Which refresh rate?

A gaming PC needs a monitor of at least 144 Hz, and 200 to 240 Hz is the better buy in 2026 because it costs little more: the 240 Hz MSI MAG 245F X24 costs £25.00 more than the cheapest 144 Hz 1080p monitor on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026). A PS5 or Xbox Series X needs 120 Hz, the most either console outputs, and 360 Hz pays off only for esports players whose PC renders more than 300 frames per second.

The picks match Best budget gaming monitor UK 2026, and the resolution question is settled in 1080p vs 1440p gaming monitor. The table matches each type of player to a refresh rate.

How much difference does each refresh rate make?

Each step up shortens the time a frame stays on screen, but the gain shrinks fast: 60 to 144 Hz cuts 9.72 ms per frame, 144 to 240 Hz cuts 2.78 ms and 240 to 360 Hz cuts 1.39 ms. Frame time is 1,000 divided by the refresh rate, so Compare Electronic calculated every common step:

The move from 60 to 144 Hz is the one almost every player notices; it delivers 66% of the saving that 500 Hz offers over 60 Hz. A refresh rate also needs frames to show: a 240 Hz monitor fed 70 fps updates the picture 70 times a second. Variable refresh rate, sold as G-Sync Compatible or FreeSync, matches the screen to each frame and removes tearing below the maximum, and all three picks below support it.

Which refresh rate matches your graphics card or console?

Match the refresh rate to the frames the PC actually renders: in Tom's Hardware's GPU hierarchy (updated 24 June 2026), current mainstream cards average 44.6 to 105.2 fps in demanding games at 1080p, which any 144 Hz monitor covers. The RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT 16GB reach 193.6 to 374.2 fps in esports titles, which is where 240 Hz and above pays off.

Esports games run roughly three to four times faster than the averages. TechSpot measured the RTX 5060 at 484 fps in Counter-Strike 2 at 1080p Medium, enough for any monitor short of 500 Hz. The two budget cards are compared in RTX 5060 vs RX 9060 XT.

Consoles are simpler. Sony says the PS5 plays "at up to 120fps" with 120 Hz output on 4K displays, and Microsoft rates the Xbox Series X at up to 120 FPS with HDMI variable refresh rate and AMD FreeSync. A faster monitor runs a console at 120 Hz, and 4K at 120 Hz needs HDMI 2.1; the TV side is covered in Do I need a 120Hz TV for PS5?

How much does each refresh rate cost?

Between 120 and 320 Hz, refresh rate barely moves the price: the cheapest 240 Hz 1080p monitor from a major brand costs £25.00 more than the cheapest 144 Hz one, a 240 Hz 1440p model costs £30.99 more than 144 Hz and a 320 Hz one £79.98 more. 360 Hz at 1440p costs £290.99 more than 144 Hz, because the cheapest 1440p 360 Hz monitors are OLEDs. The cheapest Amazon UK listing at each step at the time of writing (October 2026):

Several steps run backwards. The 144 Hz MSI PRO MP243L E14 at £59.00 costs 99p less than the 120 Hz Acer EK241YG, the 200 Hz ASUS TUF Gaming VG257Q5A at £78.98 costs £11.01 less than the cheapest 180 Hz model, and at 1440p the 200 Hz Gigabyte G27Q2 at £129.99 costs £5.00 less than the cheapest 180 Hz one. Per hertz at 1440p, the Lenovo Legion 27Q-10 works out at 58p and the AOC Q27G4SRU at 59p, against 76p for the 144 Hz MSI PRO MP275Q E14 and £1.11 for the 360 Hz Philips. The budget guide's 240 Hz pick, the AOC 24G4ZR, costs £89.99, and its 200 Hz pick, the LG UltraGear 27G610A, £168.00.

Which gaming monitor should you buy?

The Gigabyte G27Q2 is the monitor to buy for most PC gamers, at £129.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026). Gigabyte rates the 27-inch SS IPS panel at 2560 x 1440 and 200 Hz (210 Hz overclocked), 0.5 ms grey-to-grey and 350 cd/m², which matches the 193.6 to 202.3 fps an RTX 5060 or RX 9060 XT 16GB reaches in Apex Legends at 1440p.

Gigabyte adds a stand with 130 mm of height adjustment, swivel and pivot, and USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode. It costs £38.01 less than the LG UltraGear 27G610A, the 200 Hz pick in the budget guide. Its two HDMI ports are version 2.0, so console players who want HDMI 2.1 should take the AOC Q27G4SRU instead, which AOC rates at 320 Hz and 450 cd/m² with two HDMI 2.1 ports.

For 1080p esports, the MSI MAG 245F X24 at £84.00 is the cheapest 240 Hz monitor from a major brand. MSI rates the 23.8-inch Rapid IPS panel at 0.5 ms and 300 cd/m², with two HDMI 2.0b ports and DisplayPort 1.2a that both run 1080p at 240 Hz; the stand tilts only. Players who want more headroom can step to the AOC 25G4SRE at £109.97, which adds 70 Hz for £25.97. At 1440p, the AOC Q27G4SRU at £188.98 is the cheapest route past 240 Hz, and its 130 mm stand, pivot and two HDMI 2.1 ports suit a desk shared by a PC and a console.

Verdict

A gaming PC needs at least 144 Hz, and 200 to 240 Hz is the right target in 2026 because it costs almost nothing extra. Consoles stop at 120 Hz, and 360 Hz is for esports players above 300 fps. The Gigabyte G27Q2 at £129.99 is the pick; the full shortlist is in Best budget gaming monitor UK 2026, the panel question is answered in Is an OLED monitor worth it for gaming? and the full checklist is in How to choose a gaming monitor.