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Best 480Hz monitor guide 2025: eye-wateringly fast gaming displays

Featuring the fastest WOLEDs in the West, plus some IPS models
Aaron Ritchie
Last Updated on
Best 480Hz monitor guide 2025: eye-wateringly fast gaming displays
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We're in a fortunate position as consumers that there are multiple contenders for the title of best 480Hz monitor. Last year a whole raft of premium options were released that were capable of reaching this maximum refresh rate, most of them being OLED monitors (WOLED specifically), so alongside their incredible max refresh rates these models also have exceptional response times; this makes them the ideal choice for competitive gamers that want to play fast-paced titles at the level of the esports pros from the comfort of their home.

We've selected the cream of the crop from the 480Hz market and separated them into sub-sections according to the specific niche they fill, to help you, the consumer, find the best gaming monitor for your needs. All of these displays have now been thoroughly tested by the best in the game so you can rest assured that these selections are on point.

Why are so many 480Hz monitors WOLED?

There are two primary makers of OLED screen panels: LG and Samsung, with the former producing WOLED screens (White Organic Light-Emitting Diode) and the latter producing QD-OLED tech (Quantum Dot Organic Light-Emitting Diode). As the two forms of panel are based around different technology, they often come with different maximum refresh rates at different times. Since 2024 you've been able to buy WOLED panels that can reach 480Hz, whereas QD-OLEDs were limited to 360Hz until 2025, when they've now been boosted even higher to 500Hz (see our best 500Hz monitor guide for some of those).

Non-OLED panels, IPS in particular, have of course been able to hit 480Hz for a while, however the reality is that most of the best quality monitors with this refresh rate are OLED, so they dominate this guide at the present time.

The best 480Hz monitors in 2025

Best 480Hz gaming monitor

Sony INZONE M10S (27″, OLED)

Specifications
  • Panel type: WOLED
  • Resolution: 2560 x 1440
  • Refresh rate: 480Hz
  • Response time: 0.03ms
  • Panel size: 27″
  • I/O ports: 1x DisplayPort 2.1, 2x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB-A, 1x USB-B, 1x 3.5mm audio jack
Reasons to Buy
  • OLED panel has fantastic contrast ratio
  • Excellent response time & motion clarity
  • 100% sRGB coverage & high color accuracy
  • DisplayPort 2.1 & HDMI 2.1 support
  • G-Sync certified & FreeSync compatible
  • FPS Pro+ & 24.5-inch screen modes for competitive gamers
Reasons to Avoid
  • Expensive
  • Peak SDR brightness low as with other OLEDs
  • No USB-C

Sony's INZONE M10S is our top pick for best 480Hz as it does all the core basics as well as several other 27-inch, 1440, OLED picks on this list but also comes with some unique extras.

This monitor is tailored for esports from top to bottom, including unique features like FPS Pro+ mode (developed with the Fnatic team) that enhances target visibility, and a 24.5-inch screen mode that effectively shrinks the screen area to this size, mirroring the setup used by pro players. As with the other OLED selections on this page you get near-instant response times, which are ideal for gaming, plus the monitors supports both G-Sync and FreeSync, and has impressively low input lag (with a slight bump at 60Hz). 

In terms of image quality the OLED panel means you get unbeatable contrast ratio and perfect deep blacks. The monitor has full sRGB coverage with solid color accuracy, making it suitable for occasional creative or color-critical work as well. SDR brightness isn't great, capping out at around 245 nits, but this is standard for nearly all OLED displays and is the trade-off you generally have to make. HDR performance is great however and the monitor is capable of hitting a peak of around 800nits on a 10% screen window in HDR mode.

Burn-in prevention is handled through robust software tools and a dedicated heatsink for heat control. Port coverage is solid with HDMI 2.1 alongside DisplayPort 2.1 and three USB-A (3.2 Gen-A) ports, although it unfortunately lacks a USB-C socket. Besides this, the main critique you can level at this display is that it's not cheap.

