Keep In Mind These 5 Things Before Buying a Computer Monitor

Posted by Jennifer Truong on August 22nd, 2019

No one talks about computer monitors. You will always find hobbyists talking about processor prowess, RAM and storage when they talk about building their ideal setup. But the display is just as essential! After all, the result of that computing is on the display! So, once you pick out the perfect CPU parts, the most comfortable keyboard, and the most accurate mouse, spend some time picking out the right monitor. On top of that spend an equal amount of time getting the best and the most future proof computer monitor cable.

What should you keep in mind when getting a monitor?

• Display panel:

Display technology has evolved significantly in the last few years, with IPS panels and OLED taking over the industry. If you are looking for color accuracy and wide view angels, IPS monitors are the way to go. Whereas in an OLED panel, each pixel lights up individually and you get the darkest blacks. Now that there are 8K OLED displays, it is one of the most expensive and luxurious viewing experience. The display panel you pick should be either of these two, one that fits your budget and one that fulfills your requirements.

• Refresh rate:

The higher the refresh rate, the smoother the picture. You can measure refresh rate in hertz, 1 Hz per second. Computer monitors go from 60Hz to 240Hz now! But of course, you will only need anything higher than 60Hz if you are a casual gamer. As a much-advanced gamer, you may want to go for a refresh rate higher than 100Hz.

• Mounting option:

When you want to set up a workstation, you might want to accommodate more than one monitor. Therefore, your desk real estate will matter in the long run. So, you want to pick up a monitor that you can mount on a wall or one that comes with an adjustable stand so that you can arrange your monitor(s), as you deem convenient.

• Screen Size:

This should depend on what you are going to view on this monitor. If your work includes basic document editing or database management, then you want a standard 21-inch monitor. But if you want to edit videos and films, you will need a widescreen monitor so that you can see each frame of your video at the same time. Similarly, a gaming setup will also require a widescreen, immersive monitor.

These are some of the essential factors that you have to keep in mind while buying a computer monitor. However, this is not all. A display is only as good as the monitor cable used for it.

Along with display technology, cable technology has also advanced. Let us look at some of the computer monitor cables so you can get a comprehensive picture of what to buy:

• VGA:

The Video Graphics Array port with the cable is a large 15-pin connector. These 15 pins include RGB; and H and V sync signal. This monitor cable does not carry audio and it is quite slow in comparison to newer ports and cables.

• DisplayPort:

DisplayPort is a 20-pin connector that came after the VGA connector. However, this port included audio.

The issue with these two ports was that they took up a lot of space on the monitor as well as the CPU and they were slow for activities like gaming and video editing.

Then came the HDMI cable.

HDMI:

The High Definition Multimedia Interface, a port that was great when it came out, is getting better. Along with the evolving display resolution, it has scaled to support it. Computer monitors that can support 4K resolution can benefit greatly from the HDMI computer monitor cable.

At the end of the day, your monitor’s output comes down to the computer monitor cable that you use. Therefore, when you buy your computer setup, you have to look at all of these various aspects to make a well-informed decision. After all, you have to have a monitor that can deliver the performance that your carefully picked out CPU can perform.

An overall computing assembly requires more than just the perfect CPU. Take a look at what you need to know to pick out an equally great monitor for it!