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| PC World - 1 hour ago (PC World)If you have an older TV or yours isn’t delivering the streaming experience you’re hoping for, you should know that the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is now available for just $29.99, down from its regular price of $49.99. This deal is exceptional, as we’ve only seen a lower price during Black Friday sales, making it an unbeatable opportunity to enhance your streaming experience.
The Fire TV Stick 4K delivers advanced 4K streaming, significantly improving performance and picture quality over previous models.
Whether you’re watching the latest blockbuster on Max or binge-watching your favorite Netflix series, you’ll enjoy vibrant 4K Ultra HD visuals with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and immersive Dolby Atmos audio.
With its Wi-Fi 6 support, the Fire TV Stick 4K ensures smooth and reliable streaming, even when multiple devices are connected to your router. This is especially beneficial for households with high internet traffic, as it allows for uninterrupted streaming.
Your entertainment options are virtually limitless. You can dive into Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, and whatever other streaming platform you favor, including live TV content. Plus, there are over 300,000 movies and shows you can watch for free on ad-supported apps. Oh and if you want even more content, your Fire TV Stick 4K comes with a free six month subscription to MGM+.
Of course, this is an Amazon device, so it comes with the Alexa Voice Remote. This allows you to look for content using your voice and control various other devices you have around the home, such as your smart lights.
So go ahead and pay the price of a few fancy coffee cups and upgrade your streaming experience for just $29.99.
Get the Fire TV Stick 4K for $29.99 at Amazon
Streaming Devices Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 1 hour ago (PC World)Any monitor can be used for PC gaming, but a display built for productivity will likely leave you underwhelmed. Limited contrast, blurry motion, and slow refresh rates still hold basic productivity monitors back in games. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of excellent gaming monitors available at a wide range of price points—and the best of them embrace cutting-edge technology unavailable in any other PC display.
Here are the best gaming monitors of 2023 so far. If you aren’t sold on a gaming monitor, check out our recommendations for the best monitors overall or our roundup of the best 4K monitors for additional options.
Updated May 15, 2024 to include the Pixio PX248 Wave as our new pick for the best gaming monitor under $150. Yes, it’s possible to get a nice design (with built-in speakers), good color accuracy, and 200Hz motion clarity at a budget price, as you will see in our summary below.
Alienware AW3423DW – Best gaming monitor overall
Pros
Excellent contrast ratio
Top-notch color gamut and accuracy
Great motion clarity
Respectable HDR performance
Extremely competitive price
Cons
Stand is a bit too large
No USB-C
Maximum HDR brightness is lackluster
Best Prices Today:
$1,099.99 at Amazon
Alienware’s AW3423DWF is an outstanding PC gaming monitor.
This monitor has a QD-OLED panel which is like that used in top-tier OLED televisions. OLED provides a nearly infinite contrast ratio, excellent color performance, and respectable brightness. The result is a punchy, vibrant image with an unparalleled sense of dimensionality. The monitor’s ultrawide aspect ratio only heightens the sense of immersion.
Motion clarity is superb. The monitor has a refresh up to 165Hz and supports both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA Adaptive Sync. The OLED panel technology it uses has lower pixel response times than competitors, too, so there’s minimal added blur and ghosting in motion. Motion is as crisp as you’ll find below 240Hz.
The Alienware AW3423DWF is an alternative to the AW3423DW, a slightly older and nearly identical monitor. The AW3423DW has a higher fresh rate of 175Hz and supports Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate. It’s also $100 to $200 more expensive. Though we recommend the AW3423DWF for most people, the AW3423DW is better for owners of high-end Nvidia graphics cards.
The AW3423DWF is expensive at $1,099.99, but its performance justifies the price. Competing 34-inch and 38-inch ultrawides without QD-OLED technology are often just as expensive but have less impressive image quality.
Read our full
Alienware AW3423DWF review
Dell G2724D – Best gaming monitor under $200
Pros
Handsome design with functional stand
Attractive SDR image quality
Good motion clarity at 165Hz
Supports all Adaptive Sync standards
Cons
No USB connectivity or 3.5mm audio-out
Lackluster HDR
Best Prices Today:
$199.99 at Dell Home
The Dell G2724D is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a budget gaming monitor that doesn’t compromise on quality. With attractive design, strong motion clarity at 165Hz, and wide Adaptive Sync support, it provides an immersive gaming experience at an affordable price.
It has a 27-inch IPS LCD panel with 1440p resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. The color gamut spans 100 percent of sRGB, 86 percent of DCI-P3, and 82 percent of Adobe RGB, delivering a bright and vibrant image that’s excellent in games and adequate for most content creation. The monitor’s Adaptive Sync support is a standout feature, with official support for VESA Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium, and Nvidia G-Sync.
It also delivers a handsome design with a matte black and gray chassis and sporty rear vents that provide an aggressive yet unobtrusive look. The functional monitor stand offers a range of ergonomic adjustments and has a compact base that doesn’t consume excessive desk space.
There are a few downsides: The monitor doesn’t offer USB connectivity or 3.5mm audio-out. HDR performance is lackluster, too, making it a so-so choice for HDR gaming.
Yet it’s hard to beat the G2724D’s performance at $199 and, more importantly, it offers everything an average PC gamer is going to need for a smooth, responsive, and attractive gaming experience. It’s the kind of monitor that, despite its budget price, could have a place on your desk for several years.