Runner up pick

ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDP

Specifications
  • Panel type: WOLED
  • Resolution: 2560 x 1440
  • Refresh rate: 480Hz
  • Response time: 0.03ms
  • Panel size: 27″
  • I/O ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB-A, 1x USB-B, 1x 3.5mm audio jack
Reasons to Buy
  • OLED panel has fantastic contrast ratio
  • Excellent response time & motion clarity
  • 100% sRGB coverage & high color accuracy
  • HDMI 2.1 support
Reasons to Avoid
  • Expensive
  • Peak SDR brightness low as with other OLEDs
  • No USB-C

The ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQDP comes in a close second place to the INZONE above in our best 480Hz monitor guide, with specs that are very similar, especially since it’s based around the same WOLED panel. The differences are slight – with the PG27AQDP losing out due to the fact that it does not come with DisplayPort 2.1 (just the standard DisplayPort 1.4) and because it doesn’t have the additional features as developed with Fnatic.

That being said, if these things aren’t of a priority to you, this ROG Swift display does have slightly better full screen SDR brightness – we’re talking around 276 nits compared to the 245 nits of the Sony display – plus we have seen it one sale for a slightly cheaper price. These factors combined may make it the better pick for your tastes.

Another excellent 27-inch 480Hz monitor

LG 27GX790A-B OLED monitor

Specifications
  • Panel type: WOLED
  • Resolution: 2560 x 1440
  • Refresh rate: 480Hz
  • Response time: 0.03ms
  • Panel size: 27″
  • I/O ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB-A, 1x USB-B, 1x 3.5mm audio jack
Reasons to Buy
  • OLED panel has fantastic contrast ratio
  • Excellent response time & motion clarity
  • 100% sRGB coverage & high color accuracy
  • HDMI 2.1 support
Reasons to Avoid
  • Expensive
  • Peak SDR brightness is low even by OLED standards
  • No USB-C

The LG 27GX790A-B is once again very similar to the ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQDP, with all the same benefits that come with having the same OLED panel as discussed above. The key difference, and the thing which makes it slightly inferior to the ASUS monitor however, is that the SDR max brightness is even lower, at around 223 cd/m². When you’re looking at higher levels of brightness, around 50 nits of difference isn’t a massive amount, but when you’re already in the lower echelons with an OLED panel then it does make a practical difference when you’re trying to view the display in a brightly lit environment.

Besides, this we wouldn’t say it’s quite as slick looking as the ASUS model either, but it has a similar level of adjustability and feels solidly put together.

Resolution & refresh rate switching

ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP (UHD 240Hz / FHD 480Hz)

Specifications
  • Screen Size: 32″
  • Resolution: 3840 x 2160 / 1920 x 1080
  • Refresh rate: 240Hz (UHD) / 480Hz (FHD)
  • Response time: 0.01ms
  • Panel technology: OLED
Reasons to Buy
  • 240Hz UHD or 480HZ FHD
  • OLED panel has fantastic contrast ratio
  • Excellent response time & motion clarity
  • 100% sRGB coverage & respectable color accuracy
  • KVM switch & 90W USB-C power delivery
Reasons to Avoid
  • Peak SDR brightness low as with other OLEDs
  • No pivot function

Our final pick is something a bit more specific. The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UCDP comes with the ability to switch its native resolution and refresh rate from a 240Hz 4K screen to a 480Hz 1080p one, the idea being that serious competitive gamers that play at 1920 x 1080 at the higher refresh rate to maximise performance can do so, but also have the benefits of a crisp, high-resolution screen for singleplayer gaming or viewing 4K video whenever they want to. 

SDR brightness is underwhelming as with nearly all OLEDs, although at around 260nits its above average for this panel type. HDR performance is solid, with around 700nits of recorded peak brightness in a 10% window size. Contrast and black point are effectively perfect, as with all OLEDs. Color replication is solid, with 100% sRGB coverage and good accuracy in this space. DCI-P3 coverage is 97%.

Additional extras like 90W USB-C power delivery and an in-built KVM switch help maximize its usefulness as a productivity monitor as well, and at 32-inches it's got the screen size to enable you to view multiple windows at once.

Design-wise it looks very slick, with a nice ‘blade' tripod design to the metal base, plus RGB underlighting. The bezels are nice and thin and the whole thing feels very well made, although we would have like to have seen better ergonomic adjustment options on this kind of premium display: there's a complete lack of pivot function, which means it's impossible to switch between portrait and landscape mode.

