Introduction
There is a lot of good information in this article! I don’t mean to sound conceited but rather to let you know there is a good amount of stuff to know in regards to this topic. I broke it down in the simplest of terms possible so you can make an informed decision about your next monitor purchase.
If you’re new to this site then welcome! This blog is all about creating the ultimate man cave, gaming room, and home theater set up. There is a lot of info out there about curved monitors and whether or not they are good for gaming. I’ll start off by saying it depends on your situation. Everyone has different gaming preferences and hence different needs that they have.
This article will help you identify whether or not a curved monitor is a good decision for you. I consolidated everything I know about curved monitors as well as the research I have done for you. I tried to make it as simple as possible and I organized everything to flow easily.
So are curved monitors really better for gaming?
Curved monitors are better for gaming if you game on a screen bigger than 35 inches, play fast-paced shooters like Battlefield, and have a gaming system that supports the higher resolution that curved monitors provide.
This article will talk about these aspects in more detail, and will highlight the main pros and cons to both regular and curved monitors. You’re not at a loss if you determine a regular monitor is better for you. There are also tons of great flat-screen monitors that will significantly enhance your gaming experience.
Table of Contents
How to Decide
Pros of Curved Monitors
Curved Product Examples
Pros of Regular Monitors
Product Examples
Cons of Curved Monitors
Cons of Regular Monitors
Ask Yourself These Questions
Do you want a monitor larger than 35 inches? Gaming monitors at this size need to be curved. You will eventually reach a point where you can’t see all the information on the screen because it’s larger than your viewing angle. A slight curve on the screen at this size will look more natural and you won’t feel like you can’t see all the information on the screen.
Do you plan to use this monitor for activities other than gaming? Curved monitors aren’t always the best for other activities. If you’re a graphic designer, then you need a monitor that can display straight lines accurately. Video editing and game design entail the same things. You need to be sure that what you’re looking at is accurately represented in 3D space. Viewing email and spending a lot of time on the web might feel unatural to do when the browser windows start to curve as you move them around and multi-task.
For the games you play, would you benefit from the enhanced peripheral vision a curved monitor gives you? Strategy games or birds-eye view games don’t really require the viewing angle that a curved monitor provides. First person shooters like Battlefield, COD, and even Fortnite are games where you would want this narrowed viewing angle. These games are fast paced, and a curved monitor will help you process more information faster because of how it consolidates everything on your screen. For even single player or open world games that have a slower pace to them, a curved viewing angle may not benefit you that much. This doens’t mean you can’t get an awesome monitor to accommodate gaming preferences, it’s just food for thought. Take a moment to think about what games you play and if it would make sense to go with curved or not.
Can your PC, PS4, Xbox, or Switch support the higher resolution and quality a curved monitor provides? I didn’t totally understand this concept when I first built my gaming PC. Not all monitors are created equal, and the greater the resolution your monitor has, more demand is placed on your console. Not all PCs have graphics cards that can support 1440p and 4k to provide a smooth experience. I recommend a GTX 1070 or up before upgrading a monitor to this resolution and curvature. I really think the new PS5s will do a better job at supporting higher resolutions but I definitely think the PS4 Pro does a good job already.
Pros of Curved Monitors
They are more comfortable for your eyes. Eye strain is a real thing for gamers, especially if you spend long hours gaming. Curved monitors make it more natural for your eyes to look at for long periods of time. Your vision doesn’t process completely flat images as well as it does more 3D looking ones. There is such a thing as a monitor with too much curvature though. It ultimately depends on size and how far away you are sitting. For more cases than not, a curved monitor should be around 3000R (more details on this in the bottom sections).
Curved monitors narrow your field of view. This gives you more information to work with. Curving a monitor at 35inches and larger prevents you from having to look at the corners for information. Maybe someone on Balttelfield is hiding by the bottom left corner with a camo suit and he snipes you because you didn’t see him. For competitive players, this matters. Little details like that can make a difference. In general, a curved monitor won’t overwhelm you with all the details on the screen because your field of view is more natural.
They give you a more immersive experience. Like we already mentioned, they make viewing 3D space more natural. You feel like you’re in the game seeing through the view of the character. Third person shooters might still feel the same, but for FPS games this really enhances the experience. If you’ve never had the chance to try a curved gaming monitor, then I recommend going into a store to demo it so you understand what I mean by immersive.
Large monitors are better when they’re curved. Information loss is reduced when you curve it for the reasons we talked about earlier. Most people don’t sit close to their TVs, but for a monitor to be 35 inches or larger, it starts to feel like a decent sized TV. The only difference is that you’re going to sit twice as close to a monitor as you will with a TV. Getting a curved monitor will have greater utility at larger sizes because you are sitting closer than you would a TV.
