Compare the Best PC MonitorsApril 2020

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.

Flatpanel Monitor Prices

We currently list 1052 flatpanel monitors ranging from $49 to $7,874. The average price of a new LCD screen is $428 and the 80% of PC displays are priced between $99 and $843. The cheapest flatpanel monitor that we found is the Acer V196HQL at only $50, and the most expensive is the Sony PVM2551MD at $7,874.

LCD Screen Brands - Price Range

The highest average flatpanel monitor price out of all brands is Peerless flatpanel monitors with an average price of $5,828. Peerless flatpanel monitors range in price from $5,828 to $5,828.

The second highest average flatpanel monitor price out of all brands is Sony PC screens with an average price of $4,020. Sony PC screens range in price from $600 to $7,874.

The average price of Barco flatpanel monitors is $3,197 which is the third highest average price of all PC screen brands. Barco flatpanel monitors range in price from $3,197 to $3,197.

PC Screen Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 12,667 expert reviews and 70,964 user reviews for PC screens and used this data to calculate the average rating for each brand of PC screen. HP is the top rated flatpanel monitor brand with an average rating of 87%. Samsung is the second best brand with 84% and LG is the third best brand with 84%.

Biggest PC Monitor Retailers

The biggest PC display retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 1,083 current PC display offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Overstock with 218 offers. That means eBay is over 4 times bigger than Overstock when it comes to LCD screens. Cmple is the third biggest retailer with 2 current offers.

When Are Most New PC Screens Released?

June to July is the most common period for new flatpanel monitors to be released in. If you want the latest PC display technology you may be best waiting until June 2020. It's also worth keeping in mind that the price of the current PC monitors tend to drop off when the next models are released. The biggest month last year for new PC screen releases was June, with 44 new flatpanel monitors released that month. In 2018 most new PC monitors were released in July, with 75 new PC monitors released that month. In September 2017, 79 new PC screens were released making it the biggest month that year for new PC screen releases.

How Fast Do PC Display Prices Drop After Release?

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

That means that on a typical LCD screen costing $427 you could save on average $9 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.

The display diagonals of PC displays range from 3.5" to 95". The display diagonals of the majority of LCD screens range from 24" to 28". The PC monitor with the biggest display diagonal is the Panasonic TH75EF1U, which is a 75" PC screen and is on sale for $1,350.97. The LCD screen with the smallest display diagonal is the Logik L9DUALM13, which is a 7" LCD screen and can be purchased for $85.78.

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.

The most frequently found display resolution amongst new PC screens is 1920 x 1080 (1080p) pixels. We found 2,167 PC screens that are PC monitors that have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (1080p) pixels. We found 279 PC monitors that are LCD screens that have a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, making this the second most popular display resolution amongst new PC 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.

We found 504 LCD screens that have an energy efficiency rating of A, which makes this the most common energy efficiency rating amongst new LCD screens. We found 375 PC displays that have an energy efficiency rating of B, making B the second most common energy efficiency rating amongst new PC displays.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for PC Monitors?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying LCD screens. For each retailer it shows the total number of LCD screens where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying LCD 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. 896 of their LCD screen prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of PC Displays 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 display prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's PC display prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 82.7% of their LCD screen prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.