If your primary gaming genre of choice is a first-person shooter game, you may want to think about purchasing a monitor that can enhance your experience when playing these.
When it comes to running FPS games there are plenty of things to consider which can make or break your gaming session. In a genre which is fast-paced and requires lightning-fast responses, your choice of a gaming monitor is not to be underestimated.
This article will take you through the different aspects of choosing a gaming monitor to consider when you next shop around.
Frames per second
Your frames per second rate is one of the most important aspects when running a game on your PC. It refers to the rate at which the GPU can render images each second and how many can be displayed on the monitor.
Low frame rates mean that fewer images are being displayed each second which can affect the quality of your viewing or gaming experience. Lower frame rates can make games appear to run slow and can take the competitive edge out of your hands.
Better framerates generally result in a smoother image but different frame rates are better suited for different uses. 30 FPS is generally fine for more cinematic viewing experiences but 60 FPS is a more solid choice for those playing first-person shooter or multiplayer games.
While this doesn’t just relate to the monitors themselves, you will need a monitor which can handle 60 FPS if that’s what you’re aiming for. Not all monitors will be able to display frame rates in the same way. You will need a monitor that has high refresh rates in order to achieve high frame rates.
Response Time
When you’re playing fast-paced games, you need a monitor which is responsive and can quickly adapt to whatever the system needs to display on the screen. Therefore, response time is something important to consider when shopping around for a new gaming monitor.
A faster response time will mean that the monitor can quickly change pixels from active to inactive and vice versa. This results in better image quality without the dreaded image ghosting that older or cheaper monitors can produce.
When it comes to FPS games, smoother gameplay can often make the difference when spotting targets and tracking them with your mouse. The smoother they appear, the easier they’ll be to follow.
Refresh Rate
A good refresh rate is vital to gaming performance because it refers to the number of times a monitor refreshes the images. A higher rate results in a more responsive gameplay experience and smoother images overall.
First-person shooters rely on a good refresh rate to ensure that the monitor is not lagging behind what’s happening in the game. This is vital for competitive or multiplayer game sessions because a poor refresh rate and response time could put you at a disadvantage.
Panel Type
There are two main panel types to consider Twisted Nematic (TN) and In-Plane Switching (IPS) monitors.
TN monitors have the advantage of fast response times as well as being cheaper. However, they can fall short when it comes to colour quality and viewing angles.
IPS monitors on the other hand, generally have a better image quality and colour reproduction, generally making them the more expensive option. However, their response rates are typically a bit lower.
When it comes to FPS games, a response rate is generally the priority, so you may find that a TN monitor is your best bet. However, if you’re planning to use your monitor for other types of games or even movies, then you might prefer the image quality of the IPS monitors.
Choosing the Best Gaming Monitor for FPS Games
When it comes to choosing the best gaming monitor for first person shooters, there are many factors to take into account. If you’re aiming for a monitor to display 60 FPS, then you will also need to aim for a monitor with high refresh rates.
However, if you go for a high refresh rate such as 144 Hz or even 240 Hz, you will most likely have to choose a TN panel monitor as most monitors that support higher refresh rates tend to use TN panels as opposed to IPS ones.
Choosing an FPS gaming monitor can be quite a balancing act of different factors and preferences so it’s a good idea to know what your priorities are before you start shopping around.
Of course, the choice of gaming monitor will only be worth it if you have also invested in a good quality graphics card which can have a huge effect on the quality of your gameplay.
