Best gaming monitor for PS5 under $500?

Question

I finally got my hands on a PS5 after saving up for months and I was so excited to play but then I hooked it up to my old monitor from high school and it looks... well it looks kinda terrible actually. Everything is fuzzy and when I move the camera fast it gets all smeary and weird. I feel like I'm totally out of my depth here because I tried looking on Amazon and Best Buy and there are like a million options and I have no idea what any of the specs mean. Like what is the difference between 1ms and 5ms? Does it actually matter or is it just marketing stuff? I keep seeing people talk about 120fps and how you need a specific port for that but I look at the back of my monitor and it just says HDMI. Is there more than one kind of HDMI? I'm honestly so stressed out that I'm gonna buy a $400 screen and it's not even going to be an improvement and then I'll be stuck with it.

My budget is strictly $500 because that is all I have left in my savings and I really need to get this sorted by next Friday because I want to have it ready for my vacation week. I live in a pretty small apartment in Chicago so I cant do a huge TV or anything, it has to fit on a small desk. I just want something that makes the games look crisp and smooth without me having to become an engineer to set it up. I'm really sorry if these are dumb questions but I'm just looking at a list of things and I dont know what's important:

HDMI 2.1 (is this a special cable I have to buy separate?)

4K vs 1440p (does the PS5 even work with 1440p?)

120Hz vs 144Hz

IPS vs VA panels

Is there like a gold standard monitor for PS5 that just works when you plug it in? Or are there specific brands I should stay away from because they break easily? I saw some monitors for $200 and some for $800 and I cant tell why one is better than the other. What is the absolute best gaming monitor for PS5 that stays under that $500 mark?

ssdhkvysnh · Accepted Answer

You really need to be careful with HDMI specs because the PS5 specifically needs HDMI 2.1 to hit 4K at 120Hz. If you get a monitor with only HDMI 2.0, you will be capped at 60Hz for 4K, which basically wastes the consoles potential. I would suggest looking at these two options:

Gigabyte M28U 28 Inch 4K 144Hz SS IPS

This is probably your best bet for a gold standard under $500. It has the actual HDMI 2.1 ports you need for 4K/120Hz and the picture is very sharp.

LG 27GP850-B 27 Inch Ultragear QHD Nano IPS

This is a 1440p monitor. PS5 supports this resolution now, and it looks great on a 27-inch screen. It is cheaper but you lose the full 4K detail. Stick with IPS panels. VA panels often have that smeary look you mentioned. Also, make sure to use the cable that came in the PS5 box... it is already a high-speed HDMI 2.1 cable so dont waste money buying another one.

CleverFox · Answer

Unfortunately, I had issues with my first budget 4K screen, it wasnt as good as expected. I think some 1440p screens still flicker on PS5 tho, which sounds like a total nightmare.