Compare the Best PC MonitorsMay 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

We currently list 1474 PC displays ranging from $54 to $10,723. On average, a new PC monitor costs $460 and 80% of PC displays are priced between $100 and $879. The iiyama GE2488HS is the most expensive LCD screen that we found at $10,723, and the Planar PLL1910M is the cheapest at only $54.

LCD Screen Brands - Price Range

The average price of Barco LCD screens is $5,316 which is the highest average price of all flatpanel monitor brands. Barco LCD screens start at $2,800 and their most expensive flatpanel monitor costs $9,999.

Sony PC displays range in price from $320 to $7,874, and the average price of Sony PC displays is $2,644 which is the second highest average price of all PC monitor brands.

Wacom PC monitors start at $1,700 and their most expensive LCD screen costs $1,700. The average price of Wacom PC monitors is $1,700 which is the third highest average price of all LCD screen brands.

Flatpanel Monitor Brands - Average Ratings

We have evaluated 10,072 expert reviews and 107,252 user reviews for PC displays available online and used these reviews to calculate the average rating for each brand of flatpanel monitor. The top three PC display brands are Benq, Eizo and DELL. Benq has an average rating of 88%, Eizo has an average rating of 88% and DELL has an average rating of 88%.

Biggest PC Screen Retailers

We found 1,408 current offers for flatpanel monitors from eBay making it the biggest PC screen retailer. That is significantly bigger than the second biggest retailer, Amazon US for whom we found 1,099 current offers for flatpanel monitors. The third biggest retailer is B&H Photo with 391 current PC screen offers.

When Are Most New Flatpanel Monitors Released?

May to July is the most common period for new flatpanel monitors to be released in. That means that most of the latest flatpanel monitor technology was released in within the last 3 months, and now is good time to buy. In May 2017 123 new LCD screens were released making it the biggest month that year for new flatpanel monitor releases. 161 new flatpanel monitors were released in October 2016 making it the biggest month that year for new flatpanel monitor releases. The biggest month in 2015 for new PC display releases was July, with 90 new flatpanel monitors released that month.

How Fast Do PC Display Prices Drop After Release?

New PC screens drop in price by an average of 2% in the first 6 months after they wer first released. That means that on a typical PC display costing $460 you could save on average $8 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.

Across the range of PC displays, the display diagonals range from 3.5" to 95". The display diagonals of most PC screens range from 24" to 28". The NEC X841UHD-2, which can be purchased for $4,619.49, has the biggest display diagonal and is an 84" PC display. The LCD screen with the smallest display diagonal is the JVC DT-X51HX3, which is a 5" PC screen and is available at $1,695.00.

Display Resolutions

This 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.

We found 1,891 PC screens that are PC displays that have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which makes this the most frequently found display resolution amongst new PC screens. 1366 x 768 pixels is the second most common display resolution amongst new PC displays. We found 221 PC displays that are flatpanel monitors that have a resolution of 1366 x 768 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.

We found 332 PC monitors that have an energy efficiency rating of A, which makes A the most common energy efficiency rating amongst new PC monitors. We found 291 PC monitors that have an energy efficiency rating of B, making B the second most common energy efficiency rating amongst new PC monitors.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for LCD Screens?

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 monitors. 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. 930 of their LCD screen prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of PC Screens 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 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. 66.1% of their PC display prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.