How to Choose the Right Monitor for Gaming – Refresh Rate & Response Time

Samuel TanGuides, Monitors 0

When it comes to gaming, refresh rate and response time are critical factors for ensuring smooth and responsive gameplay. These two features directly impact how fluid your game looks and how quickly your monitor reacts to your inputs, making them especially important for fast-paced and competitive gaming.

Both refresh rate and response time are essentials for smooth gameplay.

Table of Contents

Refresh Rate: How Many Frames Per Second Your Monitor Can Handle

The refresh rate, measured in Hertz (Hz), indicates how many times per second your monitor refreshes its display. A higher refresh rate leads to smoother visuals and improved responsiveness, which is particularly important for fast-paced and competitive games.

A 60Hz refresh rate is the standard for most monitors, but it is becoming increasingly outdated for gaming. While it works for casual gaming or single-player experiences where fluid motion isn’t critical, competitive gamers will notice its limitations in fast-action scenarios. Moving up to 120Hz or 144Hz provides a significant improvement over 60Hz, offering smoother gameplay that is ideal for genres like first-person shooters (FPS) and racing games. This range has become the baseline for competitive gaming and provides a balance between performance and affordability.

For those looking to gain every possible edge, 240Hz to 360Hz monitors are the gold standard for esports and professional gaming. These ultra-high refresh rates deliver unparalleled smoothness, making every frame count in reflex-based games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or Valorant. Gamers at this level benefit from faster reaction times, giving them a clear advantage in competitive scenarios.

Choosing the right refresh rate depends on your gaming style and hardware, but for smooth, responsive gameplay, higher is almost always better. Here are a couple of monitor examples and their frame rates:

ASUS ROG Swift PG259QN (25″, 1080p, 360Hz, IPS) – The ultimate esports monitor with lightning-fast refresh rates.
Dell Alienware AW2523HF (25″, 1080p, 360Hz, IPS) – A groundbreaking monitor for competitive gamers who demand the absolute fastest refresh rate.

What’s Out There

60Hz: The standard for most monitors but increasingly outdated for gaming. Best for casual gaming or single-player experiences where smooth motion isn’t a priority.
120Hz – 144Hz: The baseline for competitive gaming. This range offers a significant improvement over 60Hz and is ideal for fast-action genres like first-person shooters (FPS) and racing games.
240Hz – 360Hz: The gold standard for esports and professional gaming. Monitors with these refresh rates provide unparalleled smoothness, giving you a competitive edge in reflex-based games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or Valorant.

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Response Time: Reducing Motion Blur and Ghosting

Response time refers to how quickly a monitor can transition from one color to another, typically measured in milliseconds (ms). A faster response time ensures minimal motion blur and ghosting, providing clearer and more accurate images during fast movements. This is especially critical in high-action games, where split-second clarity can make all the difference.

For gaming monitors, the ideal response time falls between 1ms and 3ms. Monitors within this range effectively eliminate most motion blur and ghosting, making them the best choice for competitive gaming where speed and precision are paramount. On the other hand, response times between 4ms and 6ms are suitable for casual gamers and single-player games, where the slightly slower performance is unnoticeable, particularly in slower-paced or story-driven titles.

Response times of 8ms or higher, however, are not recommended for gaming, as they introduce significant motion blur and ghosting, detracting from the overall experience. Choosing the right response time depends on your gaming style, but for smooth, clear visuals during fast-paced gameplay, a response time of 1ms to 3ms is ideal. Here are a couple of example monitors and their response time.

BenQ Zowie XL2566K (24.5″, 1080p, 360Hz, TN) – Offers a 0.5ms response time, making it ideal for esports.
LG UltraGear 27GP850-B (27″, 1440p, 165Hz, IPS) – Combines a 1ms response time with excellent color accuracy for versatile gaming.

What’s Out There

1ms to 3ms: The ideal range for gaming monitors. Monitors with response times in this range eliminate most motion blur and ghosting, making them perfect for competitive gaming.
4ms to 6ms: Suitable for casual gamers and immersive single-player games. While slightly slower, it’s usually unnoticeable in slower-paced titles.
8ms or higher: Not recommended for gaming, as motion blur and ghosting become more prominent.

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Best Refresh Rate & Response Time for Different Gaming Styles

The table below provides a clear guide to selecting the ideal monitor specifications based on your preferred gaming genres and play style. For competitive FPS games, where every millisecond counts, monitors with 240Hz to 360Hz refresh rates and response times of 1ms or less are essential for achieving lightning-fast reactions and smooth visuals.

Casual FPS or action gamers can opt for 120Hz to 165Hz monitors with response times between 1ms and 3ms, offering a balance of performance and cost.

