Response time is one of the most important specs when buying a new gaming monitor.
But is 4ms response time any good for gaming? Let’s take a closer look.
What is Response Time?
Response time refers to how quickly a monitor can change individual pixels from one color to another.
It’s measured in milliseconds (ms). The lower the response time, the faster the monitor can respond to changes on screen.
For example, if you’re playing a fast-paced first-person shooter game, you’ll want your monitor to keep up with all the quick movements and action.
A monitor with slow response times can result in motion blur and ghosting effects, hurting your gaming performance.
Is 4ms Response Time Good?
For most gaming purposes, a 4-ms response time is perfectly fine.
While 1ms or 2ms response times are ideal for competitive esports gaming, 4ms is fast enough to deliver a smooth, lag-free experience for most gamers.
The difference between 4ms and 1ms response times is usually not discernable to the naked eye.
You’d have to focus and look for signs of ghosting or blurring during a fast motion to notice it.
For casual and mainstream gaming, a 4ms response time is adequate.
Generally, anything under 5ms response time is good for gaming. Once you go above 5ms, you may notice more motion blur and lag during fast-paced action sequences.
But with 4ms, images will transition fluidly on screen, with a minimal noticeable delay between your inputs and the monitor’s visuals.
So in summary, while 1ms or 2ms response times are considered the gold standard, a 4ms monitor will provide a great gaming experience for most players.
Unless you’re an ultra-competitive esports gamer, 4ms is good enough.
Benefits of 4ms Response Time Monitors
Here are some of the benefits you can expect with a 4ms gaming monitor:
- Smooth, lag-free gaming – With quick 4ms response times, you won’t notice any bothersome delay or lag between your actions and what happens on screen. Gameplay will feel responsive.
- Minimal motion blur – Fast-moving visuals will transition cleanly from frame to frame, with barely any motion blur. This helps keep the picture looking sharp.
- Great for most game genres – While not quite as fast as 1ms/2ms monitors, 4ms is perfect for action games, RPGs, shooters, MOBAs, RTS titles, and more.
- More affordable price point – 4ms monitors are generally cheaper than 1ms/2ms monitors with similar features. You get great performance for less money.
- A good middle ground option – 4ms is a great balance between fast response times and affordable pricing. It’s a sweet spot for many gamers.
So in many ways, 4ms monitors offer the best value for most gaming setups.
You get responsiveness close to the fastest 1ms monitors, but at a more budget-friendly price point.
When to Consider Faster Response Times
While 4ms is perfectly fine for most games, here are some instances where you may want to consider a monitor with a faster response time:
- Competitive esports gaming – If you play games like CS:GO, Overwatch, or League of Legends at a high skill level, every millisecond counts. The absolute fastest response times give you a competitive edge.
- Fast-paced multiplayer shooters – In twitchy online shooters like Call of Duty or Valorant, tracking fast motion smoothly can help you react quicker to enemies.
- Professional gaming – For professional gamers or anyone who takes gaming ultra seriously, a 1ms or 2ms monitor is recommended to give you the absolute smoothest possible visuals during action sequences.
So for truly competitive gaming, a 1ms or 2ms monitor is ideal. But for most casual and mainstream gamers, 4ms response time is excellent.
Tips for Testing Response Times
When researching monitors, you can test response times yourself to look for motion blur or ghosting issues:
- Check gaming monitor reviews – Look at expert monitor reviews that measure real-world response times. The advertised specs don’t always match the actual performance.
- Look for ghosting tests – Some monitor reviews test for ghosting by displaying moving test patterns designed to highlight any blurring or afterimage effects.
- Note PWM dimming – Monitors with PWM dimming can sometimes have slower real-world response times. This causes noticeable flickering with fast motion.
- Test fast-paced games – Try playing your favorite high-speed competitive shooters or action games to get a feel for motion clarity and responsiveness.
- Compare side-by-side – If possible, directly compare a 4ms and 1ms/2ms monitor side-by-side playing the same game. This makes differences in motion clarity more apparent.
- Trust your eyes – Don’t obsess over tiny response time differences on paper. Focus on whether a monitor looks and feels responsive and smooth during actual gaming.
By using these tips, you can better judge whether a 4ms monitor provides the motion clarity you need for your favorite games.
Minor response time differences often aren’t noticeable.
Features to Look for in 4ms Gaming Monitors
When shopping for a new 4ms gaming monitor, keep an eye out for these additional helpful features:
- High refresh rate – Aim for at least 120Hz or 144Hz at your preferred resolution. Higher is better for smoother gameplay.
- Adaptive sync – AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync adaptive sync eliminates screen tearing and stuttering for buttery smooth visuals.
- Low input lag – Input lag measures the delay between button presses and screen reactions. Under 10ms is ideal for responsive controls.
- DisplayPort/HDMI – These digital inputs enable high refresh rates. Avoid outdated VGA ports. HDMI 2.1 enables 4K at 120Hz on next-gen consoles.
- Adjustable stand – Having tilt, swivel, and height adjustment in the stand makes it easy to position the monitor for ergonomic comfort.
- Blue light filter – This option reduces potentially harmful blue light emissions to ease eye strain during long gaming sessions.
Prioritizing these features will help you find the best 4ms gaming monitor for your budget and needs.
Just don’t obsess too much over tiny response time differences – real-world performance is what matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ques 1: Is a 4ms monitor good for PS5 and Xbox Series X?
Ans: Yes, a 4ms gaming monitor works excellently with PS5 and Xbox Series X.
You can enjoy fast frame rates up to 120fps. Make sure to choose a monitor with HDMI 2.1 ports to enable 4K at 120Hz.
Ques 2: Can the human eye notice the difference between 1ms and 4ms?
Ans: In normal gaming, most people cannot discern a visible difference between 1ms vs 4ms response times.
Side-by-side, a 1ms monitor may look slightly more fluid in motion, but 4ms is fast enough for smooth, lag-free gaming for the majority of people.
Ques 3:Is a 4ms monitor good for programming and office work?
Ans: Absolutely. While not as crucial as for gaming, the fast response times and high refresh rates of a 4ms gaming monitor provide a very fluid and comfortable viewing experience for work, coding, content creation, and general desktop use.
Ques 4: Are 4ms monitors good for watching movies and YouTube?
Ans: Yes! The fast pixel response times help minimize motion blur, resulting in smooth playback and crisp image quality even during action scenes and fast camera pans.
High refresh rates also minimize judder for fluid playback of 24fps films and 30/60fps videos.
Ques 5: Should I enable overdrive on a 4ms gaming monitor?
Ans: It depends. Overdrive improves pixel response times but can cause overshoot and artifacts in some cases.
Try testing with overdrive on and off to see if it improves motion clarity in games without introducing noticeable overshoot effects. Start with the lower overdrive setting first.
Conclusion
While 1ms and 2ms response times are considered the fastest standards for gaming monitors, a 4ms pixel response time delivers extremely smooth, responsive performance for most gamers.
The 4-5ms range offers the best balance between speed and affordability. Motion clarity is superb, with minimal blurring or ghosting in most games. For casual and mainstream gaming, 4ms monitors provide an excellent experience.
Don’t get too caught up in small response time differences on paper when shopping for a new monitor. Focus on overall motion quality and input lag. With the right features like adaptive sync, high refresh rates, and a great stand, a 4ms gaming monitor will provide buttery smooth visuals and excellent value.
