Does a Gaming PC Come with a Monitor?

Gaming PCs come in many forms and specs. As the name implies, they are specially designed to maximize our gaming experiences, maintaining buttery-smooth frame rates while handling jaw-dropping visuals simultaneously.

That being said, when buying a new gaming rig to prepare for next-gen games, does it come bundled with an excellent monitor too?

No, a new monitor doesn’t come bundled when we buy a new gaming PC. When purchasing a new gaming computer, stores usually offer packages comprising of the primary hardware only, like the casing, CPU GPU, etc.

A display monitor is commonly added as a bonus item – for a reduced price, of course – to sweeten a sale instead, mainly during seasonal events or special promotions. This does depend on circumstances, though, because if we’re interested in a gaming PC that can be used for animation, certain retailers offer packages with a nice, clear display for professional work included.

In general, though, screen monitors are considered an accessory instead of primary hardware, despite them being an important device for us to interact with the computer through visual displays and user interfaces (UIs). 

With that in mind, it’s best to prepare additional cash to invest in a gaming monitor too, while browsing for that unbeatable gaming PC deal. Just like how gaming keyboards are superior to normal ones, a display monitor decked with the latest technology elevates our gaming sessions to a whole new level.

Don’t expect to play PC games in split-screen mode anymore, though. Nowadays, not many PC games support it, so we don’t have to push for a large, 27-inch screen just to play games if we don’t need it.

Can any Monitor be used to Play PC Games?

Old-school games used to have minimal PC requirements for us to play them, especially when it comes to graphics. For modern games, though, the use of high-end 3D engines has paved the way for more realistic visuals to be created in video games today.

Understandably, with the adoption of better technology, the minimum hardware threshold for video games has also increased throughout the years. So, when it comes to screen displays, can any monitor still be used to play PC games, with all these in mind?

Yes, any monitor can still be used to play PC games. However, port connectivity issues and visual bugs may occur if our monitors aren’t compatible with, or supported by, mainstream hardware used for video games today.

Besides that, a budget monitor might not be able to handle the fast 3D-rendering processes of concurrent gaming hardware, resulting in sluggish frame rates and screen tearing. As such, although any type of PC monitor can be used to play video games, it’s recommended that we buy one capable of outputting sharp resolutions and supports high refresh rates instead.

The same is true for people wondering if they need a gaming PC to play games as well. In 2023, even though we can still play games like Sid Meier’s Civilization VI and Disco Elysium on a 10-year-old computer, it usually comes at the expense of good visual fidelity and smooth performance.

Is a Gaming Monitor Important for PC Games?

Since we know that any type of monitor can be used to play video games, is a gaming-ready one needed at all, then?

Yes, a gaming monitor is important for playing PC games because it offers clearer image resolutions, higher refresh rates, and precise color calibrations. Unlike cheaper displays, a gaming monitor lets us enjoy improved 3D imagery with crisper textures, not to mention more vibrant colors, that bring life to our in-game environments and characters.

Even many home TVs can’t provide the same level of clarity and detail that specialized gaming monitors offer. Couple that with an incredible 5.1 surround sound system and we’ll feel like we’re inside the video game itself!

Setups like this fit perfectly with expansive open-world games like Sleeping Dogs, boosting the immersion levels to extraordinary heights. With 4K-resolution displays now gaining popularity, superb Full High Definition (FHD, 1920×1080 resolution) monitors are now much more affordable than ever before, justifying a purchase if our computer is still stuck at 720p.

Are Gaming Monitors Expensive?

We all know that building a dedicated gaming setup can be quite heavy on the wallet. Do gaming displays cost us a lot of money to purchase as well? 

Yes, gaming monitors can be quite expensive to buy, especially those that support up to 4K display and a refresh rate of 144Hz. Their premium fees are justified by their impressive features and added utilities, elevating our gaming experiences. 

Many top-spec gaming screens are astonishingly lightweight and nimble, making them easy to be moved around, besides saving a lot of desk space too. This mainly benefits gamers who prefer to game on their gaming laptops while on the move, considering that a gaming desktop is quite bulky and is stationary at home.

At the end of the day, just like any other hobby, hardcore gaming can be quite pricey if we’re aiming for the best specs and hardware available. Though some might take this as a waste of money, PC gaming is quite flexible, meaning that we can always start playing games on a more modest, low-spec PC first, before gradually upgrading it in due time.

What Makes a Monitor Great for playing PC Games?

When it comes to choosing the ideal gaming monitor, not everyone knows what to look for in one. 

Well, a good gaming monitor should be able to:

• Display high-resolution images
• Run at an excellent refresh rate
• Provide quick response times
• Process minimum input lag/ low latencies
• Produces a wider range of color gamuts

Here are some insights into each of them:

Resolution

• Nowadays, FHD (1080p) visuals are the norm. So, when buying a new gaming monitor, we should aim for one that is capable of supporting image resolutions as crisp as possible, with an eye for a 4K display if we have the budget for it.

Refresh rate

• Although the standard refresh rate for many displays is 60Hz, getting one that offers up to 144Hz can make a world of difference. If we can’t afford one at the moment, upgrading to a 75Hz screen display will still yield huge impacts on our actual gaming performance.

Response time

• A monitor’s response time dictates the average number of milliseconds that a pixel’s color changes. Naturally, a lower response time is what we want for images to maintain their quality consistently between different moving scenes, so target a monitor that has a response time lower than 5ms, to avoid seeing weird visual discrepancies.

Input lag

• In terms of gaming, most notably when playing online, input lag can be a major problem for us PC gamers. Our display can be the issue, with some models suffering from higher latency than usual (meaning increased input lag), leading to delayed button responses.

• This can be a bit hard to identify before making an actual purchase, so reading others’ reviews regarding a specific display monitor may help us identify a gaming-optimized one from the others.

Color gamut

• An amazing gaming monitor needs to have a more universal format of color gamut, meaning that colors can be represented by even more grades and shades. This is normally an important aspect in graphics design and cinematography, but for gamers, this translates to life-like representations of on-screen lighting, shadows, and color palettes when gaming.

• Try to get a monitor that utilizes something other than sRGB, and you’ll see more ‘depth’ and ‘emotion’ in the visuals while you game.

With the best display setup, our games will look breathtaking on screen, especially when playing triple-A (AAA) titles that support Dolby Vision. Of course, our computers need to be beefy enough to handle the system requirements first, but if our PCs exceed the commonly recommended video game specs, then there shouldn’t be any problem there.

In 2023, we shouldn’t settle for ugly, grainy images while gaming anymore. It’s time to start embracing the future, beginning with our PC screens at home.