Read our full
Dell G2724D review
Pixio PX248 Wave – Best gaming monitor under $150
Pros
Attractive design, especially in unique colorways
Built-in speakers are surprisingly decent
Solid color accuracy and respectable gamut
Good motion clarity
Cons
Built-in stand only adjusts for tilt
Just two video inputs
Awkward menu controls
Color temperature skews cool
Best Prices Today:
$139.99 at Pixio$149.99 at Amazon
The Pixio PX248 Wave stands apart from other budget gaming monitors with colorful, stylish design and solid motion performance, all available at an enticing price of $149.99.
Pixio offers the PX248 Wave in four colorways: black, white, blue, and pink. The latter two are rather special, as only a handful of monitors — like the more expensive Samsung M8 Smart Monitor — offer similarly alluring colors. The stand matches the monitor’s colorway, and Pixio even offers an optional color-coordinated monitor arm for those who want to go all-in on a particular desktop vibe.
The monitor’s 24-inch Fast IPS display boasts a 200Hz refresh rate that delivers fluid motion. Image quality is reasonable, too, as the PX248 Wave delivers respectable color accuracy and coverage, making it suitable for both gaming and casual content creation. It has built-in speakers, too.
Despite its visual appeal, the PX248 Wave sticks to the basics with connectivity, which includes HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4. USB connectivity isn’t available. The included stand is also basic, as it only adjusts for tilt, and the menu controls could be more user-friendly.
Most competitors at this price point have a similar display panel wrapped in a more generic black, gray, or charcoal case. Pixio’s PX248 Wave manages to match them in image quality and beat them on looks, yet it stays on a budget.
Read our full
Pixio PX248 Wave review
Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q – Best budget 4K gaming monitor
Pros
4K resolution
Good gaming performance
Tons of ergonomic adjustment options
Inexpensive
Cons
A relatively low 60Hz refresh rate
Best Prices Today:
$299.99 at Amazon
If you are a gamer who enjoys slower-paced games that feature beautiful graphic detail then you may want to consider a 4K gaming monitor. The Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q is a 28-inch 4K display with a refresh rate of 60Hz and adaptive sync, making it compatible with both FreeSync and G-Sync. It’s also only $400—a relative steal for a 4K display. It may not have the refresh rate that is required for quick e-sports or shooter games, but it makes up for that with an absolutely superb 4K display. It also has outstanding image quality and a vivid color range that will make most of the other monitors on this list weep.
Asus branded the VG289Q as a gaming monitor and it will deliver on that in most aspects. But ultimately, it is all about getting a 4K display on a budget and in that respect this monitor is second to none in image quality value for your money.
Read our full
Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q review
Alienware AW3225QF – Best 4K gaming monitor
Pros
Excellent color performance and contrast
Good overall HDR performance
240Hz refresh rate with great motion clarity
Big price drop from prior 4K OLED monitors
Cons
Stand is too large
Curved panel is an acquired taste
HDR brightness is still just okay
Best Prices Today:
$1199.99 at Dell
The Alienware AW3225QF is an easy recommendation for the best 4K gaming monitor.
This 32-inch monitor boasts a 4K QD-OLED panel, offering a 240Hz refresh rate — a new feature for 4K OLED displays. Its motion performance is excellent. The 240Hz refresh rate delivers clear and detailed motion in fast-paced games. Nvidia G-Sync and VESA AdaptiveSync 240 are supported, as well (the monitor will work with FreeSync, though support is not officially listed).
The monitor’s SDR image quality is impressive with true-to-life color accuracy, an infinite contrast ratio, and excellent sharpness. The AW3225QF also delivers good HDR performance, offering a cinematic experience with VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certification and Dolby Vision HDR support. Its HDR brightness can’t match Mini-LED displays but proves a hair better than most OLED competitors.
The AW3225QF excels in video connectivity, including DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 ports. That means all three ports can handle the monitor at maximum resolution and refresh rate, something that’s not true of many 4K displays. One HDMI port also offers eARC support, catering to enhanced audio setups. That’s handy if you want to use the monitor with home theater equipment, like a soundbar, and position the AW3225QF as a potential TV alternative in small spaces.
Alienware’s design is both luxurious and attractive, with an appealing white-and-black colorway and sturdy materials. The ergonomic stand is too large, however, and won’t fit comfortably on smaller desks. VESA mount compatibility is included and provides an alternative mounting option.
Read our full
Alienware AW3225QF review
Innocn 27M2V – Best budget HDR gaming monitor
Pros
Excellent color gamut and accuracy
Sharp, vivid picture
Strong HDR performance
Good connectivity
Cons
Design looks nice, but feels inexpensive
Thin user manual
Confusing on-screen menu
Best Prices Today:
$799.99 at Amazon
Innocn’s 27M2V is an awesome choice if you want punchy, brilliant HDR gaming for less than $1,000. It delivers excellent HDR brightness, 4K clarity, and smooth motion at a reasonable price.
The 27M2V is a 4K Mini-LED monitor with a maximum refresh rate of 160Hz. It falls behind the smoothest monitors available, like the 500Hz Alienware AW2524H, but still looks excellent in motion. Only the most demanding competitive gamers will need a higher refresh rate. The monitor also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.
HDR is attractive thanks to the monitor’s maximum measured HDR brightness of 877 nits. This is a bit low compared to the best Mini-LED monitors, which can exceed 1,000 nits, but still enough to deliver an obvious boost in HDR games. Bright objects retain good detail, colors look wonderfully saturated, and the dynamic Mini-LED backlight delivers strong contrast.
