5 Best 120 Hz Monitors

1. Best Pick: Acer Predator X27

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Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5

The Acer Predator X27 is the best 120 Hz monitor currently out on the market. It’s a 27-inch IPS monitor that works great for office work, gaming, coding, graphics design, media consumption, and photo editing. You can get it for around $1,800, which easily makes it the most expensive product in this guide.

A G-Sync monitor, the X27 is a high-end product with an eye-catching design, featuring a set of blinders for glare reduction and a stylish stand with a wide footprint. While not on the same level as the best bezel-less monitors, the bezel is narrow and looks good. The stand, which has minimal cable management, has decent ergonomics, with options to adjust the height and tilt and swivel the screen.

The X27 has a thick frame and will stick out when mounted on the wall. With the stand, the overall footprint is quite large, so make sure you have enough desk space for it. If you want to mount it on the wall, you can’t just use a regular VESA mount; you’ll need to use the adapter included in the box.

Acer did a solid job with the on-screen display, equipping the X27 with a decent control panel with lots of calibration options and features. As with many LG monitors, a small joystick is used for going through the menu. It’s located on the bottom-right corner, on the backside, along with a set of clickable function buttons. With the joystick, navigating the menu is much more intuitive than when using the usual buttons seen on most monitors.

Concerning connectivity, the X27 is no different from most G-Sync monitors, offering one DisplayPort and one HDMI port for input, both of which are down-facing on the back panel. In addition, it has one analog audio out and four USB 3.0 ports, one of which supports fast charging. Of the four USB 3.0 downstream ports, one pair is outward-facing on the back panel; the other pair is on the monitor’s side for quick access.

The X27 is an excellent all-around 4K monitor, with great picture quality, wide viewing angles, and support for a wider color gamut. Coverage for both sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces is great, which makes it a good monitor for photo editing. It’s great for HDR content, boasting a very high brightness in HDR. Unfortunately, color accuracy is way off the mark out of the box, so make sure to calibrate it as soon as possible.

While not as good as other Acer high-end gaming monitors, the X27 is also a good monitor for serious gaming, featuring a fast response time and G-Sync support for smoother gameplay. It has a low input lag, too, but not on the same level as the ViewSonic XG2402 and the Acer Predator XB271HU, two of the best gaming monitors on the market. You can also overclock it to 144 Hz if the already high native refresh rate is still not enough for you.

On the downside, the X27 has a mediocre contrast ratio, which isn’t surprising considering its IPS panel, so don’t expect very deep blacks. In addition, it’s not great for viewing dark content while in a dark room. It has poor black uniformity and backlight bleed issues, both of which are also common among monitors with an IPS panel.

Overall, the X27 is a fantastic monitor that offers good long-term value. It’s a versatile monitor that works great for gaming, productivity, and general use. It has great picture quality, good HDR performance, wide viewing angles, G-Sync support, a fast response time, and low input lag. It has decent speakers as well, which is a surprise.

If money is not an issue for you, the X27 is the best 120 Hz monitor you can get today. If you don’t like its design, consider the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ instead. The PG27UQ has a very similar performance, and it sells for about the same price.

2. Best Budget: Acer Predator Z35P

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Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5

When shopping for the best 120 Hz monitors today, the first thing you’ll notice is that there are no longer real budget options on the market. If you search for cheap gaming monitors with a high refresh rate, you’ll end up with cheap 144 Hz monitors. If you can still find the BenQ XL2720T at stores, whether refurbished or brand-new, then consider yourself lucky. It’s a gaming monitor with a 120 Hz refresh rate, a TN panel, and a 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Of the products in this guide, the Acer Predator Z35P is considered the budget option, but don’t expect to be able to get your hands on it for less than $500. Although it normally sells for around $800, you can get it for around $100 less on a sale, so you’ll have to be patient if you want to keep your expenses low.

A 35-inch VA monitor, the Z35P is a curved ultrawide monitor with a curvature of 1800R and a 21:9 aspect ratio. It has built-in speakers and a thick bezel, with the on-screen display buttons located on the bottom-right corner. The Z35P has a thick frame, even for a curved monitor, which makes it really stick out when wall-mounted.

The Z35P’s overall build quality is good. It has a wide stand with a small hole for cable management, with the stand’s design allowing you to place objects under the screen. The stand has decent ergonomics, offering options to adjust the height, tilt, and swivel, with decent ranges for all three. While the stand is well built and easily supports the screen, the screen has minor wobbling issues, so be careful when adjusting it.

The OSD buttons are easy to use and give off a satisfying click when pressed, and they are larger than the ones usually found on other monitors. On the other hand, the on-screen display itself is not that great. It’s decent enough, with a good selection of options to choose from, but it could use a bit of touch-up to make the structure more user-friendly.

