If you are here, then you are sure looking for guide to buy a best PC Monitor. Recently, my Samsung monitor which I purchased around 2010 is going to be dead now. So, I was looking for a monitor and to my surprise it is not just simply buying any monitor as there are multiple brands and, in each Brands, there are different monitors to choose from. With multiple formats like FHD, QHD, 4k and different screen resolutions like 24Inch, 27Inch, 32 Inch and so on. As well the refresh rate that has been changed dramatically from mere 60Hz to 75Hz, 100Hz, 144Hz, 180Hz and so on. And the panels of course VA, IPS, OLed and more.

Also check Best Budget Gaming GPUs for Gamer

So, getting a monitor is difficult to choose, so I thought of sharing the info with you all on how you can look for things and decide which monitor or more importantly which features you need to decide that are important for your usage and satisfy your needs for buying the monitor.

Before looking into the technical specifications, it’s important to determine your primary use for a monitor. Whether it’s for office tasks, gaming, or consuming multimedia content, understanding your needs will assist in filtering the choices to a small list instead of many and avoiding confusion.

We will check out different features based on which you can decide best pc monitor to have.

Table of Contents

Comparing features to decide Best PC Monitor

The comparison between the panels, refresh rate, screen resolution, hardware, pixels and more will be done next. Let us see the details.

PC Monitor Panel Type the Basic

A reference of Panels compared from BenQ Brand with differences

VA (Vertical Alignment): They have high contrast ratio, making colors pop out like dark colors. Great for watching movies and TV shows. However, the viewing angles are limited. If you are sitting in front of it then the view is great, but on the side angles, the colors may not look that good. Only for tight budget.
IPS (In-Plane Switching): Offers wider viewing angles and better color accuracy, making it ideal for office work and creative tasks. They have better viewing angles even from the side and also costly than VA panels. IPS panels are also used in most of the mobile devices, so they have similar experience. Perfect option for anyone with a normal budget.
OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode): Delivers exceptional picture quality with deep blacks and vibrant colors. Perfect for gamers and movie buffs but more expensive than other two options. These are not for everyone but only for people with high end budget who need to work on color specific tasks and need max performance.

Refresh Rate: How Fast Can You See It?

PC Monitor Refresh Rates Compared with A game Frame

60Hz: Standard for most office monitors. Suitable for general tasks but might not be the best for fast-paced gaming. Best if you don’t need to watch movies or play games but basic videos.
75Hz- 120 Hz – Better than base refresh rate that gives a better refresh rate for basic gaming and watching fast paced videos. Recommended for most of the users as it provides nice experience with video viewing as well.
144Hz and above: Recommended for gaming, especially for competitive titles. Offers smoother gameplay and reduces motion blur. Only for those who want better performance irrelevant of the budget.
Sweet Spot: For most users, a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor is a great balance between performance and cost. For low budget people who can go a little bit higher, definitely can go for this.

Screen Size: Bigger Isn’t Always Better

PC Monitor Sizes Compared for Best Pc Monitor

20-22 inches: For basic office usage with tight budget and basic tasks.
24 inches: A good size for office work and casual gaming. Recommended for most of the users. Also recommended if you want to go for FHD monitors as the display is crisp with this combination. For people who sit near their system, also for reading text.
27 inches and above: Ideal for gaming, multimedia consumption, and multi-tasking. Recommended if you go for higher resolutions like QHD, 4k as display with FHD and lower resolutions will be dull and not crispier making it hard to read text. A few large monitors like 32 inch can be used as double monitor setup.

Budget: How Much Can You Spend?

Entry-level: Around ₹4,000-₹8,000 for basic office monitors. You can get small monitors under 20 inches with HD resolution support for basic tasks.
Mid-range: ₹8,000-₹15,000 for gaming and multimedia monitors with decent features. You get FHD display with 22-27 inches and general tasks. Recommended for most of the people.
Premium: ₹20,000 and above for high-end gaming and professional monitors with top-notch specs. Recommended for people who don’t care for budget and want to have the best gaming experience.

Display Ports Support: Connect Everything

VGA: If you have an old system to connect. This is needed.
DVI: Newer than VGA but still older systems support.
HDMI: The most common port for connecting devices like laptops, gaming consoles, and Blu-ray players. supports most of the mid-range and budget devices.
DisplayPort: Offers better performance and features, especially for higher resolutions and refresh rates. The latest port supported by high end devices
USB: For connecting peripherals like keyboards, mice, and webcams.

Speakers: Built-in or External?

Not that important but still a factor you can check

Built-in speakers: Convenient but often lack quality as they are basically 2-3 watt and good for normal usage. go for it, if you don’t have external speakers
No speakers: Offer better sound quality but additional cost. So, you can buy normal monitors to pair with External Speakers for better music experience.

