IPS vs TN vs VA - Which Is Best For Gaming? [Simple Guide]

A monitor's panel type dictates its characteristics, but which panel type should you choose?

There are IPS (In-Plane Switching), TN (Twisted Nematic), VA (Vertical Alignment) and even OLED, although that isn't viable yet.

We'll discuss the pros and cons of each of these panel types, and we'll help you decide which one you should pick for your use case.

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:41 IPS
1:35 TN
2:42 VA
3:48 Which Should You Choose?
4:02 Which Should You Choose: Refresh Rates
5:16 Which Should You Choose: Response Times
6:18 Conclusion

[andreas_ak]

I've used a lot of monitors, and based on my experience, I learned a few things:
- The difference between 144Hz and 60Hz is noticeable, however it only benefits gamers. On the other hand, between 144Hz and 240Hz, not so much.
- Contrast ratio matters, which is why IPS panel might not be the best option for movies because it can never really show that "true black" which is achievable with VA and TN panels.
- Viewing angle might not be as important as you might think when it comes to computer monitor because if you think about it, chances are 99% of the time you spend on your computer is by sitting right in front of the monitor even if you have like a 2-or-3-monitor setup. However depending on your sitting position, wider viewing angle might benefit you if you have ultrawide or bigger screens (27" and up) which is why they now make curved monitors.
- For your own good, please consider the pixel density. 4K resolution on a 34" monitor is perfect, 4K resolution on a 27" monitor is not enjoyable, and 4K resolution on a 24" monitor is a nightmare.
- If fps from your GPU > your monitor's refresh rate, then there is going to be a tearing effect. If fps from your GPU < your monitor's refresh rate, then there is going to be a stuttering effect. The bigger the gap, the more you can notice those phenomena. Solution for the first phenomenon is by enabling Vsync (if available in game settings), or get a higher refresh rate monitor. Solution for the other one, is by using adaptive Vsync. Adaptive Vsync allows your monitor to lower its refresh rate to match the fps pushed by your GPU, however it cannot push beyond the native refresh rate. Adaptive Vsync on Nvidia is called G-Sync, on AMD it's called FreeSync. G-Sync is more expensive because it requires additional hardware installed on the monitor, FreeSync doesn't so it's cheaper, however both do the same job.
- A good TN panel can actually reproduce decent colors (almost on par with VA panel) if you're willing to do some color calibration.
- If you're serious about color accuracy, try to find a monitor with AH-IPS panel, or PLS panel for Samsung monitors.

[shockwave]

"IPS can't go below 4ms"
LG: "Till' now."

[Leo-dqjh]

IPS can't go above 144hz,

Asus: until now

[taylormalone]

Lucky for me, my eyes are so bad that all monitors look good to me.

[berberizm]

Moral of the story is that nothing is perfect

[TheHennok]

The complete saying was originally “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”

[lich]

“IPS panels will offer the best colors”
*laughs in color blindness*

"cant go lower than 4 ms"
*laughs in 2019*

[SiamAlamOfficial]

Good video! Thank you so much for such nice comparative explanation <3 Now I can choose which monitor should I go for

[GreasedandWinter]

I have a 144 hz VA panel currently, and I am extremely happy with it.

[Soldier]

3:42 How about the full saying?
"The jack of all trades master is a of none...
...but oftentimes better than a master of one."

[les]

ill stick with va, im not a content creator that needs crazy color accuracy to get the expensive IPS and i am not a professional csgo player that needs the 240hz TN, i am the average consumer, good color accuracy and decent speed is good enough for me.

[avishchand]

"For esports games" shows a clip of fifa.

[phobics]

I have 2 monitors, one TN and one IPS and I put the same tab on both of them and there was absolutely visible colour difference, the only "flaw" that TN monitors have are the viewing angles but they only appear when looking from a down position, looking at them sideways and from upwards is the same as normally

[lunah]

90% of comments : ips can't go under 4ms.... Until now
10% this comment

[detailedemoji]

"IPS monitors higher than 60 hz tend to be expensive"

AOC: Not anymore

[Tovinthorn]

“A jack of all trades is a master of none”

Well finish the saying:

“-but is often better than a master of one”

[spiceyfrenchtoast]

The ideal monitor would be 120htz or 144 htz at 1440p for 27-32 inches and same refresh at 20-24 for 1080p. High refresh and cranked up textures are really the way to have the best experience. Just because you can play at a higher resolution with lower settings doesn't mean you should.

If your multitasking, than a 16:10 monitor like dells u2415 or Asus's vs24ah-p is a really good idea, as it allows you to have more screen real-estate for content with tool bars on the screen(or for apple users with their big tool bar. )

[vrzify]

Don't know why I watched this, I already know what each panel does lol. I personally like TN since I play a lot of fps games.

[qwezt]

As far as I know IPS panels are more affected by backlight bleeding than VA panels, so I was confused when you mentioned it only with the VA. If somone can help me with that I'll be glad.