It’s rare to see a PC monitor rewrite the rules of computer displays. The Alienware AW3423DW does exactly that.

Alienware’s 34-inch ultrawide is the first (and, as of summer 2022, still the only) monitor with a QD-OLED panel, which fuses Quantum Dots and OLED panel technologies into one glorious, colorful, high-contrast display. The AW3423DW has great color performance, can reach deep black levels, and looks especially nice in HDR.

It also benefits from OLED’s near-instant pixel response times. This provides excellent motion clarity, which is great for gamers who like fast-paced titles. This is further enhanced by a refresh rate of up to 175Hz (though only over DisplayPort). It supports Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate and AMD FreeSync.

And here’s the kicker: it’s a good value! The Alienware AW3423DW is pricey, but no more expensive than other premium gaming monitors with similar features and worse image quality. It’s an easy recommendation for PC gamers who want the best of the best.

Gaming monitors are often expensive, but they don’t have to be. The Acer Nitro XV272 has everything a PC gamer needs for under $250.

The Nitro XV272 is a 27-inch, 1080p monitor with a refresh rate of up to 165Hz. It’s G-Sync Compatible and supports AMD FreeSync Premium. This feature set makes it well-suited to handle competitive games. The monitor’s IPS panel shows some motion blur, but clarity is as good as you’ll find for under $250. 

Image quality is excellent. The Nitro XV272’s contrast and color performance is in league with some gaming monitors sold for twice as much. It does fall behind in brightness and isn’t a good choice for HDR games—but this is true of all budget gaming monitors. 

This monitor throws in a stand with significant ergonomic adjustment and a variety of image-quality controls that help you tweak the picture to your liking. These perks push the XV272 ahead of the competition.

The best HDR games, like Forza Horizon 5 or Microsoft Flight Simulator, are transformed by a great HDR display. Unfortunately, most PC monitors fall short—except for Asus’ ROG Swift PG32UQX.

This monitor has a mini-LED backlight with 1,152 LED light zones that can turn on or off independently, boosting contrast and brightness. The monitor achieves extreme brightness in both small areas of the display or across the entire display and does so without noticeable fluctuations in brightness, a problem sometimes visible on the otherwise excellent Alienware AW3423DW. 

It’s got top-tier color performance, 4K resolution, and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. It doesn’t support HDMI 2.1 but can handle 120Hz when connected to a Xbox Series X|S console thanks to a chroma subsampling mode. 

The ROG Swift PG32UQX’s superb HDR performance comes at a high price. You can expect to pay around $3,000 for this monitor. Viewsonic’s XG321UG is a similar and slightly less expensive alternative, but it lacks 120Hz support for Xbox Series X|S consoles.

PC gamers looking for a mid-range monitor with excellent motion clarity and a high refresh should pick up the Gigabyte M27Q X.

This 27-inch monitor has 2560×1440 resolution, a refresh rate of 240Hz, and officially supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro (Nvidia G-Sync Compatible was tested to work, as well). This provides excellent motion clarity in competitive titles.

Gigabyte’s monitor delivers high maximum brightness, good contrast, and excellent color performance. Its color performance is so strong that you’ll be hard pressed to find better performance at any price. The M27Q X can serve double-duty as a photo or video editing monitor (if you don’t mind 1440p resolution).

Excellent image quality at a reasonable price comes at the compromise of build quality. The M27Q X looks mundane and the stand only adjusts for height and tilt. Still, most gamers buy a monitor to play games—and that’s where the M27Q X excels.

The Dell G3223Q is a large, attractive 32-inch gaming monitor that’s ideal for PC gamers who also want to connect a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S.

It supports 4K resolution at a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and has two HDMI 2.1 connections. You can connect a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S console simultaneously. DisplayPort is also available for your PC. The monitor supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync.

Image quality is strong with excellent brightness, good contrast, and great color performance. These traits, combined with the sharpness of 4K, makes for an excellent SDR experience. HDR isn’t impressive, which could be a concern for console gamers. Most monitors in this price range aren’t great at HDR, however, so we think this issue can be overlooked (for now).

The Dell G3223Q is a good value, too. Typically priced around $825, the G3223Q is among the more affordable HDMI 2.1 monitors with a 32-inch, 4K display panel. We also appreciate the monitor’s design, which feels more durable and looks more attractive than similarly priced alternatives.