Monitors are tricky business. On top of the boatload of specifications you need to pay attention to, you also have to decide whether you want a VA panel or an IPS panel. Making the choice even more difficult? One isn't inherently better than the other for gaming. It all boils down to exactly what you're after for your setup and the games you want to be playing. We've broken the decision down into four categories to help you make your choice.
Black Uniformity
Black uniformity is how uniform a predominantly black image—or similarly dark image—is going to appear on a particular display. A non-uniform image is going to have a dirty, or muddy looking appearance instead of a smooth one. VA panels, for the most part, are going to provide a more uniform picture but it's mostly only going to be noticeable when the monitor is displaying a single, uniform image which is a bit rare in games outside of things like loading screens.
Contrast
Contrast is, roughly put, the difference in how the darkest and brightest parts of an image appear on the monitor. Better contrast provides deeper blacks, which are going to provide a richer, better looking image. VA panels, once again, reign supreme here when compared to their their IPS counterparts with significantly better contrast in comparison.
Viewing Angle
Viewing angle is how distorted the colors on-screen become when the panel is viewed off-axis (not directly from the front), and IPS panels are much more capable in this department than VA panels. With computer monitors this is less of an issue, but depending on the panel even just a few degrees difference can really distort the image on a VA panel. So if you're anything other than dead center on your monitor then IPS is king here.
Response Time
Response time might be the most important factor here if you play very fast paced games. The response time of your monitor is going to determine how quickly the panel is able to respond to input, and at high framerates makes a huge difference in performance. Here IPS panels win again, with faster response times across the board. It's important to note that there are higher response rate VA panels as well, so check the response time of the monitors you're considering (usually rated in milliseconds) ahead of time before purchasing to be sure.
What are TN and OLED panels?
There are two other panels types out there worth considering, TN and OLED. TN panels are generally used in older, cheaper monitors while OLED panels are the newest type on the market. But, for the time being, most gaming monitors you run across are either going to be VA or IPS and the price to performance ratio for both types means they should probably be your primary focus when monitor shopping.
Overall, like most things, it's going to boil down to what you're after. If speed and viewing angles are your primary concern then go with an IPS panel. If deep, uniform colors are your primary concern then go with a VA panel.
For more hardware guides check out Best Gaming Monitors for Xbox Series X/S on Pro Game Guides.
Justin is a retro and PC gaming enthusiast with a passion for emulation, benchmarks, and comparing controllers. You can usually find him installing Linux for the umpteenth time or exploring old DOS games.