Computer Shopper 2019-11-01

MONITORS

ISSUE 381|COMPUTER SHOPPER|NOVEMBER 2019 71

monitors have a60Hz refresh rate, meaning it

changes picture 60 times per second. This is

fine fordesktop duties and videos, but for

gaming specifically,75Hz, 120Hz and 144Hz

refresh rates will make everything look

noticeably smoother and more immersive.

To take advantage of higher refresh rates,

you’ll also need to ensure that your PC is

capable of pumping out frames per second

(fps) at ahigh enough speed. Budget GPU

owners used to getting 60-70fps should

therefore consider saving moneyona75Hz

monitor rather than splurging on a144Hz

model, unless theyplan on upgrading.

Either way, monitors with frame-syncing

technology are increasingly feeling like

must-haves forserious gaming. These systems

–FreeSync, which works with AMD graphics

cards, and G-Sync, which works with Nvidia’s

–dynamically sync the monitor’s refresh rate

with the frames-per-second output of the

GPU, eliminating the ugly ‘tearing’ effect that

can occur when the two figures don’t match.

Youwill have to match your GPU to the

type of supported sync tech, but this has

become massively easier ever since Nvidia

figured out away forits own cards to

piggyback on AMD’s FreeSync. As aresult,

any monitor that officially supports

FreeSync should unofficially support

G-Sync as well. We’ve tested this where

applicable,and have been very satisfied

with Nvidia’s implementation.

THE INSAND OUTS

Forconnectivity,the most obvious quality

should be arange of displayinputs. Amix of

HDMI and DisplayPort sockets will suit most

setups, although more and more monitors are

including USB Type-C input as well.

USB ports are always welcome,asthey

provideamoreaccessiblehomeforperipherals

and storage drives than the PC might provide.

Most monitors also have a3.5mm jack for

connecting apair of headphones, although

farfewer also have an input formicrophones,

so be prepared to keep at least afew

accessories plugged intoyour desktop or

laptop.Ethernet ports are another rare,

though always welcome,luxury inclusion.

Unless, of course,you also go with ahigher
resolution. Full HD (1,920x1,080) is fine for
budget monitors and smaller panel sizes, but
for27in and above,we’drecommend at least a
Quad HD resolution of 2,560x1,440. Youcan
also find good prices on 4K (3,840x2,160)
monitors these days, although in direct
contrast to Full HD,such ahigh resolution
should only be paired with alarger monitor.
Otherwise,everything might appear toosmall.
Forgaming, 2,560x1,440 is agood balance.
Higher resolutions require better PC hardware
to counteract the higher processing intensity,
but Quad HD isn’t nearly as demanding as 4K,
while being noticeably sharper than Full HD.
Monitors aren’t lifestyle products and
don’t strictly need to look nice,although for
practicality’s sake,good design is still
important. Having astand with multiple ways
to adjust it –height, swivel, tilt and so on –will
be amajor help in getting your desk set up to
be as comfortable and ergonomically friendly
as possible.Alot of monitors can even be
flipped intoavertical portrait orientation,
which can be handy if you want dual monitors
but only have the space forone of them to be
horizontal. Thin bezels can also prove useful in
multi-monitor setups, as the gap between the
actual panels will be smaller.
Monitors should also endeavour to
include auser-friendly control scheme,which
will primarily be used in tandem with the
onscreen display(OSD). This is where you
can change settings such as brightness and
contrast, or flick through source devices if
more than one is connected.

KEEPING UPAPPEARANCES
As with any screen, we’ve taken out our
colourimeter and measured these monitors
forcontrast, peak brightness, colour accuracy
and coverage of the sRGB gamut. The latter
will help determine how vibrant and accurate
each displayiswith colours. If you’re a
photographer or video editor,you’ll definitely
want something that performs well here.
Higher contrast will mean that whites are
whiter and blacks are blacker,further
improving overall performance,while making
dark scenes in films, TV and games easier to
make out. Brightness should also be as high as
possible –ideally over 250cd/m^2 –both in
order to maintain vibrancy and to stop the
screen being made unreadable by reflected
external lights, such as sunlight.
It’s worth noting what type of panel each
monitor uses, as this heavily impacts its
properties. TN panels, forexample,are cheap
and have low response times, so are good for
budget gaming monitors, although theywon’t
be as colourful as amore expensive IPS panel,
which will also have much wider viewing
angles. VA panels generally represent the
middle ground between the two,although
these can also have much higher contrast
than even apremium IPS screen.
Another performance spec to keep an eye
out forisrefresh rate: how often amonitor
refreshes its picture per second. Most office

GAMING

AOC CQ32G1

The big and beautiful CQ32G1 has everything you need for

gaming, and afew things you don’t, but wide viewing angles

and aborderless design are nice to have anyway. Its Quad HD

resolution and 144Hz refresh ratecombine to make games

look sharp and smooth all at once,and both Nvidia and AMD

cards can benefit from frame syncing.

It is admittedly missing some more practicality-minded extras, such as afully adjustable

stand or USB hub,but neither of these omissions hurts its largely brilliant performance.

Besides, it’s great value,costing £189 less than the smaller GigabyteAorus AD27QD.

WORK

IIYAMAProLiteXUB2792UHSU

Although the Samsung Space Monitor provides amore

conceptually interesting alternative forthose wanting a

£400-ish 4K monitor,itcan’t hope to match the ProLite

XUB2792UHSU’s displayquality.With practically total

coverage of the sRGB gamut and consistently professional-

grade colour accuracy,it’s arelatively affordable friend to

photographers, videographers and media editors alike.

Formore general productivity,the high resolution and generous 27in screen size are

well judged, and ahighly adjustable stand will help reduce neck and eyestrain from

long sessions typing away.

VALUE

IIYAMAGB2530HSU-B1

It’s not that the GB2530HSU-B1 completely escapes the

trappings of cheap monitor design and production –it’s still

only Full HD,afterall, and it uses abasic TN. Nonetheless, it

also exhibits qualities above and beyond what we’d expect

from amonitor that costs less than £140.

Whether it’s the flexible stand, snappyborderless design, 75Hz

refresh rateorminimal response time,there’s plenty here to make the

GB2530HSU-B1 abetter budget choice than most. It’s intended as agaming monitor,but

there’s nothing stopping it from being afast home office addition, either.

THE BEST MONITORS FOR...

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