Is there a HDR monitor for me?

I am using a Dell U2715H as my primary monitor, and a 10 year old Samsung LCD TV as my second PC monitor/console screen. It has been a reliable setup and despite the age, the TV looks great. I want something more though. HDR seems exactly what I need to fix the problem I have with games always looking so washed out (it's not the screens, I've always felt like this). I can't seem to find a monitor that fits my needs though.

• 1440p resolution (I don't want 4K, but if I have to I guess I could)
• 60-144Hz refresh rate (I don't need anything too crazy, 60Hz is what I'm aiming for in all games anyway)
• True HDR (having looked in to the issue, most monitors that advertise HDR are only 300-400 cd/m and I need 600-1000)
• 27 - 32 inches in size, nothing too big
• Non curved, not ultrawide, not some other fancy feature

Can't find anything that fits my needs. What do you use and what is your experience with HDR? It feels like there is more choice with TVs, but I don't want to buy a smart TV to play PC games on.

HDR monitors exist, but I don't think the technology is all that commonplace in PC games. I mean, it's there, but it's not anywhere near as prevalent as it is for 4K blu rays and Xbox/PS4 games. This doesn't bother me much at all. I bought a TV with HDR - not a dinky $400 barely-there HDRTV, a LG Nano 9 - and I don't notice much of a difference even when the content is advertised as supporting HDR. At best it's a nice little feature and at worst it's just really fucking bright.

With that in mind, your monitor appears to be an IPS 1440p60Hz panel, just from some quick Googleing. If your probably is that games and such look "washed out", then you're probably going to be much better off looking into how to get the most out of your current monitor's color space. Have you tried adjusting color values? Gamma? Brightness? Contrast? Checking other settings that may help you get the most out of the monitor you do have?

I got a Asus TUF VG27W a couple months ago (https://www.asus.com/Monitors/TUF-GAMING-VG27WQ/).

• 1440p resolution
• 165hz refresh rate
• HDR - DisplayHDR 400 (not "true" HDR but I'm hard-pressed to tell the difference)
• 27"
• Curved, not ultra-wide.
• 1ms response time (real nice)
• $400

I absolutely love it, and it's a huge step up from the regular office monitors. I was looking for a 1440p, super fast, HDR. The 1440p also matches well to my PC's capabilities at this point. There are a lot of nice monitors in the $700 range with better HDR and 4k, but this monitor was $400 and is just doing a killer job, and the HDR does look great even if monitor reviewers say it isn't adequate enough; it is for me. For me, HDR is a nice touch (a lot of AAA PC ports the past couple years tend to have it) and this monitor really pushes it. I didn't think I would notice or care about the curve - but I do enjoy its...immersive-ness. It has become my primary gaming screen for PC, PS4, Switch occasionally.

Unfortunately, from what I understand and have gathered over time is that while some PC monitors do have HDR, they're not very good as they don't reach the ideal luminance to make it worth getting. It seems size is the biggest issue here, but I do recommend just buying a TV that can also work as a monitor. Everyone has a different setup, but I am very happy that I got rid of my computer desk and just hook my PC up to my TV like I do my consoles as I can more comfortably sit on my loveseat and not a computer/gamer chair.

I just bought a monitor and wanted the same thing. In the end I found unless you want to spend $1500 you wont get a true HDR monitor. Mine does HDR 400 but as the reviews say HDR 400 is bad and just a stick they can put on a box to pretend the monitor does HDR.

If you care this is the monitor I bought in May for $400 (had a $50 off sale). Super happy with it. In a few years I'll get an HDR, 4k monitor and make this my my monitor.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-ultragear-27-ips-led-qhd-freesync-and-g-sync-compatable-monitor-with-hdr-black/6401809.p?skuId=6401809

What you're asking for is available, but at a steep cost. The selection of monitors that do true HDR at 1000 nits is much higher than 2 years ago, but they are all still very expensive. ASUS, Acer and Dell have many different monitors that suit the criteria you listed, but you aren't getting any of those into your home for less than 1500-2500$ USD.

Was about to come in here and shout Samsung G7 but you're not about that curve.

Having seen PC HDR monitors on Linus’ YouTube channel and what I have seen in person they are just bad currently. When you think of HDR you think of the insane picture quality and colour depth you get on an OLED in the shop which isn’t the case on monitors.

Not to mention that the VESA HDR certification is a hopeless bag of shit, cheap HDR400 -600 monitors have such a low peak brightness output that you lose a lot of the detail on very bright and very dark scenes.

More expensive monitors have the decent HDR1000 cert but because they use local array dimming you get a halo effect around bright objects on dark backgrounds (white pointer on steam window for example. Also they are hugely expensive the ASUS PG279UQ is listed at £1900 on Amazon currently

Windows also doesn’t handle HDR very well. Honestly you are better off either getting a great 1440p monitor like the the Asus PG279VQ about £500 or getting the new LG 48 inch OLED tv and using that it costs about the same as a good HDR monitor at £1500ish with none of the drawbacks it even has adaptive sync which works with Nvidia Gsync and the new consoles.

I went through this rigmarole almost 2 years ago, and made (what I thought was) a gamble investing in a 1440p, 165hz IPS, because it felt like neither HDR nor 4K were viable for gaming. In that time, 4K has become significantly more viable (though I still feel that 1440p is the sweetspot for performance/fidelty), but it feels like HDR on PC has not made much of a move.

Unlike in TVs, where any mid-to-upper screen worth its salt supports HDR at a decent quality, on PC it is still relegated to that weird uber-enthusiast corner of the market.

I upgraded from my beloved Dell U2412M to an Acer Predator xb271hu. It's a nice monitor, and the refresh rate + GSYNC makes a meaningful difference to gaming. But my Dell still has nicer colour reproduction, which is why I still use it as a second monitor.

TBH, I'd wait. I feel we are still in a transition phase. 2 years later, my gamble paid off, but I'd be less certain about the next 2. All the major manufacturers have been waxing lyrical about their HDR pipepines for a while now. We'll see...