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We’re having a look at the best high refresh rate monitor so you can get yourself a smooth and responsive gaming experience.
The refresh rate of a monitor refers to how often it updates the images being displayed. It is measured in hertz (Hz), A monitor with a 60Hz refresh rate will show 60 individual frames per second, for example. While 60Hz is the most common, the top gaming monitors will go far beyond this.
A tonne of competitive advantages come with these high refresh rate monitors. If an enemy comes onto your screen you have to wait for your monitor to refresh to be able to actually see them, the faster the refresh rate the faster this happens. The benefits are not limited to competitive online play either. They also offer a more immersive and smooth gaming experience.
All the picks on our list have high refresh rates and pair this with other impressive gaming specs. There’s a description of each one below you can get a good overview of what’s available and decide which one makes the most sense for you. Let’s get into it.
Best high refresh rate monitor
Best overall high refresh rate monitor – ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQN
ASUS ROG Swift 360Hz PG27AQN
Screen size
27-inches
Aspect ratio
16:9
Resolution
2560 x 1440p
Refresh rate
360hz
Response time
1ms
- 360Hz refresh rate
- Sharp resolution
- No HDMI 2.1
The Asus Rog Switch is one of the best gaming monitors in a multitude of categories. It is available in 144Hz and 240hz too but we’ve gone for the top of the range, with PG27AQN being one the best 360Hz gaming monitors. While there are monitors with even faster refresh rates, 360Hz is close to the upper limit of what the human eye can actually perceive. The 1ms response time ensures you can react the what you have seen with speed too.
It pairs these speeds with a crisp 1440p resolution. This means the images are not only smooth but also crisp. This focus on image quality isn’t just aesthetic either. The increased detail that comes with being one of the best 1440p monitors also means that it is easier to spot small details or distant enemy combatants.
The lack of HDMI 2.1 does mean that is not one of the best monitors for PS5 or for the Xbox Series X. However, these next-gen consoles are not actually compatible with 360Hz refresh rates anyway, meaning you would be stuck playing at a lower rate while having paid for the higher one.
Best mid-range high refresh rate monitor – Alienware AW2521H
Alienware AW2521H
Screen size
24.5-inch
Aspect ratio
16:9
Resolution
1920 x 1080p
Refresh rate
360hz
Response time
1ms
Inputs
2x HDMI 2.0 Port, DisplayPort 1.4, USB 3.2 Gen1 Downstream Port
- 360Hz refresh rate
- Great HDR
- No FreeSync
This monitor from Alienware is perfect for gaming enthusiasts, especially ones who are interested in the fast-paced online competitive games where fast, accurate and precise movements are pivotal. That’s because it’s in these kinds of games where the fractional second advantage a fast refresh monitor offers can make a huge difference.
The display is also great with HDR offering deep blacks and vibrant whites. This serves more of an aesthetic purpose for beautiful open-world games, but the superior contrast can help with spotting details in dark settings of more competitive games.
The 24.5in display is on the small side, however, this is still in service of gaming performance. A smaller screen is actually desirable in online gaming as it allows you to take in the full display faster. If you’re looking to be immersed in the world of the game more you should check out the best ultrawide gaming monitors.
Essentially this monitor offers one of the smoothest gaming experiences out there. The resolution is limited to 1080p but this is all in service of the refresh rate, the computing power needed to generate 360 frames at 1440p is so huge that very few will possess it. In fact, you’ll still need a very powerful gaming setup to get this many frames at 1080p.
Best value high refresh rate monitor – AOC Gaming C27G2ZU
AOC Gaming C27G2ZU
Screen Size
27in
Resolution
1920 x 1080p
Response time
0.5ms
Refresh rate
240hz
- Very fast response time
- Great value
- Colours could be more accurate
This monitor from AOC grants the competitive advantage of 240Hz while coming in at a reasonably low price. It outperforms the best 140Hz monitors in terms of speed while undercutting many of them on price.
It is also one of the best 1080p monitors. This resolution combined with the 27-inch display makes this monitor well geared towards competitive gaming. The lower resolution ensures the frame rate is kept high, while the medium size means the full image will be kept out of your peripheral vision, making it easier to spot enemies.
The response time on this monitor is also impressively fast at 0.5ms. While this won’t be reached at all times, it does represent an incredibly fast upper limit, the fastest on this list in fact, which is impressive on such an affordable monitor.
Frequently asked questions
There are a few questions about high refresh rate monitors that seem to come up more often than others. To keep you informed, we’ve answered a few of them here.
Is 240Hz better than 144Hz?
240Hz offers a competitive advantage over 144Hz. The faster refresh rate means that you will be able to see certain things a fraction of a second faster than if playing on a 144Hz gaming monitor. The gameplay will also feel smoother.
What GPU can run 360Hz?
Only the most powerful GPUs will be capable of producing the 360 frames per second necessary to make the most of a 360Hz gaming monitor, cards like the RTX 3090, 4080 and 4090 from Nvidia and the RX 7900 XT and XTX from AMD.
