Choosing the right Monitor - A Buyer's Guide

There are several considerations when buying a monitor.

Monitor sizes are the dominant feature. Larger monitors are more expensive. Monitors are measured diagonally, but the duration is not exactly correct. Almost always a little shorter in real life than the length of sample.

Resolution is the number of pixels displayed. This is usually displayed as the number of pixels wide and the number of pixels tall the screen is displayed. The higher the number, the sharper the image on the screen. Normally, a monitor will be able to display a series of resolutions with more pixels, resulting in a lower refresh rate.

Another major concern is LCD or CRT. LCD refers to liquid crystal displays and flat screens is. CRT means cathode ray tubes, and these are the television monitors as a classic. LCD monitors produce less eyestrain in general, and have no distortion, because each pixel is the same size and shape. This is not true for the CRT monitor because of the shape of the glass screen. LCD monitors are flat, and therefore take up less desk space. They last longer and consume less electricity. CRT monitors are capable of changing screen resolutions over a wider range and still maintain a sharp image. CRT monitors can also achieve higher refresh rates, with potentially sensitive for games and multimedia. If the team is going to be the only light in the room, the screen should be better, while the CRT will work well when more than one person is likely to be watching the screen at once.

For LCD monitors, the contrast ratio is a measure of how easy it is, the separate colors. Higher is better. The luminescence is a measure of the light emitted by the screen. For most uses 200-250 nits is ideal, but for watching movies or TV on their monitors, 500 nits is better. The response time is a measure of the speed at which the monitors are able to refresh its image. 16 milliseconds is usually sufficient, but a gaming machine should be more like 5 ms. Normally, an LCD monitor will be more difficult to see from an angle, and this is measured in degrees in front of the screen. Some come with glass screens to protect the LCD from damage. Transistor TFT is used, thin film transistor technology to improve the image. These screens are a type of TFT LCD.

For CRT monitors, the refresh rate is one of the most important considerations. This is the speed at which the screen is redrawn images. Rates below 70 MHz often cause eyestrain. 75 MHz is the industry standard to avoid this problem. Dot is a measure of the spaces between the pixels. Smaller is better pitch, and 0.22 mm to 0.26 mm is the most suitable range for normal use.

Another consideration is whether or not to use the integrated speakers. Dedicated speakers can be more powerful and higher quality than typically integrated into the monitors, and can be placed to maximize efficiency. They also take up precious desk space, and unless the sound quality is important, the result is always relying on the speakers on the monitor.