Like our top pick, the Z35P has one HDMI port and one DisplayPort, along with a USB hub and an audio out. The main input ports and the audio out are down-facing at the rear and are a bit difficult to access, especially when the screen is wall-mounted. Meanwhile, the four USB 3.0 ports are outward-facing on the back panel, which makes them easier to access.

The Z35P is a good monitor for both productivity and gaming, with its large, ultrawide screen and high resolution making it an excellent display for multitasking. It has almost perfect coverage for the sRGB color space and an acceptable rating for the Adobe RGB color space. And unlike our top pick, it has decent color accuracy out of the box. It’s got an excellent contrast ratio as well, but as with other VA monitors, the viewing angles are narrow.

For serious gaming, the Z35P is slightly better than our top pick, mainly because it has lower input lag, which is great for competitive gaming. It’s got Nvidia G-Sync support and boasts excellent motion handling, with minimal motion blur when gaming or watching action-packed movies. While the Z35P is not a 120 Hz monitor by default, you can easily overclock it to 120 Hz.

All in all, the Z35P is a great option if you want an all-around 120 Hz monitor but don’t want to spend close to $1,000 on one. It has good picture quality, with better viewing angles than TN monitors and excellent coverage for the sRGB color space. It works well for both gaming and general use, featuring a fast response time, low input lag, and very high contrast. If, however, you can’t wait for the Z35P’s price to drop to around $700 or less and are willing to spend $800+ for a 120 Hz monitor, we recommend the next product on this list instead.

3. Best Value: Dell Alienware AW3418DW

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Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5

The Dell Alienware AW3418DW is another curved ultrawide gaming display with Nvidia G-Sync support. A lot of people consider it the best ultrawide monitor currently out, and you won’t find us arguing with that notion, considering what the product brings to the table. While the AW3418DW normally sells for about a grand, you can get it for around $900, which makes it more affordable than our top pick.

An IPS display with a 34-inch screen, the AW3418DW has the familiar futuristic design typically seen among Alienware products, featuring a thin bezel, a stylish stand, and a customizable lighting system. It has a curve radius of 1900R and looks thick when viewed from the side. It has a large footprint overall, so make sure your desk can comfortably accommodate it. And because of its curved screen, it sticks out more than a non-curved screen when wall-mounted.

The stand is well built and has a cable management hole at the bottom. It has a wide footprint, but you can put objects under the screen. As expected from a Dell monitor, the ergonomics are good. You can adjust the height and tilt and swivel the screen, with decent adjustment ranges. You can also mount it on the wall, but doing so will mean removing the stylish stand from the equation, which reduces its appeal.

The control buttons are on the bottom-right corner, under the frame. Instead of the common four-button setup (excluding the power button) seen on other displays, you get six buttons, with the power button making it a total of seven buttons. While not as intuitive as the joystick control usually seen on LG monitors, the buttons are easy to use and produce a nice click when pressed. The OSD itself is also well designed, offering a good selection of calibration options and features.

In terms of connection options, this Alienware monitor is almost identical to our budget pick, featuring an HDMI port, a DisplayPort, and four USB 3.0 downstream ports. Instead of one audio out, it has two analog ports for audio, one of which allows for direct volume adjustment. You’ll find most of the ports on the back panel, positioned downward. Of the four USB ports, two are at the bottom of the monitor for quick access, along with the headphones port.

Like our other top picks here, the AW3418DW is an excellent all-around monitor for hardcore gaming and productivity. Overall picture quality is great while viewing angles are wide, with low input lag even when G-Sync is enabled. You can easily overclock it to 120 Hz. Additionally, it has a decent contrast for an IPS monitor and a superb motion handling that makes it ideal for fast-paced games, sports, and action-packed movies. On the flip side, it has a mediocre black uniformity, and the brightness could be better.

Out of the box, color accuracy is good. You can use the AW3418DW for photo editing, but only if you work in the sRGB color space. It has almost perfect coverage for that standard color space, but for the Adobe RGB color space, coverage is not that great. And as with other IPS monitors, the AW3418DW is best used in a bright room and is not great for usage in a dark room.

If our top pick is too expensive for you, go for the AW3418DW. It’s the second-best overall monitor listed here. It offers excellent long-term value, whether you plan to deploy it for gaming, productivity, general use, or all three. It’s great for multitasking, featuring an ultrawide screen and a high resolution that makes texts sharper and images more detailed. It’s got a few downsides, but most of them are related to it using an IPS panel.

4. Samsung C43J89

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Editor’s Rating: 4.1/5

If 34-inch ultrawide monitors are still too small for you, check out the Samsung C43J89, a massive 43-inch unit with a curved ultrawide display and a 32:10 aspect ratio. It’s built for both gaming and office work, but it’s not as good as the similarly massive Samsung C49HG90 for gaming. You can get it for about $800-900, which puts it in the same price range as the Alienware monitor above.

