If you’re willing to buy a new monitor, variable refresh rate—also known as G-Sync on the NVIDIA side and FreeSync on the AMD side—is one of the best upgrades you can make to your gaming setup, reducing screen tearing and syncing your monitor’s refresh rate with your video card’s output. But while monitors with FreeSync are easy to come by and affordable, monitors with NVIDIA’s G-Sync are always more expensive, leaving budget-minded GTX users out in the cold, until just recently.This year at CES, NVIDIA announced that it was bringing G-Sync compatibility to some FreeSync monitors with a new driver update. They’ve officially validated 30 monitors as “G-Sync compatible,” but anyone can enable variable refresh rate (VRR) in the new NVIDIA drivers and try it on their own FreeSync-enabled display—and many have found certain uncertified monitors to work just fine.
So I researched some of the top G-Sync compatible monitors—both certified and uncertified—to round up the best ones you can buy. There may be others that work beyond the ones on this list that folks haven’t discovered yet, and hopefully NVIDIA’s supported list will continue to grow. But for now, there’s still a pretty decent selection.
TL;DR – These are the best FreeSync Monitors for Nvidia GPUs:
Best “Everything But the Kitchen Sink” Monitor – Acer Nitro XV273K
If you want a monitor that can do it all—or at least come incredibly close—the 27-inch Acer Nitro XV273K is the monitor to beat. While most 4K monitors have a paltry 60Hz refresh rate, the Nitro clocks in at 144Hz, not to mention it has an HDR-capable quantum dot panel. Its IPS panel means you get great color accuracy, better viewing angles, and a solid response time, albeit with greyish blacks and a bit of “glow” around the edges. But when it comes to straight up specs, it’s hard to beat the Acer Nitro, especially when you consider its built-in USB hub and four inputs—two HDMI and two DisplayPort. You’ll pay a hefty price tag for those features, but there aren’t many monitors that can check all those boxes.
Note that in order to support this specced-out monster, you’ll need to connect it with two DisplayPort 1.4 cables, and its FreeSync range is technically limited to 48-120Hz at 4K (though you can go all the way to 144Hz at 1440p). So while it isn’t truly without compromises, you get a lot of choice over how you play—and it’s certified to work with NVIDIA’s graphics cards.
Best Superwide QLED Monitor – Samsung CHG90
Samsung’s huge CHG90 is still one of the most unique monitors we’ve tested (Read our review), thanks to its insane 32:9 aspect ratio coupled with Samsung’s QLED tech. It’s pricey, but if you want a seriously immersive gaming experience with HDR, fantastic color reproduction, and a 144Hz FreeSync refresh rate—which, while not certified, has been tested to work just fine with NVIDIA cards—Samsung’s got your back. It comes with two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and one Mini DisplayPort, along with a USB hub and 3.5mm in and out. It does have an unfortunately low pixel density at only 81 pixels per inch (PPI), but for an experience this unique, you may find it worth the sacrifice. If it seems like too much to spend, Samsung has a standard 16:9 version of the same monitor, which comes in both 27 inch and 32 inch varieties (though it’s a bit harder to come by these days).
Best 4K Monitor – BenQ EW3270U
If you’re willing to give up higher refresh rates for higher resolutions at a somewhat reasonable price, the BenQ EW3270U is a solid contender (Read our review). Its massive 32-inch screen size means you’re making the most of all those pixels, and its VA panel provides darker blacks than its IPS cousins (plus HDR to boot). It’s unfortunately limited to a small FreeSync range of 40Hz-60Hz, so if your games drop below 40 frames per second, you’ll experience tearing. That’s pretty typical for 4K monitors, with the exception of the aforementioned Acer Nitro, so you’ll have to decide whether it’s worth the tradeoff. This monitor hasn’t been certified by NVIDIA, but other folks have found it to work just fine with graphics cards from Team Green. If you prefer IPS monitors for their better viewing angles and response times, LG’s 27UD68-P is a decent 27-inch 4K alternative that, like the BenQ, isn’t certified but should work with NVIDIA cards.
Best 1440p TN Monitor – Asus MG278Q
If refresh rate is more important to you than number of pixels—and let’s be honest, it probably should be—the $500 Asus MG278Q gets you great bang for your buck with a 1440p resolution and a FreeSync-ready 144Hz refresh rate, with certified support for NVIDIA graphics cards. It also has a plethora of ports (HDMI, DIsplayPort, DVI, and USB), not to mention a ton of adjustability, including the ability to put it into portrait mode. It’s a TN panel, so you won’t get particularly great viewing angles, but the pixel response is better to ensure clear action. If $500 is a bit too much to spend, you can grab the AOC AGON AG271QX for $390, though it isn’t as adjustable (nor is it certified by NVIDIA, but it has been tested to work with NVIDIA cards).
Best Ultrawide Monitor – LG 34UC79G-B
There aren’t a ton of NVIDIA-compatible FreeSync monitors with an ultrawide aspect ratio—besides the aforementioned Samsung superwide—but LG’s $469 34UC79G-B will do the job admirably. With a resolution of 2560×1080, it isn’t the sharpest monitor on the block, but its IPS panel and 144Hz refresh rate will give you a solid gaming experience nonetheless. It hasn’t been certified by NVIDIA, but it has been tested and should work just fine with your GTX card of choice. If you’re willing to spend more for an ultrawide, LG tells us its HDR-equipped, 1440p 34GK950F-B also works with NVIDIA cards, though it costs over $1000.
Best Budget 1080p Monitor – Viewsonic XG2402
If you just want an inexpensive 1080p monitor to get the job done—with a solid refresh rate and FreeSync support—Viewsonic’s XG2402 is only $215 for a 24” 144Hz TN panel. That’s a pretty good deal, and while it isn’t certified by NVIDIA, it’s been tested working with NVIDIA cards. We liked its predecessor well enough, at least for the price, and the newer 2402 has an overdrive feature that should improve the display’s response time to reduce ghosting. Alternatively, the Acer XFA240 is a similarly-specced monitor for $200, and it’s certified by NVIDIA (not to mention slightly more adjustable). Its picture quality isn’t quite as good as the Viewsonic, though, so it comes in at second place for the budget category.
Looking for more monitor info? Be sure to check out our list of the best 240Hz monitors, or check out the best 4K gaming monitors, if you’re looking to spend your tax refund. Don’t forget to check out our guide to the best computer desks, so you have somewhere to rest your new display.