Memory prices are skyrocketing to outrageous levels, and there seems to be no end in sight. Premium 64GB DDR5 kits are retailing for more than a Sony PS5, and brick-and-mortar retailers like Micro Center are removing price tags and relying on spot pricing in this unpredictable market. Spot pricing might be OK when we're talking about fresh fish from your favorite upscale restaurant, but for PC memory? That's unheard of for most people.
Since DRAM shortages are pricing many people out of a typically easy upgrade path, let's look to another area where you can get more bang for your buck with a PC upgrade: gaming monitors.
Your monitor is one of the most crucial pieces of hardware that encompasses your gaming PC. It is tasked not only with providing a crisp, bright picture when browsing your favorite websites, working on spreadsheets, or editing a picture in your favorite photo editor, but also with serving as a window into your virtual gaming world. A great monitor can deliver an unmatched immersive experience while extracting every bit of performance from your graphics card. A poor-performing monitor can make your experience land with a thud.
With this in mind, here are a few monitors in the $500 to $800 price range that will give you a serious kick in the pants if you're clinging to a stodgy 120 Hz or lower 1080p or 1200p monitor. One thing you'll notice about many of the monitors mentioned here is that they feature OLED panels, which deliver the absolute best color and contrast ratio on the market.
Bright, accurate, and curved for better immersion: Alienware AW3425DW
All-time low price Save 19% ($150) Dell Alienware AW3425DW Curved QD-OLED (240 Hz): was $799.99 now $649.99 at Dell The Alienware AW3425DW is a 34-inch curved QD-OLED gaming monitor that offers excellent visuals with high-end performance. The panel offers a 3440×1440 resolution, 240 Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, and support for both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync. The display also covers 99.3% DCI-P3 and hits 1000 nits peak brightness with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification.
The Alienware AW3425DW is a 34-inch WQHD (3440 x 1440) resolution monitor featuring an excellent Quantum-Dot OLED (QD-OLED) panel. It maxes out with a 240 Hz refresh rate (AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync supported), and you get a maximum brightness rating of 1,000 nits in HDR mode. We reviewed the AW3425DW back in July and came away impressed by its colorful, accurate picture (straight out of the box), excellent video processing, and Creator mode aimed at the professional segment. The monitor typically sells for $799.99, but is currently on sale for $649.99 direct from Dell.
4K and fast refresh: MAG 321UPX QD-OLED
The MSI MAG 321UPX targets the premium gaming segment with a 32-inch 4K (3820 x 2160) QD-OLED panel. The monitor can crank its refresh rate up to 240 Hz, which will require a stout graphics card to maintain the frame rate.
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