Monitors come in different shapes and sizes. As a result, it gets a bit tricky to choose the perfect one for yourself sometimes. Is the expensive one worth it or will the cheap one do? Or is a 24-inch monitor better than a 27 inch one?
If you are confused with this type of questions, and can’t make the ultimate decision on your choice, then you are at the right place. Because, in this post, we will be sharing whether you should go with a 24 inch or a 27-inch monitor for gaming, movies or any other general purposes.
So, without dawdling, why don’t we cut to the chase…?
How to measure monitor size?
There’s a misconception about the method of measuring monitor size. A lot of people think that monitor screen size is measured vertically or horizontally. But, that is not the case. In fact, monitors are measured just like TVs. So, you have to measure the screen size of a monitor diagonally.
That means you would measure from any corner of the screen to the opposite corner of the screen to get the accurate size of the screen. Remember, you have to measure only the screen, no need to include the side panels or the bezels while measuring.
Usually, the height and the width of a 24-inch monitor would be about 20.9 inches and 11.7 inches respectively. Or you could also say 245 square inches of viewing area. On the other hand, the 27-inch monitors come with a height of 23.5 inches and a width of 13.2 inches. And, that gives us a viewing area of about 310 square inches.
Normally, it might seem that a 27-inch monitor is not that larger than a 23 inch one. But from the calculations above, you can see that the 27-inch monitor has about (310-245) = 65 square inches more viewing area. In a way, this is a huge step up. So, let’s discuss which size monitor is better for gaming down below.
24 or 27 inch monitor for gaming:
Unfortunately, there’s no definitive answer to this. Because when it comes to gaming, there are some other factors that are far more important than the monitor size. But, the good news is that we are going to talk about all that. So that you can pick the best size for your demands. And, here we go…
● Refresh Rate:
For your information, any video is a combination of a lot of still images. When a large number of still images are shown in rapid succession, our eyes and brains can’t differentiate the images from one another. Thus, we get tricked into seeing one moving image, which we call a video. This is where the word ‘Refresh Rate’ comes in. Here’s what it means.
Simply put, the refresh rate is the number of times a monitor can change/refresh images in a single second. Let’s say, you have a monitor which has a refresh rate of 60 Hz. That means your monitor can refresh the images 60 times in a second. And, it is better to have higher refresh rates for gaming.
That way, your experience of gaming will be smooth. So, it is better to go for a monitor which has a refresh rate of 75Hz/120Hz/144 Hz or higher. Also, the refresh rate has a close relationship with your GPU. We will talk about it in a minute. Yes, you can go with lower refresh rates as well. But, don’t go with anything lower than 60 Hz that will worsen your gaming experience.
● Response Rate:
Most of us confuse the response rate with the refresh rate. These terms are not interchangeable, though. Here’s why. The response rate is the time that your monitor will take to switch from one color to another. Usually, for general usage, it doesn’t matter. But when it comes to gaming, it becomes crucial.
For instance, your monitor comes with a 5 ms (milliseconds) of response time. That means it will take 5 ms to shift from one color to another. On the opposite, if your monitor comes with just 1 ms response time, then you will notice a significant improvement in your gameplay. There will be almost no delays. So, it is better to have a monitor which has a lower response rate/time for the better gaming experience.
● Resolution:
Again, it’s better if the monitor comes with a higher resolution. The higher the resolution, the better and sharper the image detail it can produce. Monitors come with various resolutions from Full HD, QHD to 4K and so on. If you want to play a game in 1080p (Full HD) resolution, then you must have a monitor which supports this resolution.
Otherwise, you have to lower the resolution of the game in the game settings. Remember, it is enough to have 1080p resolution in a 24-inch monitor. But in case of a 27-inch monitor, we would recommend you going for 1440p resolution at least.
Try to avoid buying a 27-inch monitor which has a resolution lower than 1080p. Case in point, if the screen size is bigger and the resolution is low, then you will start to notice pixelation on the screen. Also, your GPU has a role to play in this. We will touch this matter in a later section.
