Best 4K Gaming Monitors for PC 2024: 144Hz, Curved and More

As mainstream graphics cards become even more powerful, it's not surprising that PC gamers are taking more of an interest in monitors with a 4K resolution. A panel packing 8.3 million pixels (3840 x 2160) makes your favorite games look sharp and realistic. However, that 4K resolution requires a graphics card capable of delivering high enough frame rates to make games playable.

In addition to being one of the most popular resolutions available in a good gaming monitor today, I find that 4K also offers the ability to expand to larger displays while retaining a sharp image. With a packed pixel army, you can stretch your screen size well past 30 inches without having pixels so large that you can see them.

However, that image quality can often come at a steep price. Anyone looking for a 4K monitor knows they're not cheap. Yes, 4K is about high-res gaming (and other media), but you'll still need solid gaming specs, like a 120 Hz-plus refresh rate, low response time, and your choice of Adaptive-Sync (Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync, depending on your system's graphics card). And you can't forget the cost of the powerful graphics card you'll need to game properly in 4K. See our Best Gaming Monitors page for lower-resolution recommendations if you're not ready to fully embrace 4K.

Our top overall pick is the Alienware AW2725QF, which is an attractively-priced 27-inch monitor that operates at 360Hz at 1080p or 180Hz at 4K. However, it's not the only standout 4K monitor available today; let's look at the other contenders.

The Quick List

Best 4K Gaming Monitors You Can Buy Today

Best 4K Gaming Monitor

The Alienware AW2725QF is a perfect example of giving you the best of both worlds. Not only do you get a 1080p display that can boast refresh rates of up to 360Hz, but flipping a switch in the OSD allows you to bump the resolution to the highly-vaunted 4K while stepping down the maximum refresh rate to 180 Hz.

Switch between 1080p and 4K is seamless, and it allows you to dial up the resolution for slower-paced games that don't need a super-fast refresh rate or go to a lower resolution to maximize performance in eSports games. And the AW2725QF does this all at an attractive $599 price point.

Given that this is an Alienware-branded product, it comes loaded with features, including a pop-out hook for your gaming headset, USB-A and USB-C ports for your peripherals, and even support for Dolby Vision. You'll also find the usual gamer-centric features in the OSD like aiming points and night vision as part of the AlienVision viewing enhancement suite.

The monitor performed incredibly well in our response time and total input lag tests, coming in close behind the 480 Hz Asus PG32UCDP at 1080p, yet ahead of the 144Hz competitors in the field. "When input lag is considered, it beats all but a few 500 Hz screens on the market," we said of the AW2725QF in our review. "Since the principal selling point is dual-mode operation, its only real competition is the PG32UCDP, which costs more than twice as much. For $600, the AW2725QF is one of the fastest and most versatile gaming monitors available."

Read: Alienware AW2725QF Dual-Mode Gaming Monitor Review

Best Mini LED 4K Gaming Monitor

Cooler Master is ramping up its gaming monitor portfolio, and the latest from the company is the impressive Tempest GP27U. The is on the smaller side for a 4K gaming monitor at 27 inches, but it brings a lot of features to the table along with excellent performance.

The headlining feature of the monitor is its Mini LED panel with a Quantum Dot film and 576 dimming zones. The result is an expansive color gamut and excellent image quality across the board. Of course, you’ll need to calibrate the Tempest GP27U to get the best performance, but once everything is dialed in, it impresses with deep blacks and overall color performance compared to its peers. On top of that, Cooler Master has thrown in support for up to 160 Hz refresh rates, although you can’t use Adaptive-Sync above 144 Hz.

The GP27U excelled in our input lag test, edging out the Samsung Odyssey G8 by 2ms. Although the G8 returned the favor by beating out the GP27U in overall response time (by 2ms), the latter performed well given its 160Hz refresh rate.

"Though the Samsung monitor’s 240 Hz refresh rate gives it a faster draw time, the Cooler Master has extremely low input lag, making up the difference," we wrote in our review. "My gaming skills are insufficient to see a difference while playing, and the Samsung looks smoother when running over 200fps. But professional-level gamers may gain an advantage from the GP27U’s lower lag."

The Cooler Master Tempest GP27U has loads of accolades on its plate and very few demerits of consequence. Throw in a relatively affordable price of $849, and you have a winning combination for gamers.

Read: Cooler Master Tempest GP27U 160 Hz Mini LED Review

Best OLED 4K Gaming Monitor

The Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2P is one of those rare monitors that does just about everything right with minimal downsides. Sure, it’s hard to find a bad monitor these days, but the FO32U2P does so much right that it stands head and shoulders above similar 4K monitors available on the market.

Part of what makes the FO32U2P so stellar is its use of a high-quality OLED panel, which is becoming standard issue in high-end gaming monitors. The panel refreshes at 240 Hz and supports AMD FreeSync and Nvidia FreeSync technologies. It also supports a healthy number of ports, including two HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 2.1, Mini DisplayPort 2.1 (which you don't often see), and DisplayPort 1.4.

When you see so many different monitors come across the test bench over the years, it's easy for them to all start looking similar design-wise. However, the Gigabyte attempts to inject some flair into the FO32U2P's design. "Physically, the FO32U2P stands out thanks to elegant styling. It follows the format of a thin panel with a component bulge in the back," we wrote in our review. "The panel part is just four millimeters thick with a metal backing. The bulge is relatively slim and is set off with LED lighting and a sculpted geometric shape."

