Sunday, February 28, 2016

Choosing a Computer Monitor

Computer monitors are difficult to choose because you need to pay attention to so many different features, and a few mis-features.


I played no part in my wife’s recent choice of a new monitor, and we both regret it. I stayed out because she didn’t ask for advice (I tend to give too much), and she didn’t ask because she didn’t know about the Rules of Monitor Selection.


Yes. There are Rules.


They are not, as I had assumed, common knowledge.


Allow me to let you in on the secret. Firstly, do not buy any monitor...
  • With an external power supply. They are hard to replace when they wear out, and they add clutter.
  • With a power input other than a standard PC power cord. Anything else is hard to replace.
  • With display or power inputs perpendicular to the screen; they should enter straight up from below. When they stick out of the back, they add depth that won’t be accounted for in the published dimensions, and they add a twisting stress to the circuits inside from gravity pulling on the cords.
  • Missing any input type you need right now, for obvious reasons.
  • Without an HDMI input (DisplayPort if you prefer Macs). Your next computer will probably have this kind of output.
  • Without a height adjustment. Your desk may not be the perfect height, but at least your monitor can be.
  • With a resolution below 1920x1080 (aka full HD or 1080p) in either dimension. This is the current minimum standard. Remember when it was 800x600? It sucked, right? Same thing here. Don’t buy below the beast.


Completely avoid anything that matches those. Don't even look at them. They will try to seduce you with pretty pictures, but they're not worth the heartache the next morning.


Now to help you choose the best from what remains. A monitor is better if, in generally descending order, it...
  • Has a DisplayPort input. This is the next most popular after HDMI. If your next computer doesn’t have HDMI, it will probably have DisplayPort.
  • Has a pitch adjustment (tilt up/down). You can use the height and pitch adjustments to get rid of a reflection and keep the screen in a comfortable position.
  • Has a swivel base (twist left/right), so when you turn the screen to let someone else see, you don't knock over your coffee.
  • Includes a built in USB hub (bonus points for USB 3).
  • Can rotate between portrait and landscape modes. This is most useful for coding or writing long documents.
  • Is color calibrated, for graphical design.
  • Does not have built-in speakers. They will be awful. This is a monitor, not a TV.


What about 4k monitors? Make sure your computer can support the higher resolution if you’re thinking about getting one of these. It needs either a DisplayPort output, or HDMI 2.0 or newer.


So what do I recommend? I have an ASUS PA249Q 24.1” 1920x1200 monitor. It has HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, and D-SUB (aka VGA) inputs, no speakers, a standard PC power cord, all the various adjustments, a 4-port USB 3.0 hub, and multiple different color calibrations. It is easily the best monitor I have ever had, and I strongly recommend it. It can even do side-by-side and picture-in-picture.

Oh, and you should probably avoid Samsung. They tend to feel really cheap.

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