The 27M2V’s connectivity doesn’t disappoint. It features a USB-C port with a generous 90 watts of Power Delivery, complemented by a DisplayPort and dual HDMI 2.0 ports, tallying up to four video inputs.
It’s not without its quirks. The monitor’s build, while aesthetically pleasing, feels a bit lackluster when handled. Navigating the on-screen menus is a challenge and made more difficult by the absence of a comprehensive user manual. And while Innocn’s customer service exists, it’s limited to email correspondence.
Yet these minor setbacks are forgiven by competitive pricing. With an MSRP of $799.99, and frequent discounts dropping it to a mere $679.99, the Innocn 27M2V offers unparalleled value for the price.
Read our full
Innocn 27M2V review
Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX – Best HDR gaming monitor
Pros
Excellent gaming performance
4K resolution
Dimmable mini-LED backlight
Ergonomic adjustment options
Cons
High power consumption
Extremely expensive
Best Prices Today:
$1,999.99 at Amazon
The best HDR games, like Forza Horizon 5 or Microsoft Flight Simulator, are transformed by a great HDR display. Unfortunately, most PC monitors fall short—except for Asus’ ROG Swift PG32UQX.
This monitor has a mini-LED backlight with 1,152 LED light zones that can turn on or off independently, boosting contrast and brightness. The monitor achieves extreme brightness in both small areas of the display or across the entire display and does so without noticeable fluctuations in brightness, a problem sometimes visible on the otherwise excellent Alienware AW3423DW.
It’s got top-tier color performance, 4K resolution, and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. It doesn’t support HDMI 2.1 but can handle 120Hz when connected to a Xbox Series X|S console thanks to a chroma subsampling mode.
The ROG Swift PG32UQX’s superb HDR performance comes at a high price. You can expect to pay around $3,000 for this monitor. Viewsonic’s XG321UG is a similar and slightly less expensive alternative, but it lacks 120Hz support for Xbox Series X|S consoles.
Read our full
Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX review
Gigabyte GS34WQC- Best budget ultrawide gaming monitor
Pros
Plenty of connectivity and menu options
Good contrast ratio
Solid color performance
Up to 144Hz refresh rate with good motion clarity
Cons
Stand setup uses screws instead of clip mechanism
Modest maximum brightness
HDR is supported but lackluster
Best Prices Today:
$329.99 at Best Buy
The Gigabyte GS34WQC stands out as an impressive ultrawide gaming monitor available at a low price. It has a sharp 34-inch display with a resolution of 3440×1440. That’s paired with good motion clarity driven by a 120Hz refresh rate (overclockable to 135Hz) and support for AMD FreeSync, ensuring smooth and consistent gameplay. Camera movements are detailed, and fast-paced action is easily tracked.
Beyond its motion clarity, the GS34WQC delivers great image quality that’s comparable to monitors twice its price. It has a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel instead of the more common In-Plane Switching (IPS). This provides improved contrast with deeper black levels and more convincing shadow detail in dark scenes. These qualities make it especially suitable for games with a dark, gritty presentation.
The monitor boasts a dull but functional design. It has an ergonomic stand that provides height and tilt adjustment, but its assembly requires manual attachment of four screws, unlike competitors with tool-free clip-in stands. The GS34WQC compensates with an intuitive menu system that has extensive customization options, allowing gamers to tailor the visuals to their preferences.
Value, however, is where the GS34WQC really beats the competition. It’s not the least expensive budget ultrawide monitor, but it delivers better image quality and motion clarity than many competitors while keeping the price in check. Indeed, the GS34WQC is so good it makes $400-to-$500-dollar ultrawide gaming monitors more difficult to recommend. The GS34WQC looks just as good at a lower price.
Read our full
Gigabyte GS34WQC review
Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 – Best big-screen ultrawide
Pros
Incredibly immersive gaming experience
Huge 45-inch ultrawide OLED panel can be adjusted from flat to 800R curve to suit your setup
Exceptional image quality, contrast, color performance, and HDR
Elite motion clarity on a 240Hz panel
Abundant connectivity with USB-C hub and power delivery options
It made four people who walked into my office stop and say “WHOA” like Keanu Reeves
Cons
Poor text clarity and general sharpness for productivity work
Very expensive
No swivel or tilt options, stand can’t be replaced
Bending mechanism feels clunky and mildly terrifying at first
Enabling HDR mutes desktop contrast and vibrancy
Best Prices Today:
$1,999.99 at Amazon$1999.99 at Best Buy
Want a monitor that takes immersion to a new level and outshines your friend’s measly 34-inch ultrawide? The Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 is for you.
The Xeneon Flex is a superb way to enjoy visually stunning games. It has an extremely high contrast ratio and a wide color gamut. Maximum brightness is high (for OLED) as well, which is a benefit if you want to play games with HDR turned on. The monitor’s 240Hz refresh rate and low pixel response times provide top-notch motion clarity. Even its modest 3440×1440 resolution may be seen as a benefit. While it does soften the image, it also reduces the strain on your GPU, making it possible to enjoy high-quality settings on midrange hardware.
Of course, the Xeneon Flex’s most unique feature is in its name: a unique flexible OLED panel that can be adjusted from a completely flat position to an impressive 800R curvature, one of the tightest curves available in a monitor. The curve is adjusted manually with handles located on each side of the display. It’s a useful extra if you enjoy a wide variety of genres (you may want it flat while playing Civilization IV but curved in Cyberpunk 2077).
Measuring a whopping 45 inches diagonally, the Xeneon Flex is significantly larger than a standard 34-inch ultrawide, providing an incredibly immersive gaming experience and ample space for multitasking applications. It stands taller than a 49-inch super-ultrawide like the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9, although it’s not as wide.
