[Hardware] Best Computer Monitors 2021

[Angel of Death]

With working from home becoming a permanent staple for many, finding the best computer monitor is more important than ever. Meanwhile, many PC components are still suffering depressing shortages, making a screen upgrade one of the easiest and most impactful changes you can make to your gaming rig right now too.   Below, we list the best computer monitors across various categories, from gaming to budget 4K and HDR.   But in order to pick the best computer monitor, these are a few basic things you should consider first.       What’s your monitor’s purpose? Generally speaking, if it’s gaming, you’ll want something with a high refresh rate (ideally 100Hz or greater), low response time and AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync for fighting screen tears at low framerates. For general use, look for high contrast, and for creative work prioritize color accuracy.      What resolution do you want? More pixels means a sharper image. No one should be buying anything under 1080p/FHD (1920 x 1080), but if your budget can handle it, 4K is as sharp as it gets at a reasonable price. Many gamers find 1440p/QHD (2560 x 1440) is a good compromise between price and high-refresh rate performance.      Contrast and color. We consider contrast the most important factor in image quality, with 1,000:1 being solid. Color errors are particularly important for creatives, and anything with a Delta E (dE) greater than 3 may show visible errors.      Panel tech: When it comes to image quality, TN < IPS < VA. VA monitors typically still have better contrast than even the best IPS panels; although IPS panels are also known to be very colorful.      What size do you want? These days, 24-inches is on the small side and 27 inches is mainstream while 32-inches is a good large size for those on a budget. Anything bigger than 43 inches probably won’t fit on a regular desktop. For portable monitors , stay in the 17-inch range or under.      sRGB or DCI-P3? for the most part, you’ll either be getting a monitor made in the sRGB color space or the more colorful DCI-P3 one. Technically, Windows, the web and non-HDR games and video use sRGB, but if you want an extra colorful screen, an accurate DCI-P3 monitor is more appropriate.