● Aspect Ratio & The types of games you play:
Most of the monitors come with an aspect ratio of 16:9. And, we can say that, at this moment, this is the standard aspect ratio. However, there are a few monitors which come with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Also, there are some new breeds of monitors known as ‘Ultrawides’ which come with 21:9 aspect ratio.
Now, almost all of the modern popular games (especially the multiplayer FPS ones) only supports 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. By the way, the monitors with 4:3 aspect ratio are almost dead right now. So, it won’t be wise to get a monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio if you are a hardcore gamer.
● The capability of your GPU:
When we are talking about gaming, we can’t keep the GPU or the video card away from the discussion. If your GPU supports only 60 Hz refresh rate, then it is futile to buy a monitor with a higher refresh rate like 144 Hz.
Similarly, it is also a waste of money to go with a monitor with higher resolution than your GPU supports. For instance, if your GPU is only compatible with 720p resolution, then it is meaningless to go for a monitor with 1080p resolution. Because your GPU can’t handle the game in that resolution. For that, only the NVidia G Sync or AMD FreeSync can help you, though.
● Future Proofing:
Of course, if you want to upgrade your system in the future, then you can go with an advanced monitor. Future proofing is not a bad idea.
So, which one is best for gaming?
As you now know that we have to take a lot of things into consideration prior to coming to a conclusion. So, here’s our take:
● 24-inch monitor for gaming?
If you want to game at the 1080p resolution, then go for the 24-inch monitor. You don’t need a bigger screen for this resolution.
● 27-inch monitor for gaming?
In this case, a 27-inch monitor with 1080p resolution is OKAY. But it is better if you want to game at 1440p resolution and go for a 27-inch/1440p monitor. Matter of fact, this combination is the best for gaming in our opinion. Yes, even better than the 1080p/24-inch combination.
So, there you have it, the best monitor for gaming is a 27-inch monitor with 1440p resolution. Besides, remember all the other important factors as well. Get a monitor with lower response time and a higher refresh rate. Also, going with the 16:9 aspect ratio is a good bet even though 21:9 is great to look at.
For Movies and other general purposes:
Actually, in the case of movies, it is better to go with the bigger monitor. So, the 27-inch monitor would be the winner once again. Yet, as you would expect, there are also a few factors to consider before we conclude. Here are they:
● Resolution & Aspect Ratio:
If you watch movies in 1080p resolution, then 24 inch/1080p will do the work. But, in that case, if you go with a 27 inch/1440p monitor, you will notice distortion/pixelation with a 1080p movie. Again, 21:9 aspect ratio is super to watch movies in.
But, unfortunately, it is very rare to have movies in the 21:9 aspect ratio. That means a movie with 16:9 aspect ratio will be stretched (oddly) in a monitor which has native 21:9 aspect ratio. Or else, there will be black edges on both sides of the screen. And, we know how annoying that could be.
● The distance between the monitor and the viewer:
Typically, if you use a big monitor with low resolution, then it would be uncomfortable for your eyes. Normally, we watch movies from our couch or bed, which is a safe distance. In that case, you can go with a big display with low resolution for watching movies. But otherwise, you must go with a 1440p/27 inch monitor over a 24 inch/1080p monitor any day.
Wrapping things up:
If you are still with us, then you should already know the best option for yourself. We have tried to cover all the bases to make it convenient for you to choose between a 24 and a 27-inch monitor. Typically, the 24-inch monitors cost a lot less than the 27-inch (with higher resolution) ones. If you have a budget issue and want to settle in for 1080p gaming then 24 inch is the best option for you.
But, if the high price doesn’t hurt you. And you want to experience the best while watching movies, coding, editing videos or photos, gaming and so on, then the ultimate choice should be a 27-inch monitor with 1440p resolution. We hope this post will help you to finalize your decision.
