Monitors are a pretty important aspect of any sim racers rig and one of the things that I would suggest not being frugal with.
Below is a list of a few different model monitors that are popular in the sim racing and gaming community and may fit what you are looking for. I’ve tried to cover a few different price points but keep in mind that any good gaming monitors are going to be fairly expensive.
There are several important factors that you need to take into consideration when deciding on a monitor and those include:
- Resolution
- Size
- Refresh Rate
- G-Sync/Free-Sync
- Response Rate
Ideally, you’ll want the largest possible resolution that you can afford/run. If you are planning on going got 1920x1080p monitors then keep in mind that the larger the size, the bigger the pixels. If you get a 32″ 1080p monitor you are very likely to be able to see the pixels noticeably if you are sitting close to the monitor as you would in your sim rig/setup. A smaller 24″ monitor will have less noticeable pixels.
Aim to get the refresh rate as high as possible. 144Hz should be the minimum that you’re aiming for with 165Hz+ a possibility now. G-Sync and FreeSync simply allow you to avoid unnecessary screen tearing and the response rate means you’ll have no ghosting. Aim to get this somewhere between 1ms and 4ms.
The following monitors are just some suggestions as to what I would be looking at if I was to be in the market for new monitors. Remember to do your own research to make sure they fit your needs and to make sure that you have the resources available on your PC to drive them!
1. BenQ EX3203R 31.5inch QHD Curved Gaming VA LED Monitor
BenQ EX3203R Curved Gaming Monitor
$259.99
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01/27/2023 08:43 pm GMT
The BenQ EX3203R 31.5″ QHD Curved Gaming VA LED Monitor. This guy really packs a punch. It’s not cheap, but boy, oh boy, is it something.
This monitor is widely used in the sim racing community and is highly recommended by a lot of sim racing personalities. It boasts a 2560×1440 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate so your sims will be super smooth, support Free Sync 2 which eliminates tearing and broken frames which makes things even smoother. This monitor is designed for high frame rates and high resolutions so just make sure that your computer can run three of them! They’ll pull a lot of resources when running a graphically intensive game.
Personally, this is the monitor that I would (will) be getting when I upgrade my current monitors.
The BenQ EX3203R quite often goes on sale on Amazon so be sure to keep an eye out if you’re not in a hurry to pick one up.
2. ASUS ROG PG279Q 27″ Gaming Monitor
ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q 27″ Gaming MonitorBuy Now on Amazon
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The ASUS ROG PG279Q 27″ Gaming Monitor is still one of the best value for money all-around monitors that are available for gamers and sim racers. It has a beautiful resolution of 2560×1440, DisplayPort and HDMI ports, G-Sync, and an insane 165Hz refresh rate. 165Hz refresh rate paired with the G-Sync technology will allow for some incredibly smooth gameplay, which will mean increased immersion and reaction times for us sim racers! These bad boys aren’t cheap though… you’ve been warned!
3. AOC C32G1 32″ Curved Frameless Gaming Monitor
AOC C32G1 32″ Curved Frameless Gaming MonitorBuy Now on Amazon
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The AOC C32G1 32″ Curved Frameless Gaming Monitor is the perfect design for a triple monitor as it is both curved and frameless. The frameless design means that the side bezels are going to be at a minimum which allows us to have a higher immersion factor and be able to see around when driving slightly easier than with some of the other monitors. Minimizing bezels also means that we are minimizing distractions.
The AOC C32G1 32″ Curved Frameless Gaming Monitor does only have a 1920×1080 resolution and at 32″ may be too pixilated for some users when viewed close up. They do offer a smaller 27″ version as well as 2K versions if that is something that you want to look into.
The rest of the boxes get ticked though with a 144Hz refresh rate for smooth gameplay, FreeSync, and a 3-year Zero Dead Pixel warranty. This monitor is both affordable and good value for not only sim racing but also general use and gaming.
4. ViewSonic VX2458-C-MHD
ViewSonic VX2458-C-MHDBuy Now on Amazon
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The ViewSonic VX2458-C-MHD comes in a few different models ranging from a 24″ 1080p version up to a 32″ 1440p version. All of these monitors tick the boxes of having a 144Hz refresh rate with Freesync, good resolution, and a curved design. The ViewSonic VX2458-C-MHD also boasts a 1ms response time which is a nice bonus.
This is a good monitor for those that don’t want to completely break that bank and will often be on sale for around $230.
5. Asus VG248QG
Asus VG248QG 24” Gaming Monitor
$188.53
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01/27/2023 11:48 am GMT
The Asus VG248QG comes in a few different options ranging from 24″ 165Hz to a 27″ 144Hz and a 27″ 165Hz. The only downside for these monitors is that they don’t offer a 1440p version in this particular model so you will possibly want to avoid the larger-sized monitors.
Despite not having 1440p the 1920×1080 resolution will be sufficient especially if you are planning on running smaller 24″ monitors as the pixelation will be far less noticeable, even up close.
The 165Hz refresh rate and the G-Sync means you’ll be served up some butter-smooth sim racing and the 0.5 – 1ms response time means that you’ll see no ghosting.
Final Words
These are just a small handful of the possible gaming monitors available to us as sim racers and there are plenty more good quality monitors out there. There’s no real way of getting around the cost factor of running triples though without sacrificing a lot of quality, unfortunately.
VR is an alternative if that is an avenue that you would like to pursue but once again it isn’t cheap and the cost between the two might surprise you. You can always use your triple monitors for other games and tasks whereas VR has a fairly narrow use case.
Again a warning about PC capabilities. If you’re just coming from a single monitor then be prepared to potentially have some frame rate loss. If you’re struggling to run your sims on your single monitor setup then you will get worse performance on a triple monitor set up so keep that in mind, and do your research before dropping a rather large sum of money on your displays.
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