After the hard drives and processors, fancy casings, gaming keyboards and mouse, monitors are usually the last-considered component when it comes to buying a computer setup, and this shouldn’t be the case. 

If you’re building a new rig, here’s why you should spend more time considering the right type of monitor to use with your computer.

Work space

Are you forced to work from home but do not have a room to call your home office? If space is an issue and you’re willing to make a change, a vertical monitor is a space-saving solution that could work even in small spaces. 

A vertical monitor also helps those who find their traditional horizontal displays lacking in space. A secondary monitor adds real estate and gives you more space to work or play on. 

Up-to-Date Display Technology for Professionals

If your job is in the photo/video, graphic design, app development, and other creative-heavy industries, display quality is essential to ensuring the job is done right. 

The two priority considerations you should focus on is resolution and display technology: which one panel type should you choose?

• TN (Twisted nematic) panels: Produces the fastest response times and handles motion well. Doesn’t have the best color contrast and viewing angles.
• IPS (in-plane switching) panels: This is used by many photographer and graphic designers because it offers the best color accuracy, color quality and perfect viewing angles. The only downside is that IPS monitors are more expensive than TN. 
• VA (vertical alignment) panels: Offers the best-looking 3D pictures and contrast ratio, but these displays are not as sharp as IPS panels.

When it comes to monitor resolution, choose between  Full HD (resolutions of 1920 x 1280) or Quad HD formats (2560 x 1440 pixels). 

Refresh rates & response time

If you’re buying a new computer exclusively for gaming, take a closer look at the monitor’s refresh rates (the number of times your monitor updates with new images each second) and response times (the time it takes your monitor to shift from one color to another). Both of these features can affect your gaming experience either for the better (or worse). 

Having a high resolution (the total number of pixels in a computer monitor that can be displayed at any given time) also means better picture quality. If you can afford it, a computer monitor with 4k resolution (4000 pixels or ultra-high definition/UHD) produces crystal-clear images that are super detailed with accurate colors.  

Screen size

If you’re going to use your computer as your entertainment system as well, the screen size of your monitor matters. You can’t have a real cinematic experience on a 22-inch monitor. 

Aside from size, match it with features like HD (or higher resolution) and widescreen-viewing capability. A curved screen can be an ideal monitor for you since it reduces reflections as the screen fills your field of vision. 

Touchscreen functionality and built-in features 

Touchscreen monitors are not as popular as they are in our portable devices like tablets and smartphones, but the technology is already here and if you wish to enjoy the easy-to-use touchscreen on your day-to-day computing tasks, you have this option.

Other features that you can incorporate into your monitor? The following built-in options:

• Built-in camera: Say goodbye to buying webcams.
• Built-in speakers: No more cluttering the computer table anymore.
• Built-in USB hub: So you could have a way to save files and other media quickly on a portable hard drive or flash drive.

These aren’t standard features of a monitor, so you have to hunt for displays that have them. 

Medical and Other Special-Use Monitors 

If you’re comparing monitors to be used at clinics, orthodontist’s offices, private practices, and other medical facilities, you’d have to choose monitors that offer the best brightness and highest resolutions. 

This is because medical professionals would use these monitors to check X-rays, CT scans, and other important data and scans with near-perfect accuracy. 

Before You Buy a Monitor…

The best thing you can do to ensure you’re buying the right monitor for you is to define your purpose.

Are you going to use the monitor for gaming? Or just used exclusively for work? If yes, what kind of work do you have? Do you require special features like touchscreen capability? 

What’s your budget for the monitor? Are you serious about future-proofing? 

Answer these questions, so you’ll be able to filter the type of monitor that would best suit your needs. If you rely on recommendations of other people who have no idea what your day-to-day activities on the computer look like, then there’s a chance you’d be disappointed in what you buy. 

Unless, of course, money is no problem and you can buy the biggest sized, highest resolution, feature-packed monitor that is ideal for gaming, creative work, watching movies, and all other activities.