The 5 Best High Refresh Rate Monitors - Spring 2025

The best high refresh rate monitor is the 480Hz Sony INZONE M10S. It has exceptionally low input lag of 1.7 ms, so it's remarkably responsive. It also has an exceptionally low response time, with an average first response transition time of 0.2 ms. This means that scenes with lots of motion are extremely sharp, and the screen rapidly transitions to a new scene. In total, the monitor's signal-to-response latency is 1.9 ms, so it has remarkable responsiveness overall.

Additionally, it has outstanding picture quality, so you'll enjoy vivid colors and bright highlights during long gaming sessions. However, it has distracting VRR flicker with changing frame rates. If you're looking for a monitor with an option to reduce VRR flicker, check out the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDP. However, its flicker control setting causes stuttering, it costs more, and it has more bugs.

If you don't need the ultra-high refresh rate of the Sony INZONE M10S, check out the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED. It's nearly as responsive as the Sony, as its signal-to-response latency is 2.2 ms, which is only 0.5 ms slower. As an OLED, it also has an ultra-fast response time, so fast-moving scenes are extremely crisp.

Some gamers may even prefer the MSI over the Sony, as it has better picture quality. It displays a wider range of colors more vividly, creating an engaging and immersive experience. However, like many OLEDs, it does have noticeable VRR flicker with changing frame rates.

If you only need a 240Hz display, look at the 27-inch 1440p ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG. It has slightly higher input lag than the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED, but as an OLED, it still has the same fast response times as the MSI. This means its signal-to-response latency is 2.9 ms, only 0.7 ms more than the MSI, so it still feels extremely responsive.

Like other OLEDs, it has fantastic picture quality, with vivid colors and highlights that pop for an engaging experience during long sessions. Additionally, it has a flicker reduction feature, though it adds a bit of stuttering. However, if you want a larger 240Hz monitor with a 4k resolution, check out the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED. It has more vivid colors than the ASUS, but it requires a powerful graphics card to maintain the high resolution and costs more.

If you're looking for a non-OLED monitor and want a responsive experience, check out the BenQ ZOWIE XL2566K. Despite having a 360Hz refresh rate, it's less responsive than the 240Hz ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG because of its slower response time. It has almost the same input lag as the 360Hz MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED, but its total signal-to-display latency is much higher at 4.8 ms. Additionally, due to its TN panel, it has worse picture quality, as deep blacks look gray, highlights don't pop in HDR, and colors aren't vivid, so it's not as engaging when playing immersive games.

Despite this, it has a few features that the monitors above don't. It has backlight strobing that works at refresh rates up to 360Hz, which helps reduce persistence blur without image duplication. Unlike the monitors above, it also doesn't have too much VRR flicker, which is great if you experience rapidly changing frame rates and find VRR flicker distracting. It also has no risk of burn-in when exposed to the same static elements over time.

If you're on a budget but still want a monitor with a high refresh rate, check out the Dell G2524H. It has a 280Hz max refresh rate and extremely low input lag. Unlike the BenQ ZOWIE XL2566K, it has an IPS panel with a slightly higher signal-to-response latency of 6.1 ms. That said, it's still extremely responsive compared to most other monitors, and you have to expect a reduction in performance with such a cheap monitor. Like the BenQ, it has a 1080p resolution, so the monitor's image doesn't look very detailed, although the lower resolution can help increase the frame rate.

It has comparable picture quality to the BenQ, so deep blacks appear gray in a dark room, and colors aren't vivid. However, it doesn't have noticeable VRR flicker, which is great if you're sensitive to it.