If you buy a monitor, you might consider factors such as good resolution, colors, and quality image. However, do you know that responsiveness matters also?
A responsive PC might not be so crucial if you use the PC for watching movies, drafting documents, and other basic skills. However, it is important for gamers as it greatly impacts the gaming experience.
Your retailer might decide to test the response time for your monitor, but since the time it takes for the pixel to change colors is within fractions of seconds, you might not notice if the monitor has slow or high responsiveness.
In this article, you will read more about monitor responsiveness and 1ms vs. 4ms display technology.
What Is a Monitor’s Response Time?
The response time is when your PC pixel changes color using the gray-to-gray (GTG) transition.
It might be tricky to understand how the responsiveness works unless you are tech-savvy, as most PCs have a response time between 1 ms and 10 ms, and the lower ms is better for gamers as they cut down on image problems like ghosting and blurring.
Why Do You Want a Low Response Time?
You might not be aware of your PC’s response time as it does not matter, especially if you use it to stream YouTube videos, edit photos, surf the web surfing, and keep notes. Videos on your PC will not delay significantly for you to notice on the slowest responsive screen.
However, if you are a gamer, you will notice the glitches as every second in a game matters, and it determines the possibility of winning or losing a game.
It may interfere with an ability to get the perfect line in-game and impact landing a long-range sniper shot, as such actions are determined by milliseconds in the game.
When gaming, you would be looking into every possibility to win the game, and thus, you will need a highly responsive screen. If your screen lags, leading to non-expected results, it could be time to consider a pricey and game-focused monitor.
The Fastest Monitors You Should Buy
Your PC will not function as expected if it has a low response time on the screen. However, you can choose a monitor with a high response time to correct the sluggishness. Highly responsive monitors use effective LCD panels.
TN vs IPS vs VA panels
Twisted Nematic (TN) screen panels are responsive and among the suitable monitors in the market. They have a high response time, and gamers often prefer the less colorful TN as it has a poor color range.
On the other hand, In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen panels are pretty expensive and are accurate with the colors. They are highly valued and most preferred by photographers, video editors, gamers, and anyone wishing to achieve accurate colors.
Although these panels are rarely marketed as gaming monitors, you can incorporate them into your monitor due to their highly responsive times. Vertical Alignment (VA) screen panels are the newer designs that pair the fast response time feature of the TN and the more color-accurate characteristics of the IPS.
It is a middle ground between the panels. However, most gaming panels incorporate the VA panels, which have low refresh rates and give better color and image transition within one millisecond.
If you have to choose between these three screen panels, it could be best to go for TN if you have a tight budget or a VA panel. IPS monitors are pricey and might dent your budget, and they are still not a fast alternative for gaming.
It is wise to read the panel description in the monitor specification before settling on one panel over another on the online listing or in the local retail store.
If your monitor has this feature, you can use the overdrive settings to boost your pixel response time. Incorporating the desired screen panel with your regular monitor increases the color-changing speed.
However, even if the increased speed sounds good, it may impact other important aspects of screening as it leads to issues such as overshoot, a feature of the monitor’s overdrive. The overshooting might be similar to ghosting, but with overshooting, the pixels change before the screen changes color or the image shifts.
You can correct the overshoot with a medium-strength overdrive, thus enjoying faster response times without the visual effects of overshoot.
Related: 1ms vs 5ms: Which is Better?
What Are the Downsides of a Fast Response Time?
You might think that the monitors with the fast response time have all it takes to make gaming and video editing successful, but they forgo many valuable features. They might not achieve complex image processing, which is associated with the signal from your PC.
These fast monitors might not correct color portions of the monitor or boost brightness. Moreover, it might interfere with the eye-strain-reducing blue light filters and other features, making your PC function as expected.
If you choose a powerful screen panel with the fastest response time, your PC will automatically reduce its brightness and give dull colors during gaming or web surfing.
Comparison Between 1ms Monitor and 4ms Monitor
Selecting the best monitor requires a 1ms vs 4ms comparison. If you wonder if 1ms or 4ms suits your PC, you are not alone. But the lower the ms, the higher the refresh rate, which means the 1ms will refresh the monitor and PC faster than the 4ms.
However, both are ideal for gamers as they limit the blur occurrence and fractions during gaming and video streaming. Again, they enhance the color and pixel display and are available in most new-generation monitors.
