Best 4K gaming monitors: early 2022

This is the category that has seen the biggest improvements, especially high refresh rate models that perform better and are more affordable than those available in previous years. Most of our recommendations from our recent best 4K monitors feature are still relevant today, so we’ll keep it short and you can always jump to the dedicated 4K article for more information if you need it.

Right now, we’ve split the 4K options into two size categories, 27″ and 32″, looking to get at least 144Hz refresh rates to make them look promising and great for gaming. In the 27-inch laptop category, we’d go for the Gigabyte M28U, which offers great performance at an affordable $650 price point, well below the top models of yesteryear.

The M28U has a very good response time with an average transition time of 4ms at 144Hz in our testing. It also delivers good performance throughout the refresh range, so for those using variable refresh rates with adaptive sync, you don’t need to tweak the acceleration settings to get the best experience. Color quality is also solid thanks to the IPS panel, so viewing angles are excellent and color gamut is really wide, though not as wide as the best modern monitors. Factory calibration is above average, there’s a good sRGB mode for everyday use, and contrast is typical of an IPS panel. To top it all off, Gigabyte includes a KVM switch and a height-adjustable stand that are great additions to the features.

An alternative could be Samsung Odyssey G7 S28 a model that sells for a similar price and uses the same panel, but we haven’t tested it yet, so we haven’t received a recommendation from us yet.

LG 27GN950and its newer version LG 27GP950, used to be my favorite choice. But I can’t justify an $800 to $900 price tag for something that ends up with only marginally better performance. The same goes for Eva Spectrum 4K and Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A.

Large 32-inch 4K options

On a 32″ monitor, the quality of the monitors on offer isn’t as good as on a 27″ monitor, but a lot of people want more screen real estate, and yes, 4K looks great at that size.

For most people, we recommend the Gigabyte M32U, an affordable and nearly identical performance version of the Gigabyte Aorus FI32U. This monitor has a decent response time and color quality, it’s not a leader in any area, but I think it will be enough for most buyers as a solid all-rounder. It’s also not overly expensive at $800, which is cheaper than most other 32-inch 4K IPS 144Hz monitors.

If you need a step up in terms of performance and features, the MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD is a great fit. Sometimes we’ve seen it for just $750compared to the usual $900 which is a great deal if you can get it and a clear winner over the M32Q.

It’s not as fast as the M32Q and response time isn’t its strong point, but it makes up for it with excellent color reproduction, including a very wide color gamut, several well calibrated modes for sRGB, P3 and Adobe RGB, full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. Simultaneous backlight strobe with adaptive sync support.

The MSI model is a great choice if you want something decent for productivity and creativity that can still work well as a gaming monitor thanks to its 144Hz refresh rate, while the M32Q is more of a gaming option.

If you’re buying a high refresh rate 4K gaming monitor right now, by far the best category to invest in is the 27-inch category. 4K monitors around this size provide the best performance and are the most affordable, making them a great buy for a wide variety of use cases. But it’s also important to take something from the current generation of 4K panels or you’ll miss out on key features.

For most gamers, the 4K monitor that makes sense to buy also happens to be the best value for money. $600 to $700 range. Our recommendation has not changed since the last update of the guide. We’ve reviewed several other 4K monitors since then, and the Gigabyte M28U still leads the way in terms of value.

The M28U has a very good response time, with an average transition time in our testing of 4ms at 144Hz. It also has very good performance across the entire refresh range, so for those using adaptive sync’s variable refresh rate, you don’t need to tweak the acceleration settings to get the best experience. This IPS monitor delivers speeds in the ideal range for the latest generation of IPS panels. This is complemented by excellent backlight strobe, which works in conjunction with adaptive sync. We’re getting HDMI 2.1 support, which is important when buying a new 4K monitor in 2022 – not all monitors have this feature, so be sure to get one that supports it.

Gigabyte’s color reproduction is excellent, viewing angles are excellent, and the color gamut is really wide, although not as wide as the best modern monitors. Factory calibration is above average, there’s a good sRGB mode for everyday use, and contrast is typical of an IPS panel. To top it all off, Gigabyte includes a KVM switch and a height-adjustable stand that are great additions to the features.

There are several worthy alternatives that we should also mention. The M28U is not an HDR monitor, so if you want proper HDR just be aware that getting real HDR will cost you 2-3 times the MSRP of this monitor, don’t be fooled by fake HDR monitors that add it per specification without including the necessary equipment.

For PS5/Console Games: Samsung Odyssey

For those of you buying a 4K monitor for the PlayStation 5, the Gigabyte M28U isn’t the best choice as its HDMI 2.1 ports are limited to 24Gbps instead of the full 48Gbps. In this case, we recommend the Samsung Odyssey G7 S28, which offers full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.

The Odyssey G7 S28 is usually slightly more expensive than the M28U. $700. Both monitors offer very similar performance, with the exception of HDMI 2.1, however we recently discovered that Samsung will go on sale for just $630. If the Samsung model was cheaper than Gigabyte, we would buy it.

High-End Option: Eve Spectrum

The Eve Spectrum 4K is a really good 4K 144Hz monitor. It uses an LG panel that has some advantages over the Innolux panel used in the Gigabyte M28U, such as a wider color gamut that is great for DCI-P3 use and makes the display more versatile for both content creation and gaming.

The Spectrum also features an elite factory calibration, better than any other 4K display we’ve tested, as well as additional customization options such as easy-to-adjust backlight acceleration and strobe controls.

We now strongly advise against buying from Eve as a company. You can see our thoughts on why in our full spectrum review, however since then Eve seems to be making good on its promise to ship monitors to customers in a more timely manner. So we feel more comfortable with a recommendation here than when we bought our review unit.

Note that the Spectrum 4K is more expensive than the competition and is hard to justify. $900 (stand included) when M28U and Odyssey G7 are available approximately $650 to $700 unless you specifically need to have one of the extra features. We don’t think the Spectrum offers an extra $250 over the top competitors, but it’s still worth considering if you want the best of the best.