The Refresh Rate Race Just Hit a New Milestone
For years, competitive gamers have been chasing the fastest possible displays, and the refresh rate arms race has officially crossed into four-digit territory. LG has announced the UltraGear 25G590B — a 24.5-inch IPS gaming monitor that will be the first in the world to deliver a native 1000Hz refresh rate at 1,920 x 1,080 (1080p) resolution.
That combination has never existed in a shipping consumer product before. Previous 1000Hz prototype monitors — shown off at trade events in recent years — were limited to 720p resolution, a trade-off that made them interesting engineering demos but impractical for real-world gaming. LG's new panel changes that equation.
Why 1000Hz at 1080p Actually Matters
Refresh rate refers to how many times per second a monitor updates the image on screen. At 1000Hz, the display redraws the image 1,000 times every second — compared to 60 times on a standard monitor or 360 times on the high-end panels that top esports teams were using just a few years ago.
For most people, the difference between, say, 165Hz and 360Hz is already nearly imperceptible. But competitive esports athletes — particularly in fast-twitch genres like Counter-Strike, Valorant, and tactical shooters — argue that every millisecond of latency reduction translates to a measurable edge. The human visual system can detect motion blur and ghosting at higher thresholds than most casual users realize, especially under intense focus.
LG specifically markets the 25G590B toward esports competitors who "need maximum responsiveness," and the company cheekily noted it's ready for Excel players too — a nod to the growing world of competitive spreadsheet gaming, believe it or not.
The IPS Advantage
One of the more notable aspects of LG's announcement is that the 25G590B uses an IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel rather than TN (Twisted Nematic), which has historically dominated the ultra-high-refresh segment due to its faster pixel response times.
IPS panels offer significantly better colour accuracy and wider viewing angles than TN alternatives — factors that matter even in competitive play, where colour contrast can affect target visibility. Achieving 1000Hz on an IPS panel at 1080p suggests LG has made meaningful progress in panel manufacturing that could ripple through the broader display industry.
A Question of Perception — and Price
The elephant in the room is whether anyone can actually perceive the difference between 500Hz and 1000Hz. Research into human visual perception at extremely high frame rates is still evolving, and the debate among gamers is fierce. Some professional players insist higher refresh rates reduce eye strain during long sessions, even if the discrete frames aren't consciously distinguishable.
LG has not yet announced pricing or an exact release date beyond "this year," but monitors in this class typically command a premium. Previous 500Hz-and-above panels have landed in the $700–$900 range, suggesting the 1000Hz model could push beyond that threshold.
What's Next
The UltraGear 25G590B represents the current ceiling of consumer display technology, but given how quickly this segment has moved — from 144Hz being exotic just a decade ago — the 1000Hz era is likely to become a new baseline for serious competitive gaming setups within a few years.
For now, LG has claimed a genuine first, and the esports world is watching closely.
Source: The Verge
