Credit: Fergus Halliday | IDG
Your CPU and graphics card might be the lynch-pin components that power your next gaming rig, but your monitor is the thing you’re going to be looking at every time you use your PC, so it’s important to invest in a good one.
Here’s our guide to buying the best monitor for your PC:
Which monitor should I buy for my PC?
As with keyboards, mice and headphones, the answer to the question of which monitor should you buy for your PC come down to what you’re looking for. If you’re a gamer, you’re going to care more about stuff like refresh rate and G-Sync support than you are pixel count and colour accuracy.
You’re always going to be better off doing the research and working out exactly what your needs are, then matching those requirements to a PC monitor that fits within your budget. You are just looking for the most expensive option or the one with the highest pixel-count.
What should I consider when buying a monitor for my PC?
The best place to start when buying a monitor for your PC, regardless of whether you’re interested in using it for gaming or not, is to think about how much money you want to spend and what size of screen you’re looking for.
A larger monitor obviously demands more space on your desk, so unless you’re willing to buy a bigger desk to go with your new monitor, it’s worth settling on a size that you can actually fit into your life.
Credit: LG The second thing you’ll want to consider here is whether you care about a high refresh rate. The refresh rate is the rate at which the screen refreshes. Higher refresh rates ensure a smoother picture. Not every application on your computer will make use of that capability but, if you play fast-paced competitive games over the internet, a higher refresh rate can offer a key advantage. Most gaming monitors start at around 144Hz, but some go as high as 240Hz.
The next thing you want to factor in here is whether or not you need your new monitor to be compatible with Nvidia’s G-Sync or AMD’s Free-Sync. Monitors that support both are quite rare, so you’ll want to make sure you pick one that supports your variable refresh rate technology of choice. For more on G-Sync, check out our feature here.
If you’re planning to watch any 4Kor HDR content on your PC, you’ll also want to make sure any potential new monitor supports all the relevant standards. You’ll also want to make sure you grab yourself a HDMI cable that does the same.
Best gaming monitor 2019
If you're looking to pick up a new gaming monitor during this year's Black Friday sales, these are the models we'd recommend starting your search with.
Samsung CRG5 27-inch Curved Gaming Monitor
Credit: Samsung
While curved TVs are something of a tired tech trend, there are some gaming situations where having a curved monitor can be more of a blessing than a curse. For some users, a curved display can make the on-screen action feel that little bit more immersive.
And, if you are keen on catching yourself a curved gaming display, you have to consider what Samsung is selling here. The Samsung CRG5 boasts 1500R curvature, a 240Hz refresh rate and support for Nvidia’s G-Sync tech.
Priced at around AUD 419, you can buy it through Samsung and PC Case Gear. There’s also a cheaper FreeSync model available on Amazon.
LG UltraGear 27GN750 27-inch gaming monitor
Credit: LG 
Credit: Acer Announced at this year's IFA, LG’s latest and greatest gaming monitor ticks all the boxes this side of 4K resolution.
The UltraGear 27GN750 is a 27-inch IPS monitor that boasts a 1ms response time, a 244Hz refresh rate, FHD resolution, 400 nits of brightness, plus Nvidia G-Sync compatibility. It's also HDR10 compliant and capable of delivering 99% of the sRGB colour accuracy.
Priced at around AUD 599, you can buy the LG UltraGear 27GN750 through Amazon, Scorptec and PC Case Gear.
Acer Predator X35 UltraWide gaming monitor
Read more: Viewsonic VX2363SMHL 23in LCD monitor
The Acer Predator X35 is a 35-inch UltraWide gaming monitor with all the bells and whistles you'd expect - and then some. It's got Nvidia G-Sync HDR, Acer's own HDR Ultra tech, quantum dots, 1000 nits of brightness and 2ms response time in overdrive mode.
Acer also says that the monitor can offer a hectic 200Hz refresh rate when overclocked. That's not as fast as something like MSI's 244Hz Oculux monitor, but it's still pretty damn fast. Especially for a monitor of this size.
In Australia, the Acer Predator X35 gaming monitor has a recommended retail price-point of AUD 3,999. You can buy it here.
MSI Oculux NXG252R gaming monitor
Credit: MSI The MSI Oculux features a 244Hz refresh rate, 0.5ms response time, 300 nits of brightness and support for Nvidia's G-Sync display tech. The only catch here is that the price and the fact that it's only available in a single sizing of 24.5-inches may limit its appeal for those who prefer a larger display.
Still, if you're willing to work within that limitation, you get a lot of bang for your buck here.
If you’re keen, the MSI Oculux NXG252R gaming monitor is available in Australia for about AUD 750. You can grab it via Scorptec, PC Case Gear and Amazon.