Build quality is good, too, as the Corsair Xeneon Flex features a robust and stable stand with integrated ports including USB-C. However, the stand doesn’t offer height adjustment. With a retail price of nearly $2,000, the Xeneon Flex is an investment, but its versatile OLED panel and superior image quality make it an obvious choice for gamers.
Read our full
Corsair Xeneon Flex review
Acer Predator CG48 – Best big-screen gaming monitor
Pros
Excellent SDR, strong HDR image
Great motion clarity
Superior contrast and wide color gamut
Multiple PC-friendly connections including USB-C hub
Useful bundled remote
Cons
Only one HDMI 2.1 input
Sharpness is just ok
Stand offers no adjustment, no VESA mount
Best Prices Today:
$1,267.07 at Amazon
Thinking about a TV for your next gaming display? Stop! The Acer Predator CG48 is as large as many OLED televisions and better suited to use with a PC.
The Predator CG48 is a 48-inch OLED monitor with 4K resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 138Hz. It has the same OLED panel as LG’s OLED televisions and delivers great image quality. The monitor’s combination of excellent contrast, spot-on color accuracy, and a wide color gamut provides a realistic and lifelike picture.
Motion clarity is great, too. The 138Hz refresh rate provides excellent motion fluidity in fast-paced games. OLED also provides low pixel-response times, which minimizes blur across a wide range of refresh rates.
Unlike a television, the Acer Predator CG48 has a wide variety of options for connecting a PC. This includes DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1, and even USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 65 watts of Power Delivery. You can easily connect several gaming PCs to this display, if needed. The bundled remote can access a wide range of image quality options and adjustments that help you customize the image to your preferences.
This monitor retails at $1,499.99, which is expensive, but it’s often on sale for at least a couple hundred dollars less. Be sure to shop around before buying.
Read our full
Acer Predator CG48 review
LG Ultragear 27GN950 – Best 144Hz gaming monitor
Pros
Excellent gaming performance
Incredible image quality
Ergonomic adjustment options
Special gaming configurations
Cons
High power consumption
Best Prices Today:
$496.99 at Amazon$799.99 at LG
If you’re not a professional gamer or you just don’t require the obscenely fast 240Hz, then you can find a whole host of great options at 144Hz instead. Our pick for the best of the bunch is the LG Ultragear 27GN950.
Not only is it still super fast, but it also has 4K resolution, all of the ports your heart desires, and impressively high color fidelity. It is a great option for those who will use it for multimedia other than just gaming and don’t mind sacrificing a little speed to gain a lot of pixel density.
Admittedly, it’s a bit pricey for a 27-inch monitor and you will need a high-end GPU to take advantage of its full potential, but if you can afford it, then this just might end up being the pièce de résistance in your display setup.
Read our full
LG Ultragear 27GN950 review
LG UltraGear 27GR83Q-B – Best 240Hz gaming monitor
Pros
Attractive design
Bright, colorful image
Excellent motion clarity
Officially supports both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync
Cons
Stand is still too large
Modest contrast ratio
HDR is available, but disappointing
Best Prices Today:
Not Available at Amazon
The LG UltraGear 27GR83Q-B is a 240Hz gaming monitor that offers buttery-smooth motion and great image quality at a reasonable price point.
Its best trait is its stellar motion handling. A refresh rate of 240Hz helps the monitor deliver fast response times and smooth motion in competitive multiplayer games. Better still, the monitor supports both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync. Most similar monitors only support one or the other.
LG delivers great image quality with a bright, colorful picture and a respectable contrast ratio of 1250:1. Although it can’t match the infinite contrast of more expensive OLED alternatives, the 27GR83Q-B provides a better sense of depth and immersion than most gaming monitors below $500.
It has a couple flaws. The 27GR83Q-B’s HDR performance is lackluster, as it can’t achieve a brightness high enough to maximize HDR content. The same is true of the monitor’s competitors, however. LG also opts for an annoyingly large stand, so the monitor might feel oversized on a small desk.
LG asks an MSRP of $499.99, but the monitor’s price has dipped as low as $399.99 on sale. It’s a good value at MSRP and a fantastic deal when discounted. The 27GR83Q-B’s image quality is at the top of its class, and LG’s decision to officially support both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync makes the 27GR83Q-B wonderfully versatile.
Read our full
LG UltraGear 27GR83Q-B review
Alienware AW2524H – Best 500Hz gaming monitor
Pros
The best motion clarity available today
Bright, vivid image quality
Compact ergonomic stand
Cons
Limited video input selection
Mediocre image quality
High pricing for a 24-inch monitor
Want unparalleled motion clarity? Look no further than Alienware’s AW2524H, the world’s first 500Hz gaming monitor.
This monitor delivers fantastic detail in fast-moving objects and remains legible during rapid in-game map navigation. Competitive gamers will appreciate its ultra-low input latency, complemented by Nvidia Reflex Analyzer, which accurately measures PC response to input. The monitor’s refresh rate is so high, in fact, that you’ll need to double-check the maximum frame rate of your favorite games. Some have a hard frame rate cap below 500 frames per second.
The AW2524H’s design is outstanding. It relies on Alienware’s sleek, futuristic aesthetic and outstanding build quality. The compact stand enables ergonomic adjustments while minimizing desk space consumption, and a headphone stand is included on the display’s left flank.
The monitor’s image quality doesn’t rival similarly priced monitors but remains respectable and defeats most 24.5-inch 360Hz monitors. This is thanks to the monitor’s vibrant, vivid color. HDR performance is underwhelming, but competitive gamers are unlikely to find this a problem.
Snagging the world’s first 500Hz monitor doesn’t come cheap, although the price has dropped significantly since it debuted at over $800. But, if you’re on the path to pro, the monitor’s price is a fair exchange for its class-leading motion clarity and responsiveness.
Read our full
Alienware AW2524H review
Dell G3223Q – Best HDMI 2.1 gaming monitor
Pros
Bright, sharp SDR image
Good color gamut and accuracy
Solid build quality and ergonomic stand
Great motion clarity at 120Hz or 144Hz
Cons
Disappointing HDR performance
Odd menu choices for creators
Modest USB connectivity
Best Prices Today:
$599.99 at Dell$629.99 at Dell Home
The Dell G3223Q is a large, attractive 32-inch gaming monitor that’s ideal for PC gamers who also want to connect a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S.
It supports 4K resolution at a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and has two HDMI 2.1 connections. You can connect a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S console simultaneously. DisplayPort is also available for your PC. The monitor supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync.
Image quality is strong with excellent brightness, good contrast, and great color performance. These traits, combined with the sharpness of 4K, makes for an excellent SDR experience. HDR isn’t impressive, which could be a concern for console gamers. Most monitors in this price range aren’t great at HDR, however, so we think this issue can be overlooked (for now).
The Dell G3223Q is a good value, too. Typically priced around $825, the G3223Q is among the more affordable HDMI 2.1 monitors with a 32-inch, 4K display panel. We also appreciate the monitor’s design, which feels more durable and looks more attractive than similarly priced alternatives.
Read our full
Dell G3223Q review
Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE – Best gaming monitor for mobile use
Pros
Gaming monitor for mobile use
240Hz refresh rate
Independent operation
Complete equipment included
Cons
High power consumption
Expensive
Best Prices Today:
$461.20 at Amazon$489.99 at Adorama
The Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE is a bit unique in that it was designed and built to be a top-quality gaming monitor that is easily portable and mobile friendly.
It is a 17.3-inch display with 1080p resolution and a screaming fast refresh rate of 240Hz. It also has adaptive sync technology and built-in speakers. You can easily connect it to your laptop or next-gen console of choice for on-the-go gaming.
The battery should last you about 3.5 hours without needing to be charged and it comes with a cover that can be folded back to make a stand for the monitor itself. However, if you can afford to buy the extra tripod stand it is recommended as this provides a more stable base as well as height adjustment options.
The specs alone make this an excellent gaming monitor in its own rights, but the ability to pack it up and take it with you makes this a great option for those who like to game on the go. You will pay for this convenience though as even the base option is quite steep, let alone the bundle which includes the tripod stand.
Read our full
Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE review
Asus ProArt PA348CGV – Best dual-purpose gaming monitor
Pros
Excellent SDR image quality
Sturdy, hefty design
Wide range of customization
120Hz refresh rate
Cons
USB-C hub lacks video-out or ethernet
HDR is merely passable
Best Prices Today:
Not Available at Amazon
Asus’ ProArt PA348CGV is an excellent ultrawide for professionals, digital artists, creatives, and anyone else wanting to work and play on the same display.
The PA348CGV delivers top-notch color accuracy, a wide color gamut, and numerous image-quality adjustments, making it ideal for demanding users who need to precisely calibrate a display. Pro users can switch to a preset mode, such as the DCI-P3 mode, or use a custom display mode to calibrate the image in detail.
Most monitors of this caliber leave gamers in the cold, but the PA348CGV invites them in with a 120Hz refresh rate and support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. It offers smooth frame pacing and great motion clarity, especially at high frame rates. It looks great straight out of the box and is particularly pleasing in bright, vivid games like World of Warcraft or Forza Horizon 5.
Sold at an MSRP of $729, the PA348CGV is priced to compete with other premium ultrawides, yet its image quality leaves alternatives in the dust. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better value in this category.
Read our full
Asus ProArt PA348CGV review
What to look for in a gaming monitor
Gamers have unique needs that exceed an average user. Here’s what PC gamers should look for in a gaming monitor.
Resolution
Most widescreen gaming monitors have a resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), 2560×1440 (1440p), or 4K (3840×2160). A higher resolution improves sharpness and clarity, which helps games look more detailed and lifelike. Increasing resolution also increases demand on your video card, however. Gamers with less powerful hardware may want to avoid 4K.
Refresh rate
A higher refresh leads to smoother motion by increasing the number of frames that can appear each second. It also reduces input lag, as each frame appears more quickly. A 144Hz refresh rate is a big improvement over the standard 60Hz, and 240Hz is better still. The improvement becomes more difficult to notice after 240Hz, but 360Hz monitors exist for those who want the lowest input lag possible.
DIsplayPort and HDMI 2.1
DisplayPort is the best connection for PC gaming. Even DisplayPort 1.4, which is rather old, can support 4K at 144Hz. HDMI 2.1 can handle 4K at 120Hz and is an acceptable connection for PC gaming, though most gamers will use it for a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S game console.
How we test gaming monitors
We test all monitors with a Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra calibration tool. This tool can report objective measurements for brightness, contrast, color gamut, color accuracy, color temperature, gamma, and other metrics.
Our results are recorded and compared to the results for past monitors. Though we rely on our eyes for initial impressions, comparing objective results lets us evaluate monitors against hundreds of older models from past reviews and testing.
We examine motion clarity by quickly moving the camera across the map in Civilization VI, playing a round of Rocket League, and panning the camera across the landscape in Final Fantasy XIV—among other games. Finally, we use the popular UFO Test for an apples-to-apples comparison between displays.
In addition to gaming prowess, we consider a monitor’s on-screen menu, ergonomic stand (or lack thereof), and overall build quality—all important qualities irrespective of use case.
FAQ
1.
What resolution is best for a gaming monitor?
Many competitive gamers prefer 1080p resolution because it allows for high frame rates and low input lag even on modest hardware. This also makes it ideal for budget shoppers. 1080p is not as crisp as higher resolutions but, if it allows for higher frame rates, can look good in motion.
1440p remains a great mid-range option. It looks much sharper than 1080p but doesn’t drastically increase load on your video card. A variety of 1440p monitors now support a refresh rate up to 240Hz.
4K is the last word in sharpness and clarity. Playing a modern game on a 4K monitor takes the experience to a new level. It’s very demanding on your video card, however, so you’ll need top-tier hardware for a smooth experience.
Ultrawide monitors differ in resolution because they have a wider screen. Most ultrawide monitors have a resolution of 3440×1440, which delivers sharpness similar to a 1440p ultrawide. Some larger monitors have more exotic resolutions: the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9 Neo, for example, has 5120×1440 resolution.
2.
Should I use AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync?
AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync can synchronize the refresh rate of a compatible monitor with the output of an AMD or Nvidia video card. This ensures smooth motion and eliminates screen tearing, a distracting visual artifact.
You might be surprised to learn that most AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync monitors rely on the VESA Adaptive Sync standard. This is why many gaming monitors now support both. The difference in performance is minimal.
Our G-Sync vs. FreeSync comparison goes in-depth on their similarities and differences.
3.
Should I buy an ultrawide gaming monitor?
The short answer? Yes.
Our top choice, the Alienware AW3423DW, is an ultrawide gaming monitor. An ultrawide aspect ratio is more immersive in racing, simulation, and role-playing games. It also offers a large, more impressive perspective in many strategy games.
Not all games support an ultrawide aspect ratio, however. It’s wise to check that your favorite games support ultrawide monitors before making a purchase. Consoles rarely support ultrawide aspect ratios, so console gamers should stick with a widescreen display.
Monitors Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 1 hour ago (PC World)One of the coolest things about USB-C tech is its ability to output standard video, and combine it with charging and data for a single-cable solution when you plug your laptop into a monitor. Alas, those monitors still command a serious price premium. Which is why this deal for an HP 27-inch 1440p monitor, complete with USB-C powers, is so sweet. It’s going for as little as $130 today.
To be precise, this HP E27u G4 monitor is on sale for $150 flat, already a huge discount from its $424 retail price. But according to the persistent posters at SlickDeals, you can score an additional $20 off if you’re a new customer to the HP online store, create a new account, and wait for a $20 off discount code to hit your inbox. It might take an hour or two, but it’s worth it.
Even if you don’t feel like waiting around, $150 for a 27-inch, QHD (2560×1440) monitor is already a darn good deal. In addition to USB-C video with up to 65 watts of laptop charging and four USB-A ports for extra gadgets, it’s packing standard HDMI and DisplayPort for more conventional connections. The IPS panel is good enough for serious media production thanks to its color accuracy, even if it’s not going to be speedy enough for a dedicated gaming monitor.
With a 64 percent discount even before the coupon-cutting, this deal might run out quickly. Get an order in fast if you’re ready for it.
Get a 27-inch USB-C monitor from HP for as little as $130
Monitors Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 1 hour ago (PC World)120 hertz? Kid’s stuff. 240? Barely competent. eSports players won’t take a second, super-fast glance at a new gaming monitor unless it’s 300hz, preferably 500hz and worth a mortgage payment. But a new TCL panel might just blow every gaming monitor on the market out of the water. At the Display Week conference, the company showed off a 1000Hz LCD for the first time.
Details on the new display tech are sparse. The 4K panel was spotted on the show floor by Blur Busters and posted to their X profile. (Someone on Twitter got really mad at me for calling it Twitter the other day. Sorry, Twitter user). According to the writeup, this is indeed an LCD panel and seeing it debut at such a high resolution is a bit of a shocker — typically these super-speedy panels start at 1080p before expanding to higher resolutions.
Since this is a trade show display and presumably prototype hardware, there’s no telling how long it’ll take to actually make it into production LCD panels seen in TCL monitors and elsewhere. And I suppose it’s just as well — currently there are no graphics cards on the market that can actually output a 1000Hz, 4K video signal. The newest and most powerful GPUs use HDMI 2.1a and DisplayPort 2.1, which might just have the technical bandwidth to hit that using compression, but probably require a bit of tweaking in order to make it happen.
And, of course, you’d need a GPU and a gaming PC actually capable of rendering 1000 frames per second in a game to make that practical. You can do it in DOOM or Team Fortress, but getting 1K FPS in something people are actually playing competitively would be a struggle for any machine.
As Blur Busters points out, OLED tech is rapidly catching up with LCDs in terms of speed. They’re expected to hit the market in 1000Hz capacities sometime in 2027.
Monitors Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 2 hours ago (PC World)If you’re looking for an eco-friendly power solution for your summer adventures, we found a great discount just for you. The EcoFlow Delta 2 Portable Power Station, paired with two 100W solar panels, is now available for just $819, down from $1,299.
The EcoFlow Delta 2 boasts a 1024Wh capacity and delivers an 1800W output (with a surge of up to 2700W), making it perfect for outdoor enthusiasts. Whether camping, traveling in an RV, or enjoying a weekend getaway, this portable power station can charge up to 15 devices simultaneously.
With its remarkable solar efficiency, boasting a 23 percent conversion rate, the Delta 2 allows you to recharge the unit in just 5.1 hours using the two included solar panels. Simply place them in the sun and you’ll have a full battery by the time you’re done with your daily trail through the forest, making your outdoor adventures more convenient.
Investing in the Delta 2 is a smart choice, as it features LFP batteries with a life cycle of about 3,000 charges. This means you can rely on its service for years, making it a durable and cost-effective power solution for your outdoor activities.
One of the coolest things about the Delta 2 is its ability to power nearly any appliance. With an output comparable to traditional outdoor generators, this solar-powered generator can easily handle 90 percent of your appliances, including a small fridge or some cooking gear.
The trips you have planned off the beaten path this summer will definitely take on new dimensions when you bring the EcoFlow Delta 2 portable power station. Before adding this one to the cart, remember to use the $480 coupon on the front page to get the best price.
Save $480 on a Delta 2 portable power station and two solar panels at Amazon
Power Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 2 hours ago (PC World)At a glanceExpert`s Rating
ProsVPN works with streamingData removal service is faster than advertisedFrom a trustworthy privacy-focused companyConsVPN is very simple and bare-bonesPaying for an identity theft service you may never useOur VerdictDuckDuckGo’s PrivacyPro service is a decent privacy-focused bundle option. The VPN is admittedly rather bare-bones, but with promises to improve in the future. The data removal service is handy and works quickly as well. Fans of DuckDuckGo’s mission will see good value here, but those who don’t use the browser are better suited looking for alternatives.
Unlike rivals such as Google and Microsoft’s Bing search engine, DuckDuckGo unquestionably puts privacy first. Its popular search engine is based on user privacy, forgoing ad-trackers and never logging search history.
Recently, DuckDuckGo released an additional service called PrivacyPro to add to its growing collection of privacy-focused features. Consisting of a VPN, personal information removal tool, and identity theft restoration service, PrivacyPro hopes to offer a comprehensive set of privacy protections in one convenient bundle.
Is the PrivacyPro subscription bundle worth it? I took the new service for a spin to find out.
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro in brief:
Device connections: 5 simultaneous connections
Business location: Pennsylvania, USA
Number of servers: 13
Number of country locations: 7
Cost: About $9.99 per month, or $100 for one year
Further reading: See our roundup of the best VPNs to learn about competing products.
What are DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s features & services?
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro offers three services in one: a browser-based VPN, personal-data removal tool, and identity-theft restoration service. For the purposes of this review, I’ll mainly be focusing on the VPN and personal-data removal service.
Fortunately I was not a victim of identity theft while testing this service so I can’t personally speak to the effectiveness of the identity-theft restoration service. However, for this service DuckDuckGo has partnered with Iris — a leading identity-theft protection company. It offers 24/7 advisor support assistance.
For what it’s worth, the advisors promise to repair your credit after fraudulent activity, replace important documents, fix fraudulent medical claims, provide some travel assistance if you’re out of the country, and cover certain out-of-pocket expenses. Hopefully you never have to use it, but the service is included should you need it.
As for the VPN, compared to other standalone services such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN, it’s pretty spartan. Part of this can be attributed to the newness of the service, and part to the fact that it’s only browser-based and not a standalone application — it’s only available with the DuckDuckGo browser.
When you open up a new DuckDuckGo browser, you’ll see a globe icon with a lock in the upper right-hand corner — this is the VPN. If the lock is unlocked it means you’re not currently connected and it locks itself when you connect.
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s brower-based VPN can be accessed in the upper right-hand corner of the DuckDuckGo browser.
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s brower-based VPN can be accessed in the upper right-hand corner of the DuckDuckGo browser. Sam Singleton
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s brower-based VPN can be accessed in the upper right-hand corner of the DuckDuckGo browser. Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
Clicking on this icon opens up a very small pop-out window with a toggle to connect to the VPN. If you turn on the toggle, it will automatically connect to the nearest available server.
Once connected, this window will display the connection time of your current connection, the location of the server you’re connected to, and the server’s IP address. You can either click on the location here or navigate to VPN Settings at the bottom of the window to change the server location.
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro VPN’s server list provides seven countries to choose from.
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro VPN’s server list provides seven countries to choose from.
Sam Singleton
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro VPN’s server list provides seven countries to choose from.
Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
DuckDuckGo’s VPN currently offers 13 servers spread across seven countries, with the majority — seven — located in the U.S. Other country locations include Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK.
There are no real settings to speak of with the VPN. It’s not advertised, but the VPN comes with a built-in kill-switch feature, which worked well in my testing, blocking traffic when I manually forced a disconnection.
While not offered to Windows users, there is an additional split-tunneling feature available for Android. This allows you to pick and choose which apps run through the VPN and is a great way to optimize privacy for apps that need it while keeping others, such as games, from having their speed throttled by a VPN.
That’s about all there is to the VPN. There are no options for multi-hop, no fancy obfuscated servers, nor Onion-over-VPN connections — all things you’re apt to see with privacy-focused VPNs. I’ll try not to judge too harshly here as DuckDuckGo just released this VPN and to their credit, they are up-front about the improvements they hope to make in the future.
How is DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s Information Removal tool?