A 1080p IPS model

Alienware AW2524H 500Hz gaming monitor

Specifications
  • Refresh rate: 500Hz
  • Screen Size: 24.5″
  • Resolution : 1920 x 1080
  • Panel type: IPS
  • I/O ports: DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0, 4x USB-A, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
Reasons to Buy
  • Good response time & motion clarity
  • Native G-Sync support
  • 100% sRGB coverage & respectable color accuracy
  • Respectable SDR brightness
  • Matte finish gives great reflection handling
  • Great build quality and aesthetics
Reasons to Avoid
  • Fairly pricey for an IPS display
  • Only 1920×1080 resolution
  • HDMI 2.0 only

The Alienware AW2524H arguably falls outside the boundaries of this guide slightly as it is capable of 500Hz, however this is only with overclock enabled: the true native refresh rate is 480Hz so we're going to include it anyway!

Unlike many of the options here this is an IPS monitor, which means you won't get anywhere near as good contrast ratio or HDR performance as you would on an OLED display, however  the maximum SDR brightness is beyond what you'd get on an OLED, hitting around 390nits on full screen. Color replication within the sRGB space is pretty good, with 100% gamut coverage and respectable color accuracy within this space.

The AW2524H has a 1080p resolution screen, so is probably best suited to performance-driven competitive gamers only, although the smaller 25-inch size of the screen does mean the image still looks fairly sharp. Other features to enhance gaming performance include the good response time and low input lag, along with native G-Sync support. You do sadly only get HDMI 2.0, although the DisplayPort 1.4 support and four USB-A ports and audio jack are solid. The screen has a matte finish to reduce screen glare. 

As with most Alienware monitors it looks absolutely great and has top-notch build quality, though doesn't come cheap.

Why is a high refresh rate good for gaming?

The main metric used to determine how powerful a gaming PC is, is how high the FPS (Frames Per Second) is on any particular game. More frames per second means smoother moving images, as there is a smaller and smaller gap between each frame, meaning the slightest micro-movements can be shown (the opposite extreme being the juddering, skipping effect of low FPS where parts of the movement are lost). However, all of these FPS will only be visually represented if your monitor can match it with the frequency of how many times the image it displays refreshes per second. A higher refresh rate therefore means movement on screen is easier to track, with less motion blur, particularly during fast-paced movement like in competitive shooters where split-second decisions can make all the difference.

Besides this, a higher refresh rate also gives the possibility for better (i.e. lower) input lag, although it's not a guarantee. The amount of input lag ultimately depends on the individual model of monitor, but a faster refresh of the screen means the time between moving the input device and seeing this represented on the screen has the potential to be better than on a lower refresh rate display.

Is 480Hz overkill for a gaming monitor?

For the average gamer who either plays single player titles or dabbles in online competitive games but at a casual level, 480Hz probably is a bit overkill. The fact is you get diminishing returns in what difference your eye and brain can actually perceive as you go up the refresh rate scale, and by the time you hit 480Hz the differences are far less noticeable over say a 360Hz monitor than they would be between 120Hz and a 240Hz display. As a result the main people who will be interested are really proper competitive players who want to squeeze every additional advantage they can that should consider it above more important factors like image quality, screen size, and resolution etc. Alternatively if your PC is powerful enough to run your favourite games at 480FPS, then it would seem a waste not to be able to play them on a monitor where you can truly appreciate this performance.

What are the benefits of a high refresh rate monitor outside of gaming?

Although the main reason to buy a high refresh rate monitor is usually gaming, there are some additional benefits. Higher refresh rates minimise screen flickering, which can be a cause of eye strain, so this is better for your long term health. The aforementioned possibility for lower input lag also means your setup will feel more responsive when you're moving things around on the screen, and you'll also experience improved text and image clarity, even when you're scrolling at fast speeds through documents, web pages, and the like.

About the Author

Aaron Ritchie

Aaron's laptop knowledge makes him the go-to guy on PC Guide. But he still finds time for features, deals and much more.