When it comes to buying the ultimate gaming monitor, there is a lot you need to consider. The screen size and resolution are probably what most people pay attention to; however, as a gamer, you need to be more technical and identify the necessary monitor specifications. The two important features you should pay attention to are refresh rate and response time. 

Refresh rate refers to how often the monitor refreshes the image on the screen. The refresh rate depends on the Hz (hertz) the display has. A 60 Hz monitor refreshes an image at 16.67 ms (milliseconds), while a 120 Hz does it in half that time at 8.33 ms. You might think that it would be hard for your eyes to pick on such a difference since the change rate is in milliseconds. 

However, if you were to put two monitors side by side, one with 60 Hz and another with 120 Hz, you can easily tell the difference. You will instantly notice that the 60 Hz monitor will have some lag compared to the 120 Hz. There will also be a difference in terms of how fluid the image is and how much more you can see in real-time on the 120 Hz monitor. 

The response time of a monitor coincides with the refresh rate. While you want a higher number in Hz with refresh rate, you want a lower number with response time. The response time determines how fast the monitor can change from white to black and then back to white. The lower the time it takes for it to change, the more fluid the image will be.

Both refresh rate and response time have a lot to do with how the image is displayed on the screen. Even though they don’t have as much to do with the overall resolution or color depth, these rates do matter when it comes to gaming. You want a monitor that can change the frame at a high rate. This allows the gamer to constantly have a real-time image in front of them. 

The refresh rate and response time are the factors behind a sluggish monitor. You want to get a monitor with 120 Hz or above to have the ultimate gaming experience. 

A higher refresh rate generally means the monitor will be more expensive. However, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to get a monitor with good response time and refresh rate, but finding a good deal requires some research.

If you don’t have the time to do that research yourself, check out these Gaming Rig best gaming monitors that are under $500. These monitors will take your gaming experience to the next level. They have all been selected – keeping both refresh rate and response time in mind – as the ultimate gaming monitors for those on a budget.