How to choose the best computer monitor (15 tips you need to know)

 Best Computer Monitor

Choosing the best computer screen needs to take into account several factors, the most important of which is the presence of differences in the purposes of use between each user and the other, not to mention that computer screens have become different from each other in more than one form and type due to the diversity of their designs and working techniques. 

best computer monitor
best computer monitor

 

monitor is an important part of the computer components , and although it does not affect its performance directly, it is an important component of the user experience. Buying a computer monitor without taking the time to study and think is unwise and may lead to a loss of money.

You may simply buy a screen that does not fit your uses or has a defect that prevents you from using it properly. 


In this article, we give you top tips based on research and personal experiences about what to consider when choosing the best computer monitor.

best computer monitor

Defining the best computer monitor is a relative matter that varies from user to user. Some users choose the monitor based on its image quality, others believe that the best computer screen for them is the one that provides them with the best picture with the largest number of luxuries.

In fact, computer monitors contain many elements that may be difficult for a non-professional computer user to choose. The tips that we will mention in this article will help you very much to form a general idea of ​​the important technical details that you should pay attention to.

We will also go through the process of purchasing a computer monitor, and what you should pay attention to in terms of warranty and after-sales service.


We will divide the tips into two parts:

  • The first contains items that you must select before purchasing, to make it easier for you to choose the screen.
  • The second will address some of the things that you should know and pay attention to during the buying process.

First what you should determine or know before buying

1. The initial purpose and areas in which the screen may be used in the future

What is the nature of your use of this screen mainly? The answer to this question depends on the nature of your computer use in general.

For example: If you only use your computer for some office work and browsing, then a TN monitor will suit you. Monitors with a TN panel offer reasonable value for money, and are suitable for simple tasks such as browsing and typing. 


In contrast, if you use a computer for photo editing or video editing tasks, you will need a VA monitor. Editing photos and videos is a color-accurate task, and VA monitors are the best choice for these tasks.

If you want to use the screen for gaming or office work, an IPS screen will do the trick. It is true that its color accuracy is lower than VA screens, but it is acceptable for most tasks, and it can also be used in editing photos and videos in a limited way.

In fact, screens are durable goods, meaning that you will not buy a new screen every year or two, so you must plan well for the future before buying. Do you expect to do work based on natural color ratios such as video and photo editing in the near future?

Do you expect to play competitive games or story mode games someday? All this must be determined before purchasing your new monitor.

Determine the purpose of purchasing the screen now and using it in the near future, i.e. in the period from two to three years.

2. The power of the GPU you have now

Note: This point should be considered if you use your computer to play games periodically.

The screen displays the data that the GPU has processed, so consistency between the two components is important. The power of the GPU is reflected in its ability to display the number of frames or images that it can process per second, or what is known as Frame Per Second.

For the monitor to display the number of frames the graphics unit has processed, the monitor's refresh rate must be equal to or greater than the frame rate.

In other words, if the unit processes 100 frames, the screen refresh rate must be 100 Hz or more for these frames to appear.

If the CPU is processing 100 frames but the screen refresh rate is 60 Hz what will appear on the screen is only 60 frames, even if more frames are processed the screen will not be able to display them.

Having a screen that has a lower refresh rate than your GPU is not a big deal and won't affect your usage significantly, but you won't be able to fully utilize the capabilities of your GPU.

You can know the power of your GPU by testing it on the games you play and monitoring its performance, you can also see the performance of this unit by watching videos that show its performance on YouTube.

3. Screen entries

Monitor inputs are another thing to consider when looking for the best computer monitor for your device and your needs.

The inputs must match those of the independent GPU, but if you rely on a GPU built into the CPU, make sure that the inputs on the motherboard to connect the monitor are compatible with the input on the monitor itself. 


You have to make sure that the screen has mainly these entries:

a) HDMI input

It is a connection port that works with the famous High-Definition Multimedia Interface technology, and it comes in several different versions. The latest version of it at the moment is version 2.1.

Each version of the HDMI input offers new features in terms of connectivity, data transmission, and of course, image quality.

B) DP entry

An input that works with the emerging DisplayPort technology, which provides more features sometimes than HDMI technology, DisplayPort refinement has different versions such as HDMI technology and currently the latest version of it carries No. 2.

There are other older inputs such as DVI and VGA, but they are considered old technologies that do not offer the advantages of HDMI and DisplayPort inputs.

Most GPUs that have been released over the past years or will be released do not have DVI and VGA inputs.

Make sure to choose a monitor that has the latest version of HDMI and DisplayPort technology, and don't forget to buy connection cables that support the same versions of the monitor inputs so that you can take advantage of the advantages of these versions.

4. Use in games

Another important factor in gaming and the right screens for it is the games that you play or prefer in general, whether you play competitive games, multiplayer games based on PvP or games based on story and single play.

Competitive and tournament games require screens with a fast response rate and a high refresh rate. It is true that these specifications are found in TN screens, but they are not as good as IPS screens.

