Frameless monitors are a bit of a misnomer. Contrary to what you might immediately think, they still have small borders around the edges of the display. The frameless designation refers to having plastic overhangs around the edges that bite into your viewing experience. Frameless monitors, by necessity, have edges that frame the screen (otherwise, it would be prone to damage). Still, they remove the vast majority of plastic framing material to give a more visually pleasing experience that works better in multi-monitor setups.
Of course, frameless or not, a monitor is only as good as its specs, and if you want to get some gaming done, you're going to want the hardware to back up that edge-to-edge design.
As a note: all monitors featured here will have a response under 4ms and some type of adaptive sync technology, which makes them all great choices for your next gaming monitor.
AOC 27G2
AOC has what is possibly the best warranty in the industry right now. Their gaming series monitors come with a three-year zero dead pixel warranty, which is almost unheard of in the monitor world. And for the first year, they'll even cover a single incident of accidental damage, which is unheard of in most industries.
That alone is enough to warrant a purchase, but it certainly helps that the 27G2 is a great monitor all on its own. It's a 27 inch 1080p 144Hz IPS display with adjustable height, great viewing angles, and a mountain of software features. AOC offers their G-Menu software for dialing in the exact settings you want, and the built-in firmware comes out of the box with six different game modes for quick, hassle-free adjustment. To top things off, it retails for less than $300 and is often on sale for very close to $200, making this one of the best deals out there.
Acer Predator XB1 XB27HU
Acer made a name for itself, pumping out budget-friendly laptops and monitors for many years before really breaking into the gaming space, and that bang for your buck DNA continues to drive its current offerings. Acer's Predator line features their premiere gaming products, and the XB27HU is a standout offering. It comes in two variant models, and either one would make a great choice for a gaming monitor.
Both 27-inch monitors feature a 1440p display at 144Hz with G-Sync, 350 nits peak brightness, and full tilt and swivel adjustments. The only difference between the two is the panel type. The BMIPRZ model uses a slightly slower IPS display with a 4ms response time and better viewing angles. Meanwhile, the ABMIPRZ model uses a slightly older TN panel with a faster 1ms response time and slightly worse viewing angles and colors. Whichever variant you choose, they're both great, three-sided frameless designs with all the gaming features you'll need.
AORUS FI27Q-P
The AORUS line of gaming monitors from GIGABYTE has produced quite a few notable monitors, and the FI27Q-P is no exception. It's a 27-inch 1440p monitor with a super-fast IPS display running at an impressive 165Hz refresh rate with full HDR support and DisplayPort HBR3. The backside is fitted with RGB for ambiance, and the stand supports height, tilt, and swivel adjustment.
The firmware supports picture-in-picture modes and a full hardware dashboard, which is useful for displaying things like CPU temperatures and fan speed while benchmarking, tweaking game settings for maximum performance, or just monitoring for thermal throttling while gaming.
MSI Optix MPG341CQR
MSI has been a rock-solid PC component and peripheral manufacturer for years now, and they've really packed the Optix MPG341CQR to the top with solid gaming features. It's a 21:9 1800R curved display, which provides the best viewing angles across its 34-inch ultra-wide surface. It uses a VA panel, which sits in-between the colors and viewing angle abilities of TN and IPS panels. It's running a 3440x1440 resolution at 144Hz with an impressive peak brightness of 400 nits. It also has full HDR 400 support, so you will get a great image with great colors.
MSI's own Gaming OSD software offers a litany of adjustable features, complete with different named mode settings for different game genres and productivity tasks. This means you can truly create a customized experience for whatever type of content you're viewing. The built-in firmware also supports multiple picture-in-picture modes, so if you need to view multiple inputs, it has you covered.
LG 27GN95B-B
LG doesn't mess around when it comes to displays, and they often bump right up against competitors like Samsung when it comes to quality monitors. Their 27GN95B-B is one of the more impressive 27-inch monitors currently available, boasting full 4K resolution at 144Hz and HDR 600 support. This is all being run on a Nano IPS panel, which will provide fantastic colors with blazing fast pixel response times. It also features full certifications for both major brands of adaptive sync technology, with NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro both fully supported.
On the backside of the height and tilt adjustable stand, LG has fitted an addressable RGB ring to the back of the monitor for sync-able mood lighting that will play well with your other RGB peripherals. And at 98% DCI-P3 color gamut, you'll be able to get some serious work done when game time is over. If you're after a full-fat no-compromises frameless monitor, then it's a rock-solid performer.
Frameless designs are much more visually appealing than their bulky framed counterparts and work in multiple display setups significantly better. Not having a large black plastic frame around the edges means that you can position your monitors right up against one another for a more seamless ultrawide gaming experience. Regardless of your plan for your frameless monitor, there are many gaming-ready options for you to choose from.
For more hardware guides check out Best Vertical Computer Mouse and 2021’s 5 Best Budget Capture Cards on Pro Game Guides.
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Published: Dec 7, 2021 10:03 am