For players who enjoy immersive RPGs or open-world games, refresh rates of 120Hz to 144Hz paired with response times in the 3ms to 5ms range provide both fluid gameplay and visually stunning experiences.

Meanwhile, single-player cinematic games work well with 60Hz to 120Hz monitors, even if the response time is slightly higher at 4ms or above, as motion blur is less critical in these slower-paced scenarios.

By aligning refresh rates and response times with your gaming style, you can select a monitor that delivers the optimal performance for your needs.

Gaming Style	Recommended Refresh Rate	Recommended Response Time	Example Monitors
Competitive FPS (Esports)	240Hz – 360Hz	1ms or less	ASUS ROG Swift PG259QN, BenQ Zowie XL2566K
Casual FPS / Action Games	120Hz – 165Hz	1ms – 3ms	LG UltraGear 27GP850-B, Acer Nitro XV252Q
RPG / Open-World Games	120Hz – 144Hz	3ms – 5ms	Samsung Odyssey G7 (1440p, 240Hz, VA), Dell S3222DGM
Single-Player Cinematic Games	60Hz – 120Hz	4ms or higher	Gigabyte M32U (4K, 144Hz, IPS), LG 27GN950-B

The Relationship Between Screen Size, Refresh Rate and Response Time

When selecting a gaming monitor, screen size, refresh rate, and response time are interconnected factors that together determine the overall gaming experience. Each attribute influences how well a monitor performs for specific gaming styles and how it fits into your setup. Understanding their relationship can help you make the best choice for your gaming needs.

1. Screen Size and Refresh Rate

The size of the screen directly affects how immersive your gaming experience will be, but it also needs to align with the refresh rate for optimal performance. For smaller screens (24-27 inches), resolutions like 1080p or 1440p work well, and refresh rates of 120Hz to 165Hz are typically sufficient for most gamers. Smaller monitors with higher refresh rates (240Hz or more) are especially popular among competitive players, as they prioritize speed and precision over immersion.

For larger screens (32 inches or more), higher resolutions like 1440p or 4K are recommended to maintain image sharpness and clarity. However, larger screens with high refresh rates (144Hz or above) require a more powerful GPU to deliver smooth gameplay. Monitors in the ultrawide category (34+ inches) often feature refresh rates in the 100Hz to 144Hz range, which, while not as fast as esports-grade monitors, provide a highly immersive experience for simulation or RPG gamers.

2. Screen Size and Response Time

Response time is critical to ensuring smooth visuals, and its impact becomes more noticeable as screen size increases. On smaller screens, response times of 1ms to 3ms are typically sufficient for preventing motion blur and ghosting. For larger monitors, especially those used for fast-paced games, the response time must remain low (ideally 1ms) to avoid issues like motion blur, which become more pronounced due to the increased surface area of the screen. Ultrawide and curved monitors often target immersive gaming, where slightly higher response times (3ms to 5ms) may be acceptable for cinematic or slower-paced games.

3. Refresh Rate and Response Time

Refresh rate and response time work in tandem to create a smooth gaming experience. A high refresh rate ensures your monitor can display more frames per second, but without a low response time, you may still experience blurring during rapid movements. For example, a monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate paired with a 1ms response time is ideal for competitive gaming, as it delivers both smooth motion and precise image clarity. Conversely, a monitor with a high refresh rate but slow response time (e.g., 8ms) may result in ghosting, negating the benefits of the higher refresh rate.

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Final Thoughts: Matching Refresh Rate and Response Time to Your Playstyle

Your ideal refresh rate and response time depend on the types of games you play. Competitive gamers should prioritize the highest refresh rates (240Hz and above) and the fastest response times (1ms or less) for maximum responsiveness. For gamers who enjoy visually rich single-player games, a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor with a 1ms to 3ms response time offers the perfect balance of smoothness and image quality. Whatever your choice, make sure your monitor matches your GPU’s capabilities to avoid bottlenecks and fully enjoy the performance potential.

To achieve the best performance and balance between screen size, refresh rate and response time, look at your gaming style and choose your hardware accordingly:

Competitive gamers should prioritize smaller screens (24-27 inches) with high refresh rates (240Hz to 360Hz) and fast response times (1ms or less).
Immersive gamers who enjoy RPGs or open-world titles can opt for larger monitors (32 inches or more) with 144Hz refresh rates and slightly slower response times (up to 3ms), as these provide a good balance between performance and visual quality.
Casual or cinematic gamers can choose larger screens or ultrawide monitors with refresh rates of 60Hz to 120Hz and response times of 4ms or above, as motion clarity is less critical in slower-paced games.