Gaming Gear Essentials

Gaming Monitors

The monitor is one of the most important hardware components of your gaming setup. Getting a good gaming monitor can increase your comfort and performance. There are lot of monitors with different sizes and brands, each one with different qualities. If you’re not sure what you are looking for, here’s the gear guide to help you choose a gaming monitor.

How to pick a monitor for gaming?

Navigating their monitor specifications and choosing the perfect can be tricky. Below are the features and technical jargons that are frequently used on describing them to help choose the right monitor for you.

Monitor size

The size of the monitor will determine how much you are able to notice small details, how much blue light you see and how far away you can sit from your computer. Ultimately, it would also determine the clarity and overall experience you’ll have while gaming a PC. It depends on some players who love bigger monitors whereas others like slightly smaller monitor to focus on the game better. Here are variety of options when it comes to size.

24-inch monitor – This is one of the most common sizes for gaming monitor. They are small, lightweight and budget friendly. These monitors don’t take up too much space, so you will be able to use your desk place as normal. If you ever happen to have bigger mouse and keyboard, then 24-inch monitors might be your best bet because of its size and saving space.

27-inch monitor – The advantage of these monitors are high definition, the picture will be crystal clear. Though this budget is more than the smaller monitor, you can get with amazing color quality. You can just lay back into your chair and don’t need to learn in to see smaller details which is more comfortable.

32-inch monitor – Depending on the type of games you are playing, this large monitor can be used from a little distance away. They are perfect if you have a large desk to stay put as far as possible. Because if you stay closer, you will not be able to see the whole picture, and would need to turn your head around to not miss any details. However, if you prefer to use a controller like Rocket League or FIFA, then this is a good choice.

Gaming monitors are designed in a manner that allows you to enjoy sharper, crisper images. Even if you opt for a budget gaming monitor, you will get a better response time and little input lag as compared to a standard TV screen. Therefore, your motion-blur and ghosting issues will be significantly reduced as well.

Monitor panel type

In gaming monitors, there are 3 popular types of panel.

IPS Panels – IPS(In-plane Switching) panel offers good color ranges compared to other types of panels. Though it is not able to match up the fast response times and ultra-high refresh rates, it boasts excellent viewing angles ensuring color accuracy and consistency when viewed from any angle.

TN Panels –TN(Twisted Nematic) panels has bit lacking in color ranges and visuals, however it offers best-in-class responsiveness i.e. high response times and refresh rates.

VA Panels – VA (Vertical Alignment) Panels offers access to decent viewing angles, color consistency, color ranges, and refresh rates, however it has lower response times compared to other panel types

How do you choose which one is the best? Every panel type has a purpose, and it depends on your personal preference.

Monitor display resolution

As mentioned earlier, resolution dictates the maximum number of pixels that can be displayed horizontally and vertically on a monitor/projector. A higher resolution translates to better fidelity and crispness across the board, however due to drastic increase in the number of pixels, the graphics power required to drive games goes up as well. Below are few popular resolutions and their common names gives to it.

Monitor aspect ratio

An aspect ratio is ratio of max horizontal pixel count to max vertical pixel count. For instance, a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 has an aspect ratio of 16:9 (i.e. 1920/1080 = 16/9) – this is a popularly used standard widescreen aspect ratio. Of course, you'll find aspect ratios vary greatly depending on the actual monitor screen size. Make sure to check your video graphics card to ensure your computer can actually support those larger screen sizes.

Adaptive Sync

Have you ever noticed tearing, stutter, or judger when gaming? That is when adaptive sync comes in place. With any new game release, the powerful GPUs(Graphical processor unit) falls behind. So, with Adaptive sync, the game monitor’s refresh rate dynamically adjust to game’s frame rate in real time, thus eliminating stuttering and tearing issues.

Response Time

The Response time of a gaming monitor measured speed. It is the time a pixel takes to go from OFF (black) to On to OFF again. It is measured in milliseconds (ms). Another way of measuring response time is measuring the time taken for a pixel to go from one state to another and is called GTG (Grey To Grey) response time.

Whenever a panel is refreshing several times a second, image will be moving on a screen and some pixels would need color change to display the next frame, a delay in this process causes ghosting of the previous image, thereby reducing responsiveness. Gaming monitor strikes a balance between refresh rate and response time.

HDR

HDR (High Dynamic Range) is a color technology which allows monitor to display a broader spectrum of colors with better contrast, brightness and luminosity. DisplayHDR is a certification awarded to monitors for fulfilling precise specifications that adhere to its standards. A higher number HDR helps in better quality and brilliant vibrance resulting in better visual experience.

Gaming gear in the wild

Come and take a quick look at what is on the desks of the best players in the gaming world.

Viewsonic XG3220 gaming monitor

Featuring 3840x2160 resolution, this 32” (31.5" viewable) monitor provides incredibly sharp and detailed visuals, while HDR10 content support delivers a high dynamic range of vivid color and contrast for incredible screen performance. View more details .

