10 Best 144Hz Monitors 2020
As computers continue to alter the way we work and entertain ourselves, we continuously feel the need to upgrade our hardware components and monitors are one of them. If you are looking for a monitor to give you an enhanced gaming experience, or one to give your display that extra degree of clarity and reality, a 144Hz monitor is what you are looking for. We have designed this guide to shortlist 10 of the best 144Hz monitor options and review the top 3.
Before we get there, you need to know whether or not you actually require a 144Hz monitor, which will be covered in the “Buying Information” section.
Top Ten 144Hz Monitors Ultimate Chart
Picture | Name | Price | Rating (1-5) |
---|---|---|---|
1. BenQ ZOWIE XL2411 | $ | 4.6 | |
2. ASUS VG248QE Gaming Monitor | $ | 4.6 | |
3. BenQ ZOWIE XL2730 | $$$ | 4.6 | |
4. ViewSonic XG2401 | $ | 4.5 | |
5. Dell Gaming S2716DG | $$$$ | 4.4 | |
6. Acer GN246HL Bbid | $ | 4.3 | |
7. AOC G2460PF | $ | 4.3 | |
8. Acer XF270HU | $$$ | 4.3 | |
9. ASUS MG278Q | $$ | 4.1 | |
10. ASUS ROG SWIFT PG278Q | $$$$ | 4.0 |
Buying Information
144Hz monitors are gaining popularity and if you want to buy one only because of that reason, we highly recommend reading this section carefully. You need to determine whether you need to buy one at all. Just because you saw a friend of yours enjoying a graphics intensive game on one doesn’t mean you would have similar experience. The reason is – you need the supporting hardware to get full value out of a 144Hz monitor.
To elaborate, 144Hz means the monitor refreshes the signal fed to it 144 times every second. Frame per second (fps) is often used interchangeably with refresh rate. This is a marked improvement over the traditional 60 fps settings that is still popular with users who haven’t upgraded. But here is the catch – if you feed an inferior signal to 144Hz monitor, you won’t get the desired quality because the input was not up to the mark. Thus, opt for a 144Hz monitor only if you GPU is capable of delivering more than 120 fps.
Top 3 Best 144 Hz Monitor Reviews
1. ZOWIE XL2411
If you are looking for a monitor that can keep up with the fastest of frame rates of your games, look no further than BenQ XL2411 Gaming Monitor. It offers a truly immersive viewing, delivering the ultimate gaming experience. Smearing and ghosting are some of the common issues that take the fun out of graphics intensive games.
BenQ has loaded this monitor with Motion Blur Reduction technology that renders fast moving, dramatic transitions exactly the way you want it – buttery smooth and lag free! It comes out of the box with an FPS preset, which means brightness, contrast, enhancements, color tint and sharpness are all taken care of. In rare cases, you might need to do calibrate it manually but once it is done, you will find this to be the ideal combination of price and features, making it our top choice for the best 144Hz monitor.
If you have a 60 Hz monitor and are looking to upgrade, you’ll notice an amazingly better gaming experience straightaway. BenQ gives you different screen dimensions and resolutions to choose from so that you don’t have to make compromises.
2. ASUS VG248QE
A monitor loaded with features at a reasonable budget is the dream of gaming enthusiasts and Asus made it a reality with the VG248QE. Other than a refresh rate of 144 Hz (which is fast becoming the de facto standard for serious gamers), Asus has packed in a number of nifty features such as 1920X1080 resolution display, ports for multi device connectivity and height, tilt and swivel adjustments that renders 2D and 3D videos with ease.
The NVIDIA 3D LightBoost technology intuitively adjusts the brightness levels without making it power hungry. Whether you are looking to play games, watch 3D Blu-ray movies, seeking YouTube 3D playback support or enjoying your favorite shows and movies in high resolution, this will keep you company. Buying a monitor is a long term investment and Asus has you covered with its 3 year system and panel warranty.
If you want to be extremely critical, you might find an average color reproduction with this one, but given the price, it is a decent trade off and would hardly be noticed during casual gaming or entertainment.
3. ZOWIE XL2730
If you are something more than a casual gaming enthusiast and want to take your gaming to the next level, BenQ has a QHD (2560X1440) solution for you. BenQ ZOWIE is an upgrade over the highly successful BenQ XL2730Z and is a specialized PC Gaming monitor. It is well accepted by professional gamers around the world. A number of professional eSports tournaments around the world (such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dreamhack, MLG) have adopted it as their official monitor.
The S switch accompanying it allows you to switch between preset modes effortlessly. This makes sure you get the best experience – whether you’re reading, playing games, watching videos or surfing. The height adjustable stand allows you to adjust the monitor according to your viewing angle with one finger. As it is designed for the professionals, it comes with ZeroFlicker technology that minimizes eye strain – allowing you extra hours of practice.
It indeed is a serious monitor for the serious gamer and the price point reflects that. Perfect for gamers who are into professional eSports for example.
Our Verdict
For personal use, either of the top two names work well and they both are reasonably priced; however, if you can afford it and would be using the monitor for extended hours, we highly recommend stretching your budget and get the BenQ ZOWIE if you can.