Curved monitors come with higher resolution. I wouldn’t recommend getting a 1080p curved monitor for under 30 inches. There isn’t a real utility in that. If you have the budget to get an ultra-wide monitor, then its resolution will naturally be higher. Curving a monitor makes images look super realistic at 1440p and 4K resolution. The curvature is that finishing touch that makes images look awesome but it won’t have this effect at standard resolutions.
Best All-Around Flat-Screen Monitor for Under $200
Sceptre E255B
The Sceptre would have been the runner up in my purchase decision. I’m planning to upgrade my monitor to this one once I move out of my current house and change my entire set up. This monitor shows up under the top picks across a variety of platforms such as Reddit, Youtube, and even well known gamers who reviewed it. I take this as a good sign because that tells me people are leaving good reviews of it and they actually know what they’re talking about.
This monitor is awesome for the price. It’s well above entry level for gaming monitors especially because it has 144hz!
Linus Tech did a review of this on Youtube and he noted one thing that’s important to mention. The description says it has 1ms response time but by default the monitor has more of 2-4ms response time. You can crank it down to 1ms but then you start getting a ghosting effect. If you don’t play competitive games for money, then this detail is super small and you will love it for your casual gaming experiences.
I did a crap ton of research on the best gaming monitors for under $300 and under $200. I eventually purchased an AOC monitor for around $150 at the time. The newer version of this monitor is the exact same with the exception of the base support system. It’s a great monitor and I still use it today.
Best All-Around Curved Monitor
This one was another one of those commonly mentioned monitors. For ultra-wide monitors, this one is as good as it gets. It balances price, capability, and functionality for things other than gaming. You can put multiple browsers or screen displays on this without feeling overwhelmed. Some of these monitors can get crazy expensive.
You should definitely check the specs of this monitor to make sure your system can push it to the max and keep up with its capabilities. 49 Inches is a ton of space to work with, not to mention its QLED features. The reason you’ll save $350 on this monitor compared to other ultrawide ones is that its vertical resolution isn’t 4K even though its horizontal resolution is 3840. Again, recreational gamers will not notice a difference in this. This monitor is still 144hz with a super-fast response time. Gaming is going to be incredible on this screen and it doesn’t break the bank like some of the other ones.
Pros of Regular Monitors
Flat monitors are less expensive, even at larger sizes. You can get gigantic flat-screen monitors. I’ve seen them get as large as 40 inches and above! If you choose to get the flat option instead of curved, your price will stay significantly lower than it’s counter part. I think this has more to do with the structure of a curved compared to a flat more than anything else. You can take the money you would save on a curved and buy a large, flat monitor but invest in higher resolution or better refresh rate.
There are more options available than curved monitors. According to Steam statistics, 34% of the gaming community uses a 1080p monitor resolution. .21% use ultra-wide (1440p and above). This directly relates to the size of the monitors too. 1080p resolution gamers aren’t going to be using a curved monitor. The other .21% will likely have curved but they could still used flat. The main takeaway is that there are more flat monitors on the market. With curved monitors, you’re limited to brands such as Samsung, LG, and the expensive price tag they put on them.
Flat monitors are better for activities other than gaming. It’s important to take a second and think about what you were going to be using your monitor for. Are you going to spend the majority of your activity playing video games on this monitor? If this isn’t the case, or you were thinking about using it for other work purposes, then consider some of the following points. Flat screens can represent 3-D images better when you were doing things such as graphic design or video editing. You need to be sure that the straight line on your screen is actually a straight line. This is also important for engineering projects. Curved monitors can make your eyes hurt if you’re doing things such as web browsing and doing a lot of email. Looking at text, especially if you’re a computer programmer is going to get disorientating and it could even strain your eyes on a curved monitor.
Flat-screen monitors are easier to mount to a wall or combine with a second monitor. Sometimes people upgrade their set ups and they need the flexibility to do so. If you plan to upgrade your set up by mounting a monitor to a wall or adding a second one for a split screen set up, then a curved monitor is not the better option. Curved monitors can barely accommodate a second screen, especially if it isn’t also curved.
Flatscreen monitors are easier to transport and are often less fragile. This one doesn’t apply to everybody, except the ones who take their set up and bring it to their friends house or adjust the layout of their set up’s. Some people have a gaming set up, but then they move their monitor or combine it with other devices when they are in work mode. Curved monitors are harder to do this because they don’t accommodate all shapes and sizes. flatscreen monitors give you more flexibility to tweak your set up on a day by day basis.
Cons of Curved Monitors
Not all curved monitors are created the same. Depending on the size and build of the monitor, they will have different curvature ratings. Curved monitors can come in 1000R up to 4000 R. Just because the number is higher does not mean that is better. The larger the monitor and the closer you plan to sit to it, the more curvature you want. You would want the opposite for the vice a versa case. Some monitors are completely impractical because they have too much curvature but are not large enough in size. This will lead to your images looking more distorted.
