The Ultimate Guide to the Best 144Hz Monitors for Gaming

When it comes to PC gaming, every millisecond matters. One split-second response can make the difference between victory and defeat. This is where a 144Hz monitor comes into play for any hardcore gamer. But what does “144Hz” actually mean, and how do you pick between the best ones for your desktop or laptop computer?

This guide will explain it all to you. We’ll dive into the technology that high refresh rates are built upon, compare them to other standards — such as a 120Hz monitor or an ultra-fast 240Hz monitor — and provide you with the information you need to decide which of these features is most important for you. Later on, we will take a deeper look into our top recommendations (tested intensively) for the 144 Hz Monitor Gaming experience for every pocket and purpose.

Whether you’re after the best 1440p monitor for gaming or a 4K best 1440p, 144Hz is what these game developers need. We’ve got the affordable monitors for you right here.

Back to Basics: What is Refresh Rate?

Before we get to specific models, you need to know the basic technology. The “Hz” in 144Hz monitor represents Hertz, which is a technological function. For a monitor, the refresh rate describes how many times per second your screen can update or “refresh” its displayed image.

• 60Hz Monitor: Screen is refreshed 60 times per second.

• 120Hz Display: The image refreshes 120 times per second.

• 144Hz Monitor: Images refresh 144 times per second.

• 240Hz Monitor: Will refresh the image 240 times per second.

Think of it like a flipbook. The more images you have per second on a flipbook, the more consistent and fluent your animation will be. So too does a monitor with a higher refresh rate present motion more smoothly, smoothly than the other. It is particularly evident during rapid gameplay such as first-person shooters, racing games, and action games.

Remember that refresh rate (Hz) and frame rate (FPS) are related but different — frame rate is how many frames your computer’s graphics card is producing per second. To make the most of a 144Hz monitor, your PC should be able to run games at or near 144 FPS.

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Is a 144Hz Monitor Good? The Key Benefits

The short answer is a very loud yes. The immersion in gaming, which comes along the way from the mundane 60Hz monitor to a 144Hz pc monitor, is unparalleled. The contrast is sudden and obvious.

Is 144Hz vs 60Hz Noticeable?

Of course. The change from 60 Hz to 144 Hz is remarkable:

• 1439Nota: I want to mention that everything seems so much smoother on this 144Hz screen, from moving the mouse cursor around Windows to panning the camera in a game. The hated “choppiness” or “stutter” that so many of us have grown accustomed to with 60Hz screens is gone.

• Less Motion Blur: Refreshes the image quickly, reacts faster for fast-moving objects, and enemies stay sharper with the image. That makes it that much easier to aim at and follow targets in VP games, and gives you a real competitive edge.

• Lower Input Lag: High-refresh-rate monitors typically have lower input lag, the time it takes for your input to register on screen, like a mouse click to firing off a weapon. This provides more immersive and responsive gameplay.

Refresh Rate Competitive Analysis: What’s right for you?

140 is a nice standard, but the market has other frequencies too. Let’s see how they stack up.

What is the better choice between 144Hz and 120Hz?

A 120Hz monitor is a fantastic gateway to high refresh rate gaming and is a regular standard for the current generation of gaming consoles, such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X. You’ll notice a marked difference in smoothness over 60Hz.

But for PC gaming, a high resolution 144Hz monitor is 24 more frames a second of information. It’s not as huge of a leap going from 120Hz to 144Hz as it is going from 60Hz to 120Hz, but it is still a jump that many players can appreciate. But since 144 has become so popular and it is a much better number marketing-wise, wise difference in cost between 120 and 144 is negligible, it will be the most common advice to give to a PC gamer for better value and performance.

Is 240Hz Worth It Over 144Hz?

The Perfect Monitor for Competitive Gamers. This 240 Hz gaming monitor一the perfect competitor of this 240 Hz monitor for gaming一, is made for experienced or professional gamers. A 240Hz gaming monitor refreshes twice as rapidly compared to 120Hz and provides a subtle, although much less noticeable, improvement over a 144Hz screen.

