The 6 Best 1440p Gaming Monitors - Spring 2023 Reviews

The best 1440p gaming monitor we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW3423DW. It's an excellent gaming monitor with an ultrawide 3440x1440 screen, meaning it offers more horizontal screen space than other 1440p displays. It's great for atmospheric and FPS gaming, as you can see more of your game at once without moving around. It delivers stunning picture quality, because it has a unique QD-OLED panel that displays perfect blacks in dark rooms. It also displays a wide range of colors and makes them look bright, delivering fantastic HDR picture quality.

Another advantage is that it has a near-instantaneous response time, resulting in extremely smooth motion with fast-moving objects. Although its input lag is a bit higher than other gaming monitors, it still delivers a responsive gaming experience, and you won't notice any delay. It has a 175Hz refresh rate with native G-SYNC variable refresh rate (VRR) support, which is ideal if you use an NVIDIA graphics card and want to take full advantage of it. Even if you don't have an NVIDIA graphics card, the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF is a cheaper alternative that offers nearly the same performance with a slightly lower 165Hz refresh rate and native FreeSync VRR support instead.

If you're looking for something in the upper mid-range price category, or if you don't like the ultrawide format of the Dell Alienware AW3423DW, then look into the Dell Alienware AW2723DF. It's a different type of 1440p monitor because it has a smaller 27-inch screen, so you'll see less of your game at once, but it also has a higher 240Hz native refresh rate that you can overclock to 280Hz with a DisplayPort connection. It doesn't have native G-SYNC support like the AW3423DW either, so it can't take full advantage of your NVIDIA graphics card if you have one, but it's at least G-SYNC compatible, and it has native FreeSync VRR to use with AMD graphics cards.

It's a more versatile monitor than the other Alienware because it downscales 4k images from the Xbox Series X and PS5, which is great if you also want to use it for console gaming. It provides an excellent overall gaming experience with low input lag and a very fast response time, but it doesn't have a backlight strobing feature to reduce persistence blur. Although it doesn't deliver perfect blacks for dark room gaming, it at least gets bright enough to fight glare for use in a well-lit room.

If you find the Dell Alienware AW2723DF too expensive and simply want something cheaper without sacrificing too much performance, then consider the Gigabyte M27Q X. It has a 27-inch screen like the Dell with a 240Hz refresh rate, but you can't overclock it to 280Hz. It also has worse motion handling with low frame rate signals, but luckily it's better at its max refresh rate, so if your PC can consistently maintain a high frame rate, then this monitor is a fantastic choice. It also has all the gaming perks you would expect to find in a gaming monitor, like native FreeSync VRR support and G-SYNC compatibility. It also has a backlight strobing feature that aims to reduce persistence blur.

It has a few extra features, like a Game Assist mode with different overlays, crosshairs, and a frame rate counter, improving your gaming experience. Like the Dell, it delivers good picture quality with good image clarity, wide viewing angles, and high peak brightness if you want to use it in a bright room. While its accuracy is remarkable in the sRGB mode, most picture settings are locked while using that mode, and other modes have oversaturated colors, which takes away from the accuracy.

If you want something cheaper but aren't necessarily looking for something in the budget category, then the LG 27GP850-B is a good alternative in the lower mid-range price category. As you go down in price, there are a few sacrifices you need to make, and in this case, the LG has a lower 180Hz max refresh rate compared to the 240Hz refresh rate on the Gigabyte M27Q X, which is still fine if you don't have a graphics card that can take full advantage of a high refresh rate anyways. It has the same 27-inch screen size as the Gigabyte, but if you want something bigger, the LG 32GP850-B is a 32-inch alternative with nearly the same performance, but it has worse image clarity due to the lower pixel density.

The motion handling on the 27GP850-B is incredible as it has a fantastic response time with high-frame-rate signals and remains quick even with 60Hz signals. It also has low input lag for a responsive feel while gaming. There's also an optional backlight strobing feature that reduces persistence blur, but it works within a narrow range and doesn't work at the same time as VRR anyways.

If you're on a budget, there are still a few good 1440p gaming options, like the Gigabyte M27Q. It's similar to the LG 27GP850-B but with a slightly lower 170Hz refresh rate. It doesn't have as good motion handling, but that's the trade-off you need to make for getting something cheaper. Luckily, it offers an impressive gaming experience as the response time is still fast, it has low input lag for a responsive feel, and it has native FreeSync VRR support to reduce screen tearing.

Another difference with the LG is that this monitor has a different panel type with a BGR subpixel layout. It can negatively impact text clarity in some programs and games, but it doesn't affect the overall picture quality or gaming performance. Additionally, it has extra features that the LG doesn't have, like a USB-C input which is great if you want to connect a laptop, and it has Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture modes so you can see images from two sources at once. It even has a dashboard feature that shows you system info like your CPU temperature and the current frame rate.

If you want a simple and cheap 1440p gaming monitor that doesn't cost much, consider the HP X27q. In terms of specs, it's similar to the Gigabyte M27Q because it has a 165Hz refresh rate and 27-inch screen size, but it's a step down in terms of performance because it has worse motion handling, but the response time with high-frame-rate content remains great. However, you'll notice more blur with lower frame rate signals, like if you're console gaming or if the frame rate of your game drops. It has a backlight strobing feature, but it only works with a narrow range and creates image duplications.

As expected for a cheap monitor, it has a lot fewer features than the Gigabyte as it doesn't have any USB ports or built-in speakers, but you can still add a virtual crosshair that your system won't detect, giving you a competitive advantage. It also has low input lag for a responsive feel, and it has native FreeSync VRR support with G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing.