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IPS monitors, in general, have rich and saturated colors, pretty good response times, and excellent viewing angles. These qualities make them a great choice for your gaming needs. Another group of users who prefer IPS over other types of panels are content creators and editors who value IPS’ color accuracy and viewing angles. The IPS technology is mostly used in monitors selling in the mid-range and high-end markets.
Today, we’ve gathered the best IPS monitors, both for gaming and content creation/image and video editing. Below you’ll find a bunch of different IPS monitors. From ultrawide models to 1440p and 4K high refresh monitors to the best IPS monitors for color-critical work. Before we begin, let’s talk about some quirks inherent to the IPS technology. First of all, forget about ultra-deep blacks and rich contrast. When it comes to IPS monitors, a good contrast ratio is about 1000:1 unless a monitor features full-array local dimming. Next, IPS glow is another inherent flaw of this technology, present on every IPS monitor to a degree. Finally, many monitors suffer from backlight bleed, but if you notice it wait a couple of weeks for the panel to settle. If you don’t notice a reduction after a couple of weeks, it’s time to return the monitor.
If you’re in the market for a new gaming monitor, you’ll definitely want to check out our list of the best graphics cards for 1440p 144Hz gaming. Next, our GPU hierarchy tier list should help you with finding the best GPU for your particular needs. Finally, read our list of 16:9 resolutions to see what resolution fits your gaming needs. Okay, let’s begin with the best ultrawide IPS monitor.
LG 38GL950G: Best ultrawide IPS monitor for gaming
Ultrawide gaming can be extremely immersive and is one of the best things about PC gaming. Further, UW monitors are great for tasks that include lots of tables and matrices or for video editing. The LG 38GL950G is the best ultrawide IPS gaming display.
It offers a bit more workspace than a 34-inch ultrawide monitor, which may look like a gimmick, but that extra vertical headroom helps, especially if you’re one of the people that consider ultrawide too short compared to regular, 16:9 monitors.
When it comes to gaming performance, the LG 38GL950G is exemplary. You’re looking at incredible response time, very low input lag, and 175Hz refresh rate. Colors are also great, and an extra bump in the resolution (3840 x 1600 vs. 3440×1440 on 34-inch UW monitors) along with the extra vertical workspace is noticeable.
The monitor also comes with HDR 400 capability, which isn’t great. Even without being a true HDR implementation, HDR 400 can still make HDR content look better, if only slightly. And yes, you get FreeSync and G-Sync compatibility. This is definitely one of the best monitors to pair with an RTX 3080.
The biggest downside is the price. For the price of this monitor, you can get virtually any other gaming monitor on the market. You can get a 4K 144Hz unit or the current super ultrawide darling, the Odyssey G9 (this one uses a VA panel, not IPS), for way less than the price of this monitor.
Next, the contrast ratio is pretty weak, not even reaching 1000:1, which is to be expected on an IPS monitor but still. Finally, there’s the curve. The 3800R curve used on this monitor is pretty mild, which shouldn’t bother most users, even those who don’t like curved screens.
MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD: Best 1440p 144Hz IPS monitor for gaming
The MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD (these monitor names are getting more and more ridiculous with each passing year) from MSI is the best 1440p 144Hz IPS monitor you can get.
It isn’t the response time champ, but it’s close enough to the best ones for the difference to become negligible. What’s more important is that the MAG274QRF-QD retains its excellent response time across the refresh rate range. This is something we don’t see that often unless a device has a built-in G-Sync module.
Next, this monitor features excellent build quality, great contrast (for an IPS panel), superbly low input lag, wide color gamut, USB-C port with DisplayPort functionality, and great ergonomics. Negatives include average out-of-the-box color accuracy along with the lack of an sRGB mode in settings.
This means that SDR content will look oversaturated, but since you’ll most likely need to calibrate this monitor due to the middling factory calibration quality, this isn’t such big of a deal. Next, BFI (black frame insertion or backlight strobing) is average. The thing is, this technology is average to non-usable (or non-existent) on many gaming monitors, so we don’t see this as a big downside.
