If you’re looking to upgrade your computer monitor, you want to make sure that you get the most bang for your buck, and buy the best monitor in your price range.
There are literally hundreds of monitors on the market, each with different features and specifications. You’ll want to keep these in mind when going over your options.
Response Times
The response time refers to how fast the monitor’s pixels can change colors.
Faster is obviously better because it reduces the ghosting effect when an image moves across the screen. The lower the response time is, the less you are going to see a faint trail in applications such as video games, streaming videos, or even Internet Explorer.
The response time is measured in milliseconds (MS). So the lower response time you get with your monitor the better performance you’ll receive.
Viewing Angle
Have you ever looked at a computer monitor from an angle and noticed that the image became dimmer or even disappeared. To compensate for this problem, LCD manufacturers have designed wider viewing angles. Don’t confuse this with a widescreen display, which means the display is physically wider.
Manufacturers give a measure of viewing angle in degrees (a greater number of degrees is better).
In general, when you’re choosing a new monitor, make sure it’s rated between 120 and 170 degrees.
Manufacturers measure viewing angles differently, so the only best way to really evaluate it is by testing the display yourself. Look at it from the top, bottom, side to side, and also keep in mind how you will have the monitor positioned on your desk.
HDMI Inputs
HDMI is becoming the future of video input devices. The top of the line computer monitors provide at least one HDMI input on them.
The HDMI input is on there so you can use a high-definition source such as a Blue-Ray player or even a high-definition camcorder.
You might also want to consider HDMI outputs in case you need to run a monitor to another highdefinition video source, such as a high-definition television or another HD monitor.
If you do decide to go with the HDMI, ensure that the ports are HDMI 1.3 compatible so that you are ready for any future upgrades to the HDMI standard.
Resolution and Contrast Ratio
Many manufacturers will try to sell you on resolution and contrast ratio as the two most important considerations when buying a new computer monitor.
While these features are important, they’re less of a consideration among the best monitors.
Contrast ratio numbers are way too easily manipulated to be an indicator of a good monitor, so don’t just rely on this number to tell you whether a monitor is good or not.
All of the best monitors have a ton of flexibility in resolution and support all of the most common resolution formats.
If you are running video editing software you might want to double check to see if you need something specific that meets your needs.
Remember if you need any assistance in choosing a new monitor, or comparing options, give us a call at (734)-457-5000. We’ll be happy to help.