Even if you do not intend to enter the gaming tournaments but play competitive games, it is preferable to buy a monitor that contains an IPS panel, as these monitors provide the best possible gaming experience at the moment.

For competitive gaming, try to buy an IPS monitor with a refresh rate of 144Hz or more with a response rate of 2ms, for example.

But if you are interested in adventure games and love to play the single story mode only, a refresh rate of 60 Hz will suffice you, which is an easy rate to find, as there are IPS or VA screens that offer a refresh rate of 60 Hz at an affordable price.

If you intend to update the GPU in the near future, you can buy a monitor that provides a refresh rate greater than the capacity of the unit, but if you do not intend to update the unit within 3 or 5 years, do not do so.

5. The right display resolution for you

Do you like watching movies and playing games at high resolutions like 2K or 4K? yes? So make sure that you buy a monitor that offers the display resolution you prefer, but note that the display's ability to display at these resolutions is primarily related to the power of the GPU.

Simply follow the following analysis to solve the compatibility issue of your monitor with your existing GPU:

Can your GPU play high resolutions like 2K or 4K in movies and games well?

  • If the answer is yes, buy a monitor that can display these beats.
  • If the answer is no, ignore this point and pay attention to the other points mentioned in this article.

Note that screens that provide high display resolutions are often expensive, meaning that their purchase must be made after studying the feasibility of benefiting from them.

6. Budget and price

Budget your monitor based on your use of it. If you're making money by doing certain tasks on your computer like editing videos and photos, you can consider a monitor as a small investment.

In this case, the quality of the videos and photos that you edit on your device is related to the quality of the screen you are using, so you should buy a monitor that helps you do these tasks in the best way. 


As for the price, it is important to note that the price is not always related to quality, sometimes the price of some pieces is exaggerated, this may be due to the fact that it belongs to a higher category of products or a famous brand.

Other than value for money, some screens are priced based on several local factors such as the reputation of the manufacturer. Note also that the increased demand for these screens raises their price even if they are not worth this price.

Try to determine a budget for the screen you want to buy, and it is preferable to pay attention to the price of the screen you buy and compare it with the global price for it. Finally, I advise you to monitor the screen price at intervals to notice the change in its price and its reason.

Second, what you should pay attention to during the search and purchase process

1. Stay away from buying TN monitors as much as possible

TN screens are no longer suitable for purchase in the current period, these screens do not offer any features that are not present in IPS or VA screens now, even the competitive price advantage is no longer present due to the large number of VA and IPS screens at a cheap price.

2. Don't buy a newly released monitor

Usually the first versions of products that contain new technologies contain some defects and problems, even if they do not contain performance problems, as new technologies need some time to reach their maximum capabilities, and this applies to screens as well.

The graphics processing unit may improve its performance after installing a specific driver that the manufacturer released, but this is not the case with monitors, because they work without software and the way they work cannot be updated.

I advise you to wait 3 to 6 months before purchasing any newly released screen, this is an appropriate period of time to discover any defects or problems related to its manufacturing technology by technical reviewers or the technical community.

3. Buy the monitor from a local store

I do not recommend buying a screen from a country other than your own for many reasons, the most important of which is that the possibility of returning or exchanging the screen is difficult and may be impossible.

Other than the difficulty of returns, buying the monitor locally may have many advantages, some stores offer excellent offers when buying from them, the consideration may include refunding part of the value of the screen or obtaining a discount when buying the screen with another component of the computer .

Be sure to follow the special offers for monitors in your country, because they may contain exclusive features that are not found in any other country. These features make your purchase of this monitor in this offer an excellent deal.

4. Watch reviews but don't rely on them to buy a monitor

Sometimes screen manufacturers choose reputable auditors in the technical field and send their products to them for review. The reviewer may omit to mention screen defects either deliberately with the instructions of the manufacturer or by mistake.

Always try to look for impartial reviewers who mention the defects of the products before their advantages. Impartial reviews of the monitors will help you to form a preliminary picture of the quality of the monitor in general and the extent to which you accept its faults.

It is important not to rely on video reviews primarily to make a purchase decision, reviewers cannot provide an accurate picture of the screen they are reviewing due to several factors, the most important of which are:

  • spectator screen itself.
  • Review video quality.
  • Quality screen capture equipment.
  • Modifications made to the review video.

We do not mean here to belittle the effort of any references or to question their credibility, but we explain the accuracy of these reviews in this field, and in general we do not advise you to buy a screen based on videos to review only without previewing the screen completely and directly in nature.

5. Pay attention to the defects of the industry

Manufacturing defects are present in almost all monitor panels, but they vary according to the manufacturer and their quality control department. 


While buying the screen, try it to discover any manufacturing defects in it, and do not buy it if you find any defect, even if it seems simple.

Here are some of the most common flaws to watch out for:

a) Dead Pixel

Damaged or dead pixels are the worst defects in screens, in which the pixels appear as a black point that cannot be changed in color, and it is a defect that requires replacing the screen because it is difficult or impossible to repair. If you notice a dead pixel, do not purchase the screen under any circumstances… This is considered a damaged screen that should not be It is basically sold.

