How to buy a monitor: what to look for to get the best monitor (and price) for you
Find out how to buy a monitor to fit your needs
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Every personal computer needs a display in order for us to use it and computer monitors have come a long way from the heavy, unwieldy CRTs of a few years ago. With the introduction of flatscreens and LED technology to the latest curved monitors for gaming, there are considerably more options for a monitor than there were even a decade ago. But not everybody knows how to buy a monitor that’s right for their computer setup.
Fortunately, we’re here to walk you through the process of finding thebest monitorfor your particular needs.
Whether it’s a high-performance gaming monitor with low-latency, thebest 4K monitorout there, or one of thebest USB-C monitorsthat can plug into your work laptop so you can enhance your productivity, here’s how to buy a monitor to fit your needs.
The first step is to know your budget
Whenever you’re shopping for any computer hardware, knowing your budget is the first thing you should do. Monitors can vary considerably in price and some features are simply not going to be found below a certain price point.
By knowing how much you have to spend, you can narrow down your available options very quickly and you can focus your search on those features that are available in your price range. Most importantly, this will also allow you to prioritize those features that matter the most for your specific needs.
That said, if your budget is about $200/£160/AU$300, the best monitor you’re going to be able to buy might just be a large LED TV, in which case, buy the biggest and highest resolution TV or monitor you can afford. You won’t get any special features, but at least it will look as good as it can.
General rules for how to buy a monitor
If you are looking for an external monitor for a work laptop, your needs are going to be very different than those of a PC gamer and your monitor should be suitable for the specific task.
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Regardless of your specific needs, there are a few universal rules to follow:
The most important step is to know your needs
What kind of monitor you should buy will depend very much on what you need your monitor to do, and not every monitor is suitable for every purpose.
John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY.
Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.
You can find him online on Threads @johnloeffler.
Currently playing: Baldur’s Gate 3 (just like everyone else).
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