The best PC monitors of 2024: Prime Day deals on office and gaming screens

Whether your personal computer is an office workhorse or a full-on gaming rig, you can make or break your dream system if you don't choose some of the best PC monitors to go with it. After all, even a budget PC can look and feel more expensive with your desktop and applications displayed on a glorious 4K monitor or two.

If you're a designer or gamer, you'll be itching to let your PC fully flex its graphic capabilities. But, even if you're looking for a budget monitor, that doesn't mean you can't find one that's up to the job. There's no point in splashing out and getting yourself a powerful rig and running all that graphical potential through a sub-standard screen, no matter how much cash you have to spend.

The best PC monitors at a glance:

• Best overall PC monitor: Dell G3223Q 32 Inch 4K UHD Gaming Monitor - View at Amazon
• Best budget monitor: KOORUI 27 Inch FHD Monitor - View at Amazon
• Best 4K gaming monitor: ASUS ROG Strix XG32UQ Gaming Monitor 32-inch - View at Amazon
• Best PC monitor for office work: AOC 27B3CF2 - 27 Inch FHD Monitor - View at Amazon

Even the most humble office PCs will see a big improvement when displaying spreadsheets and documents with crystal clarity – the right size and spec of PC monitor will improve eye comfort and productivity. And you don't need to spend a fortune, as there are even excellent monitors for under £100.

So, what are the key things to look out for? When selecting any of the best PC monitors on offer, getting the basics right will help to reduce the overwhelming number of options to be found and ensure you've spent your money wisely. We've compiled a comprehensive buyer's guide at the end of the article, with a brief run-down of the main panel types and who they work best for.

The best PC monitors of 2024

Please note: All prices are correct at the time of writing. Prices, stock and deals are subject to change without notice.

Best PC monitors of 2024: Buyer's Guide

In general, it's always best to go for the largest screen you can comfortably sit at and use. More is definitely more. But the right monitor for you will depend on what you'll mainly be using it for. Some of the various panel types on offer will be a better fit than others. Here's a quick guide to each, based on typical users:

• Graphic designers, video/photo editors and creatives often need to put their screen size and resolution at the top of their wish list. But, after that, good colour accuracy is king. An IPS, or VA, panel is a great choice here, as are OLED and QLED, particularly for photo editing. There's an explanation of panel types in our buyer's guide below.

• Gamers and movie fans may gravitate towards a dedicated gaming monitor. These are high-res, versatile screens that will handle whatever else you want to throw at them, whether that's the latest PC games or 4K Netflix. QLED, OLED and IPS panels are good options here.

• Home office workers often want a well-balanced screen that will give them enough space for spreadsheets and the like, as well as eye care features to reduce eye strain. They'll be less likely to need the faster refresh rates and motion clarity that gamers dream of. So, whereas any panel type is going to work well here, looking for a TN panel will keep costs down.

Screen size and placement

Perhaps the first thing that buyers are drawn to is screen size. You might have your eye on a single massive ultrawide monitor, or perhaps you're lucky enough to have the space and budget for a multi-monitor setup. You might also prefer some dedicated monitor stands or arms to elevate your screens and reclaim your desk space. If you're struggling for room, then, of course, make sure you measure up first and choose a monitor that will fit.

Choose a high resolution

PCs of all kinds can output a wide range of resolutions, depending on the capabilities of the graphics card. But not all cards are the same, and not all monitors can switch between all of those resolutions either. The best thing to do first is find out what your PC can output, select the highest resolution you're comfortable with and find a monitor that can display it. Preferably this will also match the native resolution of the panel itself, which means you'll avoid the dreaded blur and magnification of software-based scaling. Either way, if you stick with the most common resolutions, such as 4K, 1080p or 1440p, your content will always look fantastic.

Connections and ports

Check your PC's rear panel for available graphics card monitor ports. If you have a PC without a dedicated graphics card, you'll have a monitor port integrated into the PC motherboard. Either way, if it's a modern computer, you're likely to have a few digital connections to hand - such as HDMI, DVI or DisplayPort. But, if you have an older machine, you may find you're limited to older analogue connection types such as VGA. Therefore, note down what you have and double-check your choice of monitor to make sure you can hook everything up.

