The list in brief1.Best Overall2.For Gaming3.Best Ultrawide4.Best Curved5.Best Budget6.For 4K Gaming7.Best 4K Budget8.Best Portable9.Shopping Tips
Working from home has become the new normal for many people, so finding the best computer monitor is more important than ever. After all, you surely want to see the best visual quality from your coworkers’best webcams. While many PC components are still enduring depressing shortages, performing a screen upgrade is one of the most accessible and impactful changes you may make to your gaming rig.
Below, we list the best computer monitors across various categories, from gaming to budget4KandHDR.
Best Overall
Best Computer MonitorThe Samsung Odyssey G9 features a 49-inch VA panel with a 5120 x 1440 resolution. The panel comes with a tight curve and even manages to still hit 240Hz while delivering an accurate picture.
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Best Computer Monitor for Gaming
The Dell S3222DGM is a true standout in the gaming monitor category, delivering excellent performance and a large panel at a reasonable price. The QHD VA panel boasts a refresh rate of up to 165Hz and contrast is dialed in at over 4,200:1.
Best Ultrawide Computer Monitor
This ultrawide brings a QD-OLED panel to the table, complete with a large color gamut. GIven that this is an ultrawide monitor, you’ll find a WQHD resolution with a refresh rate that’s capped at 165 Hz refresh rate.
Best Curved Computer Monitor
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 is the performance enthusiast’s monitor of choice thanks to its 4K resolution, tight 1000R curve, and fast 240Hz refresh rate. Measuring 32 inches across, the Odyssey Neo G8 also uses a Quantum Dot film to boost its contrast ratio far above traditional VA-backed monitors.
Best Budget Gaming Monitor
The Titan Army P27A2R is a budget gaming monitor that nails the basics. It offers a QHD resolution IPS panel that is both accurate and colorful and won’t break the piggy bank thanks to its sub-$200 street price.
For 4K Gaming
Best Computer Monitor for 4K GamingWith a 240Hz refresh rate, 4K resolution, Dolby Vision support, and a 32-inch QD-OLED panel, the Alienware AW3225QF is a perfect companion for your console gaming experience. Not only do you get the inky blacks and brilliant colors that you expect from OLED panels, but it also offers a large color gamut. It also offers an externally accurate picture and excellent build quality that comes with the Alienware name.
Best Budget 4K Computer Monitor
The Samsung UR59C is a great all-around performer with a 32-inch VA panel capable of hitting nearly 3,000 nits. It offers excellent colors (once calibrated) and delivers sharp text for productivity-focused individuals. WIth a street price of under $400, it earns an easy recommendation.
Best Portable Computer Monitor
High-refresh rate panels aren’t just limited to desktop gaming monitors. Nexigo’s NG17FGQ delivers hits 300Hz refresh rate using a USB-C cable, while the 1080p IPS panel comes in at 17 inches across.
The Best Computer Monitors You Can Buy Today
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The Samsung Odyssey G9 is an absolute beast of a monitor, measuring a staggering 49 inches across. To help make viewing content more immersive, you’ll find a 1000R curve, which is among the tightest currently found on a gaming monitor. You can think of the Odyssey as having two 27-inch 1440p displays melded into one sitting on your desk. Speaking of your desk, you’ll need a mammoth footprint to accommodate the Odyssey G9.
Our testing showed that the Odyssey G9 delivered superior contrast (2,152.9:1 following calibration) and hit 58,881.7:1 regarding HDR testing.
However, not everything is roses with the Odyssey G9. It doesn’t offer blur reduction, a framerate counter, or speakers. However, we can overlook those admissions given the excellent image quality and speed offered by this ultrawide monitor.
TheDellS3222DGM is the best gaming monitor for many gamers. This follow-up to the highly-ratedS3220DGFboasts a 32-inchVApanel, QHD resolution, and 165 Hz refresh rate withAdaptive-Syncsupport. Other perks in its favor are 85 percent coverage of DCI-P3 and a display curve with an 1800mm radius.
However, Dell knocks it out of the park with the S3222DGM’scontrast ratio. VA panels are known for their excellent contrast, but the S3222DGM is rated at an impressive 3,000:1, easily blowing away IPS competitors. But our sample managed to better that figure by a third, coming in at 4,000:1 in instrumented tests.
This 32-inch monitor offers plenty of vertical screen real estate without the need for scrolling and1440p resolution, the current sweet spot between image quality and gaming performance. And while the S3222DGM is targeted primarily at gamers, we found that it is also great for general productivity and anything in between.
While the S3222DGM lacksHDRsupport, its excellent contrast doesn’t detract from that missing “bullet point” and its overall performance is hard to beat at this price point. Throw in Dell’s usual solid build quality, and this represents a great monitor for enthusiasts looking to build out a mid to high-budget gaming PC.
