Ask yourself the question of size

Choosing a screen is done first according to the size of the product that you want to see enthroned on your desk. We raise this question even if it must be admitted, it is undoubtedly the one on which you will need the least advice. Indeed, everyone knows roughly how much space they have to install their new screen and what size monitor they like to play with. in this article we will discuss about the monitors how you should choose 4k Korean monitors.

it should be noted, however, that at present, two sizes share the favor of the manufacturers and, consequently, allow the most choice: the 24 and the 27 inches with, very close, the 28-inch models. Formerly very popular, the 21/22 inches have become scarce in recent years while the 32 inch models are slow to impose themselves, remaining confined to a more upscale segment.

It is therefore on this 24/27 inch niche that you will find the largest offer.

It is on this double range that you will be able to apply the advice we give you later. Finally, it should be noted that these 24/27 imply a 16/9 format, but that it is quite possible to aim for something different. We will see it without further ado when discussing image definition.

What about Picture Resolution?

Gone are the days when video games were content with 640 × 480, the famous Super VGA. Today, picture definition – sometimes the term resolution is misused – standard is a format borrowed from cinema, 1920 x 1080, also known as 1080p or Full HD. This is a 16: 9 standard which therefore adapts very well to the distribution of films and finds a favorable echo in video games.

This is the most common definition and the one that should guarantee you a good fluidity of animation, regardless of the level of detail chosen. Today, however, it is a sort of “bottom-up” standard on PC and more and more gamers are eyeing 1440p or even 2160p . This second case is the computer adaptation of the famous 4K. It offers an image four times larger than 1080p with 3840 points out of 2160. 1440p is an intermediate format (2560 x 1440) intended to improve the smoothness of the image compared to 1080p, but without requiring as much resources as the 2160p: it is necessary to animate them, these pixels.

The best way to choose is to check your graphics card and the games it can run. Don’t consider a 2160p display to play with a GeForce GTX 1650 Ti – it will struggle to output 30 frames per second. Note that there are more exotic formats , 9/21 or 9/32. It is about offering a longer image, more in line with our vision. Be careful, we are still talking about 1080p or 1440p, but there are more pixels in width and the graphics card is used more at equivalent “height”.

What panel technology for video games?

Too often when you don’t know the world of the gaming monitor well, you just look at the size and format of the screen. However, there is another variable which, paradoxically, is less important today whereas one cares more about it. In the past, few buyers understood that the so-called TN (Twisted Nematic) technology involved making significant concessions on image quality, viewing angles. Today, just as TNs have made significant progress, users are paying more attention to this point.

The TN has for him a remarkable reactivity which allows the fastest games without feeling the slightest effect of afterglow or ghost image: the impression that several images are superimposed because the old one has not yet completely disappeared while the new is coming. The TN also has to deal with relatively low viewing angles  : they have improved significantly in a few years, but when you are not well in front of the screen, things quickly get darker, the colors less. Faithful.

o evacuate these defects, manufacturers have imagined the technology known as IPS (In Plane Switching) and, to a certain extent its competitor, VA (Vertical Alignment). These technologies have a much higher image quality  : in the case of the VA it is above all the contrast which is better while on the IPS we insist on the color rendering.. The viewing angles – better on the IPS – are anyway a notch above TN, but the responsiveness of the panels is lower. Here again, notable progress has taken place in recent years and both IPS and VA (especially its UV²A variant) are perfectly capable when it comes to products with a response time of less than 5 ms.

On paper, there is a technology that everyone should have agreed, OLED . On paper because in fact, manufacturers have all the trouble in the world to offer large products at affordable prices. Thus, with its remarkable colors , impeccable contrast , very good viewing angles and impeccable responsiveness , OLED is a delight for smartphone users, but monitors – even more so for gaming – are extremely rare. We therefore cannot advise you to look for such a product today for gaming, it would be like looking for the five-legged sheep.

The question of refreshment

This is another idea that once interested only the most expert, the hardcore gamers as we like to call them. However, the issue of refreshing the image has grown in importance as we realize that 25 frames per second, then 30 fps and even today 60 fps are not the panacea. . While many gamers were happy with 25/30 fps, displays were able to easily display these “requirements”, same for 60 fps. Things got complicated when players started to say that over 60 frames per second was not only noticeable, but also much more enjoyable.

Today, many gamers swear by the 120 fps and, as a result, despise monitors that can only crank up to 120Hz refresh rate. It is indeed perfectly useless to run the graphics card to calculate 120 or even 144 fps, if your monitor is not able to refresh the image at the same rate. For once, things are simple  : you need “as many” Hz as the targeted animation fluidity and a 120 Hz stamped monitor will therefore have to be “opposite” a fluidity of 120 fps.

Of course, the higher the image definition, the more difficult it is to guarantee a large number of frames per second. For example, “4K” configurations will have all the trouble in the world to go up to 100 fps and even guarantee 60 fps – “constant”, let us insist on this term of “constant” – is not within everyone’s reach. graphics cards.

Finally, it’s impossible not to talk about the refresh rate without mentioning the troubling case of G-Sync / Freesync monitors . Imagined by NVIDIA, the first is none other than a technology aimed at systematically adjusting the fluidity of the animation and the refresh rate . Such synchronization makes it possible not to have “breaks” in the image, which English speakers call tearing and which turns out to be particularly unattractive. If your graphics card is capable of delivering more fluidity – under all circumstances – than the refresh rate of the monitor, you won’t need it.

