COMPUTER MONITOR BUYING GUIDE

Whether you need to buy additional or replacement business computer monitors, it’s important to choose a device that meets the user requirements. With so many options and models to consider, we’ve developed this computer monitor buying guide to help you find the best computer monitors to meet the needs of your business.

Budget

As with any procurement decision, budget is going to be one of the key criteria. While monitors can often be seen as secondary to the desktop, laptop, or tablet they are connected to, the choice of monitor can have a significant impact on the user experience. With staff often spending long hours in front of their computer monitors, it is important to ensure business monitors offer the functionality and features required, so that teams can work comfortably and efficiently.

Our choice for an entry-level business computer monitor is the Acer KA240H LED monitor. A full HD24” monitor with VN panel, Acer ComfyView technology to reduce reflective glare, and tilt adjustment for improved comfort. If you need a higher specification to work effectively, we recommend the HP DreamColor Z27x G2 Studio Display. Designed for colour professionals, with its 27" diagonal Quad HD display using HP DreamColor Technology, an IPS panel with LED backlight, built-in colorimeter, and workflow management tools.

Brand

Some businesses have one brand for desktops, laptops, monitors and accessories, due to on-going product bundle contract agreements, however for others monitor choice can be more varied. If you want to unify all equipment under one brand, you might only look at Lenovo monitors, HP monitors or Dell monitors, all of which have a variety of models and specifications to meet your business needs. Other brands like Asus monitors, Acer monitors, BenQ monitors and ViewSonic monitors offer a broad range of affordable, and high specification alternatives. It’s worth reviewing the technical support and warranty each brand offers, and how they are rated by users.

Screen Size

Choosing an appropriate screen size depends on the tasks the user needs to perform, the desk space available, and whether more than one screen is used at a time. The most common size for standard business monitors is 24”, which ensures text is easy to read from a comfortable working distance. If users often need to work with different programmes side-by-side, a larger screen may be more appropriate. It’s worth thinking about the size of the base, and the size of the desk, to ensure everything will fit.

Resolution

Screen resolution is the total number of pixels the display has to show images. The more pixels your monitor has, the sharper and crisper images will be. Most displays come with 1920x1080 pixels as standard, which is referred to as Full HD 1080p. There are higher end computer monitors, which include 4k display, or even 8K display, offering the best resolution available. If you opt for a screen larger than 27” it is certainly worth looking at 2K (2,560 x 1,440) or 4K (3840 x 2160) models to maintain definition. 

Aspect Ratio

Aspect ratio refers to the width and height of the monitor. If affects how it displays images and videos on screen. Traditional monitors have 4:3 ratios and are not suitable for widescreen formats. Newer monitors have 16:9 ratios, offering widescreen format, or even 21:9 ratios which offer ultra-wide format.

Response Time

Response time is the measurement of how quickly a pixel can display a colour change from black to white, or shades of grey. When it comes to response time, the lower the better.

Screen Technology

The majority of screen panels are LCD (liquid crystal display). There are three main LCD screen panel types available with different benefits. IPS (in-plane switching) is considered the strongest all-round panel type, with good colour quality and accuracy. VA (vertical alignment) panels offer good contrast and depth. These two panels are the most common among business monitors. Finally, TN (twisted nematic) is useful for video editing work, as it has the fastest response times, and maintains a smooth visual with high speed action. Although TN panels do compromise on colour reproduction, contrast and viewing angles.

Connectivity

Ensuring it's possible to connect new monitors to desktops or laptops is important. The main ports found on computer monitors are HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort and DVI, although laptops tend to have either HDMI, DisplayPort or VAG. Some thinner laptops may only have a USB-C port, similar to a phone charger, so it’s worth checking what you need to fit your existing business devices.

Additional Features

While we’ve covered the main criteria to choose the best computer monitor for your business, there are some additional features which may help with comfort, or ease of use, that are worth considering before making a final decision.  

Adjustable stand

Getting the height and tilt set up right makes a huge difference in terms of user comfort, as well as enabling hot desk users to adjust the position easily.

USB Port

If team members work from a laptop with other accessories (e.g. mouse, separate keyboard, etc.) and frequently take their laptops to meetings, a USB hub on the monitor means they can connect everything to their laptop with a single USB.

Portrait mode

Some monitors offer the functionality to rotate them 90degrees. This can be a useful option for teams working on code. The HP EliteDisplay E233 23” monitor helps users find the most comfortable, productive position with adjustable tilt, height, swivel, and pivot rotation.

Touch screen

Depending on the type of work to be done, a touch screen monitor can be a useful time saving and enhanced functionality feature, especially when using design programmes.

Take a look at our full range of brand new monitors, plus our range of refurbished monitors, which are all in stock and ready for next day delivery. Ask us about our great offers and volume deals via email, or call us on 0800 689 0664.

All the tech you need available from Technical Reality

Technical Reality is a leading supplier of IT lifecycle solutions. We offer over 100,000 new and refurbished IT hardware products, including monitors, laptops, workstations and tablets. In addition, we provide Tech-as-a-Service contracts; extended warranty cover and fully compliant IT equipment recycling.

 

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