I Paid Extra for a 240Hz Monitor and Now I Regret It

I’ve been grinding ranked video games in Marvel Rivals currently, and with my freshly constructed PC, I figured it was the proper time for a monitor improve. I splurged on a 240Hz monitor, believing it’d give me a aggressive edge. Turns out, it was extra of a money-waster than a game-changer.

It’s Still Too Early for 1440p 240Hz

Since my previous monitor was a 24-inch 144Hz 1080p IPS mannequin, and I was fairly proud of it, it solely made sense to get a direct improve throughout all specs. I picked a 27-inch 240Hz 1440p IPS mannequin, the LG 27GR83Q-B. It’s price noting that the monitor is at present on sale for $297, however I paid $400 on account of native VAT and customs charges, which apply to all different screens the place I stay as effectively.

Unfortunately, I shortly realized that operating video games at 1440p is considerably extra demanding, so reaching wherever near 240 FPS in most video games (outdoors of older esports titles) requires high-end {hardware}. I don’t have any intention of dropping over $3000 on a new RTX 50 Series GPU simply to get nearer to my monitor’s most refresh fee.

My new mid-range PC has completely respectable efficiency for 1440p, because it’s powered by an RX 6800 XT and Ryzen 7 7700. However, it simply is not highly effective sufficient to run something outdoors of older or lighter esports video games at something near 240 FPS.

I’m getting round 100–120 FPS in Marvel Rivals on the lowest settings and about 70–90 FPS in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which is not even near my monitor’s 240 FPS most. A 140Hz (or, quite, 180Hz as a result of 144Hz 1440p is tough to search out these days) 1440p monitor may’ve achieved the identical job simply as effectively, and I would’ve saved over $100.

Although trendy frame generation like AFMF 2 may take me nearer to 240 FPS in some video games, the generated frames simply do not look and really feel like actual rendered frames. Plus, the extra enter lag outweighs all of the constructive results of upper FPS in aggressive video games. FSR upscaling is a extra viable answer, however it nonetheless does not present a body fee enhance wherever shut to border era.

240Hz Is Overrated

Okay, so I do not simply play the newest video games. I’m nonetheless lively on Battlefield V, a sport that was launched in 2018, so my rig is greater than able to operating it at a regular 240 FPS. It’s a fast-paced FPS, so I ought to have the ability to discover the advantages when I’m diving with a bomber airplane, flicking as a sniper, or quickly transferring my digicam round as an assault.

While I can really feel the 240Hz refresh rate as opposed to 144Hz, it isn’t practically as noticeable as I anticipated it to be. I am fairly delicate to modifications in body fee and I assume I can inform the distinction between one thing like 80 and 85 FPS, however the distinction in-game hasn’t matched my expectations. Who is aware of, maybe a mouse with an 8,000Hz polling rate is the second a part of the equation that’ll make the distinction extra perceivable. It’s additionally good to know that I’m getting the advantages of 240Hz, even when I cannot at all times really feel it.

If you beforehand used a 60Hz monitor and upgraded to one thing like 144Hz or extra, you realize first-hand what a enormous distinction the added movement smoothness makes. However, 240Hz does not present that very same type of hole.

In reality, except you are a professional gamer who performs at a aggressive degree, it is potential that you simply will not even notice the difference between 144Hz and 240Hz in any respect. I know that is onerous for many people to confess, so I counsel making an attempt a super-high refresh fee monitor your self should you discover a possibility.

Many price range gaming screens on at this time’s market have refresh charges like 160Hz and 180Hz as a substitute of 144Hz, which additional narrows the distinction for these upgrading to a new monitor.

I Missed Out on a Multi-Monitor Setup or Ultrawide

Instead of paying additional for 240Hz, I may have gone with a dual-monitor setup to spice up my productiveness or, higher but, three cheaper 1080p fashions for the final word triple-monitor gaming and productiveness setup. Another glorious alternative could be a curved ultrawide monitor, like the big 34-inch KOORUI 34E6UC, which does a good higher job of immersing you in a game by offering a huge subject of view.

Another function that I would’ve observed greater than the bounce to 240Hz is superior HDR. My mannequin solely helps DisplayHDR 400, which is sort of restricted in its effectiveness, because it lacks native dimming and does not get vivid sufficient. A mini-LED panel with many native dimming zones and DisplayHDR 1000, just like the AOC Q27G3XMN, would have offered considerably deeper blacks and higher distinction in comparison with my washed-out IPS panel.

My New Monitor Is Old

Like many different items of tech, screens are continuously evolving and bettering over time. While newer does not at all times imply higher, it does open the door to extra trendy options and higher specs. We’re nonetheless in the beginning of 2025, so the 12 months is more likely to see quite a few recent and thrilling screens with higher panel applied sciences, extra options, and decrease costs.

Instead of ready a few extra months to see what new screens could be launched (just like the HP Omen 34C G2, which was introduced at CES), I opted for the LG 27GR83Q-B, a monitor that is been obtainable since August 2023. While it isn’t a dangerous monitor by any means, it is already one and a half years previous, and it is solely a matter of time earlier than newer and higher fashions take its place within the $300 value bracket

New Monitors Keep Getting Cheaper and Better

Since monitor expertise improves so shortly and costs are frequently lowering, it is smart to develop a long-term buying technique and persistently improve inside a particular value bracket. From a worth perspective, it is typically higher to purchase a $200 monitor each three years than a $600 monitor each seven to 9 years. Even should you’re in greater value brackets and are taking a look at OLEDs, the identical precept of maximizing worth over time applies.

Thanks to economies of scale and extra environment friendly manufacturing, monitor costs are trending downward. A very good instance of that is the manufacturing costs of 55-inch 4K OLED TVs, which dropped from over $1,200 in 2015 to below $600 by 2017. With 240Hz OLED screens already obtainable within the $400 vary (Cooler Master Tempest GZ2711), we’re seemingly solely a few years away from OLED screens in much more budget-friendly value brackets, probably below $300.

While the LG 27GR83Q-B is a nice monitor for aggressive video games, I’ve realized that I’m not the target market for it, though I play aggressive video games. I cannot even run most video games at 240 FPS, and when I do, the distinction is not all that noticeable.

In hindsight, I would have most well-liked saving a couple of dollars with a 180Hz monitor or investing in a completely different function, like an ultrawide show or superior HDR. Instead, I traded a extra pleasant single-player expertise for a marginal edge in aggressive video games. If you end up in a comparable state of affairs, do not hesitate to discover completely different choices that’ll higher fit your wants.