{"id":414,"date":"2016-10-13T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/phpstack-459615-1439746.cloudwaysapps.com\/monitors-explained\/"},"modified":"2023-08-16T11:49:06","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T10:49:06","slug":"monitors-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/monitors-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Monitors Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

No gaming, home or office PC is complete without a monitor<\/a>, and there\u2019s never been more choice. Gamers can pick from sync-equipped screens with curved panels, while movie buffs can choose widescreen monitors with incredible colour accuracy.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a PC monitor for every budget and scenario, which is why we\u2019ve put together this guide to the technologies, resolutions and features on screens in 2016 \u2013 whether you\u2019re after a cheap PC monitor or a mighty 4K gaming monitor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Panel Greeting:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vast majority of monitors are built from three different kinds of underlying panel \u2013 and each has its own pros and cons. The most popular LCD monitors use In-Plane Switching \u2013 or IPS \u2013 and there are a few reasons why they\u2019re so sought after.<\/p>\n

IPS screens usually deliver better colour accuracy and consistency than rival technologies, and their viewing angles are top-notch. Contrast is decent, although they don\u2019t offer the deepest black levels.<\/p>\n

\"monitor1\"<\/p>\n

These attributes mean IPS panels are top-notch for colour-sensitive software or media, as films, TV shows and photographs will look their best on IPS.<\/p>\n

For a long time the biggest weakness of IPS was slow responsiveness and refresh rates \u2013 issues that caused gamers to look elsewhere. These days, though, the situation is brighter. IPS panels don\u2019t deliver the speediest results, but they\u2019re in the mid-range \u2013 and that will sate most gamers.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a competitive gamer who wants the most responsive monitor around, though, you\u2019ll need a TN panel.<\/p>\n

TN screens deliver the sort of responsiveness that competitive gamers crave, but these screens are mixed elsewhere. They tend to have poorer viewing angles, which means colour consistency won\u2019t be strong \u2013 so TN screens aren\u2019t great if colour accuracy is important to work and play.<\/p>\n

The third panel type is VA, or Vertical Alignment. These are best for deep black levels, which means that contrast is also stunning \u2013 routinely around twice as good as some IPS screens. That delivers impressive depth and punch, and it also helps VA panels beat TN screens for colour accuracy and viewing angles.<\/p>\n

Colour-wise, though, VA panels aren\u2019t a match for IPS \u2013 and they fall behind TN when it comes to responsiveness.<\/p>\n

The three types of panels have clear pros and cons. VA screens have the best black levels but poor responsiveness, while TN panels deliver the best speeds but suffer from poorer viewing angles.<\/p>\n

IPS screens offer the best balance for work and play. They\u2019re responsive enough for the vast majority of gamers, and they deliver great contrast levels and viewing angles. Colour accuracy and depth is top-notch, too.<\/p>\n

New Year\u2019s Resolutions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most affordable monitors have a Full HD resolution, and there\u2019s plenty to like about 1080p gaming. That\u2019s enough to make top titles look great without putting too much strain on your graphics card, and these smaller monitors are ideal for cramped spaces or for dual monitor and multi-screen setups.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to spend big for an HD monitor, either. A solid 24 inch monitor with a 1080p resolution can be found for \u00a3150 or less<\/a>, and that \u00a3150 figure is enough for a capable Full HD graphics card.<\/p>\n

\"monitor2\"<\/p>\n

The past couple of years have seen 2,560 x 1,440 panels gain ground. These screens represent a mid-range between 1080p and 4K, and the popularity of mid-range graphics cards helps \u2013 GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 and AMD \u00a0Radeon RX 480 nail this resolution for \u00a3250. To get a solid 1440p monitor expect to pay between \u00a3200 and \u00a3300<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The holy grail is 4K. The huge resolution delivers massive improvements over 1080p, and the maths illustrates why: a 4K display is made from 8,294,400 pixels, while a 1080p screen uses two million.<\/p>\n

A 4K IPS monitor makes games look sharper and more detailed, but it also puts more strain on a graphics card. In fact, we\u2019ve only just reached the point at which mainstream flagship cards can play 4K games properly \u2013 before the\u00a0NVIDIA\u00a0GeForce GTX 1080, 4K was the preserve of monster cards like the \u00a31,000 GeForce GTX Titan X or expensive, volatile multi-GPU machines.<\/p>\n

The GTX 1080 starts at \u00a3550, while monitors start at around \u00a3300 and rise to about \u00a3900. Our favourite is the Philips BDM4350UC, which costs \u00a3599.99. It\u2019s a stunning 4K IPS panel that has adaptive brightness controls, 7W speakers and image presets, which means it\u2019s ideal for work and play. If you don\u2019t fancy that, a Samsung monitor or an Acer monitor is usually a good bet \u2013 and an AOC monitor or an Asus monitor are often winners, too.<\/p>\n

