Last updated: 16 February 2025
What is this? This page has basic info and links to everything you would want to know about monitors. It’s sort of a TLDR. By following this page you will be able to find a good monitor for your use case. If you go deeper and read the links I reference on this blog (links to articles on this blog), you’l learn even more about the most important characteristics of your monitor.
What is a PC monitor?
A PC monitor is an essential output device that displays visuals from a computer. It comes in various sizes, resolutions, and refresh rates, catering to different needs such as gaming, content creation, and office work.
Key features & specs
- Resolution: Basically, the number of pixels on the screen. Read more about resolution (the article covers aspect ratio and dpi too!).
- Panel type: VA, IPS, TN? Or maybe OLED? Read about panel type and backlight.
- Refresh rate: Measured in Hz, it determines how smooth motion appears. Read more about refresh rate.
- Response time: It’s the time it takes for a pixel to change from one color to another. Read more about response time.
- Contrast ratio: the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black. Read more about contrast ratio here.
- Brightness: How many nits do you need? Whats a nit? What does 250 cd/m² mean? Read here about monitor brightness.
- Color depth or bit depth: Seen as 8bit or 6bit + FRC. TLDR get as high as budget allows. But here’s what you should know.
- HDR: if budget is low, don’t bother. Here’s what you should know about HDR in PC screens.
- Connectivity: Match with your PC. If your graphic card has HDMI, make sure your monitor does too.
- Big curved monitors: I strongly suggest trying one out for a couple of minutes or at least sit in front of one at a store/friend. It’s different.
- Very wide monitors: This kind of ties in with the big curved monitors. I like 16:9 aspect ratio. But a very wide monitor would make windows wierder and will require you to adjust your workflow most of the times. It’s something to keep in mind.
- Multi monitor setups: I wrote something related to this here.
Buying Guide: how to choose the best PC monitor
And by best, I mean the best for you.
Because choosing the right monitor depends on your usage. Gamers prioritize refresh rate and response time, while content creators need accurate color reproduction.
Here is a dedicated how to buy a monitor guide.
And here is a table that might be useful if you don’t feel like reading a full guide right now:
| Primary Use | Key Specifications | Nice to have | Budget |
| General Office Work | 24-27 inch 1080p to 1440p 60-75+ Hz refresh rate IPS panel | Built-in USB hub Height adjustment Speakers and/or jack port | $150-300 |
| Gaming | 24-32 inch 1440p to 4K 144-360 Hz refresh rate 1ms response time | AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync Low input lag (check reviews) | $300-800 |
| Photo/Video Editing | 27-32 inch 4K resolution 60 Hz refresh rate IPS panel with 10-bit color | 99% sRGB coverage Factory calibration Hardware calibration support USB-C with power delivery | $400-1000 |
| Programming/Development | 27-34 inch 1440p to 4K 60-75 Hz refresh rate IPS panel | Multiple inputs KVM switch capability Portrait mode support Good text clarity | $300-600 |
| Entertainment/Media | 32+ inch 4K resolution 60-120 Hz refresh rate VA/IPS panel | Good HDR support Built-in speakers Multiple HDMI ports Wide viewing angles | A lot. |
What to focus on
This is for a guy like me. Moderate budget, all-rounder. Game, text work, programming, graphical work, some content creation, and some media consumption.
- Never sacrifice resolution for screen size. FullHD does not really look good on a 27 inch screen. (Minimum for me: 24inch=1080p, 27inch=1440p, 4K ideal if budget allows for anything from 27inch and upper)
- If you do a lot of things, like most of us, just get a good IPS panel. (look for reviews)
- Minimum 1000:1 native contrast ratio and 300 cd/m² brightness.
- 1ms response time.
- Aim for at least 100 Hz.
- At least 95% sRGB coverage. DCI-P3 would be nice. If you’re really into graphical work or photo/video stuff look for high coverage across all three standards (95%+ sRGB, 90%+ DCI-P3, 85%+ Adobe RGB
Model recomendations
Below are some good models I can recommend.
- Very low budget, under $100 for a new screen: for ultimate value you probably cannot beat this: AOC 24B2H2. 24 inch FullHD 100Hz with 8-bit panel. Be wary it only has HDMI.(I have it’s older brother 24B2XH and it really is good for the value. But the new one is a lot better as mine has 6bit+FRC panel which is inferior to 8-bit)
- Budget, office work:
- Lenovo ThinkVision S24i-30: 24 inch, FullHD, 100Hz, very good contrast.
- DELL P2425HE: a good all-rounder
- Gaming on 24-inch: AOC Gaming 24G2SPAE/BK
- Gaming on 27-inch: Samsung Gaming Odyssey G5 G50D
- A very good 40 inch ultrawide: Dell UltraSharp U4025QW
- A very good 27 inch if you have the budget: Samsung Gaming Odyssey G7 LS28BG700EPXEN
Final thoughts
A PC monitor is a crucial part of any setup, and choosing the right one can completely change your experience. Consider resolution, refresh rate, and panel type to find the perfect fit. And please, try as much as possible, to dedicate some decent budget to your monitor especially if you use it a lot. For example I sometimes watch movies besides work and game on the same screen (to be fair, the left one since i am using a dual monitor setup) – and that means that a good monitor will enhance a big portion of my day since I stare at the screen so much.
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