Like our budget pick from Acer, the C43J89 is equipped with a VA panel. It’s a well-built monitor, with a thin bezel, a curve radius of 1800R, a sturdy stand, and multiple connection options. The stand has a wide footprint, with the base sticking out farther than usual, and offers decent ergonomics. You can adjust the height as well as tilt and swivel screen. The small hole on the stand is for keeping cables organized, though some might find it too narrow.

The C43J89 comes with a pair of built-in speakers, but don’t expect too much regarding sound quality, especially concerning bass. While the 5-watt speakers are surprisingly decent, they are not great for watching movies and will definitely leave audiophiles disappointed; they can get very loud, but the sound quality at high volume is mediocre.

Compared to all the other products here, the C43J89 is the most versatile regarding connectivity. It has one HDMI port, one DisplayPort, two USB-C down ports, one USB-C up port, two USB 2.0 down ports, one USB 3.0 down port, and one analog audio out. All connection ports are down-facing on the back panel, with no separate USB ports on the sides for quick access. You can use the C43J89 as a screen for your MacBook and as a charging port for compatible smartphones and tablets.

The C43J89 has easy-to-use function buttons on the bottom bezel and an organized OSD with a good selection of options. You can connect two computers to this monitor, with the built-in KVM switch at the bottom allowing for easy transition between the two computers. This is great for when you want to use your laptop and desktop computer at the same time for productivity.

Samsung advertises the C43J89 for both gaming and office work, and it works well enough on both fronts. It’s great for multitasking, thanks to the massive screen and the good resolution. You can split the screen in different ways, including the option to split the screen into six windows. The C43J89 has great coverage for the sRGB color space, and like other VA monitors, it’s got a very high native contrast ratio. On the downside, it has narrow viewing angles, and while the overall picture quality is good, it’s not on the same level as IPS monitors.

For gaming, the C43J89 is good, but as mentioned earlier, the C49HG90 is better on that front. The C43J89 has a fast response time and a low input lag, but on the other hand, Samsung didn’t equip it with variable refresh rate tech. While this isn’t a big issue for regular gaming for many people, hardcore gamers will find it disappointing.

Overall, the C43J89 is a solid all-around monitor for both gaming and office work. It has good picture quality, excellent contrast, and lots of connection options. If 34-inch monitors are still too small for you but you don’t want something as large as Samsung’s 49-inch monitors, check out the C43J89.

5. LG 34GK950G-B

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Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5

The LG 34GK950G-B is a great monitor for both gaming and office work, boasting a fast response time and a high-resolution ultrawide screen that’s great for multitasking. It sells for around $1,300, which makes it the second-most expensive product on this list.

A 34-inch display, the 34GK950G-B uses LG’s “Nano IPS” panel, which offers better colors, according to the South Korean company, with an advertised 98 percent coverage for the DCI-P3 color space. It has a thin bezel, a stable stand, and a cool lighting system on the back panel. Its overall build quality is good, with well-secured components.

Unlike with many LG monitors, the 34GK950G-B’s stand is not curved. The stand has good ergonomics, especially for such a large display, offering options to adjust the height as well as tilt and swivel the screen. You’ll find basic cable management on the stand, as well as red accents on the base and top. The back panel has a large ring that lights up in case anyone doubts the 34GK950G-B was built with gamers in mind. You can customize the lighting to make it more in line with your other fancy gaming accessories.

For connectivity, the 34GK950G-B has one HDMI port, one DisplayPort, two USB 3.0 down ports, and one audio out – it’s not that different from other G-Sync monitors. All ports are outward-facing on the back panel and are easy to access. This design choice is common among LG monitors; some like it that way while others prefer the usual down-facing ports.

Navigating the on-screen display is fast and easy. Just like many other LG monitors, the 34GK950G-B has a small joystick at the bottom. It’s more intuitive than the usual clickable buttons seen on other monitors. And as for the on-screen display, LG also did a good job; the control panel is organized and offers a good selection of options, including gaming-specific ones.

While the 34GK950G-B is clearly marketed for gaming use, it also works well for office work and general use. Its ultrawide screen and high resolution make it a great monitor for multitasking. It has wide viewing angles and decent brightness. However, this monitor is not great for photo editing if you mainly work in the sRGB color space.

The 34GK950G-B is a great monitor for gaming. It has a fast response time and a very low input lag, which makes it suitable for fast-paced first-person shooter games. It can be easily overclocked to 120 Hz and offers G-Sync support, which translates to smoother gameplay with reduced screen tearing and stuttering. While it has no severe backlight bleed, the 34GK950G-B is not suitable for gaming in a dark room, which is a common thing among IPS monitors.

If you can afford to spend over $1,000 for the best 120 Hz monitors, the 34GK950G-B is a good option. It’s great for gaming, media consumption, and office work, featuring a good picture quality, a fast response time, a very low input lag, and good ergonomics.