Choosing a monitor can be a bit challenging, especially when you are a gaming enthusiast. “Response Time” is an important aspect all gamers/ users consider when selecting a monitor. Is 4ms response time good? Or is 1ms response time good? Pretty debatable and confusing?
Relax; we’ve got your back!
People tend to get stuck when choosing the right monitor since they do not have a good scope of idea on how things will work out with each monitor’s response time.
There are several frequently raised queries related to response time and how it affects user performance.
As we move, we will be discussing everything you need to know about the response time of monitors, is 4ms response time good, a detailed analysis of the comparison of 4ms response time and more.
A great place to get all your bottled-up reservations and confusions regarding the topic cleared, right?
Well, let’s get to business. Stick around and learn everything you will need to know about the topic.
What is the Response Time?
Before we discuss which response time is better, it will do us good if we first understand what response time is.
A response time refers to the amount of time a computer display takes to change one pixel to another pixel (from black to white).
Response time is the time it takes for your monitor to shift from one color onscreen to another, to put it in simple terms.
For example, suppose your monitor has a response time of 4ms. In that case, it will take 4 milliseconds to shift from one color to another.
A millisecond refers to one-thousandth of a second. That is to say, the monitor will change color 250 times every second.
The human eye takes about 100 to 400 milliseconds to have a single blink. A monitor with a 4ms response time will shift pixels 25 to 100 times faster than you blink an eye.
How does Response Time Affect Gaming?
Response time is significant when considering the pace of response of the monitor.
The lower the response time, the better the performance.
Is higher response time terrible? Not really!
Higher response time is not an issue when you use the monitor to surf the internet, browse movies and shows, play slow-paced games, etc.
The issue strikes when you want to play fast-paced games.
When the pace of the game is faster than the response time, it can result in visual artefacts such as lagging, ghosting and motion blurring, affecting the performance of the user and the game. It can hinder you from effectively responding to the screen as the screen will fail to accurately respond to the motion and transition of colors in time.
Fast-paced games have fast changes occurring in their characters, like the colors and motion transitioning swiftly.
If the monitor’s response time is low, it will not be able to process the transition and display it on time.
This delay causes inconvenience in all forms and will delay you from responding to the changes, which can be too late.
Thus, response time is vital to ensure a convenient and hindrance-free gaming experience.
What are the Available Response Times?
In the market, there are monitors ranging from 1ms response time to 5ms response times. Each of them differs in cost and has its own pros and cons.
A 1ms response time works highly responsive and while a 5ms response time works finely responsive.
Is the difference in response in each of them drastic? Nope! They perform highly similar even though they are, in fact, different in manufacture.
Is 4ms Response Time Good?
So, how does a 4ms response time affect gaming? Does it provide a seamless gaming experience? Or an awful one?
Let’s dive in and find out.
To cut to the chase, yes, a 4ms response time can be good.
Honestly, 4ms and 1 ms responsive times do not make a mountain of difference.
The differences they carry are very hard to differentiate since both works many times faster than the amount of time we take to blink our eyes.
Unless you got incredible reflexes and superhuman gaming skills, you would not be able to tell the differences between the two as they work highly similar to each other.
It wouldn’t be a wrong choice to opt for a 4ms response time, except if you are going to play a super-fast and competitive game where every millisecond will significantly matter. In such cases, it is better to go for a highly responsive monitor.
How do 1ms and 4ms Responsive Times Compare?
For better comprehension, let us compare 1ms and 4 ms response times to analyze which will better suit your needs.
- Practically, both perform well in speed, as it is relatively difficult to point the differences out. However, a 1ms response time actually works faster than a 4ms response time.
- Monitors with 4ms response times are cheaper than the monitors with 1ms response times, taking the resources required for manufacturing into account.
- 1ms response time has a lower input lag than a 4ms response time. However, it does not mean a 4ms response time has a high input lag. It has a low input lag as well. But when compared to 1ms, it is labelled low.
- 1ms response time can only be achieved with TN panels, whereas 4ms response time can be achieved with IPS panels.
- 4ms response time offers better visual quality.
- 1ms response time is ideal for hard-core and pro gamers. 4ms response time can be a good choice for gamers not into highly competitive and super-fast-paced games.
Conclusion
A 4ms response time is just good as a 1ms response time monitor when playing games. Lagging, motion blurring, ghosting and other artefacts caused by slower response times are not significant threats when using a 4ms response time as it can eliminate those issues just like a 1ms responsive time.
It is not worth opting for a 1ms unless you are a hard-core gamer who is a real pro. If that is not the case, going for a 4ms is a good choice.
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