Compare the Best PC MonitorsJuly 2019

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 Monitor Prices

The price range of PC screens is from $53 to $7,874 and in total we found prices for 1353 PC screens. On average, a new flatpanel monitor costs $378 and 80% of PC displays are priced between $90 and $750. The Planar PLL2010MW is the cheapest PC display at only $54, and Sony PVM2551MD is the most expensive at $7,874.

PC Monitor Brands - Price Range

Peerless LCD screens start at $6,490 and their most expensive PC monitor costs $6,490. The average price of Peerless LCD screens is $6,490 which is the highest average price of all PC monitor brands.

Sony flatpanel monitors start at $1,510 and their most expensive PC screen costs $7,874. The average price of Sony flatpanel monitors is $3,675 which is the second highest average price of all PC screen brands.

The third highest average PC screen price out of all brands is ViewZ flatpanel monitors with an average price of $2,000. ViewZ flatpanel monitors start at $675 and their most expensive PC screen costs $3,162.

PC Monitor Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 12,571 expert reviews and 70,605 user reviews for PC screens and used these reviews to calculate the average rating for each brand of PC screen. The top three PC display brands are HP, Samsung and LG. HP has an average rating of 86%, Samsung has an average rating of 84% and LG has an average rating of 83%.

Biggest LCD Screen Retailers

We found 1,529 current offers for flatpanel monitors from eBay making it the biggest LCD screen retailer. That is over 3 times bigger than the second biggest retailer, Newegg US for whom we found 392 current offers for flatpanel monitors. The third biggest retailer is Adorama with 344 current LCD screen offers.

When Are Most New PC Displays Released?

Over the last 3 years we couldn't see any clear pattern in the release month for new PC displays. In 2018 most new PC screens were released in May, with 77 new PC screens released that month. The biggest month in 2017 for new PC screen releases was September, with 78 new PC screens released that month. 140 new PC screens were released in October 2016 making it the biggest month that year for new PC display releases.

How Fast Do PC Display Prices Drop After Release?

New LCD screens drop in price by an average of 2% in the first 6 months after they were first released.

That means a saving of $8 on a typical $377 new PC display if you wait 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.

Across the range of flatpanel monitors, the display diagonals range from 3.5" to 95". The display diagonals of most LCD screens range from 24" to 28". The PC display with the biggest display diagonal is the NEC E805AVT, which is an 80" flatpanel monitor and is available at $3,199.99. The Logik L9DUALM13, which currently retails for $99.99, has the smallest display diagonal and is a 7" PC screen.

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.

Amongst new flatpanel monitors, the most frequently found display resolution is 1920 x 1080 (1080p) pixels. We found 2,130 flatpanel monitors that are LCD screens that have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (1080p) pixels. We found 265 flatpanel monitors that are flatpanel monitors that have a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, making 2560 x 1440 pixels the second most common display resolution amongst new flatpanel monitors.

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.

A is the most popular energy efficiency rating amongst new LCD screens. We found 482 LCD screens that have an energy efficiency rating of A. B is the second most common energy efficiency rating amongst new PC displays. We found 359 PC displays that have an energy efficiency rating of B.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for PC Screens?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying PC displays. For each retailer it shows the total number of PC displays 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. 1,395 of their PC display 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 PC screens 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. 91.2% of their LCD screen prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.