Desktop-class OLEDs are becoming more prevalent in gaming monitors, and one of the leaders in this space is the Alienware AW3423DFW.
This 34-inch ultra-wide monitor features an 1800R curve with a resolution of 3440 x 1440. The standout feature, however, is the Quantum Dot OLED (QD-OLED) panel that offers a wide color gamut and inky blacks that gamers crave.
Other plusses here include great color saturation, premium build quality, excellent video processing, and calibration that is dialed in straight out of the box.
The $1,100 price tag is not for the faint of heart, but the AW3423DFW’s performance makes it well worth the price of admission.
It’s hard to be all things to all people, but the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 tries its best. It uses a 32-inch VA panel that combines Mini LED lighting (1,196 dimming zones) and a Quantum Dot film to deliver greater contrast than what’s available on traditional VA monitors (25,000:1 in our testing compared to 3,000:1 typically found in VA panels).
Samsung also infused the Odyssey Neo G8 with a tight 1000R curve and a fast 240Hz refresh, which is a rarity at this 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. Whether looking at SDR or HDR content, the Odyssey Neo G8 impresses with accurate color, and overall gaming performance is excellent.
While we would have liked a bit more color volume from the Odyssey Neo G8, it provides a lot of bang for the buck at its $1,499 MSRP. However, the monitor is often on sale, taking its price below $1,200.
You don’t have to spend a boatload of money to get a good monitor these days. While you can definitely spend upwards of $1,000 or more to jump on the OLED bandwagon, gamers with more meager budgets can still find good IPS panels for sub-$200.
One such offering comes from a brand that until recently was unfamiliar to us: Titan Army. Titan Army’s P27A2R features a 27-inch IPS panel with a QHD resolution (2560 x 1440) and a 180 Hz refresh rate. The panel’s maximum brightness is 300 nits, and its maximum contrast ratio is 1,000:1 (which is about average for an IPS panel).
As you would expect from a gaming monitor that needs to cater to a vast swath of the gaming populous, it supports both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync technologies. On the connectivity front, you’ll find two HDMI 2.1 ports and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports. Although you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, there are no built-in speakers.
When it comes to actual performance, the P27A2R is accurate straight from the factory, with colorful images and good contrast (for an IPS panel). The onboard video processing is also excellent at 180 Hz, and gamers will find low input lag. With an MSRP of $199.99, the P27A2R offers tremendous value for gamers looking to adhere to a strict budget.
The Alienware AW3225QF ticks all the right boxes for anyone looking for a large monitor to pair with a PC or a current-generation console. It measures 32 inches across, has a 4K resolution, and its refresh rate tops out at 240 Hz. Best of all, it uses a QD-OLED panel to give you unmatched contrast and luscious colors.
The monitor even supports Dolby Vision, which makes it a perfect fit for the Xbox Series X. The AW3225QF does so many things well, but it’s not perfect. However, it is near the top of its class in most categories and does so with excellent motion resolution and low input lag. Throw in the fabulous build quality that we expect from Alienware, and you have a monitor that is equally adept at handling any of your gaming needs; well, that is if you don’t mind the $1,200 price of entry.
The Samsung UR59C is a budget champion, delivering 4K resolution from its VA panel and a contrast of 2590.5:1 after calibration). Samsung isn’t positioning the UR59C as a high-end gaming monitor, so you’re limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and there are no provisions forFreeSync or G-Sync.
If you frequently multitask with multiple windows open, you’ll appreciate the 1500R curve that keeps content closer to your line of sight. The UR59C came out of the box with some nasty color errors, but our calibration settings managed to reduce the error from 4.3dE to 0.9dE – so it’s well worth taking a few minutes to get those settings dialed into the OSD.
For more of our picks on value-priced monitors, check out ourBest Budget 4K Monitorsround-up.
The Nexigo NG17FGQ is a 17.3-inch portable monitor that packs quite a punch. Not only is the large panel size something of a rarity in this space, but it also boasts a blazing-fast refresh rate of 300Hz with a USB-C cable using DisplayPort Alt-Mode. If you opt for an HDMI cable, the maximum refresh rate drops down to a still impressive 240Hz.
Gaming performance is solid, colors are plentiful and accurate, and build quality is impressive in this category. Other niceties include a remote for navigating the OSD and integrated speakers. across the board is excellent with the NG17FGQ, and it can produce some amazing colors once the panel is calibrated. Its overall good build quality also means that it should stand up to the rigors of being tossed around in a bag while traveling.
While the 300Hz refresh rate is the headlining feature of the NG17FGQ, be sure that you have a laptop GPU that is capable of pushing that performance at 1080p.
More:Nexigo NG17FGQ Review
What to Look for in a Best Monitor
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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom’s Hardware US. He’s a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.