Comparison Between the 1ms and 4ms Panels
| 1ms | 4ms |
|---|---|
| 1ms is super responsive, which means it updates images and colors simultaneously as the image pixel. It is suitable for gaming as it does not give a ghost trail, making gaming dull. It is the ultimate panel, as zero is never possible in technology availability as innovation happens over time, and the possibilities are infinite. | The 4ms has a four times slower response time than 1ms and would produce blurry images during gaming, leading to ghost images that affect the game outcome. |
| It can attain 240Hz refresh rates, and the high speeds are attributed to an ability to utilize TN using a least-processing panel. | It runs on both 144Hz and 60Hz. |
| It displays one millisecond for the pixel to draw on any frame and is excellent for 60Hz and 144Hz. It gives a smooth experience, and errors occur within seconds, which the human eye might not record. | The display for the 4ms takes four milliseconds for the pixels to draw each frame, leading to a blurred image that might be noticeable. |
Other Factors to Consider When Choosing a Monitor
Although you might focus your choice on the 1ms vs. 4ms when selecting a monitor for your PC, certain factors can play a role in the monitor choice. You should be familiar with these specifications and key terms, especially if you want a gaming monitor.
1. Screen Size
Large screen size is effective during gaming as it gives you more space to immerse yourself in the game due to large visions, which provide you with nice visions. You may pay higher prices for a large screen, and the ms will not matter with a large screen because no one is likely to notice low displays on a large screen.
2. Panel Type
You will choose a panel type that will sync with your response time and image clarity. Some panel types you can consider for your monitor include TN and IPS, which give more clarity and have a high response rate.
You can switch from one panel to another depending on your gaming needs. You may enhance your panel type with the 1ms as it supports a wide range of color patterns and does not result in ghost images.
3. Refresh Rate
Higher refresh rates are attained with more frames per second (FPS) supported by the monitor. A higher refresh rate results in a smoother gaming experience and helps your computer run the programs effectively.
It is wise to go for 144Hz or 200 Hz as they are currently the highly sought refresh rates in the market.
4. Aspect Ratio
A monitor with a good aspect ratio will lead to a broader and better game view, and you should find a monitor with a higher aspect ratio to increase the width and height of the display.
Widescreens have a 16:9 aspect ratio, while those with ultra-wide monitors have a 21:9 aspect ratio, giving a great view and gaming experience.
5. Viewing Angle
A monitor determines the angle at which you would look at the screen. Whether using the 1ms or 4 ms, if your monitor has values such as 180 or more, it means you would have better game viewing.
6. Screen Resolution
The 1ms and 4ms can offer a high screen resolution and sharp, clear pictures with a powerful graphic card and an HD monitor.
How Important is Your Monitor’s Response Time?
The response time for the monitor is key for the viewing and gaming experience as it affects the visual experience when there is a lot of action on the screen. The monitor’s response time fixes the pixels correctly, clearly illustrating the images, leading to the best viewership and screen performance.
The response time also determines how quickly the pixel will display multiple colors, as different color combinations have different effects on the screen.
The screen with many gray shades will feel intensely like any other color on the monitor due to filters. When the gray color is darker, less light will go through the particular color filter.
The response time is measured in milliseconds, and a faster rate beats the time the image will stay on the screen, thus avoiding ghosting. However, a slow rate means the image stays on the screen for a longer time, leaving trails of the moving objects, and the pixels take some time to switch between shades of green since the ghosting is extremely exaggerated.
Heavy programs and games might affect the loading speeds even when using the 1ms. While playing on a heavy program, the poor response time leads to unavoidable distractions and visual artifacts long after the image moves across the screen.
Should You Buy a Monitor with a Low Response Time?
A low-response monitor is not worth the investment as it might lead to blurred images and slow color changes, ensuring gaming or video streaming. The blurred vision and ghost imaging might not be aesthetic during gaming and affect the game’s outcome.
Although you can sacrifice factors such as screen brightness and eye-strain protection with a high-speed screen panel, it might be worth the investment.
Thus, going for a monitor with a low response rate might not be a great idea.
The difference between a faster and slower screen panel is like day and night in gaming, affecting the game’s outcome.
For instance, if your colors and images produce a trail and do not change immediately, the enemy can injure you in the game.
Additionally, the limitations the fast response puts on the monitor, such as reduced brightness, do not affect the ability to enjoy gaming or video streaming.
A quick response will put additional costs on the monitor, but specifications such as refresh rate and backlight technology are more impactful.
Conclusion
Playing a game on a screen can be challenging, especially if your screen keeps leaving trailer images that blur the game, making it the least enjoyable. You can resolve ghost images with appropriate screen monitors, which offer fast loading rates.
The quick response rates erase ghost images, but you might think that the monitors with the fast response time have all it takes to make gaming and video editing successful, but they forgo many useful features.
They might not achieve complex image processing, which is associated with the signal from your PC. These fast monitors might not correct color portions of the monitor, boosting brightness.
However, comparing the 1ms vs 4ms indicates both advantages and disadvantages. The information above should help you find the most appropriate monitor to meet your expectations.
