OLED panels are famous for their great image quality, so many wonder if they are good for gaming . Its pros and cons will help us choose. The idea of buying an OLED monitor makes a lot of sense after the advances that have been produced in this technology. We will thoroughly assess whether an OLED monitor is worth buying or not.
Logically, we have to contrast OLED technology with its rivals to know which is the best option. This is where the IPS, TN or VA panels appear, which are the most used in gaming. OLED panels are known for their pure blacks, but the notorious burnout weighs against them.
OLED panels
First of all, it would be nice to know what OLED panels are or how they work. The acronym OLED is broken down as Organic Light-Emitting Diode , which comes to be organic LEDs. These panels differ from the rest in that each pixel has an LED that lights up independently , no matter what color it is.
In an ordinary LED panel, we have an array of LED lights that light up white. Here is the explanation of an OLED panel producing pure black: if the LED has to reproduce the color black, it does not light up. However, the LEDs that have to reproduce, for example, the yellow color will light up.
These panels have been loaded with a slab called ” burned ” since their launch. Apparently, the permanent graphic elements (logo of television channels, HUD in video games, messages, banners, etc.) are not friends of these panels . In the beginning, if we played a video game for hours, the HUD (life, the bullets we have left, the radar, etc.) would be impregnated on the screen. In this way, we put the TV on and we kept seeing a small trace of that HUD, staying permanently. LG, the manufacturer that developed this technology from scratch, was heavily criticized for it.
That said, OLED panels have been getting better . It is more difficult to “burn” a panel of this type with a use like the one we have discussed. The same televisions incorporate refreshment technologies to prevent these anomalies. For this reason, the option to buy OLED gaming monitors arises.
The crux of the matter lies in the useful life of the OLED panel : they last less because it uses organic materials. Obviously, they have a long service life, but this is less than that of their rivals. Although there are many factors that come into play, the lifespan of an OLED panel is usually between 10-20 years .
In conclusion, they are the panels that offer the best image quality and consume the least.
What you need an OLED gaming monitor
Gaming is a very specific sector that requires certain features on the monitors. By boat soon, features such as “refresh rate or frequency”, “response time”, “G-Sync or AMD FreeSync” come to mind.
Refresh rate
The first thing users value is the refresh rate. This is measured in hertz (Hertz in English, expressed in “Hz”) and consists of measuring the times the screen is updated in the same second. Understand that the image we see on a screen is not fixed, but is always blinking, but at a speed so fast that the human eye does not detect it. A good refresh rate would be from 144 Hz , being able to see monitors that have more than 240 Hz. In conclusion, an OLED gaming monitor with 144 Hz is a great start.
Response time
Second, we have the response time. The response time is expressed in ms (milliseconds) and its purpose is to measure how fast a pixel changes from white to black and vice versa. When we play it is very important to have a response time of 1 ms so as not to see trails that impoverish the gaming experience. Generic monitors come with a 5ms response time, causing trails on enemies that appear around the corner, etc. Therefore, with 1 ms or less we are great .
G-Sync and FreeSync
Another important feature, the G-Sync or AMD FreeSync technologies are key to initiating a high-level gaming experience . Both technologies emerge to eliminate stuttering, flickering and tearing problems. We could summarize these 3 visual phenomena in the following:
- Stuttering . It is a spontaneous drop in FPS because we cannot play the game at certain FPS. It is a phenomenon that occurs due to various factors: low RAM or VRAM memory, overheating, low CPU power, bottleneck or outdated drivers.
- Flickering . It consists of a change of light that occurs in screens with LED backlighting. Monitors with a lot of hertz do not usually have this problem. Flickering becomes a problem when it affects our health, generating eye fatigue or headaches.
- Tearing . We can define tearing as a graphic distortion that we see on the screen, causing an asymmetry in the projection of the image (horizontal cut effect). It occurs because the graphics card cannot keep the FPS in sync with the monitor’s Hertz. To alleviate this anomaly, FreeSync and G-Sync or options such as activating vertical synchronization in video games or Triple buffering arise.
OLED monitors often incorporate NVIDIA‘s G-Sync technology. This allows you to synchronize the FPS that the GPU can generate with the monitor’s Hertz. In this way, we avoid tearing and stuttering. What is the problem with G-Sync technology? Its high price , making the monitor quite expensive. The latest OLED panels are incorporating G-Sync technology
Pros of OLED gaming monitors
We found several very positive aspects in monitors that incorporate this technology. Pay attention to all the pros because they are worth taking into account.
Superlative image quality
When it comes to the image quality of OLEDs, it is almost impossible to find something quite like it. They are the only panels on the market that offer us pure blacks, a very good contrast and a brutal color fidelity.
Without a doubt, it is the best image quality on the market.
Many inches and resolution
OLED gaming monitors offer us solutions for all needs: from less to more inches. We can find quite large formats that cover more demanding needs, something that does not happen in the other panels.
On the other hand, the resolution of an OLED panel is 4K , which offers a round future option. Not only that, there are also options that support 8K resolution.
Reduced consumption
Consumption is an aspect to take into account because we are going to have the monitor on for a long time. Fortunately, OLED panels are really efficient because they do not require backlighting or backlighting .
