Introduction
This is a great question! I had the same thought in my head when I was saving up to buy my monitor for my gaming PC set up. As a senior in college at the time, I was also looking at TV prices and noticed that gaming monitors can easily be the same price as a bigger, more imposing Sony TV. It brought me to this same question that I wrote an article on today to help all of you understand as well.
There isn’t a whole lot of information on the web as to why. It’s definitely not something someone at Best Buy can explain to you. And gaming companies aren’t going to want to tell you the exact answer anyway. I did find some useful knowledge points that answer this question in detail so you won’t have to wonder any longer. If anything, this article will help you understand why monitors are expensive. There are also some aspects of their pricing and marketing that we just have to bite the bullet on. Either way, it’s always good to invest some money into a good monitor because you also get what you pay for when it comes down to it.
So why are gaming monitors so expensive?
Gaming monitors are expensive because they have to keep up with the demands of high-end gaming PCs. They have to have higher refresh rates, lower input lag and display video games in a way that makes them play smoothly. The gaming industry also has to appeal to a smaller market than TV buyers, thus making the price per unit more expensive.
Gaming monitors are often produced by smaller companies or, smaller departments of big companies like Samsung, Acer, and Asus. The noticeable difference in price per unit compared to a TV is a direct result of this reality.
If the entire gaming community wanted to decrease the prices of gaming monitors, they would have to bring more people into this market. There aren’t as many graphic designers, video editors, and gamers to make up for the vast amount of the world that buys TVs.
Technical Reasons
- Gaming monitors need to have higher refresh rates and lower input lag. Maybe one day we’ll have gaming PCs that can easily display games that run as smooth as a 4K movie. Until then, the demand falls between both gaming PCs and the monitors that display the games. A game won’t look as good if it displays anything less than 60 FPS. Games render their graphics in real-time, unlike movies that have already processed all their media. A video game has to process and render graphics on the spot because it’s unpredictable what move the player will make next
. - IPS (In-Plane-Switching ) panel types are more expensive and complicated than standard monitor panels. IPS panels are integrated into a gaming monitor system that makes colors and contrasts more pleasing to the eye. They’re also great for video editing and graphic designers because they easily display the finer details. Most office monitors will be TN or VA. This basically means they cant’ display as wide a range of colors as IPS. In short, IPS is the most expensive of the three but it’s also the best for gaming.
. - Gaming monitors are deliberately made to be larger and come with extra features. You’ll come across a lot of “borderless” display monitors throughout your search on Amazon or Best Buy. Gaming monitors try to maximize every inch of the screen to give the best bang for the buck. Ironically, this also increases their overall price. Some of them come with RGB lighting in the back or have more aesthetically pleasing designs.
Marketing Reasons
- The gaming industry isn’t as large as the TV buyer industry. This means a couple of things. First, the price per unit is going to be more expensive because there is less of an audience to advertise two. Second, monitors have more expensive parts, and it’s not as simple for companies to manufacture them in bulk overseas. Good companies obtain IPS panels from other companies that charge them a good amount of money.
. - There’s little risk involved in selling gaming monitors at a higher price, unlike TVs. TV companies always try to make a profit while also providing customers the most affordable price. If Sony or Samsung doesn’t sell enough of their 4k TVs, their overseas manufactures end up taking their money to make up for it. Gaming monitor companies don’t have to worry about this as much because their a smaller industry.
. - “Gaming” monitors have a certain prestige attached to the name. Gamers also like to spend a lot of money, and they’re constantly upgrading various aspects of their set up. It’s easy to appeal to this community by coming out with the next best thing that will increase the quality of your gaming experience. It’s an even better sale if gaming companies claim their new monitor can out-perform the demands of the PC.
I also did some additional research into the marketing reasons why gaming monitors are more expensive. I came across a lot of comments on forums where people strongly think TVs over-advertise their capabilities. If a gaming monitor doesn’t measure up to all that it claims to be, people have an easier time returning it to the store. It’s also really easy to tell if a monitor can hold up to its claimed panel type, refresh rate, and resolution.
*Ninja tip for finding a well-sized gaming monitor for a good price*
If you want to find a larger gaming monitor but don’t want to pay a significantly higher price, this is how I found some good prices. If you search “mount compatible gaming monitors” on Amazon, you’ll find a lot of larger 1080p gaming monitors for no more than $120! You don’t have to intend to mount the monitor at all because the screen will still come as a self-supported desktop monitor. I don’t know why this search query helped me find 25-27 inch monitors for such a great price!
At first, I was skeptical, BUT if you look at the specs from that link above on all those products, a lot of them are 75hrz, 27 inches+, and have 1080p display. That’s awesome and I wish someone told me this tip to searching for larger monitors without sacrificing price
Related Questions
What is the best budget gaming monitor?
I’ve been the most satisfied with the AOC Borderless Monitor Series. I’ve tried a few other brands such as Acer, Asus, and the biggest bang for my buck was the 23-inch version of the one from the link. They also have an older model, which is the one my brother still uses and loves.
Both products are a borderless, IPS, 60hz refresh rate screen. I’m not sponsored at all by them! I really do like their products and that’s just my personal recommendation. I did a review of it which you can find on my channel if you’re interested.
How do I know if a monitor is high quality and not overly expensive?
You’ll know if you’ve found a really good monitor if it’s IPS, 20-25 inches, 60hz refresh rate or more, AND it’s not super expensive! You can find those three qualities in a gaming monitor for well under $150. Don’t get wrapped up in the visuals and fancy RGB lighting that comes with some of these systems.
My personal recommendation is that you also don’t get a monitor with speakers. That right there will help lower the price without sacrificing the quality of the monitor.
Final Notes on Gaming Monitors and Pricing
There are just some things that the gaming community can’t influence when it comes to the monitor prices. Paying for the name is sometimes inevitable with gaming companies that make screens, but there are still ways to find good quality products. AOC isn’t that commonly known and they’re a good example of a smaller company that produces good gaming monitors. I think the best way to go is to try to search for monitors that don’t have the tagline “gaming” in it. Doing this will likely help you find products that aren’t marked up because of a “gaming” reputation. There’s plenty of products out there that are just meant to be high powered monitors and they can be used for more than just video games.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond. I’m also taking article suggestions for any topics you guys might have. Either way, thanks for reading and be sure to check back for the next article!