Whether you’ve been working from home on a laptop, or you’re looking to upgrade your gaming rig, a good monitor can make all the difference. But with so many different kinds of monitors on the market, it can be tough to find the right one. To make things easier, here is our list of the best computer monitors you can buy this year, from budget models to 4K gaming models, and everything in between.
HP 24mh: Best Budget Computer Monitor
- Size: 23.8 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Refresh Rate: 75Hz
If you’re on a budget, the HP 24mh is one of the best monitors you can get. Priced at around $100, this 24-inch monitor comes with great features that you won’t find with other monitors in its price range, like a high refresh rate and an ergonomic stand.
Unlike other monitors at this price range, you can tilt, swivel, rotate, and change the height of this monitor with ease. Plus, it comes with lots of connectivity options, including 1 HDMI 1.4, 1 Display Port 1.2, VGA, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
If you want to know more about the difference between HDMI and DisplayPort connections, and which one you should use, check out our previous article here.
The HP 24mh doesn’t have a sync technology, but it does have a refresh rate higher than other monitors in its price range. This monitor is great for a home office or business, this monitor comes with other great features like its speakers and low blue light mode that helps reduce eye strain.
ViewSonic VX2485-MHU: Best Budget Monitor for MacBook Users
- Size: 24 inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Refresh Rate: 75 Hz
Apple’s official monitors are extremely expensive, with the cheapest one starting at $5,000. If you’re looking for a budget monitor to use with your MacBook laptop, the ViewSonic VX2485-MHU is your best bet.
This 24-inch HD monitor has a USB-C port, which means you can use a single cable to get a video signal from your MacBook and charge it at the same time. However, the USB-C port only outputs 60 watts of power, which means the monitor will only work with 13-inch MacBook models and similar laptops that only have USB-C or Thunderbolt ports. Plus, you might need to buy a separate USB-C Thunderbolt cord from Belkin to have a single-cable setup.
There’s also an HDMI and VGA port, so you have lots of options to hook this monitor up to a computer or another monitor. It also supports FreeSync, so it’s good for gamers. However, you can only use FreeSync with an HDMI connection. Finally, this budget monitor has decent built-in speakers and a fairly ergonomic stand that allows you to tilt and swivel the screen in any direction.
If you plan on connecting your monitor to a laptop, check out our step-by-step guide on how to keep your laptop on when it’s closed.
ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV: Best Monitor for Photo Editing
- Size: 27-inch
- Aspect Ratio:
- Resolution: 2560×1440
- Refresh Rate: 75 Hz
Whether you’re editing photos or videos, you’ll want a monitor with a higher resolution and good color accuracy. The ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV is one of the best budget 1440p monitors you can get because it comes pre-calibrated and verified by professionals to delivery color accuracy.
This computer monitor also comes with a feature known as QuickFit Virtual Scale. This allows you to display an overview of a grid on your screen with a hotkey, so you can align and preview documents in their actual size before printing them.
If you want to know how to calibrate your monitor in Windows 10, check out our step-by-step guide here.
While it is intended for creative professionals, the ProArt Display has tons of features that make it great for home offices and businesses. It offers lots of connectivity options, including 1 HDMI 1.4, 1 Mini DisplayPort, 1 DVI, and a USB Hub that connects your devices directly to your computer. It also has an ergonomic stand that lets you tilt, pan, rotate, and adjust the height of the display. Plus, it has a high refresh rate, and it supports FreeSync, so it’s even good for gamming.
ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ: Best 1440p Gaming Monitor
- Size: 27 inches
- Resolution: 2560×1440
- Refresh Rate: 144 Hz (boosted to 165 Hz)
If you’re a serious gamer, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ is one of the best 1440p monitors for the price. This computer monitor offers a great gaming experience with a max refresh rate of 165 Hz and fast 1ms (millisecond) response time.
It also doesn’t matter what kind of graphics card you have because this monitor is supports AMD’s FreeSync variable refresh rate, and it is also certified by NVIDIA as G-SYNC compatible. Plus, it has an incredibly low lag, even at lower refresh rates, which makes it one of the best monitors for PS5 and Xbox console users.
This monitor has a sturdy stand that lets you tilt, swivel, rotate, and adjust the height of the display. It comes with lots of connectivity options, including 2 HDMI 2.0 ports, 1 Display Port 1.2, and a headphone jack.
If you’re looking for an even bigger screen for gaming, check out our article on how to use your TV as a computer monitor.
Dell UltraSharp U2720Q: Best 4K Office Computer Monitor
- Size: 27 inches
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
While it is more expensive than other monitors, the Dell Ultrasharp U2720Q has something for everyone. This 27-inch 4K computer monitor offers amazing picture quality with over a billion colors, so it’s great for editing photos, watching movies, and everything in between.
With its flicker-free backlight that reduces eye strain and excellent type clarity, this is one of the best monitors for home offices and businesses. It has a sturdy stand that doesn’t take up too much desk space. It also has excellent ergonomics, allowing you to tilt, swivel, rotate, and adjust the height of the display. Plus, it has very thin bezels, which makes it ideal for a dual monitor setup.
It also has a USB-C port that delivers up to 90 watts of power, which is enough to charge most 15 and 16-inch MacBook laptops. So, you can use a single cord to connect your laptop for power, video, and data. You can also connect to this monitor using the HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports.
However, since it has a low refresh rate and doesn’t support variable refresh rates, this is not the best monitor for gaming. Plus, this monitor does not come with built-in speakers, but you can always connect a pair of computer speakers to the monitor for better sound.
If you’re looking to pump up your monitor’s volume, make sure to check out our list of the best computer speakers here.
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