As per my other posts I'm doing a budget gaming build, i5-6500/8GB RAM/RX 480.

I've done a bit of research into monitors, but there's so many variables I don't know which route to take, at the moment on my current PC I'm just using my TV, which is is a 32 inch 1360/768 @ 60Hz.
I'd like to put my new PC into a different room with a proper desk, and I don't see the point in spending money on a PC if it's going to be limited by the tv/monitor, so I'm looking for a budget monitor that's better suited for gaming than an old TV.

The reviews on the RX 480 seem quite good (considering the price) so I'd like to run 1080p, according to the bench marks most games play quite well on the RX 480, some of them exceeding 60FPS, so I don't want to be limited by this. I've read about the issues with "tearing" and VSync but also just found out about Free Sync which sounds pretty good.

So how important is a 144Hz monitor? Am I right in saying that I don't actually "need" one because my system wont be capable of getting anywhere near 100+ FPS on a lot of games, so it's pointless to have a 144Hz monitor? Should I go for a 75 or 120MHz?

I see a lot of people saying that 144Hz is really beneficial for fast paced shooting games, which I will probably play a few of them but also strategy and RPG.

There are a few 24inch 1080p 75Hz monitors with 1ms response time which are very affordable £115-135 I don't mind that price at all, or I can pay £190 for one with 144Hz which is a bit more than I wanted to spend, or I could settle for something in between.

So is it best to focus on 144Hz as a main buying point, or should I disregard 144Hz and look at picture quality and other things first? Most of the monitors advertised as "gaming" all have a 1ms response time. Is there an acceptable response time to look for if I didn't go for a so called gaming monitor?


Also, should I grab a reference model RX 480, or wait for another one to come out with better cooling? I'm looking at the 4GB version, the current cheapest UK price is £188 and I don't really want to be paying any more than that as it's already over the budget of what I was going to pay for an R9 380 (£160) but as it's such an improvement over the old model I don't mind the price. But £220+ for the 8GB is too much.

This post was edited by ste91 on Jun 30 2016 03:51am

http://www.ebuyer.com/436992-asus-vg248qe-24-led-lcd-hdmi-monitor-vg248qe

http://www.ebuyer.com/660180-benq-xl2430t-24-led-hdmi-gaming-monitor-9h-lchlb-qbe

http://www.ebuyer.com/745535-asus-mg248q-24-1080p-144hz-1ms-adaptive-sync-gaming-monitor-mg248q


They are all 144hz, all have Display port, among the other connector types.
They are all TN panels. Only the bottom one has Adaptive sync.

The BenQ requires some serious tweaking to get the colors right.



/e Monitors with IPS panels have much better colors, and greater viewing angles, but an IPS/144Hz starts at about $500 USD.

When buying any monitor, you want pixel pitch .27 or lower, you want the connectors you will need (depends on the Hz).
IPS are better than TN panels.
You want at minimum... height and tilt adjustments.
Anything 7ms or lower is fine.
First person shooters...like 144Hz.

Generally you want... ASUS, ACER, or BenQ...at least in the low budget department.

This post was edited by Ghot on Jun 30 2016 05:47am

Thanks are AOC worth looking at or should they be avoided?

Also, another question, if I wanted to connect my TV to my PC with an extended HDMI cable to the living room so that I could watch things via the PC, do the monitor and TV need to be the same resolution? My TV is the same aspect ratio as the monitors I'm looking at, so would the image simply be scaled down from 1920x1080 to 1366x768 or do they need to be run at the exact same resolution? I'm sure I read that there's some software that will let me do this.

TV and monitor can be different resolutions.

/e My monitor is 30 inch 2560 x 1600 (60Hz) and my TV is 37 inch 1920 x 1080 (60Hz).


AOC are ...iffy. Not great not real bad.


THIS is the cheapest...gfg monitor for AMD cards...IPS/144Hz/Adaptive Sync (freesync) ...just in case you were wondering.

http://www.ebuyer.com/708721-asus-mg279q-27-ips-freesync-gaming-monitor-mg279q



Here's some benchmarks for ya...

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1749?vs=1748


/ee Btw, for a computer, a monitor is way better than a TV.

This post was edited by Ghot on Jun 30 2016 06:12am

This tn panel is comparable to ips displays

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/viewsonic-xg2401-24-inch-freesync-monitor,4504.html

144hz freesynch also

I love my 144hz

It's perfect for shooters like CS:GO, I can barely play half as well on a 60hz monitor

For more demanding games, it's also awesome because you never get screen tearing and never have to use vsync. I hated vsync because it causes this sort of stuttering when you drop below 60fps but if you don't use it, you get tearing. In some cases it can force you to have to lower your graphics settings more than you would normally have to. With 144hz you get the most out of your pc.

Response time is more important

It's the most important thing ever.

Benq is easy and so many options
Do You even know What You are talking about?

refresh rate > resolution