In this way, they are more efficient monitors than IPS, VA or TN, generally.
Much thinner panels
The dimensions of the monitors is a point to value in every desk: we want them to occupy the least possible space. In this sense, OLED panels are very thin . It is not only a positive point in terms of size reduction, but also aesthetically.
With an OLED gaming monitor, your setup will look luxurious.
Very low response time
Without a doubt, it is a point in its favor. The gaming experience demands that the panel have a low response time, preferably 1 ms or 0.5 ms. OLED technology makes it possible to offer a response time of up to 0.01 ms , which is great.
High refresh rate
Generally speaking, we will not have problems with the refresh rate of the OLED gaming monitors. They tend to have a very high refresh rate, typically 120 Hz or 144 Hz . So this is great for playing video games on an OLED TV or monitor.
Variable refresh rate technologies available
For many users it is a specification that cannot be missing from their gaming monitor, which you will not miss here. For example, LG OLED TVs are compatible with NVIDIA G-Sync technology so that users can enjoy their video games to the fullest.
HDR with better performance
HDR ( High Dynamic Range ) is a feature that is increasingly appreciated. In this case, the pure blacks help the panel deliver spectacular HDR. Normally, OLED TVs incorporate HDR Dolby Vision technology , which is one of the best on the market.
FALD or EDGE LED panels don’t take advantage of HDR in the same way.
Wide viewing angles
Although not the best viewing angles on the market, we do have a margin without image degradation of up to 84 degrees . Considering the different positions that a monitor can take, it is a positive fact.
Cons of OLED gaming monitors
We are here to find out if an OLED gaming monitor is worth investing in, so there are several vital points to analyze. Let’s see what open fronts these panels have.
Sample and Hold or persistence
This is a very specific issue that causes FPS to stay flat until the panel refresh rate updates the image. It is a phenomenon related to the response time of the panel, but it does not matter if we lower it to 0: it will continue to occur.
In fact, it gives us the feeling of blur in motion, especially when the screen is low hertz. There are 2 solutions for it:
- Force continuous scanning ( Rolling Scan) . It is a technique that synchronizes the panel scan with that of the cable (HDMI or DisplayPort). On the other hand, LG has offered the solution of introducing black insert frames between updates. However, this means improving the brightness of the panel, and OLED panels are not characterized by having many cd / m² (a measure of brightness).
- More Hertz. It is the solution that is working the best.
Little supply of OLED gaming monitors
Perhaps, it is one of the biggest cons we found. If we go to the gaming monitor market, we don’t see many OLED gaming monitors . IPS, TN or VA panels are less expensive to produce, which means they are cheaper.
And it is that the monitor market has a specific target audience, so the television market does not serve us as a base. Here, the needs are different and specific benefits are sought.
It’s easy to find IPS, TN, or VA monitors loaded with attractive technical specifications at an affordable price. From the outset, OLED panels are not that accessible, so there is not much offer.
Price
In my opinion, it is a very big drag on its commercialization in the monitor sector. OLED panels are expensive and delicate , something that causes some rejection to many potential buyers. In the end, in equal inches, the user opts for a TN, an IPS or a VA.
By this we do not mean that these 3 options are better; in fact, the image quality offered by OLED is unmatched. Its price skyrockets due to production costs.
Shorter shelf life
We must add to the above the fact that OLED gaming monitors have a lower useful life than their rivals. If the investment is already high up front, this makes things even more difficult. Its useful life is not short, but it does not match that of the competition.
This shorter useful life is caused by the organic materials that these monitors incorporate. Being organic, they are perishable. To give you an idea of its useful life, its average life time is 14,000 hours .
We have allowed ourselves the luxury of doing a rough estimate of how long an OLED gaming monitor would last. If we had it on for 8 hours, 365 days a year, we would consume 2,920 hours of screen in 1 year. In 5 years we would have reached its useful life (2,920 x 5 = 14,600 hours). Obviously, it is a high calculation because we are not going to spend 8 hours every day in front of the monitor.
In this lower shelf life, blue color degradation also enters. This means that the materials used to project the blue color degrade faster than the other colors.
OLED gaming panels have low maximum brightness
Compared to its rivals, it offers less candela per square meter . This can be a major disadvantage in vivid images that require a certain brightness. In this regard, Samsung‘s QLEDs offer a much higher brightness, but lower contrast than OLEDs.
At the end of the day, it is a “war” of pros and cons.
The risk of burns
Many users have reported about ” burning ” on OLED panels from 2019 . This keeps us on our toes, especially when we are evaluating whether an OLED gaming monitor is worth buying.
Before, we have said that the HUDs or permanent graphic elements are not friends of these panels, even though they incorporate new refresh technologies. There is a risk of buying a bad unit that gives problems of this type, although it is no longer normal.
Are gaming OLED monitors worth it?
An OLED gaming monitor will be worth it if you are looking for the best image quality, but taking into account its weaknesses. It is difficult to find gaming OLED monitors on the market because these panels are often too large for the “typical” desktop.
On paper, they can deliver ideal gaming performance. Of course, the video game HUD can be a problem for possible burnouts or retentions. It all depends on the needs of each one.
