The Best Monitor Buyer’s Guide – Fall 2022

By Ari Altman | Published November 21, 2022 | Updated November 21, 2022

Gigabyte M32UA New Monitor Is Your Best PC Upgrade!

Technology is always improving, and there’s no place that’s more evident than in the latest monitors. Our Monitor Buyer’s Guide continues to feature the best offerings, a total of ten models in all, many of them launched in the past year. This just goes to show just how fast the industry is moving.

From mainstream to 4K to ultra-wide, there’s something new and better at every pricepoint! And a quick shoutout to gamers: if you’ve been holding off on a new GPU upgrade due to high prices, use the money you’ve saved up on a new gaming monitor and get the most from your current PC today!

All the Best Picks for Fall 2022!

There’s a monitor in our guide for everyone, from home and small office users, to content creators, traders, and gamers. They include models ranging in size from 24″ to 38″, and just about every resolution you can think of, from 1920 x 1080 to four times that (3840 x 2160 or 4K). But there’s more to monitors than just size and resolution. Therefore, we’ve broken down our picks into two main categories:

  • Home- and Small-Office Monitors: The first five monitors on our list fit into this category, offering prices, features, and designs for any office environment. They start at just over $100 and go up to around $1,000.
  • Gaming Monitors: The last five monitors on our list are gaming-specific monitors, which at this point must feature both frame syncing technology (AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync) and high refresh rates (at minimum we recommend 144Hz, but our picks now go up to 175Hz). There’s no reason to buy a “gaming monitor” that doesn’t have both of these features today. While Acer and Asus used to dominate the gaming monitor market, there’s more competition than ever, including from the big names in the TV industry, particularly LG, plus the elite gaming brands Alienware and Gigabyte. This is pushing innovation forward and bringing prices down. It’s an exciting time to be a gamer!

A Quick Primer on Frame Syncing Technology

Gamers who have been out of the market for a while may want to learn more about the concept of frame syncing. This method of displaying images on screen matches a monitor’s refresh rate to frames rendered, rather than refreshing at a locked 60Hz. Sounds simple, but it makes a big difference. By eliminating lag and screen tearing caused by too many or too few frames being displayed, frame syncing provides truly fluid images.

There are two types: Nvidia’s G-Sync, which requires additional hardware in the monitor along with a licensing fee that drives up the price, as well as AMD’s FreeSync, which uses capabilities built into the DisplayPort standard. While this led to confusion among gamers for years, Nvidia finally relented in early 2020 and unlocked FreeSync compatibility in its modern GPUs via drivers. Today, any monitor marketed as “G-Sync Compatible” actually works on either Nvidia or AMD GPUs! With that said, “G-Sync” monitors still only work on Nvidia GPUs, and we typically only recommend those to gamers using ultra-high-end Nvidia GPUs. To see our recommend video cards, definitely check out our Video Card Buyer’s Guide.

Final Thoughts

As always, links to Amazon are provided for our US readers, which will auto-convert for readers in Canada, the UK, and parts of the EU, with automatic substitutions made where necessary. If you decide to purchase any of the models we profile, please support this site by using the links we provide.

Monitors – Fall 2022

Home/Small Office

  • The 24-inch Small Office Monitor

    Sceptre E248W-19203R

    $109
    This monitor offers a 24″ 1920 x 1080 panel, a 75Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling, a slim bezel for sleek looks, as well as dual HDMI inputs and a VGA input. It even has built-in speakers!

    The Guru’s Tip

    To use the built-in speakers, we recommend connecting this monitor to your PC using an HDMI cable.

  • The 27" Productivity Monitor

    Sceptre E275W-QPT

    $200
    As is typical of a Sceptre monitor, this one packs in a tremendous amount of features for the price. It offers a big 27″ 2560 x 1440 IPS panel, a 75Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling than typical 60Hz monitors, a Displayport and dual HDMI 1.4 ports, plus built-in speakers. It even includes a Displayport cable in the box!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This model competes in price with many 24" 1080p monitors!

  • The 32-inch 4K Monitor

    LG 32UN550-W

    $330
    Looking for the best high-end content creation monitor available at a bargain price? This is it! It gives you a great view of your desktop, thanks to its massive 32″ 4K panel! It also includes a highly-adjustable stand for proper ergonomics.

    The Guru’s Tip

    LG is offering this at a price so close to typical 27" 1440p monitors that it's practically a must-buy if you have the space for it!

