The best gaming monitors don’t just make games look amazing in 2022. They can help you win those games, too. With high refresh rates, low response times and advanced features such as HDR they deliver incredible detail at very high speeds, giving you the edge in fast-moving gameplay. They’re pretty great for watching movies too.
We think the LG UltraGear 27GL850-B is the best gaming monitor for most people: it hits the sweet spot of size, performance and price. But we also really rate the ViewSonic Elite XG240R, which is a brilliant budget buy. Is the LG so much better that it’s worth extending your budget for? Let’s look at the key differences between them.
- We've found the best 4K monitors money can buy
- One of the best gaming laptops could be yours
LG UltraGear 27GL850-B vs ViewSonic Elite XG240R: design
LG’s gaming monitors tend to be understated, well-designed things and this UltraGear is no exception: the 27-inch panel is surrounded by ultra-thin bezels that make it clear the display is the star here. The height, tilt and pivot are all adjustable.
The ViewSonic’s case is less showy than its predecessors, replacing the red of the XG2402 with an all-black look that helps disguise the fairly large bezels, although there are two arrowhead-shaped LEDs at the back to remind everyone that this is a gaming monitor. The foot is pretty ugly but that’s hardly a reason to steer clear.
LG UltraGear 27GL850-B vs ViewSonic Elite XG240R: picture quality
LG is famed for its display panels – it’s one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of TFT-LCD panels, and makes panels for the likes of Dell and Apple – and this is a very good IPS panel with excellent colour reproduction and wide viewing angles. It has QHD resolution (2,560 x 1,440), a 144Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time, and it has HDR 10 for deep blacks and vivid brights.
The panel in the ViewSonic is a TN panel, which we find less involving than IPS – but as TN panels go this is one of the better ones with 1,000:1 contrast and good colour reproduction. It doesn’t have the depth or contrast of the UltraGear, but it’s perfectly decent for the money. This panel is 24-inch to the LG’s 27 and has HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 but it has the same 1ms response time and 144Hz refresh rate.
LG UltraGear 27GL850-B vs ViewSonic Elite XG240R: colour fidelity
The UltraGear's Nano IPS display delivers 98% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and a colour range that’s a good 35% greater than sRGB at 100%. Its color reproduction is impressively deep, especially if you’re playing something with deep blacks and neon hues like Cyberpunk 2077.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
The ViewSonic doesn’t have HDR 10 and the panel isn’t as good at colour reproduction as the IPS in the LG display, but it still delivers 16.7 million colours with the same brightness and contrast levels as its more expensive rival.
- Get comfortable with the best gaming chairs
- Pick out one of the best laptops available to buy
LG UltraGear 27GL850-B vs ViewSonic Elite XG240R: features
The UltraGear supports AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync to reduce screen tear and stuttering, and it has a black stabiliser that can make it easier to see players hiding in the dark bits. There are two HDMIs and a DisplayPort socket for connecting multiple devices.
The ViewSonic Elite also has AMD FreeSync, and its menu system has been given a revamp to make it much easier to navigate than before: it’s easy to switch between picture modes to get the right visuals for the game you’re playing. There are twin HDMIs and a DisplayPort.
LG UltraGear 27GL850-B vs ViewSonic Elite XG240R: pricing and verdict
The street price of the UltraGear is currently around £440/$500, which is pretty reasonable for a monitor with this specification: LG gives you a lot for your money with adaptive sync, dynamic action sync and fun details such as a a built-in crosshair. It’s a great gaming monitor.
The ViewSonic is not quite as good – its panel isn’t an IPS – and it’s smaller with lower resolution, but it is still very good. And it’s a lot cheaper: around £300/$300-$330. If you’re happy with the smaller dimensions it’s a really smart buy.
- These are the best SSDs to buy
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Add inches to your biceps and triceps with this 25-minute dumbbell workout
Juicy pump incoming!
By Bryony Firth-Bernard Published
-
Amazfit's Garmin Fenix-rival rugged smartwatch adds new winter sports features in time for the cold season
The T-Rex 3 just became an even better winter sports companion with a new Ski Mountaineering mode and features designed for extreme cold and snowy adventures
By Matt Kollat Published
-
This 77-inch LG OLED TV is suddenly even cheaper than its Black Friday price – but only for a few hours
Save an extra $300 on the already heavily-discounted LG OLED C3, but you need to be quick
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Microsoft's 5-star Surface with keyboard is Best Buy's killer deal
Best buy it at Best Buy!
By David Nield Published
-
Sonos' premium soundbar just hit its lowest-ever price in 5-star deal
Top-tier sound doesn't have to cost top dollar
By David Nield Published
-
This 77-inch LG OLED TV is the cheapest I've seen to date – and it's a 2024 model
The Black Friday big screen TV bargains continue
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Huge 75in Sony TV is now cheaper than ever in Amazon's Black Friday sale
You can now get a top-quality TV for less, with 100s of dollars off this set
By David Nield Published
-
LG's iconic TV suitcase is $400 off in the Black Friday sale
the 27-inch LG StanbyMe Go Portable is a TV you can take anywhere and Amazon has taken 33% off the price
By Mat Gallagher Published
-
Improve your Wi-Fi with 5-star Netgear kit – now cheaper than ever
This is one of the most powerful home Wi-Fi setups you can have – and it has hit a new low price on Amazon
By David Nield Published
-
LG's stretchable display could literally reshape the future of phones, wearables and cars
New display tech could pave the way for future tech expansion
By Chris Hall Published