1440p 144Hz monitors are good for most gamers as they combine a fast enough refresh rate with a high enough resolution to see details in your games. However, it's now much less common to find 1440p gaming monitors with a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, as many newer 1440p monitors have higher refresh rates. Because of this, you can find a wider range of options if you look for monitors with slightly higher refresh rates, like up to 180Hz, and use them at 144Hz—the recommended monitors below reflect that. You can also look for 4k @ 144Hz monitors, but those require a more powerful graphics card to run at a higher resolution, and using a lower 1440p resolution means you won't be taking full advantage of a 4k monitor.
When looking for a monitor, it's important to consider the monitor's response time if you want something with good motion handling. Low input lag is also beneficial, but most monitors have low input lag anyway. Most of these 1440p monitors offer gaming features, like VRR support to reduce screen tearing. front panel pc
We've bought and tested over 315 monitors, and below are our picks for the best 1440p 144Hz monitors to buy. Check out our recommendations for the best 1440p gaming monitors, the best 144Hz monitors, and the best 1440p monitors.
The best 1440p 144Hz monitor we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW2724DM. It actually has a 165Hz native refresh rate that you can overclock to 180Hz, and it works well even if you want to use it at 144Hz. It's a good monitor for PC gaming as it has a fast response time, leading to minimal motion blur. It also supports all common VRR formats to reduce screen tearing. It has a few extra features, like a USB hub that you can use to connect your peripherals.
Regarding picture quality, it's a good choice if you want to use it in a well-lit room, as it gets bright enough to fight glare and has good reflection handling. However, it doesn't perform well in dark rooms as its low contrast makes blacks look gray. This monitor also has a terrible local dimming feature that causes blooming around bright objects. However, because the local dimming only turns on in HDR, you can play games in SDR and not experience such bad blooming.
If you're looking for the best budget 1440p 144Hz monitor, the AOC Q27G3XMN is a great choice that you can usually find for less than the Dell Alienware AW2724DM. It has similar specs, as it also has a native 165Hz refresh rate that's already overclocked out of the box to 180Hz. However, because of its budget price, it has fewer features as it lacks a USB hub, so you can't connect peripherals directly to the monitor. Besides that, it's a great gaming monitor that has a very fast response time, but there's more black smearing behind fast-moving objects than on the Dell.
However, the main advantage of choosing this monitor over the Dell is that it uses Mini LED backlighting, resulting in better picture quality. This is because it has a decent local dimming feature that further improves on its already great native contrast ratio, so it displays deep blacks in dark rooms. It also makes highlights pop and colors look vivid, so it's a great choice for HDR gaming.
If you need something cheap and simple, look into the Dell G2724D, which you can get for a low cost directly from Dell's website. It's actually a step-down model from the Dell Alienware AW2724DM, so it has fewer features as it doesn't have an overclock feature, resulting in a max refresh rate of 165Hz. It doesn't have any USB ports either, but that's what you have to expect for a cheap display. It also has worse picture quality than the AOC Q27G3XMN, so it doesn't display the same deep blacks and bright highlights, and it's worse for HDR.
That said, this monitor is still good for gaming as it has a fast response time at any refresh rate, and it has less black smearing. While it has limited picture quality in dark rooms, you won't have any issues using it in a well-lit room as it gets bright enough to fight glare, and it has good reflection handling.
If you find the 27-inch screen of the Dell Alienware AW2724DM too small, there are a few good options with a larger screen that you can get. The LG 32GP850-B is a good gaming monitor similar to the Dell, as it also has a native 165Hz refresh rate that you can overclock to 180Hz. You can also get it at certain retailers named as the 32GP83B-B, which performs similarly to the 32GP850-B but doesn't have any USB ports or the same overclock feature.
Besides that, both variants have sharp motion handling, similar to the Dell monitor. The 32GP850-B variant even has a backlight strobing feature that you can use at 144Hz to reduce persistence blur, but like many other monitors, you can't use it at the same time as VRR. Lastly, its picture quality is similar to that of the Dell monitor, with great peak brightness, which is ideal for bright rooms, but it has worse picture quality in dark rooms than the AOC Q27G3XMN.
Jun 21, 2024: Added the AOC Q27G3XMN as 'Best Budget' and renamed the Dell G2724D to 'Best Cheap' for consistency with other recommendations. Replaced the LG 27GR75Q-B with the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF in the Notable Mentions to better represent the 1440p market.
May 01, 2024: Changed the focus to 27-inch 1440p monitors and removed the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF because of this. Renamed the Dell Alienware AW2724DM as our top pick and added the LG 32GP850-B as the 'Best 32-Inch Monitor.' In the Notable Mentions, we replaced the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQ and the Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 with the LG 27GR75Q-B.
Mar 01, 2024: Rewrote the article to reflect that most new 1440p gaming monitors now have a refresh rate higher than 144Hz. Our picks now include monitors with refresh rates up to 170Hz.
Jan 05, 2024: Verified that all monitors are still available for purchase and updated text for clarity throughout.
Oct 23, 2023: Replaced the Gigabyte M34WQ with the Dell S3422DWG because the Gigabyte is hard to find, and for consistency with other articles.
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best 1440p 144Hz monitors currently available. They are adapted to be valid for most people, in each price range. Rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.
open frame touch screen If you would prefer to make your own decision, here is the list of all of our 1440p monitors that we've tested with a refresh rate up to 180Hz. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.