The main thing you should consider is the rate of diminishing returns. For 144Hz vs 240Hz, the difference is not as noticeable as it is with 60Hz compared to 144Hz, but there is a difference. To derive a benefit from a 240 hertz gaming monitor, you need a very high-end PC that can consistently hit 240 FPS or better in the games of your choosing. For the majority of gamers, a monitor with 144Hz gaming is the sweet spot when it comes to performance, visual enhancements, and price.

Things To Consider Before Buying a 144Hz Monitor

Aside from the refresh rate, there are a couple of other factors that will also determine if a monitor is right for you and how good it is.

Resolution: 1080p, 1440p, or 4K?

• 1080p 144Hz Monitor: This is the perfect monitor for hardcore competitive gamers looking to rock as many fps as possible. And the lower resolution is less taxing on your graphics card, allowing you to be able to maintain a high, consistent 144 FPS.

• 1440p 144Hz Monitor – If ever there was such a thing as a ‘sweet spot’ in PC gaming, the 1440p resolution with a 144Hz refresh rate would be it. What is a 1440p 144hz Monitor? 1440p 144hz monitors work as an excellent middle ground between 1080p and 4K gaming with their crystal clear image quality and buttery smooth gameplay, but without being as taxing as 4K resolutions.

• 4K 144Hz Monitor: A match made in heaven for visual fidelity. A 140Hz 4k gaming monitor produces beautiful and incredibly sharp images with an insane 144Hz refresh rate. But 4K Ultra settings and 144Hz gaming are the domain of high-end, high-spec gaming PCs. Even having the most powerful hardware still doesn’t mean you absolutely won’t have to play with game settings to land solidly on the frame rate target. Once you go there, if you’ve got the hardware, a 4k pc monitor, 144Hz is a joy to game on.

Screen Size and Shape

• 144 Hz Monitor 24 inch: What makes this monitor size a popular choice among pro/esports players? The shorter screen requires less head and eye movement to view the entire play area, which could lead to quicker reactions. It’s also an excellent wallet-friendly choice.

• 144 Hz Monitor 27 inch: Volume-based, the most popular for general gaming. The 27-inch can give a more enveloping feature than the 24-inch and is great for the 1440p.

• 144 Hz Monitor Curved: Curved 16: 9 monitors offer a more immersive experience with a thicker form that makes for a more immersive experience. It can add a little something to games, especially ultrawide ones. This one is totally up to personal preference, but many users appreciate the immersive feel of a curve.

Panel Type: IPS vs. VA vs. QD-OLED

• IPS (In-Plane Switching): Gives you the best color accuracy, but at the cost of viewing angles. Modern IPS panels also have good response times, so they are a good choice in general for 144 Hz Monitor Gaming when image quality and speed are key.

• VA (Vertical Alignment): VA panel strengths include high contrast ratios for excellent opportunistic blacks. This means that they are superb at gaming in dark rooms. But they can suffer from slower response times, resulting in “black smearing” in faster scenes.

• QD-OLED is a high-end panel technology that creates vibrant colors by combining Quantum Dots with OLED’s Pixel Supreme Contrast and Blinding Fast response times. These panels have the best available motion clarity and gorgeous HDR performance, but with a premium price point.

Best 144Hz Monitors: The Top 144Hz Monitors For Gaming

We’ve purchased and tested 345 monitors so far. The 144Hz native refresh rate monitor market has been changing, and many new 144Hz monitors are now becoming more common where the refresh rate is limited to 144Hz, and the native refresh rate is slightly higher, eg, 165Hz or 180Hz. These monitors seem to handle 144Hz just fine and are part of our recommendations.

Best Overall 144Hz Monitor: Dell Alienware AW3423DWF

• Price: ~$649.99

• Native Refresh Rate: 165 Hz

• Resolution -Native: 3440 x 1440 (Ultrawide)

• Pixel Type: QD-OLED

• Size: 34″

The Dell Alienware AW3423DWF is the best 144Hz monitor we’ve tested. It is a NATIVE 165Hz monitor, but it performs without a hitch at 144Hz. This monitor has it all, combining top-tier gaming performance and jaw-dropping picture quality.

