Asus is no stranger to the PC gaming industry. In fact, it's one of the best-known names in the field. Its motherboards, graphics cards, laptops and monitors have tons of fans due to the good value and even better performance of nearly all their offerings. So if you're looking for a quality gaming monitor, there are few better brands to start looking at.
While everyone's preferences are a little different in size, resolution and refresh rate, the Asus Tuf VG28UQ is the all-around best choice if you can afford it. It's a great 4K option with low pixel response times and a wide color gamut that makes any game genre look great.
Asus makes a huge variety of respectable gaming hardware. Most of it falls into either the ROG or Tuf Gaming lineups. Typically, the ROG Strix and Swift designations are reserved for the most premium hardware.
If you see the ROG badge on a component or peripheral, you can be confident it's packed with the most powerful features. However, you can also be reasonably certain that it's expensive. The price difference between Asus ROG and Tuf components can be huge, especially for monitors.
With that in mind, most of the best recommendations are for Asus Tuf monitors. ROG monitors are incredibly costly, and it's questionable whether the benefits are worth the price. Beyond that, there's a small but significant number of dissatisfied buyers of Asus' most high-end monitors. By comparison, Asus' entry-level and midrange displays perform well and see consistent, widespread praise.
The vast majority of PC monitors sport a 16:9 aspect ratio. Ultrawide monitors have seen a decent popularity hike in the last several years, but they're far from mainstream. That's partly because they tend to be expensive while also taking up quite a bit of space and requiring more powerful hardware to drive the additional pixels.
If you're interested in an ultrawide monitor, Asus has several great ones. Be aware, however, that they get expensive quickly as you opt for midrange and premium features.
Not to be discouraging, but modern 4K graphics and all the associated post-processing techniques can greatly strain the hardware. If you're working with a years-old midrange build or a recent, budget-friendly custom PC, you won't be able to sniff 4K resolutions in today's AAA titles.
But not all is lost. Gamers running graphics cards such as the 5-year-old GTX 1070 Ti should have no difficulty playing at 1080p with high frame rates, with some such builds able to master 1440p without breaking a sweat.
Plus, you don't necessarily have to match your monitor and PC perfectly. Unlike individual components such as the CPU and motherboard, monitors are heavily future-proofed as long as they have a resolution and refresh rate that will hold up for the next several years.
Most gaming monitors range from 24 to 32 inches. At the low end of that spectrum, a 1080p monitor will look just fine. As you approach the larger sizes, 1440p and 4K resolutions become more effective. In most setups, you won't be able to pick out individual pixels on a 27-inch, 1440p monitor sitting directly across a desk. If you have a powerful gaming PC, a 4K monitor can significantly enhance image clarity.
The refresh rate refers to how many times the display produces an image every second. Today's quality gaming monitors almost always have 120-hertz refresh rates or better. There's nothing inherently wrong with gaming at 60 frames per second, but you'll notice a huge difference moving up to 100 fps or greater.
Also, pay attention to variable refresh rate technology. Recent Nvidia and AMD graphics cards support each company's proprietary VRR tech after years of competition led to each manufacturer opening their method up to an essentially open standard. The newest HDMI 2.1 monitors likely support the HDMI Forum's VRR format, as do graphics cards with HDMI 2.1 outputs.
You'll see less about this than you would with TVs. Figures such as 125% sRGB and 90% DCI-P3 coverage mean a monitor can display rich and bright colors in almost any scene.
Asus' lowest-priced monitors are in the $200 range. It offers some for as much as $2,000, but you'll get the best performance for the dollar between roughly $500-$800.
A. They do, with caveats. If you want to take advantage of a current-generation Xbox or PlayStation, make sure to get a monitor with an HDMI 2.1 connection. PC graphics cards have DisplayPort outputs with higher specifications than HDMI 2.0, but consoles have no such connectors.
A. The names sound related, but they're actually not dependent on each other. Response time is the time it takes a pixel to change from one color to another (and, possibly, back again, depending on which manufacturer is measuring). A fast response time leads to clean motion handling with no pixel smearing, ghosting or shadowy artifacts.
By contrast, input lag refers to the time it takes a human input (for example, clicking a mouse button) to show up on the screen. This has little to do with response time, and almost everything to do with the efficiency of the programming and circuitry in the gaming PC and monitor.
What you need to know: A high-resolution and ultra-fast panel make this great for any kind of gaming.
What you'll love: Measuring 28 inches with a 4K resolution, it delivers the clearest possible image. It's so sharp, it lets you disable features, such as antialiasing, that other monitors rely on for perfectly crisp visuals. It supports both DisplayPort and HDMI connections, including coverage of the complete HDMI 2.1 standard that includes 120-hertz playback without the lossy compression that older displays usually use.
What you should consider: It's not cheap, and some gamers prefer slightly larger screens for more immersion.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
What you need to know: It's not very big, but it's as fast as nearly any other monitor and has a relatively crisp image.
What you'll love: Even dedicated esports players will appreciate the 280-hertz refresh rate of this moderately priced display. It produces little to no ghosting thanks to its fast-changing pixels and is compatible with both common forms of variable refresh rate technology.
What you should consider: It's limited to resolutions of 1080p or lower. However, it still looks sharp because it's only 24.5 inches.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
What you need to know: It offers tons of screen space and a 1440p panel that can produce up to 165 fps.
What you'll love: Since most people don't have the absolute most cutting-edge computing hardware, QHD monitors are incredibly popular. This one measures 32 inches with moderate curvature, which makes for a remarkably immersive experience. It supports AMD and Nvidia variable refresh rate technology as well as advanced motion handling technology that reduces smearing and ghosting. If you don't want something quite this big, there's a 27-inch version that's nearly identical.
What you should consider: It doesn't produce the deepest blacks and its color gamut coverage isn't quite up to par with more high-end options.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
What you need to know: It's 34 inches with a 21:9 aspect ratio, a handful of high-end features and a reasonable price.
What you'll love: Its ultrawide format and relatively aggressive curvature make it seem like you're actually part of the action, as long as your PC can handle all the pixels. It boasts Display HDR 400 certification that ensures high dynamic contrast and above-average peak brightness. It can reach up to 180 hertz and has a built-in USB hub for convenient peripheral attachment.
What you should consider: While the cost is reasonable, it's still not cheap, and that's just how it is with most good ultrawide monitors. Also, not all games fully support the 21:9 aspect ratio, although that's getting better.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Chris Thomas writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