Keyboards

Gaming keyboards can be a great addition for a wide range of users, from high-end hardcore gamers to beginners looking to gain a competitive edge.

To enhance your comfort and improve in-gaming performance, make sure to invest in a quality gaming keyboard. A well-engineered keyboard can unlock your full gaming potential, because of the gamer-friendly features helping you along the way. When combined with the specs of the gaming monitor, it can give an important edge over the other players you encounter on the virtual battlefield.

BenQ ZOWIE Keyboard for e-Sports | CELERITAS II

BenQ Zowie Celeritas II is a super fast and consistent gaming keyboard. It has PS/2 adapter and optical switches making it one of the better choices for the speed freaks. It’s a minimalist, non-gimmicky esports peripheral and perform best in game. Learn more .

Gaming headsets

A great headset will produce clear, balanced sound, and provide comfort for those late night gaming sessions.

Contrast Ratio

For the best image in a gaming projector, pay close attention to contrast ratios. Many of the most popular games include high dynamic color ranges allowing for very dark moments of game play. Higher contrast ratios present those shadowy scenes with greater clarity and visual acuity. In fact, a high contrast ratio often gives you a brighter looking image. Laser projectors often have higher contrast than their lamp-based counterparts but they tend to be more expensive as well.

For TVs and monitors, contrast is less of an issue as the light is pushed out to the display vs being projected onto a display. Currently, it's hard to beat an OLED television for brightness and color contrast, but newer TVs and monitors with HDR support can get pretty close.

Noise cancellation - It’s good to have noise cancelling gaming headsets, as it can block out external noise. Noise cancelling headphones have tiny microphones that listen to the outside noise around you, counter-signals it to cancel the produced noise. Also having a feature of sound isolating ear cups that acts like strong seal around your ears, it helps to block majority of outside noise.

Limits disturbance - Not only do quality headphones help to block external noise, gaming headsets let you enjoy the game without disturbing your dear ones around you. You can crank the sound up giving you a truly immersive game audio experience. Be careful not to increase the sound too high to avoid long term damage to your hearing.

Superior sound quality – Apart from the sound that comes from a set of speakers, it would be nice to have the sound delivered directly to yours from a gaming headset. Nowadays, games require precise and accurate movements with players relying on audio cues throughout the game. For instance, sound cues such as footsteps, gunfire, etc require lightning fast reactions. A good gaming headset gives you a better chance to react to your enemies. Additionally, they're excellent at creating a realistic auditory experience that allows you to hear sounds from different angles.

Less expensive - Compared to the surround sound equipment, a gaming headset is relatively cheap. You can get a similar (or often , better) experience with a gaming headset than a deluxe sound system that can easily cost more than a thousand dollars.

Headset / Headphone gear

Shure AONIC 50 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphone

Comes with Adjustable noise cancellation to eliminate distractions for a truly immersive listening experience. Click here to learn more .

Gaming mouse

Getting a gaming mouse is better than the standard mouse. Although they technically do the same as the standard one, gaming mouse can do everything to a higher or accuracy, and is usually more ergonomically designed.

Benefits of gaming mouse

Higher DPI (Dots Per Inch) - This relates to the sensitivity of your mouse. So when you move your mouse, it detects how much you’ve moved it, and matches the cursor accordingly. A standard optical mouse usually works at 800DPI. Basically, the higher the DPI, the more the mouse shifts with less hand movements.

Gaming mice will tend to offer a range of DPI settings, from way down at 100DPI (good for fine control like close up shooting or working at super-fine pixel level in a photo editing suites) right up to as high as 8000 (useful for fast movements, like shoot-em-up’s or command screens). With a high DPI you don’t wear your wrists outs simply moving from one side of the screen to the other.

Ergonomic mouse

When it comes to long hours of gaming or working from the desk, an ergonomic mouse is essential in overall comfort and wellbeing. We are no longer restricted to a standard one size fits all or position when it comes to gaming mouse. Proper layout of the mouse helps to improve comfort and simplify use of our interaction with it for left- and right-handed users.

Hence, a quality gaming mouse offers better tracking, more options control and customizability to standard optical mice.

Gaming mouse gear

BenQ ZOWIE FK2 Mouse for e-Sports

This low profile design provides better control for both claw and palm-grip users.

Mouse cable attachment point is raised at an angle to lower the chance of the cable dragging on the mouse pad. Click here to learn more

Game On

Gaming is no longer something nerdy kids do in their bedrooms; the gaming culture is vast and growing everyday. In the past , playing games competitively and at the highest levels can be expensive. At least choosing the best gaming projector, monitor, mouse, mousepad, keyboard and headset is a less expensive and little bit easier now.

Need help finding the best gear for your gaming setup? Give us a call, our U.S. based product experts are happy to assist. 1-888-248-0675