There's an array of the best PC monitors we've ever seen below, organised to suit the task at hand to make your choice even easier.

PC monitors: Glossary of terms

Monitor panel types

The three main types of panels you're likely to find are TN, VA and IPS. In recent years they've been joined by OLED and QLED, technology that's leapt across from the world of TVs. Each has its pros and cons and best use case. Here's our quick guide:

• TN, or Twisted-Nematic, are the most common panel and easily the cheapest. But they're still capable of reaching incredible refresh rates, with less than 1ms response times. Considering those low response times, gamers should get on well with this type of panel.

• IPS, or In-Plane Switching, are commonly used in TVs and smartphones. They're more costly but generally have great colour ranges than standard TN panels. They can be an excellent choice for designers and gamers; gamers should be happy to hunt down an IPS panel with a high enough refresh rate and low enough response time though.

• VA panels, or Vertical Alignment panels, are a hybrid of both IPS and TN panels. They offer great colour and high refresh rates but sometimes suffer from motion blur or smearing. For that reason, they're much better suited to static office-type applications than gaming.

• OLED is one of the latest and greatest advances in display technology. It's a direct pixel-for-pixel replacement to traditional displays. Organic LEDs can be individually controlled and generate their own light. They can achieve ultra-deep blacks and excellent colour range and contrast. Response times are also excellent, although other monitor types are brighter. Screen burn from static images is becoming increasingly rare thanks to advances in technology. In general, if OLED has made it into a PC monitor, it's not going to suffer from screen burn.

• QLED is much like OLED, except each pixel is a Quantum Dot. Each dot is able to display a vivid, realistic colour palette thanks to the type of light they emit. However, unlike OLEDs, QLEDs cannot emit their own light, so they have to be backlit. Backlighting can cause a 'bloom' or light bleed when bright areas meet dark; the best PC monitors mitigate this with tightly controlled dimming zones built into the backlight.

HDR

All monitor buyers will benefit from a screen that supports HDR - or High Dynamic Range. Not only are contrast levels improved, but the main gain here is the vastly wider colour palette than standard screens. With over one billion colours to display, HDR10 and its cousin HDR10+ will take your monitor to the next level.

Resolution

Here are the most common resolutions you'll find, including 4K screens, which offer four times more pixels than HD screens, with 8.3 million pixels working across the screen. This means clearer, more accurate images. If your graphics card can output it and your monitor can take it, you'll be all set.

HD: 1280×720

Full HD: 1920×1080

4K / Ultra HD (UHD): 3840×2160

Best PC monitors of 2024: FAQs

Can a PC monitor be used as a TV?

There are some PC monitors that double as a TV in that they will have built-in speakers and similar functions to a smart TV when it comes to viewing options. They're less likely to have aerial ports and built-in broadcast tuners, though, so expect to find plenty of apps instead; Freeview Play is a commonly-used app for live terrestrial broadcast and catch-up content.

Can I use a TV as a PC monitor?

Much the same as the question above, if your TV also has a dedicated PC monitor function, this will work fine. Bear in mind that while most TVs are high resolution with HDMI ports in them, unless they have a good refresh rate and picture options to reduce eye strain, connecting an ordinary TV to your PC isn't advisable.

What's the best PC monitor for gaming?

Given that you can find curved, flat, 4K, ultrawide, portable monitors and more in terms of many and varied options, this will be down to your list of preferences. That said, we did recommend the model above as our pick for the best gaming PC monitor, so if it ticks your boxes, you might want to take a closer look.

Chris Duffill is a Senior Tech Product Writer for What's The Best and Yours. His background includes writing, editorial, marketing, design, video production and photography.

He specialises in home entertainment and audiovisual tech, including speakers, amplifiers, turntables, streaming media players, and TVs. He is also one of our resident experts in computing (PCs, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches), DSLR photography and all kinds of digital cameras. He also writes about retro gaming, game consoles and various electronic gadgets. If it plugs in, lights up or makes a noise, he’ll write about it.

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