To achieve the best gaming experience possible, you need a monitor that can keep up with your quick reflexes, and this is where response time comes into play.
If you are a graphic designer or play First Person Shooter games, you need a high-speed responsive monitor.
The response time of 1ms and 5ms seems close enough, but there is still a significant difference that can further improve your gameplay.
Still, thinking about 1ms vs 5ms display’s response time?
A faster response time means that the image will update more quickly, which is essential for competitive gamers and other professionals who require a quick response from the screen.
Let’s get started!
1ms vs 5ms Response Time Comparison Table
| 1ms Response Time | 5ms Response Time | |
| FPS Games | Better Accuracy in case of FPS games | Good Accuracy in FPS games |
| Ghosting | Less | More |
What is the Response time in Monitors?
Response time is often referred to as the time it takes to render a pixel from black to its color. It is measured in milliseconds and represents the amount of time it takes one pixel’s red, green, and blue components – all three colors combined – to be fully updated with new information.
This will happen so that when you move your mouse pointer across an interface element like a menu bar or scroll down a webpage there are no hiccups along the way.
Why do we prefer a lower response time for the monitor?
A monitor that has a response time of less than 16ms is considered to be responsive.
This means it refreshes quickly and doesn’t leave you with motion blur on games, motion blur while watching movies, or ghosting on the screen when reading text.
Monitors have now become popular for gamers because this allows them to do more actions per second, which results in higher scores.
The refresh rate measures how many times the display updates every second (refreshing).
A low frequency will result in lower-quality pictures but they are still solid enough to use as monitors for office work.
The highest ones are typically reserved for graphics design and CAD programs where precision is key.
Some Monitors also come equipped with high Refresh Rates like 120Hz, and 240Hz.
Many people don’t realize how important the response time can be for a monitor. The faster a monitor responds, the more accurate it will seem to be.
In order to understand the lag time difference between a monitor with a response time of one millisecond (ms) compared to five milliseconds, you need to understand how LCDs work.
How do the LCD Monitors work?
The liquid crystals in the monitor are controlled with an electric current that flows through electrodes on either side of the liquid crystals.
When an electric current is applied, a light impulse causes the molecules to align in one direction. This arrangement of molecules reflects or blocks light waves on the display.
The faster that liquid crystals are able to respond in changing their alignment or blocking light waves, the more accurate a monitor will seem to be.
In the case of a 1ms response time, the liquid crystals are communicating instantly without much delay.
This means that monitors with response times of one millisecond (ms) are less likely to have ghosting or smearing images than a monitor with response times of five milliseconds.
In order to be more accurate in image rendering with minimal lag, a monitor with response times of one millisecond (ms) is required.
Monitors with this type of response time will also be less likely to have ghosting or smearing images.
1ms and 5ms monitor Gaming Test Video Side by Side
Competitive gaming is the perfect scenario where you can test the differences between 1ms and 5ms response time.
In this video, you will find the side-by-side comparison of the 1ms vs 5ms for gaming.
Related: 1ms vs 4ms
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you notice any difference between 1ms and 5ms?
It is difficult for Human Eye to notice the difference between a one-millisecond (ms) and a five-millisecond response time.
The only way to notice the difference is when you are playing a game with fast-moving objects or if you use it for photo editing and even watching video content.
Is 5ms response time good for gaming?
Games that require fast-moving objects or games that are competitive may require a one millisecond (ms) response time.
However, if you are playing a game where there is no need for such quick responses, then the five-millisecond response time will be just fine.
Conclusion
Let’s conclude this post on 1ms vs 5ms!
1ms displays are typically more expensive and meet the criteria for being the best for professional gamers, but they offer a much smoother image.
This means that these monitors will not ghost or smear images as much and the color reproduction will be more precise. Once you get used to a 1ms response time monitor then the 5ms monitor would be a bit laggy with a slower response time.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post.
I’m Anirban Saha, Founder & Editor of TechBullish. With a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering, and 6+ years of experience as a software developer, I have expertise in electronics, software development, gadgets, and computer peripherals. I love sharing my knowledge through informational articles, how-to guides, and troubleshooting tips for Peripherals, Smart TVs, Streaming Solutions, and more here. Check Anirban’s Crunchbase Profile here.
