Key Points
- New gaming monitors are expensive, but slightly older models can offer similar features at a lower cost.
- The highest refresh rates and ultra-wide design of the latest gaming monitors are ideal for professional eSports players, but average gamers may not notice a significant difference.
- Alternatives to new gaming monitors include VA or IPS gaming monitors for better visuals and color depth, curved gaming monitors for a similar immersive experience, and 360Hz refresh rate gaming monitors for competitive eSports gaming.
The latest gaming monitors are capable of delivering an immersive gaming experience with their ultra-wide design and the fastest refresh rates, which go up to 540Hz. As gamers, we may always feel the need to upgrade, and finding an excuse to do so has never been hard.
Even if budget isn’t the issue, there are plenty of reasons why it doesn’t make sense to buy a new gaming monitor today. Even if you wait a little longer, it may be worth putting off your upgrade because you may get a better deal.
Let’s break down these 7 reasons to avoid a new gaming monitor since they’ll make you think twice before you decide to upgrade.
Background on Gaming Monitors and their Newest Features
The early gaming scene had to make do with CRT monitors. These were the first monitors that were big and clunky and couldn’t project native resolution but had a good refresh rate.
It was the first type of monitor that could only output 480p resolution, and instead of individual pixels, CRT monitors used lines to project the image. But right after CRT, LCD greatly improved the monitors.
LCDs weighed less and could project images with rows of individual pixels. LCDs were able to reduce eye fatigue, eliminate flicker, provide more accurate and brighter colors, and even offer better grayscale accuracy. So, LCDs quickly replaced CRTs.
LCD screens got various versions and upgrades, such as the LED screens that were derived from LCDs, as well as better features that were incorporated into the newer monitors. With the advent of gaming monitors, higher refresh rates, lower response times, and better graphics, ergonomics, and connectivity were introduced.
Today, gaming monitors offer the fastest refresh rates, an ultra-wide viewing experience, and additional small but important improvements over standard monitors.
- 27” WQHD (2560 x 1440p) Non-Glare IPs-grade display
- Up to 178° wide viewing angles
- 1 ms with Ultra Low Motion Blur and 4 ms
- Fast 165Hz refresh rate for a smooth and crisp image
- 95% DCI-P3 Color Gamut and HDR400 support for a rich, vibrant spectrum of color
- Solid aluminum base with Razer Chroma RGB
- Built-in cable management (display cables included)
- Razer Synapse integration to control settings and connect to your battle station
7 Reasons to Avoid a New Gaming Monitor Today
With so many new gaming monitors hitting the market every year, it can be hard not to give in and upgrade. But these 7 reasons to avoid a new gaming monitor might stop your urge today.
You Might Not Need Its Features
Yes, the latest gaming monitors are faster than ever and can provide the most comprehensive visual display and experience. But many gamers may not need the latest monitors to offer these features.
The highest refresh rate offers the fastest frame rate, which is ideal for professional eSports players. These players compete in competitive FPS games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and will get the most out of the new gaming monitors. Average gamers probably won’t even notice the difference, even if they’re semi-pros.
No Need to Upgrade Too Often
Gaming monitors are built with quality in mind, and fortunately, there aren’t many new feature upgrades every year. Therefore, a quality gaming monitor will last at least three to five years before you have to upgrade.
Some gamers may keep their monitors longer. However, a span of three to five years is ideal, because in that time, upgrading to a new gaming monitor doesn’t bring too many new features. So, unless you have a particular reason why you should upgrade more often, it’s smarter to keep your money.
It’s a Pricey Upgrade
New gaming monitors are the best on the market, but they also have the highest price among all the gaming monitors you can choose. Even if you don’t have a gaming monitor yet, buying the latest gaming monitor is an expensive investment.
This is another investment you might not have to make as you can similarly benefit from a slightly older model. You’ll save a lot of money and still get very similar features that are more than sufficient for the average gamer.
Small Differences Compared to a Mainstream Gaming Monitor
At the time of writing, the latest gaming monitors offer two important new features. These include the highest refresh rate (up to 540Hz) and super ultra-wide and ultra-wide sizes.
A mainstream gaming monitor that is a year or two old can offer a refresh rate of up to 360Hz, which is still standing even for professional eSports players. Super ultra-wide and ultra-wide monitors are fun and provide an immersive experience, but you can also pick up a large curved gaming monitor and get a similar effect.
