Choosing the Right PC Monitor

The monitor is one of the most important components of your PC as you are going to stare at it all day, especially if you spend a lot of time on the computer at work or at home. Investing in a is very good screen important, all the more so if you are into graphics, art or designing. Often, when you go to a computer monitor rentals service or a shop to get yourself a PC, the monitor is the last thing on your mind. You can change that with these tips on how to go about choosing the right one.

Resolution and size

Decide if you want a huge screen for your desk or a small one. If you do a lot of design work, maybe you could opt for a 27” one. Sometimes, you may need two small ones. Once you have decided on the size, you should pay attention to the resolution of the screen. Greater the pixels, greater the detail. Gone are the days of the 1080p HD. You could look at 1920x1200 for a wide screen and 3840x2160 for ultra HD.

The higher resolutions will help you stream HD films, Blu-rays and are a boon for video or photography specialists. The same applies to gamers as well. An LCD is at its sharpest display when it has a resolution in the range of 1440x900 for a 19” monitor, 1680x1050 for a 22” screen and 1920x1200 for a 24” monitor. For a 27”, the resolution would be 2560x2440. You should decide on what you want, depending on your needs.

Panels

The widely used panel varieties in monitors are TN or twisted nematic, PVA or patterned vertical alignment and S-PVA which is super PVA, MVA or multi-domain vertical alignment and IPS, which is in-plane switching. Most displays use TN panels as it is among the least expensive types. But in recent times, IPS and MVA monitors are also gaining popularity.

What else to look for

• Pay attention to how the different colors in a digital photo you are familiar with look on the screen. This ensures that you pick a monitor with good color display.
• You should also look at the screen from different angles to check if colors change or if the screen becomes dark. Ideally, colors and the brightness levels should not change from any side.
• Glossy screens can enhance contrast in games and movies, but if you don’t like the high level of reflectiveness, you could opt for matte.
• If your monitor displays black well, it is a good one. No monitor can display real black, but the closer to black the better, without losing out on details of a picture or scene.