If your monitor is not 35 inches or larger, it doesn’t make sense to curve it. You can see the entire screen just by looking at it if you’re sitting 30 to 40 inches away from it. There is no real utility in curving it at this size. Anything bigger, and you will actually need the curb because you’ll want to see the entire screen and the details on the edges.
Curved monitors increase the amount of reflection from the room lighting. If you sit with the lightbulb right behind you, then you’re going to feel like it is shining directly on the center of the screen. If you have any kind of RGB lighting on the desk or surrounding you, it might get annoying seeing the reflections on the screen. There are some things you can do to reduce that, but not if your set up is right by a window where direct sunlight impacts it at certain parts of the day. This can be a major annoyance if people don’t have flexibility in adjusting their set up.
Getting a super ultra wide curved monitor is not ideal for split screen gaming. I know there are some people who still significantly enjoy gaming with a friend on co-op. A curved monitor is designed for one person to be viewing from a dead centered angle. Having a second person or even a3 trying to view and play on the same screen will also look distorted. This is part of the reason why a curved TV is not the best set up. Flat screens are better for multiple people viewing at once while curved is better for one person getting a more immersive experience.
I’ve seen some set ups online where people melt their curved monitor to a wall, but this is also extremely difficult for some set ups. If you at all plan to mount a curved monitor, just know that it will look and feel more awkward because of the change in elevation and positioning the monitor at a downward angle. This probably doesn’t apply to most cases, but it is something that is worth being aware of. A flat screen is way easier to mount and there is more flexibility in how you position it with respect to your desk.
Cons of Regular Flatscreen Monitors
With most flatscreen monitors, you will experience more eyestrain compared to a curved monitor. It’s less natural for your eyes to be staring at a flat monitor displaying three-dimensional space. A lot of monitors come with blue light or eyestrain reducing filters, but most gamers do not use these because it takes away from the graphics quality. Flat screen monitors are usually lower resolution which means they look more pixelated than a curved, 4K monitor. The way around this would be to invest in a high-quality flat screen monitor.
Flat-screen monitors give you less field of you and make you feel less immersed. You won’t be able to see or have a wide viewing angle compared to a curved monitor. You are limited to how much content you can see on your screen at a given time. This gives you less information to take in, which means their enemies on Fortnite or call of duty could potential he slip your line of sight more easily. This is a really small thing to pay attention to unless you are an extremely competitive gamer.
The viewing angle of a regular monitor isn’t specifically geared towards the person centered on the screen. Flat screens are good if you plan to do split screen gaming, but for the vast majority and there is one person gaming on a screen at a time. Three dimensional space will look less realistic on a flat screen monitor than a curved one. The three-dimensional space on a flat screen monitor does not look as dynamic and immersive as it could be.
How Much “Curve” Should a Monitor Have?
A gaming monitor should have around 3000R. That’s the most standard amount that a monitor will have. You might need to have closer to 4000R if you’re getting a screen larger than 40 inches. If the screen is 35 inches or smaller, the curve number should be less (more around 2000R). This R value is basically how “bendy” the monitor is.
The higher the R value, the SMALLER less “bend” the monitor will have. There’s some technical aspect to it but in lamens terms, that’s the easiest way to describe it. Curved monitors can be anywhere from 1000R to upwards of 4000R.
Related Questions
Are dual monitors good for gaming? They definitely can be. There is a lot of utility that a dual monitor set up provides to gamers. They can be combined to create a larger viewing angle or be used separately to display Twitch streaming or other windows related to the game. It really depends on what you want to use them for. The article from the link talks about how to make sure they don’t slow down your system if you’re experiencing lag or anything of that nature.
What’s the difference between a gaming and a regular monitor? A gaming monitor is going to have lower refresh rates and better response time than regular monitors. That doesn’t mean regular monitors can’t be good for gaming. There’s pros and cons to each of them, and the article link above will give you more information if you’re interested.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading! As you can see there is a lot of information that is worth knowing. My goal by the end of this article was to give you the information you need to make an informed purchase for your next gaming monitor. There are plenty of great products for either regular flatscreen monitors or if you decide to go with the curved option. It really comes down to everyone’s individual situation, which is why I tried to provide you with the best information to make your decision. I personally have been using flat screen monitors because of my budget and because I also play primarily open world and a single player games. I don’t usually play fast-paced games such as college duty or battlefield, but if I did then I would strongly consider a curved monitor if my budget allowed. My plan is to upgrade my current AOC 23inch monitor When I move houses and readjust my set up. when I move houses and readjust my set up.
If this article helped you, are you if you have any additional comments feel free to reach out at the email I provide in my other articles. I’m also currently taking article suggestions, so if you have any of those feel free to send them over my way. I try to check regularly and I’ll do my best to respond. Thanks again for reading and be sure to check back regularly for new articles.