Gigabyte M27Q: Best budget 1440p IPS gaming monitor
The Gigabyte M27Q is the best budget 1440p 144Hz IPS monitor on the market. Its response time is impressive considering the price. Especially the fact that the default overdrive mode works perfectly across the entire refresh rate range, something that’s very rare to see on a budget unit.
Next, the wide color gamut coverage isn’t the best, but it’s good enough to use this monitor for color-critical work. Factory calibration is accurate enough, but the provided sRGB mode isn’t great. We recommend tweaking the picture settings manually for the best results. As for the contrast and brightness, they’re both pretty good even when compared to flagship gaming monitors, let alone budget models.
You also get more than decent build quality and solid ergonomics as well as usable but not impressive backlight strobing. Another plus is the KVM switch, allowing you to use two computers with this monitor without hassle.
The only noticeable negative is the BGR panel Gigabyte’s using instead of the usual RGB (it makes the text a bit blurry but not enough to consider this a major negative). Overall, an impressive package with an even more impressive price.
LG 27GP950-B: Best 4K IPS gaming monitor
The title of the best 4K IPS gaming monitor goes to the LG 27GP950-B, the latest 4K 144Hz monitor from LG. This one has very similar specs to the LG 27GN950-B, last year’s model, but the GP comes with two HDMI 2.1 ports. This makes the newer version a perfect match for the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. In other words, if you’re looking for a monitor to pair with your next-gen console, this is the one to get.
The monitor has decent ergonomics but also a blazing fast response time with excellent results across the refresh rate range. The contrast is pretty high for an IPS panel and much better than on devices using LG’s Nano IPS panel. Peak brightness is also great, just don’t expect a terrific HDR experience.
Color performance is above most other monitors out of the box. And while DCI-P3 coverage is “only” 84%, you can use this monitor for color-critical work thanks to the excellent factory calibration. Overall, a superb 4K 144Hz gaming monitor that suffers from large amounts of IPS glow and G-Sync issues when you overclock the monitor to 160Hz (VRR works fine at 144Hz). A great match for the RTX 3080 or the RX 6800 XT.
Acer Nitro XV252Q F: Best IPS monitor for esports gaming
While there are four 360Hz monitors from ASUS, Acer, Alienware, and MSI that come with flagship specs and physical G-Sync modules, we recommend saving up some cash and getting the Acer Nitro XV252Q F/ Acer AOPEN 25XV2Q F instead.
These two are the same models, with the latter being an off-branded version found at Microcenter. And if you find the Aopen version of the unit, get it since it’s noticeably cheaper than the Nitro version.
That said, even the Nitro XV252Q F is noticeably cheaper than the 360Hz eSports quartet while having a higher refresh rate (390Hz via overclocking) and faster response time than all four 360Hz devices.
Better yet, this is one of the rare monitors with a usable backlight strobing implementation. It comes quite close to the DyAc+ strobing technique found on the eSports champion, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2546K. And it works up to 390Hz, compared to the 240Hz upper limit found on the flagship 360Hz models.
The image quality here is decent but not great since you get average color accuracy and factory calibration, as well as no wide gamut coverage. But this shouldn’t be an issue for esports titles. Another issue is that while backlight strobing (called TVR in the settings) provides excellent image clarity, it does limit brightness to about 220 nits. Not great, not terrible, but a nitpick nonetheless.
The max brightness is about 420 nits, which is an excellent result. Finally, the contrast ratio is about 1000:1, which is a solid result for an IPS panel. Overall, the Acer Nitro XV252Q F has tons of bang for the buck. It performs better than 360Hz monitors while being much cheaper.
ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM: Best 240Hz IPS monitor
The 1440p 240Hz monitor market is dominated by TN panels. They offer the best motion handling in general and are cheap to produce, so they are used on most 240Hz gaming monitors where color accuracy isn’t that important. Luckily, manufacturers have recently started to offer 1440p 240Hz monitors based on IPS panels.