Smart Monitors: Works without PC

Best PC Monitor for Office, Gaming, and Multimedia: A Buyer's Guide 1 — Version 1.0.0

now a days there are smart monitors that provides dual usage, you can connect your computer as well use it as a normal TV. Good to have if you are planning to use it as a TV for most of the time. Not recommended if you only going to use as monitor for your PC.

Smart features: Built-in apps, voice assistants, and web browsers.
WebOS: They usually have a web-based OS that supports OTT apps like Netflix, amazon prime.
Consideration: While convenient, smart monitors might be more expensive and can have performance implications.
60Hz: Most of the smart monitors are limited to 60Hz refresh rate, so not recommended for gaming but for simple office tasks like Word or Excel

Display Size and Resolution: Pixel difference

We already discussed about monitors with resolution versus size but here we talk about pixels. Pixels are basically smallest unit on the screen that makes up the whole screen. If we take same area, let say 20 inches than the one with more pixels will have a better picture. So, 27 inches with FHD have less pixels than QHD with more pixels.

Large Display with Lower Resolution: While offering more viewing area, a larger display with lower resolution can result in pixelation, especially when viewed up close.
Small Display with Same Resolution: A smaller display with the same resolution will have a higher pixel density, leading to sharper images and text.
Display Resolution vs Pixel Density: Display resolution determines the total number of pixels, while pixel density refers to the concentration of pixels per inch. A higher pixel density provides a more detailed and crisper image. There is no fixed size to pixel density, but you can compare the numbers based on size, budget to check which gives more pixels under same budget.
Monitor Size: The size of the monitor affects the overall viewing experience and should be chosen based on your usage and personal preference. A 24Inch monitor is a great size for most of the people.

Hardware Compatibility: Ensuring Smooth Performance

Only buying a monitor with QHD, 4k; or high pixel density; high refresh rate, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a PC with powerful hardware support.

Supporting Frame Rate and Higher Resolution: Your computer’s graphics card and processor must be powerful enough to handle the demands of high refresh rates and resolutions. A bottleneck can occur if your hardware is unable to keep up. Let say your PC CPU only supports up to 720p Resolution so QHD or 4K will not work with full performance. So, you need to have a monitor that supports the highest resolution available in your PC. Generally, FHD is sufficient for normal users.
Secondary Monitors: Connecting a secondary monitor to your laptop or tablet can enhance productivity and multitasking capabilities. However, ensure that your system can handle the additional workload.

Bottleneck is a term used to refer a condition when one of the things between CPU, GPU, RAM underperform making other components work lesser than they can.

Curved Displays: Immersive Gaming and Multi-Screen Setup

Curved displays are the new trend as it provides a single screen for multi monitor setup for a few users’ requirements, such as Video Editors, Graphic designers, Stock traders etc.

Curved Displays: Curved monitors offer a more immersive viewing experience, especially for gaming and multi-screen setups. They can reduce eye strain and provide a more cinematic feel. They are usually large so take up more space.
Normal Displays: Flat displays are more common and often offer better viewing angles, making them suitable for various tasks, including office work and creative endeavors. They are large as well small and can be grouped in a space for multi monitor setup vs a single curved display.

Choosing a Brand

Gone are the days when brands used to have a quality product, but now a days brand name doesn’t assure you of quality. So go with one that can provide you

Less price: Generally, brands like Frontech, Zebronics and AOC have cheaper low quality monitors but good for people with a tight budget. Whereas Samsung, Lg, Acer, Lenovo are the costly ones.
Service and Support: Make sure you get a long-term warranty service like 3 years or 5 years so in case of unrecoverable damage, you can get replacement and save money. Also make sure you have a service center in your area.
Quality: LG and Samsung used to rule the market with their monitors but now a days, there are many complaints for the brand. Issues such as White or green lines, dead pixels, are common now a days. So, make sure to check product reviews on Amazon, Flipkart and Youtube to make sure you are buying right.

Choosing the right PC monitor involves considering various factors, including panel type, refresh rate, screen size, resolution, pixel density, hardware compatibility, and whether you prefer a curved or flat display. By carefully evaluating your needs and budget, you can find the perfect monitor to enhance your computing experience.

Final Verdict

If you are on a tight budget, then go for HD panels under 20-22 inches or with adding more you can go for 22-25 inches monitor with FHD support with VA Panel. If you don’t have a budget, then can go for 24-27 inches FHD or QHD monitors with IPS panels. And for Pro gamers, you can go for 4K display with OLED tech as it gives the best performance.

For FPS you can go with 75HZ if you don’t care and go for 100-144 Hz if you need to try some performance.

We will soon share an article about a list of monitors you can buy.