On the vast majority of configurations, however, this will not be the case and G-Sync has been designed to help gamers. Freesync arrived very soon after: supported by competitor AMD, it is less technologically ambitious, but just as efficient and less expensive. It should be noted that screens are now compatible with both standards in order to simplify buyers’ decisions.

Reduce motion blur

If the increase in the frequencies of the monitors made it possible to obtain smoother and a little sharper animations, the effects of blur on the objects which move quickly horizontally remain quite present. Manufacturers then developed so-called “blur reduction” techniques. They are called ULMB at Nvidia (and LightBoost for 3D), Turbo 240 at Eizo or even more soberly Blur Reductionat Benq. Once activated, these technologies operate in the same way: insert a black image between two images sent by the graphics card, very quickly turning off the backlight (like a strobe). All the players are unanimous: the result is spectacular! Many are also those who prefer ULMB to G-Sync mode (those who have a very good configuration no doubt!).

This blur reduction technology has a flaw, however. It causes a more or less pronounced drop in brightness. For example, if – in the settings of the Asus Rog Swift PG278Q – this function is pushed to its limits, the brightness drops by around 50%! In addition, some very sensitive users may notice flickering , which can cause eye or headache

Finally, it is currently not possible to activate G-sync / FreeSync and ULMB technologies simultaneously . Fluidity or sharpness, it’s up to you! The ideal is – if your graphics card can constantly display 120 frames per second in your favorite game – to activate V-sync (preferably in Fast mode at NVIDIA) and ULMB …

Asus managed this feat first, however, with a homemade ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) techno that allows Adaptive Sync (FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible) to be synchronized with the ULMB. And it works pretty well, as proof: our exclusive test of the first ELMB screen from Asus .

Speed ​​and delay

As the response time is almost always greatly minimized by manufacturers, the actual value should be determined by another series of tests. Recall that, to schematize, the speed of liquid crystals. If it is too slow, an effect called ghosting, or ghosting, appears on moving objects . A minimum value is then required. To artificially accelerate the reaction speed of liquid crystals, manufacturers sometimes offer the possibility in the settings of the monitor to activate a function called overdrive.. Be careful, however, if this is poorly managed or too strong, another phenomenon harmful to display quality, reverse ghosting, takes over. The key is to know if we can find a setting that minimizes the two phenomena.

Finally, players should consider the input lag of their next monitor. This is the time lag between when the monitor receives an image and when it displays it. If it’s measured within 10-15ms, that’s perfect for trigger pros. Between 15 and 30 ms, this remains acceptable. Beyond 30ms, the screen is more suitable for casual gamers or those who prefer other types of games that do not require a quick reaction.

The choice of connection

Much less critical than in the past, the issue of connectivity benefits fully from the simplification of ports . To put it simply, in the past you had to choose between VGA, DVI and HDMI, with some differences and special features that should not be overlooked. Today, things are essentially divided into two: HDMI from the world of video and closely linked to consoles, and DisplayPort a kind of computer version of HDMI, which is based on fairly similar standards.

Fully digital, HDMI and DisplayPort are capable of outputting high definition video with high refresh rates. Be careful, however, even in this case, there are changes. Thus, to pass 4K @ 60 Hz , it is necessary to opt for HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 . So keep an eye out for the versions of these standards implemented in the monitor of your dreams.

It’s worth pointing out that some monitors have two or even three HDMI ports in addition to a DisplayPort. The more they are, the more you will be able to connect different peripherals, consoles, boxes without having to play cable. Be careful, G-Sync monitors are generally less well equipped than others at this level.

Because the devil is in the details …

Let us end these few recommendations and general remarks with a sort of catch-all of the other questions that we can ask ourselves. Thus, we would like to point out that more and more monitors integrate “bonus” features  : some of them have a real USB 3.0 hub while others integrate small speakers . In the first case, this obviously simplifies the connection of USB keys, keyboards or mice. In the second, it is a question of passing the sound in HDMI and, for example, to connect a console in addition to the PC. Be careful, the DisplayPort is unable to pass audio

The question of settings should not be neglected either, even if things are very difficult to summarize here. If the interfaces are generally equal, the means of accessing them differ significantly. Some screens go through classic buttons on the front , others use a kind of mini-joystick for example on the screen frame. Finally, some prefer tactile areas instead of buttons: these are the only ones we suggest you avoid. You get used to it, but it’s generally less practical, less responsive.

Directly related to the question of settings, interface options can change your use of the monitor. So we appreciate when it is, for example, possible to share the 4K image of a monitor into 4 1080p panels, one for each source: we can then control what is happening on the screen of the various connected devices. On the largest screens (21/9 in particular), it is also possible to split the image in two and to use two configurations at the same time without associating two monitors.

Finally, we would like to stress the importance of choosing a screen with a “quality” stand. Of course, at this level, it depends a lot on your installation / your needs, but know that some monitors are sold with “very simple” feet while others allow a wide range of adjustments , in height for example. Better, some models allow a rotation of the display surface in order to switch to portrait mode for example. A useless option in the case of gaming use, but which can be interesting for other uses.