Its holy grail is the QD-OLED driver. Top layer technology at its finest, this technology produces incredibly quick results (so there isn’t much blur in fast-moving image scenes—don’t worry, pups!) This is a new level for motion handling. What’s more, it delivers deep, inky blacks without any blooming or haloing around bright objects, providing superb contrast. The color’s rich and highlights shine, which is great for HDR gaming. You get a very immersive field of view with the 34-inch wide ultrawide screen, putting you into your games.

Best Mid-Range 4K 144Hz Monitor: Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx

If you want a 4K 144Hz monitor but don’t want something taking up your entire desk, then the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx is the perfect middle ground.

• Price: ~$639.99

• Native Refresh Rate: 160 Hz

• Native Resolution: 3840 x 2160 (4K)

• Pixel Type: IPS

• Size: 27″

Of all the best 4k 144hz monitor options, if you’re looking for the incredible picture detail of a 4k 144hz monitor model without having to pay for OLED, then the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx is a fantastic mid-range option. It is one of the best 4 K 144 Hz monitors you can get. The smaller 27-inch display also offers 4K resolution, so small text and images look crystal clear and sharp.

It’s an IPS panel but with Mini LED backlighting and a pretty good local dimming capability. It works out to increase contrast for Dark Room games, and the monitor can get bright, which is great for playing in a brightly lit room. The motion handling is very good, with little motion blur. You can run it at 160Hz (if your PC can do it) over DisplayPort or 144Hz over HDMI, so it makes a perfect gaming monitor, 144Hz 4k for both PC and consoles.

Best Cheap 144Hz Monitor: AOC Q27G3XMN

If you’re willing to sacrifice image quality for a fast refresh rate (which many of us are), AOC’s Q27G3XMN won’t let you down.

• Price: ~$299.99

• Native Refresh Rate: 165Hz (Overclock 180Hz)

• Resolution: 2560×1440 (1440p)

• Pixel Type: VA

• Size: 27″

For the value hunters, the AOC Q27G3XMN is a great no-frills budget 1440p 144Hz monitor. It punches far, far above its weight class by offering Mini LED backlighting, a feature you usually find on pricier models. This enables it to show deep blacks and bright HDR highlights, so it has picture quality that is on par with more expensive rival models.

It boasts a native 165Hz refresh rate that can be overclocked to 180Hz, but it’s a stunner at 144Hz—its grasp over HDMI’s maximum refresh rate. Its response time is very quick, but as a VA panel, there may be some black smearing present in the fastest-moving scenes. It offers a ton of gaming-oriented features, including FreeSync, G-SYNC compatibility, and even an included hardware crosshair, so it’s rife with features despite its budget pricing.

Notable Mentions

• ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS: This 27-inch 1440p monitor is a solid choice if you want an entry-level ASUS monitor that pumps out 144 Hz. It’s a bit less expensive than the AOC, and it adds a versatile USB-C port, but its picture quality isn’t quite as strong.

• Dell S3422DWG: For budget shoppers looking for that ultrawide love, it offers more screen real estate than the AOC. It’s fine for atmospheric gaming, but its picture quality and motion handling aren’t as good.

• AOC 24G15N: If you’re low on budget, then this affordable 24-inch 144 Hz monitor is worth purchasing. It’s a 1080p monitor, so it doesn’t offer quite the visual quality of our main picks, but it will serve you a high-refresh-rate experience at the bottom of the rock-bottom price range.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions concerning 144Hz monitors.

Conclusion: Take Your Games to the Next Level

A 144Hz monitor is one of the most transformative investments you can make for your PC gaming setup. The increase in smoothness, definition, and responsiveness doesn’t just make games more enjoyable or immersive — it can give you a real competitive advantage.

Whether you go with a top-of-the-line QD-OLED for the best picture in the world, a 4k 144Hz monster for the most detailed portrayal of your favorite games, or a 1440p 144Hz value offering for a mix of both, you will be unlocking the next level of performance in your PC gaming world. Factor in your budget, rig, and the kind of games you play, and you’ll have an excellent idea of where to put your money to get the most out of your games and personal computing experience.