Buying a Gaming Monitor: What You Need to Know

The PC Gamer screen is at the heart of your Setup, your gaming experience and your performance. It must meet your expectations, especially your objectives. This masterpiece showcases the power of your computer and the potential of the graphics card , while enhancing your gaming experience.

To find the Gamer screen that suits you, many criteria must be taken into account. Our experts have selected upstream and only provide the best products and brands on Smartmarket.ma . This guide aims to provide you with as much information as possible so that you can find your happiness in the preselection.

How to choose my PC Gamer screen?

To choose a gaming monitor , you need to consider your needs in terms of gameplay and immersion in order to bring you added value. If you don't know your needs, don't panic, we will inspire you.

First of all, based on the games you are used to and what you are looking for in each game. If you are looking for performance, you must adapt to a PC monitor with technical characteristics such as response time or the refresh rate . If you like immersive experiences and love open-world games, please research based on standards related to image quality (such as rendering, contrast, colorimetry, etc.).

Then you need to refer to the powerful features of your gaming PC and its components in order to exploit its full potential. As you will have understood, your graphics card and your PC Gamer screen must be sufficient so that you do not limit the other.

How much to invest in a PC gaming screen?

Given the many constantly changing and growing standards and requirements, it is difficult to determine the ideal price, prices vary enormously and of course you have to take your budget into account.

Certain standards (such as panel type, resolution or screen size) will have a significant impact on the price of your gaming monitor.

Overall, for a standard entry-level gaming pc screen, it costs between 1500 and 3000 MAD. For mid-range pc screens with specific performance or resolutions, it costs from 3000 to 5000 MAD. Finally, for high-end screens, you will have to count more than 5000MAD, which always depends on your needs. In addition to these price ranges, you will also find state-of-the-art performance monitors.

What are the best gaming pc screen brands available in Morocco?

There are many brands that offer pc monitors for all types of games. Some of them have established themselves as benchmarks through innovation and specialization, just like Samsung and LG do on curved pc screens. Other companies remain faithful to their know-how, such as Asus, BenQ and MSI, which offer performance-oriented pc screens.

Performance criteria

1. Response time

Response time is the rate at which information is transferred from the graphics card to the screen. It is measured in milliseconds, and it varies from 0.5 to 20 ms. For example, the response time of a television is 10 to 20 milliseconds, while the response time of the pc gamer screen is 0.5 to 5 milliseconds. The shorter this period of time, the more the response of your screen will be optimized and will allow you to increase the speed of the game. We recommend that the response time be less than 3 milliseconds.

2. Refresh rate

The refresh rate is the number of images the screen can display per second. This value will vary according to the Panels and it is between 50Hz and 500Hz. The fluidity of images is one of the most important criteria for gamers, whether you are looking for total immersion in the game or unparalleled performance. We recommend using at least 144Hz for a really smooth gaming experience!

Image quality criteria:

1. Definition and resolution

Definition and resolution are two different things, and although they are closely related, they should not be confused.

The definition corresponds to the number of pixels that can be displayed on the screen. It is generally expressed in the following form: the number of pixels displayed horizontally x the number of pixels displayed vertically. Depending on the number of pixels, the screen will bear the name often communicated by the manufacturer (HD, Full HD, Ultra HD).

Resolution is the number of pixels divided by the area of ​​the screen. Then, we use the number of pixels per inch to represent the density of information on a given surface (in English it is PPP and PPI). It should be remembered that the resolution is a more complete technical characteristic because it takes into account the size of the screen and gives you an idea of ​​​​the display quality.

2. Contrast

Contrast is expressed as the difference between white light and black light. You can find ratios like 300:1 or even 500:1 on the monitor's spec sheet. This number, which may seem a bit fuzzy at first glance, is just one way of expressing the difference between an extreme white point and an extreme black point. 300:1 means the white point is 300 times brighter than the black. So the higher the number the better, we believe a good level of contrast can be achieved from 400:1.

3. Brightness

Brightness and contrast are two different characteristics that should not be confused. Unlike the contrast ratio, the brightness of the screen applies to the entire panel and is expressed in candela per square meter (cd/m2). The higher the brightness, the less light in the room will affect screen visibility.

4. Colorimetry

The colorimetry is specific to each type of plate. Typically, the TN (Twisted Nematic) panels used by competitors have little or no colorimetry to maximize screen performance. IPS panels, on the other hand, will emphasize immersion by offering a richer and more intense color palette than other panels (except OLED).

5. Viewing angle

We talk about viewing angle to express the quality of the image on the screen according to your position in relation to it. Depending on your location, the rendering will vary in color, brightness and contrast. If your goal is to strain while concentrating on the center point of the screen, this criteria doesn't really matter.

Different types of panels for gamer screens?

1. VA tiles

VA panels remain the most popular on the market due to their excellent price/quality ratio. It is a multifunctional slab which is not distinguished by specific characteristics. You can play open world games (The Witcher, Red dead, Skyrim, etc.) as well as FPS or IPS. Colorimetry and contrast are generally of good quality and offer pleasant renderings. On the other hand, the viewing angle has a big impact on the image quality. All budgets have them, from 60Hz to 240Hz and from 1Ms to 10Ms of response time.

2. IPS Panels

The IPS panel is characterized by its rendering and its advanced image quality, highlighting the feeling of immersion of the player. In terms of chroma, the palette provides true tones without distorting the image. These tiles appear more and more on the market and become cheaper. IPS panels are gaining in efficiency, and some of them even boast refresh rates above 140Hz at affordable prices.

If your budget is tight, it is better to buy a good quality VA panel rather than an entry-level IPS panel. But if you want to give yourself extraordinary immersion and performance, then IPS is for you.

3. TN Panels

TN tiles have a very specific objective, to MAXIMIZE player performance. This is what makes it attractive to professional circles. The refresh rate is usually between 140Hz and 360Hz. Add G-SYNC and Free-SYNC technologies, and you have a powerful and efficient gaming display, perfect for trying out games like CS: GO, Warzone or Fortnite. On the rendering side, the colors are dull and the angles limited, which limits the immersion of the screen.

FreeSync/G-Sync compatibility

If there's one technology you need to know, whatever your gaming expectations, it's NVIDIA's G-SYNC or AMD's Free-SYNC. These tools are provided as solutions to increase screen refresh rate by interacting directly with your graphics card.

This technology therefore synchronizes your screen with your graphics card to avoid display errors, jerks and tearing. More and more screens are compatible with G-SYNC and Free-SYNC, but you must have an NVIDIA graphics card and a Displayport.

Format & Curvature

The format of the monitor corresponds to the ratio between the height and the width. The most common screen is a 16:9 screen with an aspect ratio of 1.7 (1.7xHeight=Width). The larger the monitor, the more expensive the performance. In fact, a 21/9 or 32/9 screen would be less interesting in terms of refresh rate. On the market, you will mainly find 24, 27 and 32 inch monitors.

The curved screen brings real added value to the immersive dimension of the game. The level of curvature is measured in R (radius) and gives you an idea of ​​the distance between your eyes and the screen.

The closer the value is to 1000R, the more curved the monitor, and the less distance between your eyes and the screen should be:

• 1800R: Maximum viewing distance = 1.8 meters
• 2300R: Maximum viewing distance = 2.3 meters
• 3000R: Maximum viewing distance = 3 meters
• 4000R: Maximum viewing distance = 4 meters