What is Response Time in a Monitor? [1ms, 4ms, 5ms]

Monitor response time refers to how quickly the pixels can change colors, measured in milliseconds (ms). It indicates the speed at which the monitor refreshes to display new imagery based on changes in the video signal being fed to it. Lower response times reduce motion blur and create a smoother, more fluid viewing experience for gaming and video.

Monitor response time is one of the most essential factor in gaming. Basically, it measures the speed at which your monitor can react to a change in the video signal and refresh the screen with new imagery.

This speed has a major impact on the viewing experience—especially for gaming, video streaming, and graphic work. But what do all those numbers like “1ms” or “5ms” actually mean? And what response time is considered good for monitors in 2024?

In this in-depth guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about a monitor’s response time specification, what factors affect it, how low numbers translate to a smoother visual experience, and what the ideal ms (milliseconds) is for different uses.

How Response Time Impacts Your Viewing Experience

The response time of your monitor dramatically affects the clarity and sharpness you perceive in motion. Slower response times lead to more motion blur and ghosting in fast moving imagery like games and videos. Here’s a more detailed look at how it impacts your experience:

Motion Blur

Slower monitor response times cause fast moving objects in videos and games to blur more. This is because the pixels can’t change color fast enough to keep up. Faster response times reduce motion blur so things stay sharp.

Ghosting

Ghosting is a trailing effect where you see multiple faded after-images follow moving objects instead of a crisp singular image. Again, this is caused by a lag in pixel color change. Slow response makes ghosting worse while faster response times minimize it.

Responsiveness

A responsive display feels snappier to use thanks to little delay between your actions and screen reactions. Dragging windows and documents feels smoother. Fast transitions enhance this effect.

Eye Strain

Extended use of monitors with high response times and motion blur leads to increased eye fatigue and headaches for some. Eliminating blur and choppiness helps ease strain.

Competitive Edge (in gaming)

Every millisecond of decreased input lag can give you an advantage in competitive online multiplayer titles. Maximizing responsiveness heightens your reaction time.

Average Monitor Response Times

Monitor response times vary widely between panel types, use cases, and even individual models. Here’s an overview of the typical response time numbers seen for common monitors:

Type of Monitor	Response Time
Standard office monitor	5-8ms
IPS gaming monitor	1-4ms
TN gaming monitor	1-5ms
Curved gaming monitor	4-5ms
Ultrawide monitor	4-5ms

As you can see, gaming-oriented monitors with TN and IPS panels tend to boast the lowest response times—usually between 1-5ms. This speed enhances their ability to display fast motion clearly.

Standard office monitors built with cheaper panel types see higher average response times around 5-8ms. While fine for general tasks, they lack the speed for smooth gaming.

Curved and ultrawide displays are immersive for gaming but the curve and expanded field of view leads to slightly slower 4-5ms response times on average. Still very capable for the majority of games though.

What is Considered a Good Response Time for Different Uses?

Determining what the “best” response time is ultimately depends on your use case. Especially for gaming where every millisecond counts. Here are the recommended numbers according to your needs:

Competitive Esports Gaming

For fast-paced competitive multiplayer games like Valorant, CS:GO, and Overwatch—a 1ms response time is ideal but is difficult to achieve. Under 2-5ms is more realistic for most gaming monitors and still provides a great experience.

Casual and Story-driven Gaming

Single player epics and casual gaming sessions can still thrive on monitors in the wider 5-10ms range. While lower is still better, higher numbers are more tolerable for slower-paced gaming that’s less reaction time dependent.

Graphic Design and Video Editing

While lower response times reduce eye strain for long design sessions—most color accurate monitors meant for creative work test around 10ms. This is fast enough for minimal motion blur while working making it a good goal.

Office Work and General Use

Unless response time is poor enough to be noticeable in daily work—aiming for 10ms or under is fine for spreadsheets, documents and browsing. Be aware that cheaper monitors can creep higher into the teens though.

Tips for Improving Monitor Response Rates

If you want to squeeze out even faster response from a monitor without upgrading there are a few handy tweaks that help:

1. Enable overdrive mode/MPRT in monitor settings
2. Lower screen resolution
3. Adjust refresh rate higher

Overdrive mode, often labeled MPRT, pushes a monitor’s pixels harder to achieve faster transitions. Resolution impacts response times because higher res means the monitor has to work harder. And lastly, higher refresh rates directly correspond to lower response rates so they work hand in hand!

Final Thoughts

Understanding monitor response times empowers you to choose models optimized for your needs and budget. Remember that lower numbers translate to a more fluid viewing experience with reduced motion blur.

For gaming, sub 5ms response times are ideal and truly competitive esports demand 1-2ms displays with 144hz+ refresh rates. General use and creative work can still thrive on monitors in the higher 5-10ms range however.

At the end of the day, don’t put too much stock in chasing marketing claims of impossibly fast “1ms” monitors either. Focus instead on real world tests and reviews showcasing a display’s ability to present crisp, flowing visuals. After all, seeing is believing when it comes vision!

Hopefully this guide drove home what to look for when evaluating monitor response times for your personal needs. Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions as well!