You can test for the presence of the damaged pixel by viewing a group of the image that contains one color, the damaged pixel will appear in black color and can be clearly seen in the bright white images.

b) Stuck Pixel disabled pixel

A broken pixel is a pixel that displays only one color and cannot change to the rest of the colors, although YouTube contains videos that help fix this malfunction, but this does not mean that buying a screen that contains a broken pixel is a normal thing.

Do not buy a screen in which a broken pixel appeared, even if the seller removed the fault at the same moment, which is very difficult by the way, the broken pixel often turns into a dead pixel, and in any case, buying a screen with this fault is a waste of your money.

A broken pixel can be detected in the same way as a damaged pixel, but by displaying multiple images of different colors.

c) IPS or IPS Glow

IPS glow is a visible glow around the corners of monitors that have an IPS panel. Glow is most noticeable in dark rooms when viewing content that contains dim lighting or dark images.

IPS Glow is a known defect in IPS technology and can be reduced by increasing the light in the room. Decreasing the screen brightness and changing the distance and angle from which you look at the screen helps reduce that glare as well.

What must be taken into account for this defect is that its percentage changes from one screen to another. There are screens that have acceptable ratios and others that are high, it depends on how well you as a user accept the intensity of this glow.

You can detect glare in IPS screens by viewing black images on the screen in a dark room.

d) Light leakage from the backlight bleed

The defect of light leakage from the back of the screen is a common defect of LCD and LED screens, the defect will be very noticeable if you use the screen in a dark room or if the screen brightness is high.

The percentage of lighting leakage defect changes from one screen to another, but it is not supposed to be present at all. If you find this defect while trying your screen at the merchant, do not buy it.

6. Terms of Replacement

Did you check the problems in the previous point? Unfortunately, not all of these problems appear during the purchase of the screen, some of the previous problems, especially those related to pixels, may appear after a period of use of the screen and without a specific reason.

The emergence of these problems after the period allowed to return the screen means that you will not be able to return or replace it immediately, in this case the replacement process will take time for review and implementation.

Some companies allow screen replacement when one pixel is faulty. There are other companies that allow this after there are a larger number. It is important to read the replacement conditions for the screen manufacturer. The policies of these companies are clear and detailed, and usually include more than one pixel problem, such as light leakage problems and others.

7. Is returns available for any reason?

The possibility of return is an important factor that must be paid attention to when we deal with a product that needs some time to see its capabilities and capabilities. We are not talking about returns due to manufacturing defects only, but about returns because you do not like the screen, which is very possible.

To be able to review and inspect the screen at the seller, you will need a long time and take some steps that the seller may not allow, whether due to lack of time or due to the lack of resources required to implement it, such as experimenting with the screen in games.

In my opinion, you need about two days to make sure that the screen is suitable for you, especially if you use your device for gaming or video editing. You will need to check the level of color quality and adjust it as appropriate for you, measure the response of the screen and perform several other tests. 


Not all sellers allow returns or exchanges if you do not like the screen. Unlike online stores such as Amazon and Noon, both stores provide a period of approximately 14 days to return the product if you change your mind as long as it has not been damaged.

This is not an advertisement to push you to buy from online stores, but in my opinion it is the best one to rely on to buy smart TVs and screens.

Some screens may be excellent, but they do not suit some people, whether in terms of capabilities, design, or even because of them. The option to return or even exchange should be available at all stores, but unfortunately it is only available in electronic stores.

It is worth noting that the price of screens on electronic stores is more expensive than in local stores, but the return or exchange feature may compensate for the price difference.

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8. Watch out for charging

If you are going to buy the screen from a seller in a city other than your city, ask about the shipping company through which the screen will be shipped.

Some shipping companies have a bad reputation either for delivering the product itself or for handling and maintaining the product, note that the display is a fragile product and should be handled gently.

Sometimes merchants deal with cheap shipping companies to reduce the cost of shipping on customers, but this may be at the expense of the quality of the shipping itself. Choose a seller who deals with a guaranteed shipping company that can handle the screen professionally and you can communicate with it easily.

9. You can't have it all at once

Buying a screen with a large number of features at a cheap price is almost impossible, determine the basic features that you need in your screen in order to be able to focus on a specific price category or model.

Also try to ditch the luxuries, as monitor manufacturers promote luxuries that may be unnecessary.

The most common unnecessary luxuries are the headphones, which are often not professional headphones or obviate the need to purchase separate headphones. The presence of lights on the edges or sides of the screen are other luxuries that raise the price of the screen and do not provide much benefit.

Focus on choosing a monitor that has only the necessary features, and don't overpay for a monitor that doesn't offer you an advantage that is worth it.

Conclusion

Talking about the best computer monitor goes on, but we have tried to summarize the most important factors and tips that may help you choose it.

What screen are you using now? Thinking of upgrading or buying a new monitor? What tips do you think are important in terms of buying the best computer monitor for a user? We welcome to know your experience of purchasing the monitors in the comments

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