The introduction of higher resolutions, such as 4K and 1440p, has sparked a growing interest in monitors that are larger than 25 and 27 inches. With larger monitors now being able to maintain most of their fidelity thanks to the better resolution, this begs the question, is a 32-inch monitor too big for gaming?
Yes, a 32-inch monitor is too big for gaming if you play a lot of competitive titles, as you will have to tilt and move your head around a lot. However, if you play more story-oriented titles, a 32-inch monitor is a great option.
In this article, we’re going to go over exactly why a 32-inch monitor might not be the best pick for you in gaming. Or, the reasons why it might actually be!
Understanding Peripheral Vision
Your peripheral vision is what you see from the edges of your vision. In essence, if you saw someone run right beside you, you’d see it even if you weren’t focusing on it. However, if they were far away enough towards the side, you wouldn’t be able to view them.
This, for the most part, can be applied to monitor sizes too. The larger the monitor, the larger the field of vision your eyes need to cover for them to be able to see what’s happening on all parts of the monitor at all times.
As your monitor size grows, the periphery of the monitor increases as well. Simply stated, a 32-inch monitor is extremely wide. This reduces your eye’s ability to stay focused on all aspects of it all times.
If you’ve ever went shopping for a gaming monitor that’s of larger size, you’ll notice that most of them are curved. The reason for their curvature is predominantly to keep the screen size similar but increase your field of view, as shown in the figure above.
While this does help in enhancing your viewing experience, you still won’t really be able to make much out of the action-packed gameplay that tends to happen while gaming which requires your utmost attention and focus.
32 Inch Monitors In Gaming
Professional players exclusively use 25 and 27-inch monitors for gaming. This is because of two reasons. Firstly, the smaller size allows them to completely focus on all aspects of the monitor. Secondly, the lower resolution allows for better refresh rates, a key aspect of competitive gaming.
While you can have 1080p 32-inch monitors, they will simply feel extremely blurry at times. This is because the number of pixels stretched out across a 32-inch screen can cause the entire display to lose its sharpness. If you opt for a 1440p or 4K screen, you’ll be sacrificing your frame rates instead.
Because of this, professional players or competitive gamers use monitors that are of a smaller size to keep their competitive edge.
32 Inch Monitors For Other Games
If you don’t plan on being a professional player, a 32-inch monitor provides you with a stellar experience. The large extent of the screen coupled with decently high refresh rates and resolution can lead to an outstanding experience, perhaps much better than a smaller monitor.
Story-based video games play more like movies. They have you soak in the visuals and encourage you to appreciate more of the finite and minute details. And, there’s no better monitor size other than a large one for you to be able to truly take advantage of these visuals.
To add, a 32-inch monitor won’t affect your gameplay. It simply just isn’t the most optical by most standards. So, you definitely can hit Challenger on League of Legends with your large monitor, don’t turn that into an excuse! Jokes aside, you really won’t be running into any issues playing games on a large monitor.
Case in point, you might find it a bit uncomfortable to be constantly turning and tossing your head around, especially if you sit particularly close to your monitor. So, in most instances, I’d recommend sitting about a foot away from your monitor to not cause repetitive eye strain.
Is A 32 Inch Monitor Too Big For Work?
A 32-inch monitor is great for work. The large-screen real estate really allows you to flex your muscles when it comes to spreadsheets and editing. While your professional work may vary, having a larger screen can never really go wrong.
So, if you have the desk space for it, picking up a 32-inch monitor is going to introduce a reasonable boost to your productivity. Plus, since monitor technology has improved significantly, you’ll be able to get a decent resolution with HDR support as well.
Even if you are a professional video editor or photographer, you’ll be able to VESA mount your monitor, get your hands on HDR, take advantage of the sRGB color space, and basically have the same experience as you would with a monitor that is smaller.
Should I Get Two Monitors Or One Large Monitor?
You should get one large monitor instead of two small ones. This is because two small monitors end up costing more than the larger monitor with not nearly as many features. Therefore, if you have a budget for two smaller monitors, you are bound to get more utility out of one larger monitor.
There is an exception to that rule. If your sole requirement is screen real estate, then the net diagonal space of two small monitors will always be greater than a 32-inch monitor. Or, the other exception is if you require a vertical and landscape monitor setup.
Besides that, you’ll be able to get better resolution, a sharper screen, and a better refresh rate for the combined cost of two small monitors. In most cases, you might even be able to save up on money as large monitors don’t tend to cost as much as two small ones.
The Verdict
A 32-inch monitor is great for gaming, given that you don’t play a ton of professional games. However, if that’s the case, a 32-inch screen might end up feeling a bit too wide at particular times, inhibiting your peripheral vision. Besides that niche use case, a 32-inch monitor is great for work and excellent for storyline-based games.
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Few years back I started to work from home, I needed a keyboard, I researched mechanical keyboard from A to Z. After that I needed a monitor, after that I needed a mouse, after that I needed desk, chair and other accessories. I did so much research and I figured this can't all go to waste and I started writing about what I know. Keyboards, Monitors, Mouses and other accessories. You can also at WolfofTablet where I cover a lot of stuff about iPads and Android Tablets. In the free time I like to play PS5 and iOS games.