Compare the Best PC MonitorsJanuary 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

We currently list 1295 LCD screens ranging from $53 to $7,874. The average price of a new PC monitor is $398 and the 80% of LCD screens are priced between $100 and $763. The HP 25e is the cheapest PC screen at only $53, and Sony PVM2551MD is the most expensive at $7,874.

LCD Screen Brands - Price Range

Barco PC displays start at $3,900 and their most expensive PC screen costs $6,000. The average price of Barco PC displays is $4,950 which is the highest average price of all PC screen brands.

Sony flatpanel monitors range in price from $1,979 to $7,874, and the second highest average flatpanel monitor price out of all brands is Sony flatpanel monitors with an average price of $4,249.

ViewZ LCD screens start at $300 and their most expensive PC screen costs $3,162. The third highest average PC screen price out of all brands is ViewZ LCD screens with an average price of $1,875.

PC Monitor Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 12,238 expert reviews and 68,195 user reviews for PC screens and used these reviews to evaluate the average rating for each brand of PC display. HP is the top rated LCD screen brand with an average rating of 88%. DELL is the second best brand with 88% and Benq is the third best brand with 85%.

Biggest PC Display Retailers

We found 1,476 current offers for flatpanel monitors from eBay making it the biggest PC screen retailer. That is over 3 times bigger than the second biggest retailer, B&H Photo for whom we found 482 current offers for flatpanel monitors. The third biggest retailer is Newegg US with 440 current PC screen offers.

When Are Most New LCD Screens Released?

We looked at the release dates for new PC displays over the last 3 years, but couldn't see any prominent trend. May was the biggest month in 2018 for new flatpanel monitors, with 80 new flatpanel monitors released that month. 81 new PC monitors were released in September 2017 making it the biggest month that year for new flatpanel monitor releases. In October 2016, 146 new PC monitors were released making it the biggest month that year for new LCD screen releases.

How Fast Do PC Screen Prices Drop After Release?

On average flatpanel monitors drop in price by 2% in the first 6 months after release. That means that on a typical flatpanel monitor costing $397 you could save on average $6 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 PC displays, the display diagonals range from 3.5" to 95". The display diagonals of the majority of PC displays range from 24" to 28". The PC monitor with the biggest display diagonal is the NEC E805, which is an 80" PC screen and sells for $3,799.99. The LCD screen with the smallest display diagonal is the Marshall Electronics V-LCD70W-SH, which is a 7" flatpanel monitor and is available at $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 2,115 PC displays that are PC displays that have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) pixels. The second most popular display resolution amongst new PC displays is 2560 x 1440 pixels. We found 252 PC displays that are PC screens 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.

We found 420 PC screens that have an energy efficiency rating of A, which makes this the most frequently found energy efficiency rating amongst new PC screens. We found 356 PC monitors that have an energy efficiency rating of B, making this the second most common energy efficiency rating amongst new PC monitors.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for PC Screens?

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 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. 1,187 of their PC 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 monitors by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of PC monitor prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's PC monitor prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 80.4% of their PC monitor prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.