What is Ghosting? - my buying guide

Monitor ghosting takes place when an image article looks like a trail of pixels behind a moving item, resembling closely to motion blur. The trail of pixels bears a resemblance to a ghost which is from where this effect gets the name ghosting.

Ghosting in general means that you see a trail of pixels every time you use your display, however you can also experience ghosting while gaming in particular, as this type of ghosting exists due to the screen displaying numerous fast-paced objects. Ghosting while gaming can be a big factor behind eye strain as it makes the image look like they are on top of each other.

Fortunately unlike other effects, ghosting does not cause any permanent effect to the monitor nonetheless, it can still prove to be a great source of annoyance particularly while playing fast paced games and irrespective of whether you are using LCD or LED, ghosting can still haunt you.

Monitor Ghosting causes

There are a number of factors which can contribute to ghosting, but your panel type might be the biggest. Out of all the monitor types out there, VA panels are most likely to be a ghosting monitor as they have the slowest response time in comparison to IPS and TN panel, however this does not mean that every VA panel is prone to ghosting, as a matter of fact your monitor panel might not be the cause of ghosting in the first place

Other causes include unoptimized monitor settings, faulty cables and devices interfering between the PC to monitor connection.

Fixing Monitor Ghosting

For starters, you should test your device to make sure that your monitor is indeed suffering from ghosting and not any other issue(s). Once it has been identified that it is in fact ghosting that you are dealing with, the following steps can be used to fix monitor ghosting (as well as gaming).

1. Ghosting tests

The first step in overcoming any problem is to first find the issue or simply put a diagnosis. For ghosting, the way to perform a diagnosis is to go to Blur Busters UFO motion test. If no issues are found then a green signal with the word ‘Ready’ will be displayed. On the other hand if an issue is found then an orange signal will be displayed with suggestions on what needs to be fixed. The tool also gives figures for Frames per second, refresh rate, pixels per frame and pixels per second and solutions if any problems related to them are found.

2. Optimizing monitor settings

Due to the fact that ghosting is not usually a physical problem, another easy way to reduce or even terminate ghosting is to adjust the monitor’s settings, particularly adjust the settings labeled noise reduction, dynamic contrast, perfect clear and motion smoothing. These settings can potentially contribute towards ghosting, especially in media with darker images. You can use the trial and error method until you succeed in reducing, or if you are lucky, getting completely rid of ghosting.

3. Checking connected cables and devices

A faulty cable can also be the reason behind ghosting. When checking your cables, make sure there is no fraying or any other damage, you can do so by running your fingers along the cable in order to detect any fraying or similar damage, which can lower your refresh rate due to overheating, if no damage is found on the outside you can test your cable with a replacement to check whether the issue is resolved. If yes, then the cable was at fault, if no, then you can move onto the next step.

You should also make sure that ghosting isn’t being caused by a wired or wireless device connected to your PC. You should start by detaching the peripheral devices one by one to see if it resolves the issues and if the wired devices aren’t the issue, then you should move on to the wireless devices and move them away from your PC to a point, you think is out of the range of your computer and check if ghosting has been reduced or eliminated, as wireless devices can often affect the refresh rate of your monitor.

4. Updating graphics card drivers

Not keeping your drivers up to date can be a big reason why you experience ghosting, as out of date drives can affect performance due to bugs and compatibility issues and can also contribute to other monitor related problems.

5. Checking the monitor video port

In the end if you narrow down the fault to the monitor video port, then it may be fixable. If your device is under warranty, then you can claim it and get it fixed by a professional, otherwise you will have to look for a repair shop and hope that they can fix your device.

In case your monitor is unrepairable or just too expensive to repair, then looking for a new device will be the best option. The following lists can help you greatly in your search for your next monitor.