Although the monitor needs calibration out of the box, once your settings are dialed in, you'll be blown away by the excellent overall image quality and increased contrast. Throw in class-leading video processing and configurable HDR settings, and you have a real winner on your hands (which, taken together, is why we gave it our Editor's Choice award).

If we must ding the FO32U2P for anything, we could quibble that gamma is a tad light in SDR mode. In addition, the $1,299 price isn’t for the faint of heart.

Read: Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2P Review

Best Premium 4K Gaming Monitor

The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP is another dual-mode monitor on our list. However, whereas Alienware AW2725QF is smaller and more attractively priced, the PG32UCDP steps up to the larger and more popular 32-inch segment. More importantly, the PG32UCDP opts for an OLED panel, which pays dividends in overall responsiveness and color reproduction.

The PG32UCDP features a 1080p mode allowing the panel to refresh up to 480Hz. However, you can quickly switch to 4K mode, allowing refresh rates up to 240Hz. Of course, you also get AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, and we witnessed consistently high frame rates without any motion blur.

As we wrote, the PG32UCDP has a premium aesthetic, which uses a combination of metal and plastic. It's a highly ergonomic design that also comes with the usual assortment of HDMI and DisplayPort connections. You even get USB hookups along with a KVM to support multiple PCs. And, of course, we can't forget the ROG logo which projects onto your desk for some added visual flair.

We found the response and total input lag to be class-competitive with other 240Hz monitors, while its 480Hz performance was unmatched. "History is made here with the PG32UCDP’s 480 Hz scores," we said in our review. "The draw time for a full white field is 2ms, and the total lag is 11ms. These are the fastest results I’ve ever recorded for any monitor over the past 12 years. Granted, the resolution is FHD, but the smoothness here is incredible."

The PG32UCDP knocks it out of the park on so many levels, but be prepared to pay for that luxury. It currently has a street price of around $1,200.

Read: Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP Monitor Review

Best Budget 4K Gaming Monitor

The Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q offers tremendous value for gamers looking to step up to 4K resolution without going bonkers on price. The VG289Q has a competent overdrive function, which helps reduce motion blur, and we didn't notice ghosting on the panel.

AMD FreeSync is supported here, although consider that the maximum refresh rate is just 60Hz (FreeSync will work down to 48Hz on this monitor). We can happily say that SDR content looked rich and colorful on the VG289Q, but shifting to HDR didn't really show any improvement. That's to be expected with a a gaming monitor this reasonably priced, where HDR is more of a checkbox feature than one that provides an actual benefit.

This monitor gets the basics right and even has solid build quality. While you do get built-in speakers and a 3.5mm audio jack, you won't find an onboard USB hub. There are also no superfluous add-ons like RGB lighting, which drive up costs. As a result, you can pick up the VG289Q for as little as $240 on Amazon.

But if you're just looking to dip your toes in the 4K gaming monitor market and don't have high-FPS requirements, it's hard to find any serious faults with the VG289Q.

Read: Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q review

Best 4K Gaming Monitor for Consoles

For hardcore console gamers who want to have the best display performance available, there are plenty of options available. However, one that really stands out from the crowd is the Alienware AW3225QF, which is a 32-inch monitor with a 4K resolution, 240 Hz refresh rate, and a brilliant QD-OLED panel. If you own an Xbox Series S/X or PlayStation 5 console, it doesn’t get much better than this.

The monitor supports Dolby Vision on the Xbox Series X and ranks near the top of its class in most categories. Throw in excellent motion resolution and low input lag, and the Alienware AW3225QF is a boon not only to console gamers but also to those of us who prefer PC gaming.

Although you can't make full use of the 240 Hz refresh on today's Xbox and PlayStation consoles, PC gamers are in luck. "The AW3225QF has Display Stream Compression for its DisplayPort 1.4 input and in my tests, I could sustain 240fps in 4K at Doom Eternal’s max detail setting," wrote our Christian Eberle. "The difference in motion resolution between this and 120fps is visibly significant. The higher frame rate also affords lower input lag. The AW3225QF manages that feat as well."

$1,200 is not a small sum by any means for a gaming mointor, but the Alienware AW3225QF is well worth the price of entry.

Read: Alienware AW3225QF Review

Quick Shopping Tips

When seeking the best 4K gaming monitor for you, consider the following:

• 4K gaming requires a high-end graphics card. If you're not using a GeForce RTX 4090 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX, you'll want at least a GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6900 XT to game at high-quality settings. Visit our Graphics Card Buying Guide for help.
  
• G-Sync or FreeSync? A monitor's G-Sync feature will only work with PCs using an Nvidia graphics card, and FreeSync will only run with PCs carrying an AMD card. You can technically run G-Sync on a monitor that's only FreeSync-certified, but performance may vary. We've seen negligible differences in mainstream gaming capabilities for fighting screen tearing between the two. Our Nvidia G-Sync vs. AMD FreeSync article offers an in-depth performance comparison.
  
• 4K and HDR go hand-in-hand. 4K displays often support HDR content for extra bright and colorful images. But for Adaptive-Sync optimized for HDR media, you'll want a G-Sync Ultimate or FreeSync Premium Pro (formerly FreeSync 2 HDR) monitor. For a noticeable upgrade from an SDR monitor, opt for at least 600 nits brightness. You can learn more from our glossary page on HDR and our buying guide for picking the best HDR monitor.

For more guidance picking a monitor of any resolution--gaming or otherwise--check out our PC Monitor Buying Guide and list of the Best Computer Monitors.

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