Say aloha to the new favorite in gaming monitors: a 165Hz panel. Increasingly, it is becoming more popular with both manufacturers and customers, offering more frames and smoother gameplay than its predecessor, the 144Hz display. The refresh rate of your monitor directly impacts your gaming experience since it decides the number of times the image will get refreshed in a second. An improved refresh rate to 165Hz lets you perceive an edge, albeit minor, in competitive gaming.
Should you upgrade to a 165Hz Monitor?
Well, if you game on a modern 144Hz panel and use a high-power GPU, you are unlikely to find much difference with a 165Hz upgrade. It is difficult for the human eye to discern the minor improvement. However, if you wish to purchase a new gaming monitor, it is best to side with a 165Hz refresh rate. You will benefit from better color accuracy, more responsiveness, and enhanced HDR performance.
Making an upgrade makes better sense for gamers who value every triumph. Although the upswing may be minuscule, you will get a slight advantage over rivals who are gaming at lower frame rates. It can improve your likelihood of acing fast-action games such as racing and shooting.
While deciding on a higher refresh rate, you should also account for serious horsepower on your GPU. You want a powerful graphics coprocessor like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 range or an AMD RX 6800 XT. It is a considerable price uptick you should factor into your budget.
Your gaming performance will only be as good as your hardware. We recommend you look for a hardy CPU like an Intel Core i5 or above and at least 16GB of RAM. A 1TB SSD will give you plenty of space to store your stuff and prevent slow booting from sucking the joy out of gaming.
Best 165Hz Gaming Monitor 2022 to Fuel a Richer Gaming Experience
Top-tier brands like Dell, Samsung, ASUS, and LG have entered the 165Hz game with dependable options for gamers, multimedia professionals, and aesthetes. Most companies find it easy to upgrade to 165Hz panels without running into manufacturing problems. Hence, the cost difference is also negligible. You can comfortably find a pick that suits your needs for as little as $300, going up to $1000 and more. It can be a great middle ground between dated 60Hz panels and incredibly premium options like 360Hz.
We have collected the best options in the market for you, including cost-effective choices, high-performance monitors, and panels with QHD resolution.
Best Overall: LG 27GP850-B Ultragear 165Hz Gaming Monitor
- Provides a rich color spectrum
- Offers Crosshair feature for high precision
- Supports Dynamic Action Sync
- It uses a Black Stabilizer for optimal gaming performance in the darkness
- It does not offer swiveling
- The contrast ratio needs improvement
- The IPS glow can be a little distracting
We love the LG 27GP850-B Ultragear 165Hz gaming monitor as an all-rounder panel with brilliant features for pro gamers. This QHD monitor with HDR 10 offers compatibility with NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium to keep any lags at bay. It also has a color gamut of DCI-P3 98% for maximum accuracy. A swift response time of 1ms ensures you can make the most of the elevated refresh rate.
A standout feature of this monitor is Crosshairs for better precision during shooter games. It works beautifully with Dynamic Action Sync to deliver the best performance you need to earn a victory. The Black Stabilizer is also a winner, allowing you to see anything lurking in the shadows. The difference in your vision in varied lighting is phenomenal.
Build-wise, LG has kept things reliable and sturdy. This display weighs 13.9lbs and can be pivoted, adjusted, or tilted according to comfort. As it adheres to a three-sided borderless design, you can submerge in the proceedings on screen!
Best Budget: SAMSUNG 27″ Odyssey G32A FHD 1ms 165Hz Gaming Monitor
- Flicker-free display
- Very affordable
- It can be customized as per comfort
- Lightweight and easy to mount
- Suffers from motion blurring
- You may experience occasional smearing
Here is a budget-friendly 165Hz display for anyone who wishes to save a few bucks while still enjoying visual brilliance. The SAMSUNG 27″ Odyssey G32A FHD 1ms 165Hz gaming monitor costs only $209.99 – one of the cheapest alternatives on the list. It is compatible with Free-Sync Premium to contain any delays or lags during a fist-pumping session.
This eye-safe display has negligible blue light emissions to keep your eyes from feeling strained during gameplay. Notably, the response time is excellent at 1ms MPRT, giving you an edge in the arena. You will find it particularly beneficial if you engage in competitive gaming at a professional level.
This three-sided borderless display allows you to adjust things as per your comfort, letting you swivel, tilt, or change the height. It also supports VESA mounting for wall installation and a larger-than-life experience. The best bit is that it weighs just 10.6lbs. It is one of the lightest options on the list and very easy to install.
Editor’s Choice: GIGABYTE M32Q 32″ 165Hz Gaming Monitor
- Excellent response time
- Supports customization options with the OSD Sidekick app
- Offers auto-updates
- Good connectivity and installation options
- Very heavy
- More expensive than other options in this league
- Suffers from some concerns with blacks/greys
Let us do the best things first. The GIGABYTE M32Q 32″ 165Hz gaming monitor is your go-to if you want the speediest response time of 0.8ms. This gorgeous panel is pricier than some other picks at $429.99, but it delivers dependable and fascinating edges in performance. It provides a color spectrum of 94% DCI-P3 or 120% sRGB. The performance frontier is satisfactory with HDR400 and compatibility with AMD FreeSync Premium. It makes it a terrific choice for dedicated gamers who wish to ace it on the battlefield.