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s personal data removal service will search popular data broker websites for your info.
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s personal data removal service will search popular data broker websites for your info.
Sam Singleton
DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s personal data removal service will search popular data broker websites for your info.
Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
DuckDuckGo acquired Removaly in 2022 to help them build their own in-house data removal service. It essentially scrapes a bunch of data broker websites for your personal information and then when found, sends requests to these sites to remove your records.
Even after the initial scan, the service will continually perform this function every so often to make sure no new records have been added.
The service is extremely straightforward. You initially tell DuckDuckGo your personal information such as names, pseudonyms and aliases, addresses, and year of birth. The service then quickly gets to work scanning websites — 53 sites in my case.
As it finds records of your personal data, it lists them so you can see what data each broker site has. After the scan, DuckDuckGo will send data-removal requests to all of the identified sites.
After identifying your info on data broker sites, DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s personal data removal service will then send removal requests.
After identifying your info on data broker sites, DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s personal data removal service will then send removal requests.
Sam Singleton
After identifying your info on data broker sites, DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s personal data removal service will then send removal requests.
Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
You can keep tabs on the progress of any ongoing removals in the personal dashboard within the DuckDuckGo browser. They warn you that data removals can take “around 2-3 weeks to complete,” but I found the majority of mine were removed within the first week of testing.
These types of data removal services are popping up all over the place in recent years, with Surfshark’s Incogni and Mozilla’s Monitor Plus being a couple that come to mind.
Data brokers are still a rather unknown, but shady industry that makes tons of money off freely selling private user data online. Not only is it nice to see DuckDuckGo offering this type of removal service, but including it in an affordable bundle deal makes it even more appealing.
The inclusion of the data-removal service and identity-theft restoration make DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro worth the price.
How much does DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro cost?
The entire DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro bundle is offered either through a monthly subscription or a longer-term yearly subscription service.
The monthly subscription is $9.99 per month, and the yearly subscription is a one-time charge of $99.99.
If it was just the VPN we were talking about, I’d say that the service isn’t worth it. The VPN is still too much in its infancy to justify outlaying that kind of money when you could get so much more with other VPNs.
However, the inclusion of the data-removal service and identity-theft restoration make this worth the price. Individual subscriptions elsewhere can set you back the same price for each of these services — meaning you’d likely pay two or three times the price of PrivacyPro for the same features from a competitor.
How is DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s VPN performance?
When testing a VPN’s performance I typically measure connection speeds across its servers in six different countries around the world and then compare them to my baseline internet speed. Since DuckDuckGo’s VPN has so few servers, I just decided to test them in every country offered to get an average.
During the tests, DuckDuckGo’s VPN was able to manage 34 percent of the base download speed and a rather pedestrian 25 percent of the base upload speed. Those numbers aren’t terrible, but they put it well off the pace of the fastest VPNs I’ve tested.
Accessing geo-restricted streaming content is another crucial feature that you want to have with a VPN. So how does DuckDuckGo’s VPN work with notoriously tough services such as Netflix? Good, but not great. Most of the servers I tested were able to access Netflix successfully. Unfortunately, access with U.S. servers was a hit-or-miss and sometimes I ran into speed issues.
Overall though, I’d say DuckDuckGo is a decent choice of VPN to unblock Netflix and other streaming services. The caveat being that you might need to test a few different servers in the U.S. before you find one that works.
How is DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro’s VPN security & privacy?
DuckDuckGo’s VPN provides the secure WireGuard protocol.
DuckDuckGo’s VPN provides the secure WireGuard protocol.
Sam Singleton
DuckDuckGo’s VPN provides the secure WireGuard protocol.
Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
The DuckDuckGo VPN only offers the WireGuard protocol currently. I don’t really have an issue with this though. WireGuard is one of the fastest and most secure VPN protocols and it’s open source, meaning it’s reliable and trustworthy.
DuckDuckGo states, “We don’t keep logs of your VPN activity. We have no way to tie what you do while connected to the DuckDuckGo VPN to you as an individual. For example, we don’t have any record of website visits, DNS requests, IP addresses connected, or session lengths.”
It does keep anonymous performance metrics such as CPU load and errors, but they assure you that nothing is connected to an individual user.
The company only uses dedicated VPN servers, meaning they aren’t shared with anyone else. The servers are rented from hosting providers and DuckDuckGo makes sure to point out they are kept separate from the servers used for search infrastructure.
The VPN currently has not undergone any independent audits to verify these no-logs claims, but that’s to be expected as the service is so new. Still, it’s something that I believe is very important to solidify user trust in a VPN provider and I hope it’s carried out in the near future.
DuckDuckGo is headquartered in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., which means that it falls within the jurisdiction of the Five Eyes data sharing alliance. It’s probably unlikely to matter much to the average user, but privacy-conscious users should take this into consideration before subscribing to its PrivacyPro service.
Is DuckDuckGo PrivacyPro worth it?
DuckDuckGo’s PrivacyPro provides a basic, but reliable VPN, a helpful data-removal service, and a life-saving-if-you-need-it identity-theft restoration service. Whether or not you think the subscription cost is worth it will depend almost entirely on if you are a DuckDuckGo browser devotee or not.
The VPN is good, but as a standalone service it isn’t robust enough to justify the expense. However, its easy integration into the DuckDuckGo environment and the addition of the other two services make this a convenient choice for those already using the browser. If you prefer a different browser, or just can’t be bothered to switch, then you’re best sticking with another, more powerful VPN.
Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article.
VPN Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
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