Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.

The 5 Best 144Hz Monitors - Fall 2023 Reviews

Updated
Best 144Hz Monitors

A monitor with a high refresh rate can have a big impact on your gaming experience, as it can help make gaming feel smoother. While monitors with high refresh rates are very popular and are becoming more accessible, there are still some benefits in getting a monitor with a lower 144Hz refresh rate. Once considered the best refresh rate for gaming, 144Hz monitors now are either high-end monitors with a 4k resolution that are ideal for playing detailed games on consoles, or you can find this refresh rate on budget monitors. While you won't get the same fluid gaming experience as higher refresh rate displays, playing games at 144Hz is still good enough for most casual gamers.

The refresh rate alone isn't the only factor in determining the monitor's gaming performance. Consider its response time so that motion looks smooth and its low input so that gaming feels responsive, but most monitors have low input lag anyways. While you can get a higher refresh rate monitor and play at 144Hz, this article only considers monitors with a native refresh rate of 144Hz, including those with an overclock feature.

We've bought and tested over 280 monitors, and below are our picks for the best monitors with a native refresh rate of 144Hz. See our recommendations for the best 1440p 144Hz monitors, the best 4k 144Hz monitors, and, if you want a higher refresh rate, the best 240Hz monitors.


  1. Best 144Hz Monitor

    The LG 32GQ950-B is the best 144Hz monitor we've tested. It's a high-end monitor with excellent gaming performance and a few features to improve the overall user experience. It has a 32-inch screen and 4k resolution with high pixel density, which helps produce an immersive gaming experience with sharp images and a ton of detail. You can overclock its 144Hz native refresh rate to 160Hz, which results in a slightly smoother gaming experience, but the overclock feature doesn't work consistently. The monitor can also take full advantage of current-gen gaming consoles thanks to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, letting you play 4k games up to 120Hz from the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

    It has an excellent response time across its entire refresh rate range, which results in smooth motion handling, so you won't notice too much motion blur with fast-moving objects. While the response time at lower refresh rates is worse than at high refresh rates, motion still looks good. Lastly, it has some features to give you a competitive advantage, like a Black Stabilizer mode to see opponents better in dark games and a crosshair mode for FPS gaming.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range 144Hz Monitor

    If you find the LG 32GQ950-B too expensive and don't need such a premium 144Hz gaming monitor, consider the Sony INZONE M9. While it still is an excellent monitor, it does cost less than the LG, with a few trade-offs. It doesn't have an overclock feature, but because that doesn't always work on the LG anyways, this doesn't make much of a difference. It also has worse motion handling than the LG, so while there's more blur with fast-moving objects, it's still good enough for most gamers, as the response time at its max refresh rate of 144Hz is excellent.

    One advantage of the Sony monitor is its superior picture quality, particularly its better local dimming feature. It displays deeper blacks in dark rooms than the LG and has much less blooming around bright objects. It gets brighter with most HDR content, but small highlights don't stand out as much as on the LG. Lastly, the Sony has a few features that you can only take advantage of with the PS5, like Auto HDR Tone Mapping, and it still works without issue with other sources, like an Xbox Series X|S or a gaming PC.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range 144Hz Monitor

    If you don't need the best of the best and still prefer saving some money, consider the Gigabyte M32U. It has a bigger 32-inch screen than the Sony INZONE M9, but you must make some trade-offs to get something cheaper. Its picture quality is worse as its local dimming feature isn't as good, so it performs worse in dark rooms. It also supports 24 Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, which is less than the 40 Gbps of the Sony and still enough to play 4k games up to 120Hz from consoles, but if you're PC gaming with an HDMI 2.1 graphics card, it needs to use compression to reach that bandwidth.

    Besides these differences, the Gigabyte is still an excellent overall gaming monitor whose 4k resolution and high pixel density deliver an incredibly immersive gaming experience. It also has variable refresh rate (VRR) support to reduce screen tearing and works with AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards. It gets very bright, which is useful if you want to game with it in a well-lit room. If you find the 32-inch screen too big, consider the smaller Gigabyte M27U, which is similar but has a native refresh rate of 150Hz.

