We’ve thoroughly reviewed well over 100 monitors in our time, and we know exactly what to look for in a gaming monitor. The best we’ve found is the Asus TUF, an oldie but a goodie. It’s a nice balance of gaming features and value. But beyond that, we’ve chosen some other great 144Hz with features such as G-Sync or a 4K screen resolution.
Asus TUF Gaming VG279Q1R
Best overall 144Hz monitor
Why you should buy this: At 1440p, with a high-refresh rate, and a beautiful IPS panel, the TUF is a fantastic gaming screen at a great price.
Who’s it for: Anyone who isn’t concerned about G-Sync.
Why we chose the Asus TUF:
It’s rare for us to award the top spot on a hardware list to something that’s been around for several years, but the Asus TUF has kept a firm grip on our gaming heart for a number of important reasons. It remains a remarkable solution for anyone wanting to enjoy a high refresh rate, but just as importantly, it’s very affordable too, despite its feature set.
At 1440p and without HDR, it’s not the most high-end of monitors, but it hits the sweet spot of making games look far better than 1080P while lacking the monstrous overhead of high refresh rate 4K. It supports FreeSync, rather than Nvidia’s G-Sync, which makes it cheaper and there are ways to get G-Sync working on it if you have an Nvidia graphics card. Alternatively, the recommendation below is a little more costly, but has G-Sync support baked in.
The TUF has wide viewing angles, fantastic contrast and colour thanks to its IPS panel, and a wide colour gamut with solid colour accuracy. Its 1ms response time is fast enough for almost all gamers, and it has a mix of Asus technologies that reduce blue light and flickering. It even has a cable tidy for the back.
The TUF is growing older, but it’s still one of the best high refresh rate displays you can buy and our favourite.
HP 27xq Monitor
Best G-Sync 144Hz monitor
Why you should buy this: High quality meets affordability in this monitor.
Who’s it for: Nvidia graphics card owners who want the best of the best.
Why we chose the HP 27xq:
The HP 27xq is the best G-Sync technology on the market currently. The 27xq is a stunning high refresh rate monitor that ticks all the same boxes — but it does have some shortcomings. It has a 1440p, 144Hz IPS panel (that can be overclocked to 165Hz) with great viewing angles and contrast. It’s our favourite gaming monitor.
Furthermore, it’s not the brightest of monitors, but then it doesn’t support HDR, so those pops in brightness and colour aren’t as important. While that is something we miss when using a display like this one, it doesn’t detract from how great a high refresh rate monitor this one is. It looks incredible at 1440p and leaves enough graphical headroom for even AAA games to get over 100 FPS if you have a decent graphics card to power it.
It’s not a cheap monitor by any means, but it’s cheaper than many of its 4K contemporaries. The HP 27xq offers value for money whilst ticking almost every box we want to see on a high refresh rate display.
ViewSonic XG2405
Best budget 144Hz monitor
Why you should buy this: It’s affordable and great to look at with a fast, 144Hz refresh rate.
Who’s it for: Those who don’t mind sacrificing certain features to get an affordable 144Hz screen.
Why we chose the ViewSonic XG2405:
You don’t have to spend a lot to get a great 144Hz monitor, and in fact you can spend relatively little without making any major sacrifices if you know where to look. The ViewSonic XG2405 might not be particularly large, but its 24-inches is more than enough for 1080p gaming. It still supports the 144Hz high refresh rate of its contemporaries.
As a TN panel, it’s no surprise that this display has a response time of just 1ms, so there’s no need for concerns over ghosting. It also supports brightness levels up to 350 nits, which is comparable to some of our favourite non-HDR gaming displays. It even has AMD FreeSync, so those with AMD graphics cards can enjoy tear-free gaming without the need for V-Sync.
The 3 side borderless design is a nice touch and the overall image of this display is pretty solid too. You do have to put up with thicker bezels and a rather boring design, but at an affordable price you get a blazingly fast, 1080p, high refresh rate monitor. That’s hard to beat, making this the best budget 144Hz display we’ve ever come across.
Samsung C49HG90
Best ultrawide 144Hz monitor
Why you should buy this: Its enormous wraparound panel is immersive and beautiful to look at.
Who’s it for: Anyone who wants to ditch the bezels of their multi-monitor setups.
Why we chose the Samsung C49HG90:
If physical screen space is the most important factor for you when gaming or working with a high refresh rate, there’s nothing that can beat Samsung’s C49HG90. It is absolutely enormous, stretching 49-inches diagonally before you factor in the bezels. While it is ‘only’ 3,840 x 1,080, so more like a pair of 27-inch 1080p screens side by side without the bezels, that resolution still looks fantastic. With so much screen real estate, games are incredibly immersive (the 1800R curvature helps there too) while work is enhanced with the ability to sit multiple windows side by side on the same screen.
Alongside its 144Hz refresh rate, the Samsung CHG90 also supports HDR for popping colours and deep whites and blacks, and a 1ms response time, so you needn’t fear ghosting on this screen. It does lack G-Sync, but FreeSync is available for AMD gamers and Nvidia users willing to jump through a few hoops for frame synchronization.
If you want to ditch a dual monitor display or just want the most immersive, wraparound gaming experience possible, the CHG90 is one of the best high refresh rate options.