  • The 34-inch Widescreen Monitor

    LG 34WQ73A-B

    $461
    It wasn’t long ago that monitors with the specs of this model would cost twice as much, so there’s no doubt that LG is offering tremendous value in a high-end model here. You get an ultra-crisp 34″ curved IPS panel with a resolution of 3440 x 1440 offering, 99% of the sRGB color gamut, and an adjustable stand to allow for an ergonomic position. It’s equipped with Displayport and HDMI inputs, plus a USB Type-C port to connect to laptops and provide video and up to 90W of charging. It has dual USB 3.0 ports to connect a mouse and keyboard, and even has a built-in KVM switch for the ultimate productivity enhancement: swap your monitor and peripherals between your desktop and laptop with the touch of a button!

    The Guru’s Tip

    This professionally-styled and high-performance monitor would be at home in any small office (as long as you have the desk space for it!).

  • The 38-inch Ultra-Wide Productivity Monitor

    LG 38WN95C-W

    $1097
    With a massive resolution of 3840×1600 and a highly-curved 38″ panel, this ultra-wide from LG is the perfect productivity monitor. It can easily support viewing three standard-sized windows side-by-side. For a lot of use cases, that’s much better than a 4K monitor, which has the same horizontal resolution spanned across a much shorter width, making it harder to see. This model also has USB Type-C with 90W power delivery, which is perfect for connecting to a laptop for both video and charging.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Remember, this isn't just bigger than 34"-class ultra-wides, it's also higher resolution, allowing you to make use of that extra space!

Gaming

  • The 24-inch 165Hz Gaming Monitor

    Asus VG248QG

    $189
    Asus pioneered the high-refresh rate gaming monitor years ago, and has returned to the mid-range market with the VG248QG, which boasts amazing specs for the price. It gives you a 24″ 1920×1080 TN panel with a refresh rate overclockable to 165Hz (144Hz is standard), plus a 0.5ms (GTG) response time. It boasts adaptive-sync technology to provide stutter and screen tearing, plus a highly-adjustable stand to dial in just the right ergonomics.

    The Guru’s Tip

    Not long ago, a monitor like this would have sold for well above $200!

  • The 27" 2560x1440 Gaming Monitor

    Asus VG27AQ

    $300
    Asus practically invented the high-end gaming monitor market, and it continues its dominance with the VG27AQ. It offers everything you could want: a 27″ 2560×1440 IPS panel capable of a 165Hz refresh rate. Previously, you couldn’t get anything but an inferior TN panel for this price. This monitor even has a height-adjustable stand, which we consider critical for a high-end monitor, making this a flat-out winner!

    The Guru’s Tip

    Most monitors in this size class are stuck at 144Hz, but HP has punched it up to 165Hz!

  • The 34-inch Gaming Monitor

    LG UltraGear 34GP63A-B

    $400
    Are you ready for serious big-screen gaming? Then feast your eyes on this 34″ monitor from LG, which breaks new ground in terms of features and performance per dollar. It has an ultra-wide 3440 x 1440 curved VA panel, a fast 160Hz refresh rate, and FreeSync Premium technology to keep your frames running smoothly. It also offers a height-adjustable stand (unusual at this pricepoint), plus built-in speakers (which are more for convenience than incredible performance, but hey, they can be useful in a pinch!).

    The Guru’s Tip

    While 4K is most definitely a thing, ultra-wide gaming may in fact be preferable for many gamers despite the lower resolution, due to the enhanced immersion you get from the wider viewport and curved screen.

  • The 32" 4K 144Hz Gamer's Dream Monitor

    Gigabyte M32U

    $680
    It took seemingly forever for the elusive 32″ 4K 144Hz panels that gamers had dreamed of for years to finally hit the market, and surprisingly Gigabyte was first out of the gate with one widely available at retail. Known for its high-end video cards and motherboards, Gigabyte has quickly made a name for itself in the gaming monitor market, and the M32U simply astounds with its features. Get a load of these specs: a 31.5″ 3840 x 2160 4K IPS panel, 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms (GTG) response time, FreeSync, 10-bit color,  90% DCI-P3  and 123% sRGB color space, and VESA DisplayHDR 400. It even has a built-in KVM switch, allowing you to use it on multiple systems with the push of a button!

    The Guru’s Tip

    For years, 4K gaming monitors were stuck at 27", which is simply too small to take advantage of the immense resolution.

  • The Ultimate Gaming Monitor

    Alienware AW3423DW

    $1280
    Welcome to next-gen gaming, here today! The AW3423DW may not have a name that sets it apart from the crowd, but the specs and performance tell the true tale. The incredible 34″ ultra-wide QD-OLED panel is able to hit 175Hz, produce up to 1000 nits for true HDR images, while also offering the most colorful image ever seen on the desktop. The most shocking part is that despite being by far the best gaming monitor on the market, the AW3423DW doesn’t land anywhere near the top of the price range. That’s just how disruptive its curved ultra-fast OLED panel is!

    The Guru’s Tip

    While there are bigger gaming monitors out there, there is no better gaming monitor available at any price - this model simply changed the game!

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