Choosing the Best HP Gaming Monitor for Immersive Gameplay

Having a gaming monitor with the right specs for you can easily and instantly enhance your gaming experience. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for PC or console, playing in high resolution with a fast refresh rate, vibrant colours and speedy response times can help take things to the next level.

We’re going to run you a carefully curated selection of the top HP gaming monitors and give you a few things to think about when considering which monitor is right for you.

HP gaming monitor lineup

Diving straight into it, here are four specialised gaming monitors currently on offer from HP.

OMEN 24 Gaming Monitor

Let's start at the smaller end of the scale with the 23.8-inch OMEN 24 Gaming Monitor. This budget-friendly option has a 1920 x 1080 Full High-Definition (FHD) screen with a 165 Hz refresh rate. The in-plane switching (IPS) panel is accurately viewable across 178 degrees and can display 99% sRGB, enabling it to precisely recreate the game's colours. It has a 1ms response time with overdrive which eliminates motion blur, keeping fast-paced action scenes looking crisp. 

When it comes to connectivity you shouldn’t have any problems, with over 140 test cases done to help ensure the OMEN 24 is compatible with your favourite consoles. It has two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort™ 1.4 and a 3.5 mm headphone jack, just in case you prefer wired sound. Setting it up is also pretty simple as it comes with a removable height and tilt adjustable pivot stand, and is compatible with the VESA mount system.

OMEN 27 Gaming Monitor 150

Moving up, the OMEN 27 Gaming Monitor features a 27-inch FHD screen that refreshes at 165 Hz. Like the OMEN 24, it has an IPS panel. As a result, it supports wide viewing angles and has excellent colour accuracy, which is then enhanced by the peak brightness of 400 nits. Ultimately an impressive 99% sRGB and 90% colour gamut are displayed, helping to make the game graphics come to life.

If you like customisation then this next part is for you. Like most HP monitors, the OMEN 27 comes with a tilt and height adjustable stand, is VESA mount compatible and comes with a variety of ports. On the software side of things, you can control and customise your screen using the OMEN Gaming Hub, setting it up to suit your style of gameplay. It also comes with AMD FreeSync™ Premium technology, which cuts down on lag and screen tearing and has anti-glare and HP Eye Ease, perfect for reducing eye strain during long gaming sessions.

OMEN 27s Gaming Monitor 150

The same size as the OMEN 27, the OMEN 27s Gaming Monitor pulls ahead when it comes to speed and performance. It has an IPS panel that displays in FHD with a refresh rate of 240 Hz. Having that higher refresh rate is a bonus if you enjoy fast-paced, intense games, where milliseconds matter. Enhancing the performance in this area is the monitor's compatibility with NVIDIA® G-SYNC®, as well as having AMD FreeSync Premium.

Colour accuracy and hues are another area where the OMEN 27s shines. It supports 99% sRGB and 95% DCI-P3, making the games seem even more life-like. The monitor also has The VESA DisplayHDR™ 400 inbuilt, which helps replicate finer, more intricate details, with enhanced contrast.

Something else of note is the connectivity options. The OMEN 27s has two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4, a USB hub, two USBA 3.2 ports and a headphone jack. You can have multiple gaming systems connected at once, switching between them with ease.

OMEN 32c Curved Gaming Monitor

If the thought of having a curved screen integrated into your gaming setup has piqued your interest, look no further, HP has your back with the OMEN 32c Curved Gaming Monitor. This 31.5-inch screen has a vertical alignment (VA) panel that displays in 2560 x 1440 Quad High-Definition (QHD) with a 160 Hz refresh rate. The high-quality graphics along with the 1500R curvature, help create the feeling of being surrounded by the game, creating a more immersive experience.

In terms of software, the OMEN 32c is packed with features designed to enhance your gaming. There’s AMD FreeSync Premium and VESA Certified AdaptiveSync to reduce screen tearing and lag, compatibility with the OMEN Gaming Hub for customisation, and HP Eye Ease to help reduce the effects of eye strain.

Tailoring your monitor to your game

Many gamers lean towards one or two genres of game that they enjoy playing above all others. This could include role-playing games (RPG), first-person shooters (FPS), simulations, real-time strategy or racing. Based on your preferences, you can select a monitor that is tailored to the types of games you love to play.

When it comes to games that are story-driven, such as RPGs, resolution and colour accuracy are key. The graphics tend to be a critically important part of the gameplay and higher quality images can make the experience feel more realistic. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Guild Wars 2 and the Final Fantasy series are examples of games where resolution and colour can make a huge difference to player experience.

Some genres require fast-paced, low-lag gameplay for the best experience, for example, racing games like Forza, or FPS games such as Call of Duty, Counter-Strike and Borderlands. In these instances, you can really benefit from a monitor with a fast refresh rate, low response times and software that cuts down on lag and screen tearing.

Factors to consider

There are many different factors you could consider when selecting a gaming monitor, so to help out here are some of the ones we think are important.

Monitor size

What size monitor you want will be impacted by where it’s going to sit. If your gaming setup has you sitting close, for example at a computer desk, then a 24-inch screen should meet your needs. Alternatively, if you tend to sit more than a metre away using wireless gaming accessories then a 27-inch screen or above would be better. 

Panel type

There are a few different panel types on the market but some are better for gaming than others. IPS screens tend to have superior colour performance and wider viewing angles but can suffer a little on details when the graphics are dark. Despite this, they’re one of the more common panels used for monitors. 

Looking at some of the others, VA panels are more of an all-rounder that can often be seen in curved applications, while OLED panels have excellent response times and high image quality, but can be more susceptible to image retention or burn-in.

Additional features

Which additional features you want will be shaped by your needs and personal preferences. For example, you may prioritise access to the OMEN Gaming Hub for the customisation options, or NVIDIA compatibility for enhanced performance. For gamers who have long play sessions, the HP Eye Ease might be important, while VESA DisplayHDR 400 might be valuable to gamers who enjoy story-based games with scenery that is dark at times, like the Dark Souls series.

Graphics

When it comes to monitors, resolution is one of the key specs. This refers to how many pixels the screen has and the general rule is that as long as your budget and PC or console can handle it, the more pixels the better. Colour accuracy is also a key part of the gaming experience, as a monitor's ability to accurately reproduce the colours can have a direct impact on the visual quality and thus immersiveness of a game.

Speed

Most gamers would agree that lag is one of the worst things to experience when gaming; it interrupts the flow of your gameplay and can cost you the win. Choosing a monitor with good response times and a fast refresh rate can help minimise the chance of this happening.

Making your choice

When choosing a gaming monitor it’s important to prioritise your needs and preferences. Think about what you want to primarily use the monitor for and which features are best for that. Next, decide on a budget and take a look at what fits. If you want to see what else HP has on offer outside of the four OMEN gaming monitors we’ve mentioned here, just take a look at the website and use the filters to narrow the selection down to options that suit you.

Summary

Finding the best HP gaming monitor for you will take a bit of research and thought. You’ll need to decide what features are a priority and select a monitor that best fits your needs. It will take time, but will be completely worth it once you're sitting back, enjoying your favourite games displayed in high quality, just the way you like.

About the Author: Telicia Campain is a contributing writer for HP Tech Takes. She is a former teacher who currently lives aboard an international sailing vessel. Telicia creates content for a variety of industries including technology, education, finance, and travel.