Over the years, GPU power has increased dramatically, and so have the refresh rates of gaming monitors. Today’s most powerful GPU allows you to game at 144 frames per second — that’s four times faster than your average monitor! Use a gaming monitor, like , and you’ll never miss another crucial moment on the battlefield.
The good old computer speaker has been replaced by the dedicated gaming monitor. While most models don’t have particularly high-quality speakers, some brands are now giving new life to the monochrome monitor with a pair of higher quality speakers and subwoofer.
Are Built-In Speakers Beneficial?
When I think of speakers built into a monitor, my mind goes to the tiny tinny sound rattling out of cheap speakers in my old desktop computer. Those days are over — and in this article I’ll tell you why you should be excited to see speakers in your next monitor.
So when I think of speakers built into a monitor, I’m excited to find out that monitor manufacturers have already solved all the problems that plagued earlier models.
Gaming monitors: the new standard for quality sound. These days, you can find a number of monitor manufacturers producing gaming monitors which can satisfy your every audio need. Gaming monitor speakers are designed and engineered to produce superior sound reproduction. They are crisp, clean and clear, giving you the ability to hear everything from footsteps to crackling gunfire, giving you the edge while playing first-person shooters or real time strategy games.
External speakers or a headset are also an option if you’re looking for surround sound, but if all you need is stereo speakers, then that’s what you should go with. Stereo speakers tend to be cheaper and lighter than surround sound systems (which often have multiple external speakers and a subwoofer).
What Is The Definition Of A Gaming Monitor?
For years, companies have been slapping the ‘gaming’ label onto their monitors. But does slapping gaming labels onto ordinary monitors make them good for gaming? The answer is no, my friend — no it does not. The reality is that, no matter how many times monitor manufacturers write flashy words on their products, they’re still ordinary office computers.
Most gamers know that the only thing more important than having the best GPU for gaming is a good display. A gaming monitor. Most monitors on the market right now, though, aren’t built specifically for gamers — which is a shame, considering how important visual fidelity is to enjoying video games. If you plan on playing competitive multiplayer games, like Fortnite or Overwatch, and you expect to win, then you’ll need one of the best gaming monitors.
Most people would say that screen tearing is a small price to pay for having one of the best in-game experiences. But there is one thing that is far more horrible than screen tearing. It’s something that developers and gamers alike spend hours trying to avoid. And it’s something you can’t escape from, even by turning off your monitor or stopping the game. It’s input lag.
When your game runs faster than 60 frames per second, the monitor is unable to keep up with the GPU’s instructions, and will draw a partial frame instead of a complete one. It’s sort of like when you try to speak in the middle of a running sentence — rather than starting fresh with the next, you get stuck in the middle and just sort of stammer out what you can until you’re able to start fresh with the next full sentence.
In this game, your character’s position can be moved across the screen in two different ways. Firstly, you can press the up and down keys to move your character using a method known as relative movement. If you are using a system that supports it, relative movement allows you to move your character without feeling ‘off’ because of differences in the speed of your computer.
When you’re playing a first person shooter, it’s incredibly frustrating to have your screen tearing up, as it can break your composition and throw you off-target. With V-Sync enabled, you’ll only get tearing when the game is running below 60 frames per second — but if you’re playing an online game, it’s possible that your frame rate will dip into the 50 range, which is still playable but certainly not ideal.
Fixing screen tearing is like this — you need a container for the screen to live inside of. There are lots of containers, but in this case we’ll use an analog TV upon which a screen has been projected. Now, as you probably know if you watched my last video, it’s a good idea to have a decent refresh rate when using an analog TV.
Are you looking to buy a new monitor? If you’re going to splurge on gaming monitors, you should know the refresh rates offered between low, mid-range, high-end and ultra-high end models. You probably already know that the refresh rate of gaming monitors fluctuates between 60Hz and 120Hz, but pay attention to the 240Hz – 280Hz range. That’s where your next best gaming monitor could be hiding!
Gaming Monitors With Speakers Have A Lot Of Benefits
In short, speakers built-in to a gaming monitor are an amazing thing. They can replace your gaming speakers, which means less equipment on your desk, and more space for your snacks. No one wants to be stuck in the middle of an intense battle, only to find out that they need to eat something — again.
Plus, it will reduce the amount of cables you’ll need to take care of. Standalone speakers have a whole mess of wires you need to deal with. In its most basic 2.0 setup, you have power cords that attach both your speakers and power outlets, a cable that connects the main speaker to your computer, and another cable that connects the primary and secondary speakers.
Monitors with built-in speakers will play music through them automatically. The HDMI cable you use for connecting your monitor to your computer is also used for audio transmission, so you don’t need any more cables for sound!
Are Speaker-equipped gaming monitors suitable for gaming?
When choosing a gaming monitor, make sure that the adaptive refresh rate technology is supported by your graphics card. G-Sync monitors are supported by the GeForce GTX series, while FreeSync monitors work best with Radeon graphics cards.
When looking for a monitor, carefully consider your graphics card’s ability to support AMD’s FreeSync or NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology rather than simply choosing the cheapest monitor with a high refresh rate. While monitors may still function with differing adaptive sync technologies, you will have a far better experience by matching monitors with respective GPUs. Speakers inside your gaming monitor will allow you to hear the sound in your game.
Most standalone speakers don’t even come close to matching the sound quality of dedicated surround systems, but it’s possible to find a few that can keep up. If you do want to go this route, make sure you look for speakers by some of the more reputable brands.
We’ve all been there, entranced by the low, booming sounds that a great game makes. It’s one of the best parts of a game, and it feels so good when you hear it! A lot of new gaming monitors actually include a dedicated subwoofer with their speaker setup, which improves the sound quality in the process.
The quality of sound is a big factor that can ruin or improve the experience. For gaming displays with speakers, there’s tuning to ensure the best quality. Glasses of water around a standalone speaker change its frequency, whereas monitors tuned for a hard surface offer quality that’s even better.