Best Gaming LED/LCD Computer Monitors 2011-2012

If you're looking for the best overall buy, then the Viewsonic VX2453MH-LED is one of the best you'll come across. It has a super fast 2ms response time and the screen looks great while gaming with a 30,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio in full HD 1920 x 1080p. Input lag numbers for the larger version of this model, the VX2753MH-LED have come in at around 17ms and should be under 1 frame rate for the smaller version.

The VX2453MH-LED is a newly designed monitor with a lot of really great features. It's lightweight at around 9 pounds, and you can remove the stand completely and tilt it back. This is a nice option if you like to look down at the monitor, but Viewsonic also hid the internal speakers in the large lower bezel, which is somewhat unattractive. Another negative feature for this particular model is that it doesn't include mounting holes in the back like Viewsonic's previous gaming monitor models. Overall it's still a great value for what it is and should do a great job holding up in FPS-type games. The 27 inch version of this model, the VX2753MH-LED has a 1ms response time and costs around $100 more.

Technical Details: 1920 x 1080p full high definition resolution, dynamic contrast ratio 30,000,000:1, D-Sub and 2 HDMI connectors, 2W x 2 built-in speakers, tilts 5 degrees down, 20 up, anti-glare surface, and it comes with a 3 year parts and labor warranty backed by Viewsonic's pixel performance guarantee.

 

Viewsonic VX2453MH-LED 24-Inch Ultra-thin Widescreen LED Monitor - Black

Amazon Price: As Low As $179.38 

Another monitor in the widely popular under $200 category is the Asus ML238H which has a super slim design (16.5mm) which includes a ring stand with Ergo-Fit II Technology that allows you to easily pivot and swivel the monitor into the perfect position. The stand for this particular model is great but be sure not to confuse it with the MS model whose stand I find to be a little bit annoying. One negative is that like the VX2453MH-LED above it doesn't have VESA compliant mounting holes so if you need to mount your monitor you'll want to look elsewhere.

Overall this is an incredible buy at under $200 and if that's your budget, then you might want to just go ahead and pull the trigger. The low input lag of around 5.05ms average along with a fast response time makes this an ideal monitor for gaming. Asus also did a great job including a DVI, Analog, and HDMI connector which makes it easy to connect to those DVI only video cards floating around.

ASUS ML238H 23-Inch Wide Ultra-Slim LED Monitor (Black/White)

Amazon Price: $199.00

This monitor has been nicknamed the EVO monitor because it's been used by the professional gamers in the Evolution Championship Series Fighting Game Tournament where they avoid input lag like the plague. For the money it's hard to beat with 8.3ms input lag and 2ms GTG response time.

ASUS VH236H 23 Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Amazon Price: $160.00

Even using the title LCD vs. LED is somewhat confusing because LED monitors are LCD or "liquid crystal displays". Liquid crystal display monitors are a thin screen technology that don't naturally have light and use either LED "light emitting diode" technology or CCFL "cold-cathode fluorescent lamps" in order to produce the light from the back of the screen that you see. Depending on the quality of your display you might see what's generally referred to as backlight bleeding on your monitor which can make your picture seem a little cloudy in certain areas and most often from the corners. A small amount of this is considered to be normal on most LCD monitors.

LED backlighting is the more recent technology and allows for thinner displays which use less energy, don't emit mercury, and can have higher contrast ratios when compared to CCFL LCD computer monitors. LED monitors achieve higher contrast by dimming or completely turning off the LED lights.

If there's one advantage that CCFL LCD monitors tend to have over LED monitors it's that they seem to have a slight advantage in input lag over LED monitors at a lower cost. One logical, although unproven explanation for this could have to do with LED monitors using cheaper panels to stay on par with CCFL monitor prices.

Response time should be measured as the time it takes for a pixel to go from black to white and then back again. This time is measured in milliseconds (ms) and can be as low as 1ms. Monitors with slow response times can't keep up with the information they receive from the graphics card and often have issues with ghosting or blurring. There is some confusion on official response times as most manufacturers measure the fastest gray-to-gray response time of their monitor vs. an average of an entire cycle in order to post lower numbers that lure in consumers. Despite what some may say a monitor with a GTG (gray-to-gray) response time of under 5ms is still very good while gaming.

Input Lag

A lot has been said about input lag in the last few years. Input lag is the difference in the time it takes for a signal to be input into the display versus when it is actually displayed. Older CRT monitors generally have no input lag and are used as a standard when measuring this value against LCD displays which generally have some level of input lag. Display lag for most modern LCDs are generally at the low end of this spectrum but times for LCD displays have been measured as low as 10ms and as high as 68ms. Whether this number matters to you has a lot to do with the types of games you play. If you play MMORPG games, for example, then this value is not that important. If, however, you play first person shooter games, then your input lag and your response times added together can make a significant difference when coming face to face with an opponent. As most manufacturers don't readily give out information on the input lag of their monitors you may need to search in order to find information concerning it or test for it yourself. If you can't find this number, then remember that most modern LED gaming monitors are made with low input lag in mind so if you find one that has a low response time, then most likely it's on the low end of the spectrum for input lag. Anything under 1 frame on average is usually considered adequate. It's also important to remember that most of your competitors play with the same disadvantage (unless they use a CRT monitor which is highly unlikely these days). There's a lot more information that I won't discuss in this post on input lag and for more information I highly recommend this forum thread on monitors with sub 1 frame input lag.

If you're looking for an IPS monitor for gaming, then I highly recommend either the Dell U2312HM or U2412M. While the response times for these monitors may seem high to some (6-8ms) any blurred motion is largely unnoticeable. Another plus is that both of these monitors have less than 10ms input lag, good enough for even the most dedicated FPS gamers.

With all of that being said this is a budget IPS display. It certainly doesn't have the color accuracy that the more expensive Dell Ultrasharp or Eizo monitors would have; however, for the money you do get 24 bit (16.7 million colors) color reproduction with ultra-wide viewing angles. If you're looking for a photo editing monitor I've also written on the best IPS photo editing monitors.

Technical Details for U2312HM: 1920 x 1200 resolution, 178 degrees Horizontal and Vertical viewing angle, 0.27mm pixel pitch, 16.7 Million display colors, 300 cd/m2 brightness rating, 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 8ms response time, DisplayPort, D-Sub, DVI connectors, 1 USB 2.0 up, 4 USB 2.0 downstream, Height, Pivot, Swivel, and Tilt adjustable, VESA wall mount compliant, and it comes with a 3 year parts and labor warranty.

UltraSharp U2312HM 23" LED LCD Monitor - 16:9 - 8 ms
Amazon Price: As Low As $234.99