Even if money is no object, these options are a good alternative that can save you a lot of money. A newer gaming monitor may always be fancier, but you should also consider what is best for your gaming needs. You should also think about whether a new gaming monitor will benefit you at all. If not, there’s no need to spend all that extra money.
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New Features Might Not Fit You
OLED gaming monitors seem to have everything that makes the best type of gaming monitor, but they’re just too big. OLED gaming monitors start at 40 inches, and while some manufacturers are working hard to produce 27-inch OLED gaming monitors, they’re not that widely available yet.
Until manufacturers find a way to incorporate OLED technology into smaller monitors, OLED gaming monitors as we know them today aren’t for everyone because of their size.
Curved, immersive, super-ultra-wide and ultra-wide gaming experiences may not be for everyone either. While it may be a new world for some, we encourage you to try them out before you decide to buy.
The highest refresh rate monitors may be the fastest monitors on the market, but if you’ve already tried monitors with more than 240Hz, they may not make much of a difference. And if you’re an average gamer, you may barely notice the difference unless you’re too busy playing fast games. The latest gaming monitors may look cool, but they still may not be the ideal solution for everyone.
Better Ways to Upgrade a PC
A new gaming monitor may not be essential. However, some other parts of your gaming system PC could use an upgrade. Also, keep in mind that you may need to upgrade your graphics card for a new gaming monitor as well. With super-wide gaming monitors, you need the extra power to project the monitor’s native resolution.
So, unless you’re in a hurry to get a new gaming monitor, it’s a better idea to future-proof your gaming system PC by upgrading components like the GPU.
Alternatives to New Gaming Monitors
VA or IPS Gaming Monitors
VA and IPS are still two of the best panels for gaming monitors due to their contrast, visuals, clarity, and color depths. IPS gaming monitors provide the highest color gamut while VA gaming monitors a much better contrast ratio.
Some great IPS or VA alternatives to new gaming monitors include Acer Nitro VG240Y, Omen 23.8″, Asus TUF, and LG 32GN550-B.
- 23.8" Full HD (1,920 x 1,080p) IPS
- AMD FreeSync
- 165Hz refresh rate
- Up to .5ms
- 99% sRGB
- 1x DisplayPort 1.2 and 2x HDMI 2.0
Curved Gaming Monitors
The best alternative to expensive new gaming ultra-widescreen and super ultra-widescreen monitors are curved gaming monitors that are smaller in size. For a smaller size, you might not get the most immersive experience, but will still get a very similar experience.
Some of the best-curved gaming monitor alternatives include Acer Nitro 27″ Curve, Samsung 23.5″ Curved, and Asus TUF 32″ Curved.
- 27" Full HD (1,920 x 1,080p) curved screen
- 1500R
- AMD FreeSync Premium
- 165Hz refresh rate
- 1ms VRB
- ZeroFrame Design
- 1x DisplayPort and 2x HDMI 2.0
360Hz Refresh Rate Gaming Monitors
If you’re playing competitive eSport games and need a high refresh rate, a great alternative to 550Hz new gaming monitors are 360Hz gaming monitors.
These alternatives include Acer Predator X25, AOC Agon Pro, and Alienware AW2523HF.
- 24.5" FHD (1,920 x 1,080p) Dual Drive IPS
- NVIDIA G-SYNC
- Up to 360Hz
- Up to 0.3ms
- 99% sRGB
- 400 nits
- DisplayHDR 400
- DisplayPort 1.4 and 2x HDMI
Wrapping it Up
New gaming monitors can be fancy and they may have a few features that outperform any other gaming monitor, but they might not be for everyone.
One of the reasons for this is the price. New gaming monitors are extremely expensive, and yet they don’t offer too much of an improvement over gaming monitors that are a year or two older. If you own a 360Hz gaming monitor, you might not benefit much from a 540Hz gaming monitor.
If you do, you need a gaming monitor that can display at least 540 frames per second in gaming. So, you can see why a new gaming monitor can be a difficult proposition for some gamers. As more and more monitors hit the market, we think the technology will be much more advanced in a year or two, thanks to the smaller OLED gaming monitors that are yet to hit the market.
These could be perfect for a new gaming monitor, offering good features all around and introducing gamers to the OLED gaming experience without having to deal with large monitors that are practically the size of a TV.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Luca Lorenzelli/Shutterstock.com.
