If you are a PC gamer, then it should come as no surprise that you need a good monitor. You must have a monitor that fits your needs so you can enjoy a wonderful experience while playing your favorite game.
However, one question that may arise in your mind before you go monitor shopping is: What is the best monitor size for gaming?
There are numerous options available in the market, and you may find it difficult to select the best option for yourself if you don’t have adequate knowledge beforehand.
Generally, the best size for gaming depends on a couple of factors these include its resolution, your distance from the screen, and the pixel density, but it all comes down to your preferred choice whether you would like to have a 24 inch, 27 inches or a 32-inch monitor.
Through this article, we look in detail at the functions and specifications that each of these monitors sizes offer to help you choose the best monitor for your setup.
Table of Contents
Measuring Monitor size
Before we jump into the discussion of the best monitor size for gaming, we first need to look at how exactly we measure a monitor’s size. The standard way of measuring a monitor is diagonal.
As a general rule, you may expect a 22-inch monitor display to have 18 inches width and 10 inches height and a 24-inch monitor display to have 20 inches width and 12 inches height.
Another thing that you should remember is that is each of these monitor sizes will be compatible with a certain resolution. Generally, as the size of the monitor goes up, the resolution does as well; however, it’s about the preference of the buyer to select the option he sees best fit its requirements.
Best Monitor Size For 1440p
Let’s talk about the best monitor size for games running in 1440p, but you might wonder what we mean by 1440p? 1440p is what’s called the height in pixels of the resolution. So, in other words, we can say that 1440p supports a resolution of 2560×1440. The ‘’p’’ is an indication that the resolution is progressive rather than interlaced. Progressive resolution is the best choice for gaming because it provides a better picture quality and reduces the flicker on the screen. It is the ideal choice for gamers who want a high frame rate for playing games. 1440p is also called Quad high definition.
The Wide Quad high definition (WQHD) (2560×1440) resolution is the perfect choice for a monitor of 27-inches. In such a monitor, you get to have 108 PPI that is an excellent mark among the detailing of a picture and the real estate of a screen with no need for any necessary scaling. Moreover, 1440p countenances a greater refresh rate compared to 4K provided that your PC is good enough to handle it.
There might be other monitor sizes available in the market as well that support 1440p. One such size is the 32-inch monitor; however, you may not find it as the ideal size because it would be considered too big for gaming and you would need a much bigger space to accumulate it.
Best Monitor Size For 1080p
If you intend on running a game in 1080p, that is to say, 1920×1080 resolution. Then you should not go out and buy any monitor that has a size less than 24 inches. These monitors should be the perfect choice for gamers that are looking to invest in a monitor while also on a budget. As monitors of this kind are also pretty affordable. Moreover, they also provide the player with a good gaming experience anything smaller than this is just not ideal for the purpose.
When we talk about the complete HD resolution on a monitor of 24 inches, it is believed to result in a pixel density of approximately 91 PPI which might not be the best however it is an extremely decent choice when we consider the detailing of the image and the real estate of the screen.
Another practical choice that gamers prefer is to invest in a 27-inch 1080p monitor. This is because it has a larger display and is only a bit more expensive. Conversely, a monitor of 27 inches may be too big for 1920×1080 resolution as you get approximately 81 PPI which may seem a bit pixelated. Hence, the text will be unclear, and details become blurred in comparison to a 24-inch monitor. Also, if you like to maintain some distance from the monitor while you play games, the pixels might seem poor quality.
So we can say that the best monitor choice for gaming of 1080p is 24 inches. It is a reliable and affordable option.
Best Monitor Size For 4k
Talking about the 4k Ultra HD. It will be a common opinion that a monitor 27 inches or 28 inches is good enough for this purpose. This is because of the high level of resolution. This, as a result, would make everything on the screen look smaller than it is. Meaning you will have to balance the interface for reading text because without doing so the text will be difficult to read. Similarly, gaming would be difficult because you need to keep an eye on every little detail.
Unluckily, every application does not scale well at 4k resolution. Plus, there are some applications that do not scale at all. This, as a result, makes gaming on 4k a bit of challenge. Because if a game is unable to propose custom scaling, certain UI elements may seem smaller. So before going for a 4k monitor, you need to make sure that your game supports it. If it is not compatible with 4K resolution, your monitor won’t perform to the best of its abilities.
4k Monitors generally tend to be bigger than other types of monitors mentioned on the list. This is because of the high resolution and scaling. It makes everything in-game look sharper and brighter.
Ultra-Wide Monitors
Another category of monitors available in the market are the ultra-wide monitors. Such monitors include a 21:9 aspect ratio as compared to the normal 16:9 aspect ratio that is visible in many monitors.
The additional horizontal area that is present along the curved screen wrapping allows you to have a wider field of view and depending on your preference a more enjoyable gaming session. These monitors are most commonly present in a 34-inch monitor size with a 2560×1080 or 3440×1440 resolution.
However, we recommend this monitor for gaming only since it provides a resolution of 2560×1080 on a monitor of 34 inches along with a similar pixel density in comparison to 1080p on a monitor of 27-inches.
Conclusion
In the above discussion, we have looked at several alternatives for the best monitor size for gaming. However, it all comes down to your choice of affordability and requirements.
1080p
For 1080p 1920×1080 resolution, a 23 inch to 25-inch monitor is the best choice. It is because the size is not big enough to break down the resolution; moreover, it provides a good pixel density and a compact size that is used for gaming. However, make sure you don’t go less than that. Because that won’t give you the wonderful gaming experience that you expect of it.
1440p
For 1440p or 4k Ultra HD resolution, the best size is a 27-inch monitor. But you should remember that it is not the only size out there compatible with 4k resolution. Tho it remains a nice and affordable choice compared to other larger monitors that are on the list.
4k Ulta HD
If you want a monitor to run 4k Ultra HD resolution only, then you should go for a 28 inch to a 30-inch monitor. It is because a bigger monitor would provide more display screen and a higher pixel density; hence your gaming experience would be unlike anything else. You can expect a much sharper and brighter display; however, before investing in such a monitor, make sure that the game you intend on playing is compatible with it. Otherwise, the display might not be on par with your expectations.
Higher Resolutions
If you intend on running a game on 2560×1080 resolution, then the ideal choice for you would be a 25 inch to 29-inch ultra-wide monitor. Ultra-wide monitors are innovative and are only advisable for gaming purposes because of their excellent pixel density and high resolution. Moreover, these monitors also provide more field of view inside a game compared to other monitors.
If your requirements are much higher than that. And you are looking for a monitor that can successfully run 3840×1600 resolution. Then the ideal choice for you would be the 38-inch ultra-wide monitor. This monitor is extremely powerful with the highest pixel density as compared to other monitors on the list. It will provide a gaming experience of the best quality. Also, allow you to enjoy your favorite game unlike anything else.
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