    See our review

  4. Best Budget 144Hz Monitor

    If you're looking for the best budget 144Hz monitor, consider the LG 27GL850-B, which is also available as the 27GL83A-B, and the only difference is that the 27GL850-B has two USB ports. It's different from the Gigabyte M32U because it has a lower 1440p resolution, which means it doesn't deliver the same amount of details and image sharpness, but this is what you must expect for a budget monitor. Luckily, it still offers great gaming performance with a fast response time across its entire refresh rate range. It also has FreeSync VRR support with G-SYNC compatibility, but the VRR support is limited to 100Hz when using an HDMI connection.

    It has good picture quality, especially if you want to use it in a bright room because it has good reflection handling and gets bright enough to fight glare. However, it isn't as good in dark rooms as it has a low contrast ratio with bad black uniformity, so it's better to leave a few lights on in your gaming room if you want good picture quality. Another low-cost option is the Gigabyte G27Q, which costs less than the LG but has worse motion handling.

    See our review

  5. Best Cheap 144Hz Monitor

    If you want a cheap gaming monitor, the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is a good alternative to the LG 27GL850-B/27GL83A-B. It has a smaller screen with a lower 1080p resolution, so images are less detailed, but the smaller size is good if you have limited space in your gaming setup. Unlike the LG, you can overclock its 144Hz native refresh rate to 165Hz for a slightly smoother gaming feel.

    It has an impressive response time at its max refresh rate and at 120Hz for smooth motion, but there's more overshoot with 60Hz signals when you have VRR enabled, which causes white trails behind fast-moving objects. You can disable VRR to reduce this issue, but that also means there's a chance you'll see screen tearing. Speaking of VRR, it has FreeSync support with G-SYNC compatibility for NVIDIA graphics cards. Despite its low cost, it has features you'd expect to find in most gaming monitors, including a virtual crosshair to give you an advantage in FPS games, as your game's anti-cheat tool won't detect it.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Gigabyte M32UC: The Gigabyte M32UC is similar in features to the Gigabyte M32U, and it has an overclock feature to go up to 160Hz too. It's better if you need it for dark room gaming but it has worse motion handling than the M32U. See our review
  • Dell G3223Q: The Dell G3223Q is a cheaper alternative to the LG 32GQ950-B with similar overall performance, but it doesn't have an overclock feature and has slightly worse motion handling. See our review
  • LG 27GP950-B: The LG 27GP950-B is a smaller alternative to the LG 32GQ950-B and costs less, but the 32GQ950-B has better motion handling. See our review
  • INNOCN 27M2V: The INNOCN 27M2V is an excellent gaming monitor with even better picture quality than the Sony INZONE M9, thanks to its Mini LED backlighting. Still, it can sometimes be harder to find, and it has a native refresh rate of 160Hz. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Aug 11, 2023: Replaced the LG 27GP950-B and the Gigabyte M28U with the Sony INZONE M9 and the Gigabyte M32U for consistency with other articles; added the INNOCN 27M2V and Gigabyte M32UC to Notable Mentions.

  2. Jun 16, 2023: Replaced the Gigabyte M32U with the Gigabyte M28U because the M32U went up in price; updated text for clarity throughout.

  3. Apr 19, 2023: Added the LG 32GQ950-B as the 'Best Monitor' because it's better than the LG 27GP950-B, and renamed the 27GP950-B and Gigabyte M32U accordingly; moved the Gigabyte M34WQ to Notable Mentions because it doesn't fit into the scope of the article.

  4. Feb 13, 2023: Replaced the LG 32GQ950-B with the LG27GP950-B because it's cheaper for nearly the same performance; replaced the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQ, LG 27GN650-B, and the HP X24ih with the Gigabyte M34WQ, LG 27GL83A-B, and the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx because they're easier to find; updates Notable Mentions based on changes.

  5. Dec 15, 2022: Removed the Gigabyte M32UC because it's hard to find, renamed the Gigabyte M32U as the 'Best Upper Mid-Range Monitor' and added the LG 32QG950-B as the 'Best Monitor'; replaced the LG 27GN800-B with the LG 27GN650-B because it's easier to find; updated Notable Mentions based on changes.

All Reviews

Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best monitors with a 144Hz refresh rate currently available. They are adapted to be valid for most people, in each price range. Rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.

If you would prefer to make your own decision, here is the list of all of our 144Hz monitor reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.