What Is The Best Monitor Size For Gaming? [Simple Answer]

What Is The Best Monitor Size For Gaming? [Simple Answer]

If you are a gamer looking to improve the state of your hardware, or an upcoming gamer hoping to storm the market to kick-start your journey into the world of hardcore gaming, you can’t avoid being entangled in the confusion often triggered by the need to acquire the best monitor size for gaming.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the various elements involved in determining the best monitor size for gaming, you should know that it is widely believed that 24 inches monitors are the most ideal size for desktop monitors whereas 27 inches are the most vastly used for high-resolution monitors.

Now, let’s talk details.

When it comes to picking the right monitor size for gaming, the things mostly considered boils down to the screen resolution to monitor size ratio; that is, the pixel density measured in pixel per inch (PPI). First off, let’s find out how monitor sizes are measured.

How Monitor Sizes Are Measured

Monitor sizes are measured diagonally, similar to TVs. So, for instance, a 22-inch monitor display will actually be 18 inches wide and 10 inches tall. A 24-inch display in comparison would be about 20 inches wide and 12 inches tall. The difference might not seem significant but there is an obvious bump in screen space for every extra diagonal inch you get. Quick math will show that by multiplying each dimension, there is a 60 square inch difference between both sizes. That’s some serious screen real estate there.

Determining the Best Monitor Size for Gaming

In determining the best monitor size for gaming, there are three basic factors involved – the viewing distance, the resolution, and the size. Let’s look at them one by one.

Viewing Distance

This is something that a lot of people ignore because they are getting carried away by the glamorous and luxurious look of large screens. Regardless, it is such an important factor in determining your monitor size and one might even go as far as considering it the most important factor as it not only affects your viewing experience but also your health, specifically your eyesight.

The larger a monitor is, the further away from it you need to be in order to have the best viewing experience and avoid eye fatigue. For many people, the preferred distance between them and their monitor is usually less than 3 feet. Did you catch the drift? It is your preferred distance between you and your screen that should determine the resolution and size of monitor that is best for you.

Resolution

Screen resolutions are about the clarity of the images displayed on your screen. A higher resolution, like 1600×1200 pixels, would display sharper images. Higher resolutions usually require larger screen sizes. 24-inch monitors are mostly considered to be the standard and usually come with a 1080p resolution, but you might find some at this screen size with 1440p or 4K resolution, but these are not common specifications in this size category. If you are looking for a much higher resolution than 1080p, perhaps something along 1440p or 4K resolution, 27-inch monitors are your go-to monitor size.

Between these two monitor sizes, 24 and 27-inch monitors, you are most likely going to find the monitor with the resolution that will suit your needs. This does not in anyway suggest that other monitor sizes with similar or higher resolution don’t exist. Of course, there are such monitors like the 32-inch monitor that is best used as a 4K display. But then, such monitors require an uncommon viewing distance and they pose the possibility of eye fatigue a great deal.

Aside from the impractical viewing distance required, the 32-inch monitor for the 4K resolution experience doesn’t feel ideal and it is just better to get a TV. A 45 to 65-inch 4K TV is a much better option for gaming at 4K resolution level.

Size

We’ve talked about viewing distance and resolution as some of the important factors in determining the right monitor for gaming. While those are things you shouldn’t ignore, the size of a monitor in terms of physical space and the aesthetic look is the essence of this piece. Already, we have mentioned that the two most common gaming monitors in terms of size are the 24 and 27-inches, but there are a few other options as detailed below.

22-inch Monitor

This size in the gaming community, is considered to be too small for gaming these days and they are certainly not as widely sold as their 24/27-inch counterpart, but you could still find them if you look hard enough. They usually come with a 1366×768 to a 1920×1080 resolution and can be perfect for casual gamers who have limited physical space to work with.

32-inch monitor

At this size, you will be getting a monitor that mostly looks like a TV. Like 22-inch monitors, they are on the rare side of commercial sales and are usually found with resolutions between 1080p and 4K. As stated earlier, the impracticality of using this monitor has given us reasons to strongly suggest getting a 4k television if you are a gamer looking for a 4k screen.

Ultrawide Monitors

All the displays that we’ve talked about are 16:9 aspect ratio monitors which are the common type of monitors in the market. However, you may have come across 21:9 monitors or their market name, “Ultrawides”.

Ultrawides can be pretty awesome to game with as long as you get one with a high resolution. The downside, however, is that there are a limited amount of games that support them. What this means is that a diversified interest gamer may be unable to enjoy certain games with an ultrawide monitor.

Check Out: Gaming PC Vs Workstation – Which One is Better? [Simple Answer] 

So, having covered the various elements involved in determining the best monitor size for gaming, it is important to note that picking out the best monitor is largely based on your preferences. For the diverse preferences, we recommend the following monitor size/resolution for gaming:

1. If you are looking for a 1080p resolution, we recommend getting either a 23-inch monitor or a 25-inch monitor.

2. For those looking for 1440p or 4K resolutions, you will find perfection in a 27-inch monitor. 4K enthusiast should go for anything between 28 and 32-inch.

3. We identified the issued with ultrawide monitors above but for those who still prefer them, a 34-inch ultrawide is fine for 1440p resolution, 25 to 29-inch for 1080p resolution and 38-inch for 3840×1600 resolution.

We hope you find this piece helpful, have fun gaming.