Shopping tips

The most important attribute in a monitor, display quality isn't a major worry, thanks to a generally high standard of performance. All the monitors tested for our latest Ratings of recommended models had very good display quality, and one smaller model even achieved an excellent score. Even among the other models we tested, the worst performers received good ratings, which is adequate for many people.

A note to video viewers: Don't expect TV images to look as good as they do on your flat-panel TV. Even the best monitors fell short of most LCD TVs, with blacks that weren't as deep, slight haziness, and some light leakage around the edges of the screens.

Check the viewing angle

Few monitors measure up to the best LCD TVs for viewing from a wide angle. That won't matter for typical computer use. But if you often share your screen with a crowd, say for slide shows or games, you may want to pick a model that experiences less image degradation when viewed at an angle. When comparing specs, the bigger the number the better.

Consider easy adjustments

Virtually all new displays tilt up or down, for a quick adjustment. For extra flexibility, look for monitors that allow you to adjust their height. Such models may also be able to rotate 90 degrees, from a landscape to portrait mode, which is especially useful for viewing a larger portion of Web pages or text documents.

Also look for conveniently placed controls that adjust contrast, brightness, and other settings that affect images. We prefer a dedicated front-positioned contrast/brightness control.

Check for ample connections

Many new monitors feature at least one USB port, which can provide convenient connectivity for peripherals if your computer doesn't have many USB ports or accessing the ones it has is difficult.

Virtually all new monitors have the DVI ports needed to take advantage of higher-end video cards, but not all include the DVI cable. And some include HDMI ports, which come in handy for connecting a satellite box, Blu-ray player, or other gear that uses this newer connection.

Take a shine, or not

Like laptop displays, LCD monitors are showing up with glossy instead of matte-finish screens. The glossy screen can make dark areas of the image appear deeper and less washed out in bright, ambient light. But they can also reflect light-colored objects in the room like a mirror.

Some antireflective surfaces help minimize this problem. View the screen in bright light before buying, if possible.

Look for a long warranty

Many monitors come with a three-year warranty on parts and labor, but others have only one-year coverage. It's worth looking for the longer coverage, especially if you're purchasing a more expensive model. Another consideration is the manufacturer's defective-pixel policy. Some consider a certain number of stuck, dead or hot pixels acceptable, while others will replace a monitor during the warranty period if it has even a single faulty pixel.

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