Ever since I bought the Alienware AW3423DW and AW2725DF OLED monitors for my multi-monitor setup, I've always had a hard time switching back to my LG LCD for gaming, even though it's a higher resolution panel. I'd still happily use it for regular desktop work because it's brighter and sharper, but when it came to gaming, I'd only really use it if I wanted to experience a game at 4K. Then again, resolution alone wasn't enough to make up for weaker contrast, IPS glow, and slower pixel response times.
Mostly because I'm a competitive gamer, not because I hate VRR.
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Ever since I got my first G-Sync monitor, the LG 27GN950, I've always been on the fence about VRR. Despite that, I went on to buy two more monitors that supported adaptive sync, the Alienware AW3423DW and the AW2725DF. Honestly, I didn't care whether they had G-Sync or FreeSync certification specifically because, at that point, adaptive sync support just felt like a standard feature you naturally get with a high-end gaming monitor.
Ironically, these are still some of the biggest strengths of IPS panels.
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I've been daily driving OLED monitors since 2022. First, I got the Alienware AW3423DW ultrawide panel, and then later in 2024, I picked up the AW2725DF purely for competitive gaming. I didn't ditch the ultrawide, though. I ended up using both depending on what I was playing, because each monitor scratched a different itch. The AW3423DW's 21:9 aspect ratio made single-player AAA games look incredible, whereas the AW2725DF gave me near-perfect motion clarity and responsiveness for esports titles.
When I first got the RTX 4090 in 2022, I paired it with a 4K/160Hz IPS monitor because I knew it was powerful enough to handle almost any game I threw at it. Moreover, at that resolution, the GPU is usually the limiting factor, so I didn't have to worry about any other bottlenecks in my build. A couple of years later, though, I wanted a faster monitor purely for competitive gaming, so I got the Alienware AW2725DF 360Hz OLED.
You can't go wrong with this monitor if you need one for entertainment. You get an impressive WOLED panel that's big, features beautiful colors, deep black levels, and also delivers plenty of performance. While it's usually priced at $1,600, it can now be had for far less, thanks to a steep 52% discount from Amazon that drops it down to just $773. It's still pricey, but the discount is huge, making it a great time to pick one up.
If you need a high-performance gaming monitor on the cheap, then this one from Asus is going to be right up your alley. It features a 380Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, along with a host of other features that should make gaming a true pleasure.
It's no surprise that I'm a huge fan of e-ink displays. Usually, I'm checking out ESP32 and Raspberry Pi projects that use the technology in some way. They don't update very often, but that just makes them perfect for status displays and dashboards. And they use so little power that you barely notice them on your energy bill.
You can't go wrong with a TV that costs just $100. Not only do you get a slim design with great colors and contrast, but this model also packs Amazon's Fire TV. That means access to some of the best streaming services out there right now. So, if you've been thinking about buying something new, this 40-inch Hisense A4 smart TV might be just what you're looking for.
If you've been looking for a monitor that delivers impressive sharpness and color accuracy, the Asus ProArt PA329CV monitor is going to be right up your alley. This 32-inch 6K monitor features an IPS panel with a resolution of 6016 x 3384, 98% DCI-P3 color coverage, and 100% sRGB wide color gamut.
