We all know, or atleast have heard, legends about the heavenly 144hz refresh rate. Daunting stories of people who could never return to a 60hz after using a high refresh rate gaming Monitor. Well, 144hz gaming monitors have actually become quite affordable in India over the last year, so much so that you don’t have to spend a fortune to experience that smooth 144hz goodness that your friend with a high-end gaming PC keeps flexing about. So without any further delay, here are some of our recommended 1080p 144hz gaming monitors:

Samsung C24RG50

First off is the Samsung C24RG50 – a Curved 24″ 1080p 144hz VA panel with a magnificent 3000:1 contrast ratio. For someone who doesn’t like the bland color reproduction of TN panels, and the longer response times on an IPS panel, VA panels bring the best of both worlds. The 1800R curve is just perfectly subtle. I personally highly recommend this as I got the same for my PC recently, and honestly I couldn’t ask for anything better at the price (13K locally).

At first you might be doubtful of getting a curved gaming monitor, coming from years of gaming on a flat display. That’s totally understandable, as so was I until I actually used it. You might think that the the curvature could hamper your muscle memory. It doesn’t, atleast not at such a slight curvature such as this monitor. While that makes sense in theory, an 1800R curvature is much more subtle than you’d think. It just makes things feel more immersive, while you won’t actually even notice the curve without focusing. It just feels… perfect.

This 72% NTSC (99% sRGB) VA panel is also Freesync compatible. And thanks to Nvidia extending their Gsync support to Freesync compatible monitors last year, you can now use an Nvidia card to enable Gsync on this gaming monitor to enjoy tear-free smooth gameplay.

For anyone new to gaming monitors, Gsync and Freesync are Nvidia and AMD’s proprietary adaptive sync technologies which make use of your monitor’s variable refresh rate to match it with the your game’s framerate, eliminating screen tearing and minimizing input lag in games.

Features:

• VA panel, 3000:1 contrast ratio
• 1800R curvature
• 99% sRGB coverage
• 250 nits brightness
• 2x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort, 3.5mm headphone jack

MSI Optix G241

This recently launched MSI monitor is quite a deal – being a curved 144hz IPS display with a touted 1ms GTG response time – all at an affordable price (around 16K locally). The main selling point being the IPS panel and 1ms response time. Although personally as a matter of fact I’d like to mention that a 1ms vs 4ms response time isn’t such a huge deal as many people talk of it to be, not to 90% of people atleast. The advertised number is almost always manipulated under specific circumstances and in different standards, to make it sound better than it actually is. It’s more of a marketing thing than something that you’d actually notice during use. Nothing much to bother with unless it’s exceptionally high (>10ms).

But one thing that might bother you is the more aggressive 1500R curve. That just means that it’s more curved than the Samsung, and will probably be pretty apparent at all times, while the 1800R curvature on the CRG50 might be easier to adapt to coming from a flat monitor. Although at the end it just comes down to personal preference.

Features:

• IPS panel, 1000:1 contrast ratio
• 1500R curvature
• 128% sRGB coverage
• 250 nits brightness
• 2x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort, 3.5mm headphone jack

MSI Optix MAG241C

The MAG241C is pretty much the same as the G241, except that this sports a VA panel instead of an IPS. A couple of other notable differences are the two USB pass-through ports, and the higher brightness (although honestly you probably won’t ever be needing 250 nits at max itself considering you haven’t set up your PC out in the lawn). The back design of the monitor is quite different than the G241 as well.

Features:

• VA panel, 3000:1 contrast ratio
• 1500R curvature
• 115% sRGB coverage
• 300 nits brightness
• 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 2.0 Type B
• 2x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort, 3.5mm headphone jack

Acer Nitro VG240YP

The Nitro VG240YP is the least expensive of the list, and sports a flat IPS panel with a neat bezel-less design. Although IPS panels naturally have the slowest reponse time compared to others, it isn’t anything really noticeable. A con is the natural IPS glow This is a pretty good choice for anyone looking for 144hz goodness at a budget.

Features:

• IPS panel, 1000:1 contrast ratio
• 99% sRGB coverage
• 250 nits brightness
• 2x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort

BenQ Zowie XL2411P

The XL2411P is arguably the best ‘Gaming’ monitor, because of its fast response time (TN panel), and accessibility. The stand has an adjustable height, allows swiveling and can be pivoted to vertical, if need be. While boasting the fastest reponse time, TN panels also have their cons, the main one being comparatively poor color reproduction. An IPS panel can reproduce significantly more vivid colors than a TN, although that comes at the cost of slower response times and more chances of backlight bleeding due to its design. However, if you’re planning to stick strictly to competitive gaming, this might be a good choice for you.

Features:

• TN panel, 1000:1 contrast ratio
• 96% sRGB coverage
• 350 nits brightness
• 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort, 1x DVI, 3.5mm headphone jack

These are some of the best 1080p 144hz monitors you can currently find in the market. There are more choices available, but these are some of the widely recommended ones that you can grab without worrying too much about poor performance.