The provision for GIGABYTE auto-update helps keep you in tune with the trends. You also stand to benefit from the additional features that come with the OSD Sidekick app. You can customize the monitor settings for optimal comfort and performance.
This display is heavier than most at 22.49lbs with stand. However, it supports VESA mounting and has HDMI ports and a display port for all-around connectivity.
High Performance: SAMSUNG 32″ Odyssey Neo G7 4K UHD 165Hz Gaming Monitor
- Wide aspect ratio
- Excellent performance for professional gamers
- Can detect and switch signal to the connected input source
- The viewing angle is narrow
- Very expensive
- Heavy build
Look no further than the SAMSUNG 32″ Odyssey Neo G7 4K UHD 165Hz gaming monitor if you are a professional gamer and have $1,299.99 to dish out for a 1000R display. This curved panel is a beast of a performer with HDR2000, a rapid response time of 1ms, and support for both G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. It is a matte-based display to enable you to game optimally in natural and artificial lighting.
It is quite an adjustable monitor with a stand to customize the height, an HDMI port, and a display port. You may swivel, tilt or pivot until you find the ideal position.
A prime pro of this panel is the wide view and tremendous aspect ratio (21:9). It lets you see more in each scene, rendering a competitive gaming benefit. Samsung also provides a Switch+ to allow the display to detect connected devices and switch to the signal accordingly.
On the flip side, it is a heavy display at 19lbs. Prepare to set it up in your den and arm up for battle.
165Hz Curved Gaming Monitor: ASUS TUF Gaming 32″ 1080P
- Works hard to reduce motion blurring
- Uses shadow boost for improved viewing in the darkness
- It supports tilting and swiveling
- It faces some image accuracy issues
- The design is ordinary
- Lacks USB connections
ASUS makes a mean curved panel perfect for passionate gamers. The ASUS TUF Gaming 32″ 1080P costs around $259.00 and delivers an FHD resolution with an excellent response time (1ms) and no blurring or lagging. The company employs a unique technology called ‘Extreme Low Motion Blur’ (ELMB) to improve your experience during fast-paced content. The Shadow Boost is also worth a mention, letting you see more in the darkness without compromising the feel of the content in well-lit regions.
This 1500R panel supports adaptive syncing for NVIDIA and AMD Radeon graphics cards to minimize any delays that affects your gameplay.
It is a heavy panel at 15.48lbs. But it comes with an HDMI port, and you can also use VESA to mount it on the wall. ASUS has incorporated easy tilting and swiveling to let you find the ideal position. Since the display operates in a low blue light environment, you will protect yourself from eye strain.
QHD 165Hz: Dell Curved Gaming Monitor
- Effective ambient lighting
- Lightweight and sleek design
- A good field of vision
- Poorer response time than others on the list
- Lacks HDR
- Expensive
The 27” Dell curved gaming monitor is a high-performing 1500R panel with a sleek and stylish design. It supports AMD FreeSync technology for stutter-free gaming performance and delivers an absorbing experience with its slim border design. Dell has also improved the average field of vision to offer a flicker-free and engaging session each time. We particularly like the ambient lighting – it comes in handy when gaming into the night.
This monitor boasts a color gamut of 99% RGB to deliver a rich, accurate experience. Dell ensures a low-blue-light environment to protect your eyes. You can also use the user-defined profiles to customize things further. The response time of 2ms (1ms MPRT) goes well with the 165Hz refresh rate, but it is lower than some of its contemporaries.
Design-wise, this monitor is sleek and lightweight. The vents are at the back to ensure a clutter-free appeal with efficient cooling.
It is an expensive panel at $358. But if you demand the immersion while you work or play, we can highly recommend it.
Conclusion
If you have decided to purchase a 165Hz display, congratulations! You should be able to minimize problems like motion blurring, screen tearing, and stuttering. Since your content will get updated more times than on a previous panel, like 60Hz or 144Hz, you will get introduced to more detail and accuracy. Panels like the LG 27GP850-B Ultragear or the GIGABYTE M32Q are excellent options for professional gamers.
If you are watching your budget – and rightly so – you can check out the SAMSUNG 27″ Odyssey G32A panel. It is a good mix of features like customization and syncing with the GPU for limiting flickering. The SAMSUNG 32″ Odyssey Neo G7 is also a worthwhile option for its superior specs and immersive optics. But it does not come cheap.
You can check out a curved gaming monitor if you have the money. It can build a beautiful illusion of peripheral vision. The ASUS TUF 32″ panel, for example, is very engaging. The Dell curved gaming monitor is also an option with ambient lighting and stylish looks.
Here is a piece of advice. We recommend making necessary changes to your computer hardware resources like the GPU and RAM. Devices with strained hardware will struggle to let you game at 165Hz, taking away any benefits you may otherwise receive from the upswing.
