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TN, VA or IPS monitor, which ones are better for games?

can offer refresh rates of 144 Hz or 240 Hz and a response time of 1 ms. So we have ensured a smooth movement, without “motion blur” and without ghosting. In motion blur, the object we are moving (human or not) looks out of focus, while in the ghost effect it seems that we are using two characters at the same time.

TN LCD panels

In addition, these monitors add blacks in favor. They are characterized by offering high-quality blacks, so we will have great sharpness in dark areas. This is the great advantage they have over the IPS panels.

On the other hand, the TN panel has a great disadvantage and that is the color quality. They tend to have a worse color palette and colors tend to look slightly washed out. In addition, they usually have a contrast of 1000: 1 and a brightness of 250 nits, which hurts them a lot. They also have against the viewing angles, which are usually between 160-170 degrees.

IPS: little detail in blacks

The In-Plane Switching (IPS) They are capable of displaying the colors of the images in a much more precise way. These offer us color of up to 8 bits. They are the ones that offer the greatest color depth, up to 30% more color space than the TN.

In the IPS panels the viewing angles are much better, we have 178 degrees of vision in which we do not lose image quality or color is altered. Having these types of advantages, it is not surprising that its price will be higher than that of TN panels.

panel ips monitor

Usually this type of panel offers refresh rates of up to 165 Hz, but some reach 240 Hz, but they are few and expensive. But on the other hand, the response times of IPS panels are usually 5 ms. Some monitors we can find with shorter times, but it is difficult and they tend to have quite high prices.

Another of the disadvantages of this type of panels is in the blacks. They have to reduce black levels, so we can lose details in very dark areas. VAs and especially TNs are better in this regard.

On the other hand, IPS panels can present defects like all panels, except that IPS have one of their own: IPS Glow. The brightness seems to increase as we view the screen from a greater angle.

VA: an intermediate solution

Finally we have the panels Vertical Alignment (VA). This type of panel would be a hybrid between TN and IPS panels, taking good things from both types. Above all, they can be viewed on gaming monitors with 4K resolution, where the user wants to demand image quality.

They are characterized by offering refresh rates higher than 200 Hz, so we eliminate the ghosting effect and the like. They also offer very good color coverage with very vivid colors and contrast ratios of 3000:1 or higher. For those who want to enjoy story games with high graphic quality, they are excellent.

panel goes monitor

The negative part of these monitors is precisely in the response times. As we said, they are a kind of intermediate point between the two types of previous panels. These panels offer a response time of between 2-3 ms, although there are some with shorter times.

Perhaps the big problem with this type of panel is the price. The monitors that are based on VA panels are really expensive, so much so that we will hardly see gaming monitors with a resolution lower than 4K (but there are some).

Which is better for gaming?

Really, each one brings us different things. The reality is that we will have to think a little about what kind of games we are going to focus on. This is also difficult, since any video game fan, even though they have a preferred genre, usually tries games.

So that you have all the data and can choose well, we leave you this table as a summary:

panel type Speed Color Contrast Vision angle Price Ideal for…
TN They are usually the ones that offer the best refresh rates and lowest response times They offer a low color quality, with colors that are often muted, although they are great in blacks They tend to have fairly low contrast ratios, so you can’t ask for much of them in this regard. It is the weak point of these panels, although it is also true that we are hardly going to be looking at the screen from the side The good thing is that this type of panel is very cheap to manufacture, so it allows us to offer quite affordable monitors We can say that it is perfect for eSports-type games like LoL, CS:GO, Fortnite and the like, but it is not recommended for games with history
IPS Currently there are already with refresh rates of more than 200 Hz, although the usual is between 120 Hz and 165 Hz. On the other hand, they usually have response times of 5 ms due to the construction of the pixels. It offers excellent color quality, these being really vivid. The big drawback is in the blacks, which are not very clear They offer a very good contrast ratio, better than the TN but somewhat worse than the VA, they are quite well balanced in this regard It offers viewing angles of 178/178 degrees, which, although it is not the most relevant of a monitor, is always something to consider Although it is somewhat more expensive to manufacture, it is not much, so the price difference compared to monitors with a TN panel is minimal It is the most versatile solution on the market, since it offers optimal characteristics for eSports and games with history, with good refresh rates for different resolutions.
GOES They usually offer refresh rates higher than 200 Hz, but on the contrary, the response times are usually 2-3 ms, although there are more and more models with times of 1 ms They have the good of the TN and the IPS. They offer a very rich and vivid color palette and the blacks are very sharp The normal thing is a contrast ratio of 3000: 1, for this reason it is usually used especially in monitors with 4K resolution The viewing angle is the same as on IPS monitors These are the most expensive, since they are normally focused on 4K gaming and above all, they are used for curved monitors Without a doubt, they are the most versatile, since they are valid for games with history or eSports-type games, as well as ideal for watching audiovisual content.

comparative panels tn ips va

Perfect monitors for gaming

Now that we know the most interesting types of panels for gaming, we wanted to make a small selection. All these monitors offer excellent image quality and are quite versatile solutions.

BenQ MOBIUZ EX2510S

As a more basic option we have this BenQ monitor that is characterized by having a 24.5-inch IPS-type panel. This monitor offers us a 1080p resolution with a refresh rate of 144 Hz and a response time of 1 ms. In addition, it offers support for HDR, sRGB color coverage of 99% and a brightness of up to 400 nits.

Thinking of offering the best image quality, this monitor integrates AMD FreeSync Premium, which guarantees great image quality and eliminates problems such as flickering and ghosting. Also note that it integrates two 2.5 W speakers and also two HDMI 2.0 and a DisplayPort 1.2.

BenQ MOBIUZ EX2510S

Xiaomi Mi Curved 34″ GL

Curved and widescreen monitors are taking over the gaming market. This Xiaomi monitor is in an UltraWide format, with a 21:9 ratio, which is basically like having two monitors in one. This monitor makes use of a 34-inch VA panel with a resolution of 3440×1440 pixels and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. The downside is that it has a response time of 4 ms.

This monitor has support for AMD FreeSync Premium technology, to offer the best image quality without tears or ghosting. In addition, this monitor offers us an sRGB coverage of 121%, so we will have colors of the highest quality and clarity. Finally, note that it has two HDMI 2.0, two DisplayPort 1.4 and an audio connector.

Xiaomi Mi Curved Gaming Monitor 34 GL

Asus TUF VG289Q

If what you want is to enjoy the games at a great quality, we bring you this interesting monitor. ASUS in its TUF Gaming line offers us this monitor with a 28-inch IPS type panel with a 4K resolution. As negative aspects, this monitor offers a refresh rate of 60 Hz and a response time of 5 ms, although it offers HDR10 and DCI-P3 color coverage of 100%.

To compensate for the loss of quality with blacks, ASUS has implemented Shadow Boost technology, which brightens dark areas. It also has support for AMD FreeSync, which means eliminating image tearing problems. Connectivity is not bad, with a DisplayPort 1.2, two HDMI 2.0 and a headphone jack.

Asus TUF VG289Q

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