Worlds first 1000 Hz 1440p gaming monitors
Philips and AOC are aiming straight at the extreme end of PC gaming with what they are calling a worlds first in monitor tech. The Philips Evnia 27M2N5500XD and the AOC AGON Pro AGP277QK are 27 inch gaming displays that combine a 1440p native resolution with a blistering 500 Hz refresh rate and add an optional 1080p mode that can run at up to 1,000 Hz.
On paper that is some of the most aggressive gaming monitor hardware we have seen so far. These screens are clearly aimed at competitive players and enthusiasts who care deeply about latency and motion clarity.
The exact panel technology has not been officially confirmed yet. However, details that have surfaced suggest a specific kind of IPS based tech rather than TN or VA.
Panel tech, specs and image quality trade offs
The monitors are 27 inch panels with a quoted 1 ms grey to grey response time, which lines up with modern fast IPS displays. Static contrast is listed at 2,000:1 which is higher than traditional IPS but below typical VA panels, pointing toward something like IPS Black or a similar high contrast IPS variant rather than VA or TN.
Here is how the possible panel options compare conceptually:
- Typical IPS panels usually sit around 1,000:1 to 1,300:1 contrast but have good response times and color.
- VA panels often reach 3,000:1 to 4,000:1 contrast but are generally slower, especially in dark transitions.
- TN panels are usually the speed kings but with weaker contrast and color performance.
Since these new displays are targeting extremely high refresh rates and still claiming 2,000:1 contrast, IPS or an IPS derived technology is the most likely choice. VA would be slower and TN would not hit that contrast figure.
Both Philips and AOC models also carry VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification. That means you get basic HDR support but not true high end HDR. There is no meaningful local dimming here, so expectations for deep blacks or dramatic HDR highlights should be modest. Think of HDR 400 more as a slight boost than a cinematic upgrade.
One interesting wrinkle is how the 1080p 1,000 Hz mode works on a native 1440p panel. Because 1080p does not scale cleanly as an integer multiple of 1440p, pixels do not map perfectly. The result is softer image quality and possible artifacts compared with running the panel at its native 1440p resolution. So while that 1,000 Hz mode might be incredibly fast, it will not be the sharpest image.
There is also the relationship between refresh rate and response time. At 1,000 Hz you are refreshing the image every 1 millisecond. Even if the panel could truly hit 1 ms response times across the board, the pixels would only just be finishing their color transition as the next frame arrives. Real world IPS response times are often slower than quoted best case numbers, which means you are unlikely to see the full theoretical clarity of 1,000 Hz on an LCD panel.
Do you really need 1,000 Hz for gaming
These displays are not the first 1,000 Hz monitors ever announced. AntGamer previously revealed a 25 inch model with a TN panel and a native 1080p resolution aimed at similar ultra high refresh use cases. What matters now is who actually ships a retail product that gamers can buy and how it performs in practice.
The bigger question for most PC gamers is what a 1,000 Hz monitor actually offers in real gameplay. For typical players, there is probably very little real world benefit once you are already on a quality 240 Hz or 360 Hz display. System latency from CPU, GPU and input devices tends to be the bigger bottleneck, and performance gains from even higher refresh rates quickly hit diminishing returns.
Where a 1,000 Hz display might make sense is in top tier esports. Professional players in games like Counter Strike, Valorant or competitive shooters might squeeze out a tiny advantage from smoother motion and slightly more immediate frame updates. Even then, your PC needs to be powerful enough to push extremely high frame rates at 1080p or 1440p to take advantage of these modes.
A theoretical benefit of 1,000 Hz is motion clarity. At extremely high refresh rates, fast moving objects should appear more stable and less blurry, reducing smearing and improving tracking. However LCD technology has inherent limitations in pixel response compared with OLED. Even with 1,000 Hz, an LCD panel that cannot change state instantly will never fully deliver the perfect clarity the refresh rate number suggests.
In other words, these Philips and AOC 1,000 Hz capable monitors are impressive technological experiments and attention grabbers for spec hunters. They hint at where competitive displays might go next, but they also highlight the gap between refresh rate marketing numbers and what panel tech can currently deliver.
If you are a regular PC gamer, a solid 144 Hz to 240 Hz 1440p monitor with good image quality is still the sweet spot. If you are chasing every last millisecond and play at a professional level, these 500 Hz 1440p and 1,000 Hz 1080p modes might be exciting, but it is worth waiting for independent testing to see how much of that performance is real and how much is just numbers on a box.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-monitors/philips-and-aoc-announce-the-worlds-first-1-000-hz-dual-mode-gaming-monitors/
