very bright rooms • Prone to burn-in |
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD S32DG80 features a QD-OLED screen that dishes up deep blacks and vibrant colors at a crisp 4K resolution. Even more impressive is that it does it at 240 Hz with no discernible ghosting and smearing. The only drawbacks are its susceptibility to burn-in (an issue with all QD-OLED displays) and a lack of productivity features, like USB-C power delivery ports or a KVM switch. Setting up the Odyssey is a plug-and-play experience, made even easier thanks to a handy companion app that lets you control every setting from the comfort of your phone.
ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP
| Key specs | • 32″ QD-OLED display • 4K resolution |
| What we like about it | • USB-C ports delivering up to 90 W of power • Beautiful QD-OLED display • 1080p @ 480 Hz “performance mode” for competitive gaming |
| What we don’t like about it | • Colors aren’t as vivid as the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD • Prone to burn-in • Tripod stand takes up too much desk space |
Like the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD, the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP also boasts a QD-OLED screen. But while the contrast and color accuracy are great on the ASUS monitor, it falls just short of the Odyssey, which has slightly more vibrant colors and a brighter screen. Where the ASUS ROG Swift stands out is its performance mode, which allows for a refresh rate of up to 480 Hz at 1080p. If you’re into esports or high-level competitive gaming, you’ll appreciate the responsiveness that 480 Hz can give you.
Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P
| Key specs | • 32″ QD-OLED • 4K resolution • 240 Hz refresh rate • 0.3 ms response time |
| What we like about it | • Vibrant colors accuracy and deep blacks • DisplayPort 2.1 ports |
| What we don’t like about it | • Prone to burn-in • Blacks lose depth in bright |
The Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P stands toe-to-toe with the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD and the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP when it comes to visual fidelity. Like the ASUS ROG Swift, the AORUS features USB-C ports with power delivery (65 W compared to the 90 W in the Swift) and a KVM switch. This monitor’s standout feature is its support for DisplayPort 2.1, which allows for uncompressed 4K video data at 120 frames per second. Unfortunately, the PS5 doesn’t support the DisplayPort interface, so your console won’t be able to take advantage of it.
Editor’s Picks: Our favorite monitors for PS5
As with most hardware, the best value gaming monitors are typically found in the mid- to upper-mid budget bracket. Here are our favorite monitors that let you enjoy the full PS5 experience without breaking the bank.
Sony INZONE M9 II
| Key specs | • 27″ Full-array IPS LCD • 160 Hz refresh rate • 1 ms G2G response time |
| What we like about it | • Great screen brightness • Auto HDR Tonemapping support • Excellent value for your money |
| What we don’t like about it | • Lackluster speakers |
The Sony INZONE M9 II has all the key features your average gamer needs at a price that won’t break the bank. The 4K screen and 160 Hz refresh rate ensure you’ll see every frame of action, and the one ms response time makes it a good option for competitive games, too. On top of all that, it’s one of the few monitors that supports Auto HDR Tonemapping, a Sony-specific feature that lets the monitor communicate with your PS5 to dial in the perfect HDR settings for your games.
Samsung Odyssey Neo G8
| Key specs | • 32″ VA display • 4K resolution • 240 Hz refresh rate • 2 ms response time |
| What we like about it | • Great screen brightness • Mini LED local dimming |
| What we don’t like about it | • Some noticeable ghosting • Curved screen requires head turning at relatively close distances |
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 doesn’t have a fancy QD-OLED screen like its more expensive sibling, the G8/G80SD, but its vivid VA display with local dimming is nothing to scoff at. The 240 Hz refresh rate is where the Neo G8 stands out at this price point, making it a great choice for competitive gaming. As with all curved screens, the curve allows for a wider field of view and more consistent focal distance at range, but can be a nuisance at closer distances when the curve may force you turn your head to see images on the sides. Consider how far away from the monitor you plan to sit during play.
How we created this list of monitors
Picking out a new monitor is an investment, so we made sure to identify the key features any good monitor for PS5 should have.
There’s a lot of confusing terminology that gets thrown around, but these are the main things we considered when putting this list together:
- Resolution: The PlayStation 5 supports HDMI 2.1, allowing for up to 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. However, for readers on a budget, a 1440p display can still look great for a bargain.
- Refresh rate (in Hz): This is how many times a screen can refresh frames in one second. Put simply: it’s the max frames per second your screen supports. Keep in mind that while your PS5 can technically render 120 frames per second to your screen, most games will only hit 60–80. Higher is better.
- Response time (in ms): This is how long it takes a screen to actually draw a frame. A higher response time means you’ll feel a longer delay between a button press and its action on your display. Lower is better.
We made sure to consider those big three things first, so all the monitors in this list have response times of two ms or less, refresh rates of at least 160 Hz, and resolutions no smaller than 1440p. Then, we decided our final picks based on more detailed specifications, like monitor ghosting, color accuracy, contrast ratio, and display brightness.
FAQs about best monitors for PS5
What’s the difference between response time and refresh rate?
Response time and refresh rate are two key terms that are often mixed up. Knowing their definitions and why they’re important is key to making smart monitor shopping.
- Refresh rate is how many frames the display can draw in one second. Higher refresh rates are better.
- Response time measures how long it takes for a pixel to change color. Lower response times are better.
Let’s say you’re playing a game that your PS5 can play at 80 frames per second. If your screen’s refresh rate is 60 Hz, then it can only display a maximum of 60 frames per second. Essentially, your PS5 is rendering 20 extra frames per second that your monitor can’t draw.
Now, let’s assume your monitor has a response time of 200 ms (that’s really bad, by the way). When you press the jump button, the button press sends a signal from your controller to the PS5, which then calculates what the next frame will be (ideally, the start of your jump action) and sends it along to your monitor. Your monitor then takes another 200 ms (or 0.2 seconds) to draw that next frame, causing a huge delay between you pressing the jump button and the actual jump appearing on screen.
What’s the difference between HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 2.1?
HDMI 2.1 is a newer standard than HDMI 2.0. There are lots of technical differences between the standards, but as a PS5 owner, the main thing you should be concerned about is how it affects resolution and frame rate. Since the PS5 supports HDMI 2.1, it can output 4K video at 120 frames per second. If your console is connected to a HDMI 2.0 monitor, or you use a HDMI 2.0 cable to connect your PS5 to your monitor, then your PS5 will never output anything more than 4K at 60 frames per second.
What is local dimming?
Local dimming is a technique that involves dimming specific regions of your display while keeping others bright. It allows for greater contrast between the bright and dark regions of an image. Local dimming is one of the biggest benefits of OLED screens, as the panel type allows for specific pixels to be turned off, allowing for deeper, inky blacks. Many monitor makers use Mini LEDs to add local dimming to cheaper panel types like IPS and VA, which are known for their poor black levels and highlights.
Final Thoughts
Shopping for a good gaming monitor can be a long and technical process. I’ve tried my best to keep this guide as simple and easy-to-follow as possible, but I encourage you to take some time to dive into the specifications of monitors. There’s a lot of competition in the gaming monitor space, and it’s always good to know what you’re looking for and the relevant terminology to find it. That said, if all the research you ever do is read this list, you can rest assured that any monitor you find here will be well worth its price tag.
Published: Oct 11, 2024 02:55 pm