When shopping around for a monitor, be it for work or play, you’ll have the choice of many screen sizes. Which is best for gaming? 27-inch screens have become a popular choice for gamers due to their size and resolution support. By buying a 27-inch display with a maximum resolution of 1440p (QHD) or 2160p (UHD), you’ll achieve the sweet spot of gaming screens. There are a few reasons why 27 inches is the sweet spot for PC gaming, including pixels-per-inch, physical size of the display, and distance from the desk.
27 inches is big enough for most desks
Any larger would be too big
Desks come in all shapes and sizes, but the majority of options available for the home and office usually work best with screens up to 27 inches. Any larger than this and you’ll be cutting into space for the desktop tower and other accessories. The larger the screen, the further you have to sit away to make the most of the screen. A desk and chair setup configured properly with adequate distance between one another would provide the best results with a 27-inch screen.
I recommend positioning yourself to be one meter away from a 27-inch monitor. Try and push the display stand back to the edge of the desk. They’re not too heavy and can be secured to monitor arms for better adjustability in positioning the screen just right. Go any higher than 27 inches and you run the risk of not being able to mount it on anything but the included OEM stand.
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It’s all about the PPI
Not too high and not too low
Pixels-per-inch (PPI) is a metric thrown around with smartphones and PC monitors. A modern display uses pixels to show content. The higher the PPI, the more pixels are crammed onto a display and the more visual data can be shown. The lower the PPI, the less crisp content will look, but this (again) depends on how you configure the display on the desk and how far away you sit. A 27-inch monitor with a resolution of 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p will have a PPI of 82, 108, and 163, respectively. I recommend keeping the PPI between 100 and 150, if possible, but this is all subjective and you may prefer other PPI levels.
The 27-inch Asus monitor we recommend further down this guide for gaming has a PPI of 110, putting it almost bang in the middle. UHD is a little on the high side and I would argue that a 32-inch monitor makes more sense for 4K gaming.
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Looks great at most resolutions
FHD, QHD, and UHD … all are welcome!
Full HD (1080p) remains the most popular screen resolution, according to Steam’s monthly hardware survey. This makes sense as it’s most relied upon for competitive gaming and doesn’t require much computing power from the CPU and GPU. 1080p on a 27-inch screen doesn’t look terrible and can be relied on for gaming. 1440p provides additional real estate for running apps without looking too crammed on a smaller screen. 2160p is where things get interesting with far more pixels to power on the same size display, making everything look crisp.
Moving up the chain of resolutions is great, but using a 27-inch display can allow for the opposite to happen. Want more frames in-game? Turn down the resolution from 2160p to 1440p or 1440p to 1080p and you’ll still experience quite the visual spectacle.
What’s the best 27-inch gaming monitor?
Let me tell you a secret
We’ve tested countless displays over the years and compiled a list of the best gaming monitors. We recommend the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM as the best 27-inch display for gaming. It has everything you need for killer gaming experiences with an ultra-fast OLED panel and 1440p resolution. There’s also HDR support with a peak brightness of 1000 nits, which is pretty good for displaying HDR content. The 240Hz refresh rate is excellent for more powerful systems, though with a DisplayPort 1.4 cable, you can push to 280Hz.
The response time of just 0.03 ms makes the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM one of the fastest gaming monitors on the market. The monitor can handle fast-paced games without ghosting, blurring, or graphical smearing.
It’s pricey, but well worth it if you’re in the market for one of the best displays for playing PC games.
ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQDM OLED Gaming Monitor
This 27-inch gaming monitor has it all. A fast refresh rate, quick response time, a gorgeous OLED panel, and a 1440p resolution. It’s the king of gaming displays.