Have a budget of about $300 to blow on a new gaming monitor or a similar amount in pounds' then you are faced with a tricky conundrum. The solution may be the new HP Omen 25i.

At this price point, you certainly have an embarrassment of choices: resolutions up to 4K, refresh rates over 120Hz, three major panel types (TN, IPS, VA), G-Sync and FreeSync, various HDR implementations, and well, you get the idea. Of course, you can't have it all in one panel. It cannot be reached at such a price, and definitely not at any price.

HP's latest gaming solution is built around a 25" 1080p IPS panel with high refresh rates, fast pixel response, and at least some attention to image quality as opposed to pure speed.

This budget, of course, allows for 1440p and even 4K monitors, which have far more pixels than the 1,920 x 1,080 offered here, and thus far better image detail. However, the speed is not the same. Another obvious alternative is the TN panel, which theoretically has a faster pixel response but inferior viewing angles, contrast, and color accuracy.

More specifically, HP has set the refresh of the Omen 25i at 165 Hz with a pixel response of 1 ms. Typically, 1ms MPRT is equivalent to 2ms GTG, indicating early on that the Omen 25i may not be as fast as very fast IPS gaming panels, which are good at 1ms GTG. [VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification is an entry-level HDR technology and does not include backlighting with local dimming, 400 nits brightness, or 1,000:1 contrast. As for color accuracy, HP announces 90% coverage of the DCI-P3 digital cinema color gamut, which is at least novel given that many manufacturers offering panels in this segment do not bother to announce their color gamuts.

Anyway, if it largely lives up to expectations for this kind of gaming panel, how about the physical appearance of the HP Omen 25i, which certainly fits the established design ethic of the HP Omen, most obviously in the base of the stand and the back of the monitor, which houses the ports and connectors on the back of the monitor. Both clearly pay homage to the Omen logo.

The HP Omen 25i is also really well put together, with sleek, slim bezels on three sides of the 25" panel. The stand clips to the back of the monitor, which is also innovative. Unfortunately, however, no money was spent on adjustability. The only option is tilt, and not even height adjustment is provided. As for connectivity, there is one HDMI and one DisplayPort, and a two-port USB 3 hub.

But what about the most important thing, namely image quality, HP has obtained VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification for the Omen 25i. That requires a luminance capability of 400 nits. However, this panel doesn't feel like it packs much of a punch. That may be partly because the white tones are not as clean and pure as the best IPS panels.

This is a relatively minor issue, and one that the human brain is particularly adept at tuning. However, as we saw some compression in the darker tones in the test image, it shows that this is not a truly top-class IPS panel in terms of image fidelity. Long story short, don't get too excited about the monitor's HDR performance or wide range of still image quality, as this is not where the HP Omen 25i excels the most.

In gaming, the pixel response is good, but not absolutely stellar, and HP has included five levels of user-configurable overdrive. This is welcome, as it means that you can really fine-tune the pixel response and decide for yourself whether you want to accept overshoot or not. The two fastest settings do indeed produce a bit of reverse ghosting. But again, it is up to you to decide what compromise you want to settle on.

Anyway, I found the Omen 25i to be very responsive when launching shooters like Call of Duty Warzone, Apex Legends, and Fortnite. Subjectively, pixel response is not as snappy as the best IPS monitors, much less the fastest TN screens. But don't get me wrong, the Omen 25i is by no means inferior.

What it is slightly inferior to is its performance in a "Cyberpunk 2077" type of graphics extravaganza. Color vibrancy is slightly less than the best IPS panels. Also, in darker tones, the IPS shows a bit of brilliance. Again, this is not a bad monitor and not particularly noteworthy.

Given the relatively modest proportions of 25" and the subpar native resolution of 1080p, this is not a panel to choose if your top priority is pure visual spectacle rather than response or speed.

Of course, that much is obvious enough on paper. For a similar amount of money, you can get a bigger, bolder screen. But what the HP Omen 25i offers is a pretty good combination of speed and responsiveness, combined with acceptable all-around image quality, wrapped in a satisfying, if not ergonomically superior, aesthetic package.

The HP Omen 25i cannot be immediately placed at the top of our list of candidates. But it certainly deserves serious consideration among the many 1080p high refresh options. If you're looking for a speedy screen, check out our guide to the best high refresh monitors.