Monitors appear to be quite undemanding compared to the rest of the computer. They fulfil their brief for years without needing new, faster hardware. At some point, image quality visibly diminishes. At some point, every monitor will reach the end of its life and it becomes necessary to replace it. Anyone heading out to look for a new monitor will be struck by the huge variety on the market. Therefore it may be useful to set yourself a few priorities. This starts with working out what type of user you are.
Professional, gamer or normal user
In principle, people buying monitors can be divided into three groups.
First, there is the normal PC user who first and foremost uses their PC to work and surf the Internet, perhaps to play a game that is not sophisticated from a graphics point of view now and again. Then there is the typical gamer who mostly spends their time playing games that have sophisticated graphics and that are very demanding on the PC.
Last of all is the professional who focuses mainly on photography and image processing. The order in which these types of buyer have been presented reflects the increasing demands on a new monitor.
Monitors for normal users
Office, e-mails, a couple of news websites and social networks: You will definitely not need a high-end monitor if you are using your PC for these purposes. This is a model that provides for good results in all areas. The advantage: These all-rounders are comparatively inexpensive.
You can find a suitable monitor at a price somewhere between 100 and 150 euro that provides a good picture and also fulfils all other requirements. A screen size of 22 to 24 inches with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels can be referred to as standard.
Monitors for gamers
When playing action games on the PC, fractions of a second often count. Accordingly, the monitor should have a response time in line with this requirement. Anyone spending a lot of time in front of their monitor obviously values a smooth picture with the highest possible refresh rate.
Demanding gamers will not be satisfied with standard full-HD resolution. UWQHD (Ultra Wide Quad High Definition) is currently the ultimate. The standard of graphics is a resolution of 3440 x 1440 pixels with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1.
Monitors for professionals
Anyone working closely with image processing does not need to worry about speed. The priorities for anyone looking for a professional monitor are a large screen, high resolutions, the truest colour image display possible as well as a good contrast ratio.
This demonstrates that the best monitor is mainly dictated by what you are going to be using it for. Before comparing prices, you should narrow down your choice so that you are not comparing apples to oranges.
Image source: Fotolia / 94969811 / Alexandr Bognat
