Does the monitor I use affect gameplay at all?

[TroyThornton]

For gaming, Does the brand or type of monitor I use matter? What should I look for when buying one?

Thanks

 

[jjs0891]

typically, IPS/PLS/VA type monitors will give you a lot more motion blur compared to TN panels. But that's about it.

 

[manofchalk]

Not really, picking a monitor comes more down to size, resolution and price more than anything.
I have a preference for IPS monitors over TN. I dont notice the 2~3ms or so slower response time and prefer the better colours compared to TN.

 

[DelroyMonjo]

LCD computer monitors, for the most part, use three different panel types including TN, IPS and VA.

TN, or Twisted Nematic, panels are the most common and are also the oldest. These panels tend to provide shorter response times and high brightness as well as low prices, but they also result in color shifts at different viewing angles.

IPS panels offer better color reproduction and better viewing angles, but they tend to have lower contrast. These panels also tend to be slower and more expensive. However, the color display and the options to calibrate the colors and keep the colors sharp and consistent, even at angles, make them a good choice for those who are in the graphic design profession.

The VA panel types fall into two categories including MVA and PVA. MVA panels tend to provide good viewing angles and greater contrast than the TN or IPS panels. Response times are also good, although some of the lower-end MVA panels do produce ghosting effects. PVA panels are very similar to MVA panels, but PVA panels have better contrast.
Response Time: “response time” indicates how quickly the monitor can display moving images. If you need faster response times, you need to look at both the rising and falling response times. If a monitor has a fast rising response time and a slow falling response time, it’s going to result in a ghosting effect. The optimal situation is to purchase a monitor with fast falling and rising response times. Usually stated in ms and GTG (gray to gray), the shorter time the better.
The screen resolution of a computer monitor is the number of pixels that are on the screen. The resolution number is defined as the total number of pixels. For example, a computer monitor with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 has 1024 pixels horizontally and 768 pixels vertically. The higher the screen resolution, the better the picture will be.

 

[manofchalk]

The higher the screen resolution, the better the picture will be.

Would not say that is technically true, image quality is more a result of pixel density rather than outright resolution. A 720p screen on your phone will produce a much better looking image than 40" 1080p screen assuming your a proper distance from each (which also matters).

Apples "Retina" concept is the supposed optimal ratio (optimal being you cannot discern between individual pixels) between resolution, physical size and distance from the screen.