Monitors

File:Dellultrasharp.jpg

A Dell Ultrasharp Monitor, a popular choice by many

There are many types of monitors to choose from. If you are in the market for a new monitor, you may be confused as to where to start and what to look for. If so, you have come to the right place.

Picking a Monitor

Monitors come in a wide variety of flavors. Some monitors are designed specifically for gaming, while others may be designed strictly for photo editing. The trick to picking the best monitor is to pick the one that best caters to your needs. Below is a guide which will help you find what you are looking for.

General Use, Light-Medium Gaming

An IPS paneled monitor is preferred for general use and/or light to medium gaming. Response times between 8ms and 5ms can handle all but the fastest games perfectly fine. Resolution is subjective, however keep in mind that the higher resolution you pick, the more powerful your graphics card will need to be to play games at a steady frame-rate. As of May 2016, all mid-range graphics cards ($300 price range) can handle almost all games on maximum settings at 1080p.

• Panel: IPS
• Refresh Rate: 60hz
• Response time: 8ms-5ms
• Resolution: 1080p-4k
• Brands: Dell Ultrasharp, ASUS, Acer

Heavy Gaming

For those who play games competitively a TN panaled monitor with a 144hz refresh rate is suggested. This is because TN monitors have lightning-fast response times, down to 1ms. Also, TN panels are the only panels currently that can run at a 144hz refresh rate, which is more smoother than 60hz (thus again, is good for competitive gaming). However, this is at the risk of bad viewing angles and mediocre color reproduction in comparison to IPS panels.

• Panel: TN
• Refresh Rate: 144hz
• Response time: 3ms-1ms
• Resolution: 1080p
• Brands: ASUS VG248QE, BenQ models

Photo/Video Editing

A recommended resolution for photo and video editing is 2k or higher, as technology is rapidly changing and standards in these markets are becoming higher. Response time is less important for these types of monitors, assuming that you will not be gaming at all. What's most important is resolution and color accuracy. Expect to pay a hefty price for a good 2k-4k monitor (above $250). Also if you intend to edit photos and videos, naturally you will want a wide display to see everything more easily. 25” is a safe size to start from.

• Panel: IPS
• Refresh Rate: 60hz
• Response time: 10ms-5ms
• Resolution: 2k-4k
• Brands: Dell Ultrasharp, ASUS, Acer

Other general tips:

• Pick a monitor that has the necessary ports required to run your machine. You dont want to buy a monitor that only takes Display Ports if your computer has no Display Ports.

• Dont be afraid to spend a good amount on a monitor. After all, this is the thing you will be starring at for possibly hours at a time.

• The size of your monitor is entirely subjective, pick a size that is best for your environment. This is unless you are editing photos or videos, where more real estate will be handy to see what you are doing.

• Take into account the size of the bezels when picking a monitor. Bezels are the plastic sides of the monitor where the screen touches. If you intend to run a duel-monitor set-up, try to pick monitors with the thinnest bezels.

Muh Hertz

Currently the best high refresh rate display (120Hz+) is the ASUS VG248QE. However, this is expected to change as newer GSYNC models are announced.

60hz or 144hz?

If you are currently shopping for a new monitor, especially a gaming one, you may be confused as to whether you should purchase a 60hz screen or a 144hz screen.

60hz is currently (as of February 2016) the industry standard for refresh rates. All of today's gaming consoles run on 60hz, as do the vast majority of PC games. Very few games provide an option for 144hz refresh rate, and most of those games are limited to first person shooter and real-time strategy titles. Basically, hardcore multiplayer competitive gaming titles.

So you may wonder: why not go ahead and buy a 144hz monitor anyway? The problem with doing this is that 144hz is currently limited to TN monitors, which do not display colors as beautifully as IPS screens (there are a handful of IPS 144hz monitors, but are very expensive compared to 60hz IPS screens). However, TN panels refresh far more faster than IPS, which could give you that competitive edge in games.

So when it comes to deciding between 144hz and 60hz, you have to ask yourself these questions:

• Do you prefer pretty colors or fast-paced refresh times? (IPS vs. TN)
• Do you play games competitively, or casually?
• Do you play one of the few games that supports 144hz?

If you answer favors the 144hz side to two of these questions, then 144hz may be worth the investment. Otherwise, it is best to stick with an IPS 60hz panel.