These days, a gaming monitor is an essential part of any gaming setup: it's what displays the images of the game you're playing, makes them smooth and lets you see before you're seen! It's therefore indispensable, which is exactly why you need to choose it carefully. Among the most important selection criteria: the refresh rate. On the market, you'll come across plenty of different refresh rates: 60 Hz, 75 Hz, 120 Hz, 144 Hz, 165 Hz, 240 Hz, 360 Hz, 540 Hz and, more recently, BenQ Zowie announced a 600 Hz gaming monitor. But brands like iiyama, AOC, Philips and ASRock are in the game too! As you can tell, there's something for every taste and, above all, every need. And that's exactly what we're going to look at together: your needs. We'll guide you towards the refresh rate that suits you, based on the games you play and the power of your rig.
Understanding the relationship between FPS, refresh rate and rig power!
First things first, there are a few points you need to grasp before making your choice. The first is that there's a relationship between your rig's power, frames per second and your monitor's refresh rate. In short: you can have the best rig with the latest components, capable of generating plenty of frames per second, but if you play on a 60 Hz monitor your PC's power will be bottlenecked, because the screen can only ever display a maximum of 60 FPS. Conversely, there's no point buying a 240 Hz monitor or higher if your rig isn't powerful enough to generate a high frame rate. So you need to know how powerful your rig is and, above all, which games you're going to play. If your rig allows it and you have the budget, a monitor with a high refresh rate will give you a visual edge of a few frames (in CS:GO or Valorant, for example) over an opponent running a lower refresh rate.
The 60 Hz gaming monitor
The 60 Hz gaming monitor is the one with the lowest refresh rate. It's the default monitor — both the most used and the least used! Let me explain: the 60 Hz monitor is widely used for a first setup, because it's far more affordable than the others. On the other hand, it's the gaming monitor least used by competitive players, because its refresh rate isn't high enough: it can't display enough frames per second to let them stay responsive. So if you're a competitive player chasing performance, we'd advise against a 60 Hz monitor, because you won't be able to compete with your opponents. That said, if you're on a tight budget, if you play single-player games or games that don't demand quick reactions, then the 60 Hz gaming monitor is still a very good option!
The 120 Hz / 144 Hz / 165 Hz / 180 Hz gaming monitor
120 Hz, 144 Hz, 165 Hz and 180 Hz gaming monitors are the most widely used by the general public, because they offer the best value for money. These are the monitors with the most versatile refresh rates, able to meet most people's needs whatever the game. A 165 Hz or 180 Hz gaming monitor will let you stay competitive and enjoy good image smoothness, particularly in FPS titles, at a reasonable price: you can find them from €100-200, though the price varies depending on the panel type and the technologies bundled with the monitor. The gaming community agrees that the biggest step up — and the biggest difference in terms of gameplay, performance and in-game feel — sits between the 60 Hz monitor and the 180 Hz monitor. Beyond 180 Hz, the difference becomes increasingly marginal and comes down to micro-details.
240 Hz gaming monitors and above
The 240 Hz gaming monitor is the go-to choice for pro players across every competitive game, because it's the one that lets them get the most out of their potential by displaying 240 frames per second, creating ultra-smooth gameplay and delivering huge responsiveness. At pro level, the difference comes down to details — which is why they use 240 Hz or 360 Hz monitors (the gap between the two is minimal). If your ambition is to become a pro player and you want to put yourself in the best possible conditions, going for a 240 Hz monitor or higher can be the right call, but the price climbs fast.
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