The latest 1440p 240Hz monitor from ASUS is almost a perfect 1440p 240Hz package. First of all, the response time is just behind the Odyssey G7, the current champion in this category. Next, the physical G-Sync module translates into superb response times across the entire refresh rate range. This is great for users who play both fast-paced shooters and slower, story-driven games.
The list of positives continues with the astounding factory calibration quality and one of the most impressive color spans on the market. 96% DCI-P3 coverage coupled with superb calibration means you’ll be able to use this monitor for professional color-critical work. Max brightness is about 380 nits, and the contrast ratio is about 1000:1. These aren’t numbers to salivate over but good enough to provide an excellent gaming experience.
We also like that the PG279QM comes with an sRGB clamp. An sRGB mode is great to have on wide gamut monitors. This mode is perfect for enjoying SDR content, such as older video games and YouTube videos, without having oversaturated colors. Overall, this is a superb gaming monitor and the best 1440p 240Hz IPS monitor. The only major downside is the steep price.
Gigabyte M32Q: Best 32-inch IPS gaming monitor
Just a year ago, the 32-inch 1440p IPS gaming monitor market only included average models that weren’t suited for fast-paced esports titles. But in the meantime, we have received several quality 32-inch 1440p choices, and the one we recommend is the M32Q from Gigabyte.
This is a mid-range monitor, at least price-wise, with excellent performance. First of all, you get a very fast response time that works as great at 144Hz as it works at 60Hz, despite the lack of a physical G-Sync module.
The list of positives continues with ultra-low input lag, 88% coverage of the DCI-P3 color range along with an sRGB clamp (that, sadly, isn’t tweakable), excellent factory calibration, and excellent contrast ratio (about 1200:1) for an IPS panel.
The peak brightness is about 330 nits, which isn’t impressive but also isn’t bad either. HDR support is technically here but, as is the case with almost every other PC monitor, don’t expect a great HDR experience.
The monitor also has a usable backlight strobing feature that works with VRR and has a range between 85Hz-170Hz. Finally, the M32Q comes with a KVM switch, which can be a huge plus for users looking for a monitor that can be used seamlessly with two computers. When it comes to quirks, the sRGB mode cannot be tweaked, and there’s a noticeable backlight bleed (which differs from panel to panel).
AOC 24G2: Best 1080p IPS gaming monitor
The 1080p 144Hz IPS monitor market has a ton of solid purchases. If we had to pick the best 1080p IPS gaming monitor, it would be the (still) excellent AOC 24G2.
The new version of the monitor includes a different panel that sports lower brightness, but that’s also noticeably faster than the old model. Color accuracy is not great out-of-the-box, and the contrast is in the 1000:1 range, typical for an IPS panel.
Overall, the 24G2 has some quirks, and it’s not the absolute best performer on the market. But, if we consider the price, all negatives fade greatly. It’s because other 1080p 144Hz monitors offer very similar performance, yet they all sport noticeably higher prices. The 24G2 is by far the best bang-for-the-buck choice in this category.
ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV: Best budget IPS monitors for color critical work
Down below, you’ll find the best IPS monitors for color-critical work. They come with great color accuracy, and the first one’s also pretty good for gaming.
Those on a budget should look at the ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV. The SDR color gamut is great on this monitor, along with excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 and pretty good color accuracy.
The ASUS model has only a 75Hz refresh rate and 1440p resolution. Not great for gamers but fast enough for content creators. Overall, this is a pretty good monitor for professionals that’s not overpriced.
Eizo ColorEdge CG319X: Best high-end IPS monitor for color critical work
For those who need ultra-color accurate but also ultra-expensive IPS monitors, check out the Eizo ColorEdge CG319X if you want superb color accuracy, a built-in calibrator, and excellent coverage of various color spaces.
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