LG UltraGear 25G590B breaks 1,000 Hz barrier for 1080p gaming

LG has released the UltraGear 25G590B, marking the first gaming monitor capable of 1,000 Hz refresh at full 1920x1080 resolution. The display can also reach 1,100 Hz using an overclock mode, pushing the boundaries of competitive gaming hardware.

The 25-inch IPS panel comes with a 1 ms response time, 400 nits brightness, and DisplayHDR 400 certification. Connectivity includes two HDMI ports and a single DisplayPort 2.1 input, though only the DisplayPort interface supports the full 1,000 Hz refresh. Achieving this speed demands current-generation graphics hardware: AMD Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs or Nvidia's latest RTX 50-series chips. The monitor is priced at $999 USD and £899 GBP.

The monitor also features G-Sync and FreeSync support, motion blur reduction technology, and adjustable stand with tilt, height, swivel, and pivot options. A dark grey plastic chassis houses the display, which includes configurable RGB lighting on the rear logo.

However, reaching 1,000 fps in actual gameplay presents significant challenges. Testing revealed that popular competitive titles like Counter-Strike 2 cannot sustain 1,000 fps due to CPU bottlenecking. Even with high-end processors like the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Counter-Strike 2 achieves around 600 fps at medium settings on 1080p. Valorant came closer, delivering 500 to 800 fps depending on on-screen activity.

In practical use, the subjective difference between 1,000 Hz and 480 Hz gaming is subtle rather than dramatic. Motion clarity improvements diminish above 500 Hz on LCD panels like this one. The monitor's IPS technology may limit its ability to fully deliver on pixel response promises at extreme refresh rates. Maximizing performance requires attention to system configuration, including CPU cooling, memory timings, mouse polling rates, and features like Nvidia Reflex.

The UltraGear 25G590B targets esports professionals where marginal latency improvements matter most. For general gaming and multi-purpose use, the monitor falls short compared to similarly-priced alternatives, given its basic HDR support and limited contrast ratio of 1,000:1.