Compare the Best PC MonitorsOctober 2018

Finding the right PC monitor is easy if you know the basics about screen sizes, resolution and features. There are some great offers around and with newer technologies and higher resolution models becoming available, prices tend to drop significantly for well established models.

4K computer monitors offer an ultra-high resolution allowing for a huge amount of information to be displayed on the screen. Full HD screens in popular sizes between 19 and 24 inches are now very affordable and many retailers have time-limited deals available so it is always worth comparing prices to find a bargain.

Most computer monitors are from brands including BenQ, Asus, Dell, Hanns G, HP, LG and Samsung. Our buying guide will give you an overview of the specifications and features to look out for so you can buy your next computer screen with confidence.

Screen Sizes

Computer monitors come in sizes ranging from a tiny 7 inches to a huge 70 inches although sizes between 19 and 24 inches are most common.

For basic web browsing and simple tasks a monitor between 19-21 inches will be sufficient. If you need more space to display photos, watch movies sort have multiple documents open at the same time, a monitor between 22-24 inches will be a good choice for your home or office. Even larger displays in the 40 or 50 inch range can replace a multi-monitor setup and show a number of charts and documents simultaneously.

Aspect Ratio

Most popular monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:9, making them ideal to watch movies and display documents side-by-side. Some monitors have a aspect ratio of 16:10. This gives slightly more space vertically but results in black bars at the top and bottom of the screen when viewing 16:9 movies.

A monitor aspect ratio of 4:3 used to be the norm although this is now less common and widescreen monitors have established themselves as the new standard.

Resolution

Before buying a monitor, make sure you check the output resolution of your graphics card to ensure the monitor’s native resolution is supported.

Connectivity

Picture Quality

Features

VESA/Wall Mountable

The Video Electronics Standards Association has defined a standard called the Flat Display Mounting Interface (FDMI), also known as VESA Mounting Interface Standard (MIS) or simply ‘VESA mount”, which allows flat panel displays including TVs and monitors to be mounted to stands and wall mounts using the same interface. If you are planning not to use the monitor’s stand but mount it, look out for compatibility with VESA mounts.

Adjustability

Depending on where you want to position the monitor, it will be an advantage to make adjustments to the monitor’s placement quickly. Look for a monitor that’s height adjustable unless you are planning to use an adjustable monitor stand. Some monitors also have tilt adjustments and a swivelling base to improve your set-up.

PC Display Prices

The price range of PC displays is from $53 to $9,800 and in total we found prices for 1523 PC displays. The average price of a new PC monitor is $466 and the 80% of flatpanel monitors are priced between $97 and $880. The HP 25e is the cheapest PC screen at only $53, and Barco Coronis Fusion 6MP is the most expensive at $9,800.

PC Monitor Brands - Price Range

The average price of Totoku PC displays is $5,250 which is the highest average price of all PC display brands. Totoku PC displays range in price from $2,500 to $7,999.

Barco flatpanel monitors start at $750 and their most expensive PC monitor costs $9,800. The second highest average PC monitor price out of all brands is Barco flatpanel monitors with an average price of $4,750.

Sony PC displays start at $970 and their most expensive flatpanel monitor costs $7,874. The average price of Sony PC displays is $3,551 which is the third highest average price of all flatpanel monitor brands.

LCD Screen Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 11,558 expert reviews and 155,232 user reviews for PC displays available online and used these reviews to calculate the average rating for each brand of flatpanel monitor. The top rated PC display brand is Eizo with an average rating of 89%. The second best brand is NEC with 89% and the third best brand is HP with 89%.

Biggest PC Display Retailers

We found 1,527 current offers for PC displays from eBay making it the biggest PC monitor retailer. That is significantly bigger than the second biggest retailer, Amazon US for whom we found 1,252 current offers for PC displays. The third biggest retailer is B&H Photo with 441 current PC monitor offers.

When Are Most New PC Screens Released?

Most new PC screens tend to be released between September and October. That means that most of the latest PC display technology was released in within the last 3 months, and now is good time to buy. The biggest month in 2017 for new LCD screen releases was September, with 84 new PC displays released that month. October was the biggest month in 2016 for new flatpanel monitors, with 143 new flatpanel monitors released that month. In 2015 most new PC displays were released in July, with 97 new PC displays released that month.

How Fast Do PC Monitor Prices Drop After Release?

On average LCD screens drop in price by 1% in the first 6 months after release. If you are prepared to wait then you could save an average of $7 on a typical $466 new PC monitor by waiting 6 months before buying.

Display Diagonals

The display diagonal is a measure of the size of the monitor. It is measured from one corner of the screen to the diagonally opposite corner of the screen.

Comparing all LCD screens, the display diagonals range from 3.5" to 95". The display diagonals of the majority of PC monitors range from 24" to 28". The LCD screen with the biggest display diagonal is the NEC E805, which is an 80" PC display and can be purchased for $3,975.12. The PC screen with the smallest display diagonal is the Marshall Electronics V-LCD70W-SH, which is a 7" flatpanel monitor and is on sale for $509.00.

Display Resolutions

'Display Resolution' indicates the maximum resolution that the monitor is capable of displaying. 'Resolution' is the amount of pixels that make up the image displayed on the screen.

1920 x 1080 (Full HD) pixels is the most common display resolution amongst new PC displays. We found 2,056 PC displays that are PC displays that have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) pixels. The second most frequently found display resolution amongst new PC displays is 2560 x 1440 pixels. We found 237 PC displays that are flatpanel monitors that have a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels.

Energy Efficiency of PC Monitors

The Energy Efficiency Class of a monitor shows how well it uses energy, and how much is unnecessarily wasted. Products are ranked from G to A++ in terms of how little energy they use compared to the norm.

Amongst new PC screens, the most common energy efficiency rating is A. We found 374 PC screens that have an energy efficiency rating of A. We found 325 flatpanel monitors that have an energy efficiency rating of B, making this the second most frequently found energy efficiency rating amongst new flatpanel monitors.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for PC Monitors?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying flatpanel monitors. For each retailer it shows the total number of flatpanel monitors where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying PC screens. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 836 of their PC monitor prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of PC Monitors for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for flatpanel monitors by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of PC screen prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's PC screen prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 54.7% of their flatpanel monitor prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.