Looking for an impressive gaming monitor to match your powerful desktop? The 32-inch version of the Samsung Odyssey G8 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is currently marked down from $1,300 to just $1,100. Only the beefiest gaming rigs can dream of powering its 3,840×2,160 pixel resolution at the full 240Hz refresh rate, but those who can will be hard-pressed to find anything stronger.
I got to spend some time with the 27-inch version of this panel, and was extremely impressed with its incredible image quality, whether watching movies or playing games. A big part of that is the QD-OLED panel, which is capable of producing perfectly dark black levels, as well as bright, vivid colors.
While streaming services might have limits when it comes to taking advantage of that kind of screen, most video games can take advantage of a panel like this without any extra work. The result is immersive, lifelike scenes, particularly in more cinematic and detailed games. Playing Cyberpunk 2077 on a screen like this is a rare delight, available only to those with thousands to spare on their battle station.
Even my supercharged gaming desktop, which features Nvidia’s top-end RTX 5090 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) couldn’t get anywhere close to 240Hz in any game with the settings turned up. You’ll likely need to turn the quality down, or rely heavily on multi-frame generation, in order to reach 200+ FPS at 4K in modern titles.
In fact, I wouldn’t even consider using this monitor unless you’re on an RTX 3000 Series GPU or newer, the first generation to support the HDMI and DisplayPort connectivity needed for 4K at 240Hz. Thankfully, the G81SF does support both FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync, so AMD users on Radeon RX 6000 Series or newer cards might give this a look as well. Anything older than that and you’re better off checking one of our other favorite gaming monitors.
If you’ve got the scratch, and the rig to match, this Samsung is absolutely one of the most premium gaming monitors available, and a noticeable discount to help cover the cost of a GPU upgrade is particularly welcome.
