The 5 Best IPS Monitors (Gaming, 4K, Budget)

How We Choose

Whether we’re reviewing new monitors or the best GPU on the market, choosing the right hardware can always be a tricky task.

It requires hours of product research, performance benchmarking, and reviewing user feedback to get anywhere close to a definitive conclusion on what to recommend.

If you aren’t tech-savvy and struggle to put the time aside to go through the above requirements, you may end up purchasing a GPU that isn’t right for you.

Fear not though, friends! Here at WePC, we like to take the stress of research away, and transform the whole process into an easy-to-follow, complete buyers guide. That’s right, our team of PC enthusiasts has done all the hard work for you!

How We Test

Testing the products we recommend is a huge part of the overall selection process in our best of guides. It’s a way to make sure what we recommend is, without a doubt, the best option in its specific category.

To be sure a product is “the best,” it must show excellent performance in our tests, and display better qualities and features than the competition it faces.

Most of the products we recommend here at WePC have gone through a strict testing process that involves everything from the price and performance, to build quality, efficiency, and aesthetics. Each product is pushed to the limit to see how it performs under intense stress to make sure it warrants our coveted top spot.

Doing this enables us to provide you with the most accurate review of how the product performs and, ultimately, whether it’s worth your hard-earned cash.

Things To Consider

There are always things to consider when it comes to purchasing new hardware. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to upgrade your headset or buy a high-end gaming PC, understanding the main factors that affect the performance and price of that product is essential.

Below we’ve outlined the main areas of an IPS monitor that affects your user experience. The following will give you the knowledge needed to ensure your next IPS monitor purchase is right for your specific needs.

With that in mind, let’s get into it;

What is an IPS monitor?

May as well start with the basics.

At the base of every great (and not so great) monitor lies a panel. There are three main panel types used within today’s monitors, and they all come offering an array of pros and cons. For example, TN (twisted nematic) panels are deemed best for competitive gaming as they provide rapid response and smooth gameplay. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the IPS (in-plane switching) panel. These are more expensive as they offer much more realistic color recreation, better picture quality, and longevity. In between IPS and TN, you have the VA (vertical alignment), which is the “best of both worlds” panel.

Below is a simple table that should help you understand the differences between the panels:

Refresh Rate

One of the most important factors when looking to purchase a gaming monitor is the refresh rate. This is a measurement of how often the screen can refresh. Generally speaking, if you want a gaming monitor for competitive FPS games, you should be looking to purchase a monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate.

That being said, if you game more casually and like to play other formats aside from FPS, we recommend 75Hz and above. This will still provide a smooth gaming experience (as long as you can achieve at least that in FPS) and will probably save you a few bucks as well.

There are a bunch of other refresh rate options to choose from, so let’s see which are best suited to certain scenarios.

• 60Hz is ideal if you plan to use your monitor for;
  • Everyday usage – emails, google, etc
  • Office work
  • Creative workflows
  • Old school gaming that isn’t fast-paced
• 144Hz is ideal if you plan to use your monitor for;
  • Fast-paced FPS titles in particular – CS:GO, PUBG, COD
• 240Hz is ideal if you plan to use your monitor for;
  • Competitive esports
  • Playing games on a high-end gaming rig that can produce 240Hz in numerous titles

This should give you a better understanding of what refresh rate best suits your specific requirements. Having said that, please keep in mind that refresh rate does have an impact on the price of the monitor.

What Is The Best Response Time?

Response time is another major factor when it comes to purchasing a gaming monitor. Like refresh rate, response time plays a key role in how smooth your gaming experience is.

Response time is a way of measuring how fast the pixels in your panel can change color, usually using the GTG transition (Grey-to-Grey). It’s measured in milliseconds and ranges anywhere from 1ms-5ms in most modern displays.

Response time is particularly important when playing fast-paced games due to the rapid change in color that can create image ghosting if the monitor you’re using isn’t up to the test

For a gaming monitor, you need to be looking for a display that offers at least 4ms. More competitive titles like CS:GO, we would recommend 1ms.

Screen Resolution

Screen resolution is the third part of the three-piece jigsaw that makes up the most important specs for a gaming monitor. Screen resolution is a measure of how many physical pixels your monitor can actually display at any one time.

For example, a 1080p monitor (1920 x 1080) will offer up 1920 pixels horizontally and 1080 vertically. When you compare that with a WQHD panel that offers 2560 pixels by 1440 pixels, you can start to understand why bigger resolutions offer crisper picture quality.

Be aware though, getting a better gaming experience isn’t as simple as jumping from 1080p to 1440p. You must consider the additional stress put on your PC.

The resolution of a game can be one of, if not the most demanding factors when it comes to graphical performance. Making the jump from 1080p-1440p can literally see huge drops in FPS. Make sure your PC is equipped for the next step up – if you don’t, you mind end up forking out for a monitor that you won’t be able to utilize.

What Are FreeSync And G-Sync?

FreeSync and G-Sync are far from new. They’ve been supporting modern monitors now for the past 5-8 years and have been pretty revolutionary as far as gaming monitors are concerned.

Both FreeSync and G-Sync offer up the same screen tear reduction technology known as adaptive sync. This is when your monitors refresh rate, and the FPS your PC is producing are matched (by the software) to create the ultimate smooth experience.

With that in mind, however, be aware that to utilize FreeSync and G-Sync, your PC must be able to output equal or higher frames per second as your monitors refresh rate. If it doesn’t, you won’t relish the full rewards that the adaptive sync technology can provide.

What Budget Should I Set For A PC Monitor?

Finally, we have the price.

As we all know, price is probably the number one factor in any purchase we make. I mean, it must be affordable. We’ve left this section until last as we wanted to highlight how many of the other factors that make a monitor great can affect the price massively.

Having said that, there are still a few unanswered questions regarding the price of a monitor. Like, what budget should we be spending on our next monitor? Well, that all comes down to your specific requirements. If you’re looking for a 4K panel that is great for gaming, you might want to put aside a small fortune. Getting a budget monitor, which is great for everyday use, is going to cost you considerably less.

To make your life a little easier, we’ve created this easy-to-follow formula which should put you in good stead:

• Low-end gaming monitor – $150-250
• Mid-range gaming monitor – $300-450
• High-end gaming monitor – $500+
• Office monitor – $100+
• Entry-level editing monitor – $200
• High-end editing monitor – $400+
• Low-end ultra-wide monitor – $250
• High-end ultra-wide gaming monitor – $700-1,000+
• Low-end 4K monitor – $300
• High-end 4K monitor – $700+