A 4K monitor isn\u2019t the only option for gaming if you\u2019ve got a beefy graphics card. Widescreen monitors are burgeoning, and for good reason: extra horizontal space is often more useful than taller, narrower 4K panels, and many of these screens are curved<\/a> for an immersive experience.<\/p>\n

\"monitor3\"<\/p>\n

Cheaper widescreen models stick with 2,560 x 1,080, whereas pricier panels serve up 3,440 x 1,440 or 3,840 x 1,600 resolutions. Games look sharper on the latter two, obviously, but they require more grunt \u2013 we\u2019d still advise a GTX 1080.<\/p>\n

One of our favourite widescreen panels is the \u00a3989.99 LG 38UC99<\/a>, which serves up a monster 38in diagonal and a 3,840 x 1,600 resolution alongside IPS technology and AMD FreeSync. On the other side of the fence is the Acer Predator X34A<\/a>, which costs \u00a31,099.99 and mixes its 3,440 x 1,440 resolution with\u00a0NVIDIA\u00a0G-Sync.<\/p>\n

Get In Sync:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest monitor innovation over the past few years has been syncing. It\u2019s designed primarily for gaming, and works by matching a screen\u2019s refresh rate with the framerate of the PC\u2019s graphics card.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a big deal. That rate matching means there aren\u2019t any gaps between the screen refreshing and frames being delivered to the panel, which means there\u2019s no screen-tearing or ghosting. Broadly, that\u2019s how it works \u2013 even though AMD and\u00a0NVIDIA\u00a0have given this technology different names.<\/p>\n

AMD FreeSync<\/a> is the proprietary name for a modified version of Adaptive Sync, which is the industry standard syncing technology. That\u2019s an important distinction, because it means FreeSync is built into DisplayPort 1.2a \u2013 and it means that AMD\u2019s technology can be added into monitors without extra cost passed to the customer.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not the case with\u00a0NVIDIA\u00a0G-Sync<\/a>. That technology is bespoke, and\u00a0NVIDIA\u00a0charges monitor manufacturers a fee to include it \u2013 which means G-Sync screens are usually pricier than AMD-powered panels.<\/p>\n

G-Sync once claimed to be technologically superior to FreeSync because it could function at lower refresh rates, but that\u2019s not the case now. AMD issued a patch to correct those problems, which means its refresh window now ranges from 9Hz to 240Hz \u2013 similar to\u00a0NVIDIA.<\/p>\n

With few obvious performance differences, a choice comes down to other factors. One, obviously, is the cost of the monitor \u2013 but the other is your GPU. AMD and\u00a0NVIDIA’s\u00a0syncing technology only works with each firm\u2019s own graphics hardware.<\/p>\n

That bodes well for\u00a0NVIDIA, which has just released new GPUs and has a high market share \u2013 but AMD will fight back with more Polaris-based graphics cards before the end of the year.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t want to buy a monitor with syncing technology then you\u2019re not out of options. Panels with high refresh rates are popular, with screens running at up to 144Hz.<\/p>\n

These products won\u2019t synchronise that refresh rate to the graphics card, but their increased refresh rate does mean that screen-tearing is reduced and games look smoother than on conventional panels. And the higher the framerate of your graphics card, the slicker your games will look.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth saying that you don\u2019t need a syncing monitor or a panel with a high refresh rate \u2013 games will still look superb on conventional screens, whether that\u2019s a 1080p panel or a 4K 60Hz monitor.<\/p>\n

Features and Extras:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The screen technology, size and resolution are the most important things to consider when buying a new monitor \u2013 but a host of other features can help swing the balance.<\/p>\n

Gaming panels often drip with innovative features \u2013 but some are more useful than others. Some have FPS and reticule overlays and others have remote controls. Gaming screens often arrive with headphone holders and cable-routing holes, or screen modes for different game and entertainment scenarios.<\/p>\n

Home and office monitors aren\u2019t short on features, either. These often include low-blue light modes to decrease fatigue, and low-power modes dim the brightness to preserve electricity. Picture-in-picture is popular on high-resolution screens.<\/p>\n

Some screens have USB ports, card readers and speakers, while adjustability is a big deal \u2013 height adjustment is common and other panels swing round to portrait mode.<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hopefully you\u2019re now a little more clued-up about what\u2019s inside a modern monitor, from the type of technology used to build the panel to the features, synchronisation and resolutions that\u2019ll help get deliver the best PC monitor experience.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got a full range at Overclockers UK<\/a>, from cheap monitors to gaming monsters and everything in between \u2013 so you\u2019re sure to find the best monitor for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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