Upgrading Monitors: Enhancing Your Desktop Experience

If you're buying a new desktop, you may be wondering if you should upgrade your monitor too. The answer depends on a few factors, but it's worth considering as monitor technology has advanced significantly in recent years. Upgrading your monitor can bring a range of benefits, from improved image quality and enhanced gaming performance to increased productivity and a more immersive experience.

One of the most noticeable improvements is resolution. Full HD monitors are now standard, and 4K resolution is becoming increasingly affordable. This higher resolution means you can have multiple windows open at once without sacrificing readability or multimedia quality. Widescreen monitors, with their wider aspect ratios, further enhance productivity by allowing you to comfortably view multiple windows side-by-side.

Additionally, modern monitors offer higher refresh rates, providing a smoother and more responsive experience, which is especially beneficial for gamers. The latest monitors also boast improved brightness, contrast, and colour performance, as well as reduced motion blur and ghosting.

Upgrading your monitor can also bring ergonomic benefits, with newer designs offering greater flexibility, adjustability, and eye-strain reduction. Furthermore, monitors with USB-C connectivity can streamline your setup by reducing the number of cables needed.

So, while it's not mandatory to upgrade your monitor when buying a new desktop, doing so can significantly enhance your computing experience and is worth considering, especially if your current monitor is more than five years old.

Should I upgrade for gaming?

If you're a gamer, there are several reasons why you might want to upgrade your monitor. Firstly, if you've recently invested in a new GPU, you won't be able to fully utilise its capabilities with an outdated monitor. A new GPU will enable your PC to churn out more frames, but you'll need a monitor that can keep up with the supercharged performance. For example, if your monitor is stuck on a 1080p 60Hz panel, you won't be able to push 4K at 120 frames per second.

Secondly, if you're looking for smoother gameplay, a new monitor can offer lower latency, higher refresh rates, and adaptive sync technologies like Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync. These features used to be exclusive to wildly expensive gaming displays, but now they're commonplace in budget-friendly models. A higher refresh rate will give you a more responsive display, reducing lag and making your games feel more fluid.

Thirdly, you might want to upgrade to a larger monitor with a higher resolution. A bigger screen will give you more real estate, allowing you to see more of your games at once. A higher resolution will also provide crisper and better-looking visuals, with a higher PPI (pixels per inch) depending on the screen size. For example, moving from a 22" 1080p monitor to a 27" 1440p monitor will give you a significant boost in image clarity.

Finally, if you're using an older monitor, you might be missing out on modern features like curved screens, ultrawide screens, motion blur reduction, USB-C hubs, built-in speakers, thin bezels, and more. Upgrading to a newer model can also improve the ergonomics of your setup, with features like adjustable height, tilt, pivot, and swivel, which can enhance eye and body comfort during long gaming sessions.

In summary,section keyword: should i upgrade monitor when i buy a new desktop for gaming?

There are several compelling reasons to upgrade your monitor for gaming. A newer model can offer improved performance, smoother gameplay, higher resolutions, and additional features that will enhance your overall gaming experience.

What are the productivity benefits?

Upgrading your monitor when buying a new desktop can bring a host of productivity benefits.

Improved Display and Resolution

A new monitor will likely offer a higher resolution, resulting in a sharper and clearer picture. This makes reading text easier on the eyes, and allows you to have multiple windows open at the same time without shrinking them down. A higher resolution also enhances your multimedia content consumption and creation.

Widescreen and Ultrawide Options

Widescreen monitors have become increasingly popular, and for good reason. The widescreen aspect ratio allows you to put multiple windows side-by-side, boosting your productivity. You can compare documents or compose an email while simultaneously watching a video or referring to another document.

Ultrawide monitors take this a step further, providing even more screen real estate. With an ultrawide monitor, you can comfortably stack two or even three windows next to each other, making it ideal for multitasking.

Enhanced Colours, Brightness, and Contrast

Modern monitors offer improved colour accuracy, with even budget-friendly options providing out-of-box colour accuracy scores that were previously only possible with high-end professional monitors. Additionally, brightness and contrast have also seen significant improvements, resulting in a more vibrant and immersive viewing experience.

High Refresh Rates

While a 60Hz refresh rate is suitable for general computer use, higher refresh rates are becoming more common. A high refresh rate provides a more responsive feel when scrolling through web pages or typing in a document. If you're a gamer, a higher refresh rate will allow you to play games at a higher frame rate, resulting in a smoother gaming experience.

Improved Ergonomics and Space-Saving Designs

Monitor manufacturers have placed a greater emphasis on ergonomics in recent years. Newer monitors offer greater flexibility and adjustability, allowing you to find a comfortable viewing position. Additionally, these monitors are often designed with minimalist, near-invisible bezels and lightweight builds, reducing their footprint on your desk.

USB-C Connectivity

Some newer monitors feature USB-C connectivity, which can be a game-changer if you have a laptop with a USB-C port. Instead of connecting multiple cables to your laptop, you can connect it to the monitor using a single USB-C cable, reducing clutter and simplifying the docking process.

Built-in Speaker Upgrades

Monitor manufacturers have also improved the built-in audio performance. This is especially beneficial if you use your PC for watching online videos, listening to music, or gaming. Many newer monitors feature front-firing speakers and passive radiators for enhanced bass reproduction, providing a more immersive audio experience.

In summary, upgrading your monitor when buying a new desktop can significantly enhance your productivity. From improved display quality and higher refresh rates to increased screen real estate and better ergonomics, a new monitor can make your work more efficient and enjoyable.

How do I choose between a single ultrawide or multiple monitors?

When it comes to choosing between a single ultrawide or multiple monitors, there are several factors to consider. Both options can enhance productivity, but each has unique characteristics that may suit different needs. Here are some key points to help you decide:

Single Ultrawide Monitor:

• Simplicity and Convenience: A single ultrawide monitor provides a seamless display without any bezels or gaps interrupting your view. It simplifies your setup by requiring only one display connection and power cord, making it easier to manage your display settings and reducing potential inconsistencies across screens.
• Immersive Experience: Ultrawide monitors offer a broader field of view, making them ideal for gaming and multimedia consumption. They provide a more immersive aspect ratio, enhancing your experience, especially with cinematic titles.
• Multitasking: The lack of bezels in an ultrawide monitor allows for easier multitasking. You can have multiple windows open side by side, reducing the need to switch between screens. Features like Windows Snap and FancyZones further enhance multitasking capabilities, allowing you to efficiently organize windows.
• Space Considerations: Ultrawide monitors can save desk space compared to multiple monitors, and the curved screen options offer a more natural viewing experience that engages your peripheral vision.
• Cost: Ultrawide monitors can be more expensive than multiple budget monitors, but recent price drops have made some models more affordable.

Multiple Monitors:

• Flexibility: Multiple monitors offer the flexibility to mix and match displays of different sizes and resolutions to fit your specific needs. You can have one monitor in a horizontal orientation and another in vertical, which is ideal for coding, writing, or viewing long documents.
• Screen Real Estate: With multiple monitors, you gain more individual screen real estate for each application or window. This can be beneficial if you want to have dedicated screens for specific tasks, such as watching videos, video calls, or gaming.
• Resolution: By opting for multiple monitors, you can achieve a higher overall pixel density, which is ideal for photo editing, video editing, or single-screen gaming.
• Traditional Setup: If you prefer a more traditional setup or frequently switch between different applications, multiple monitors might be a better choice.
• Cost: Multiple budget-friendly monitors can offer similar features to a single ultrawide monitor at a lower cost.

In summary, both options have their advantages. Single ultrawide monitors provide a seamless, immersive experience with excellent multitasking capabilities, while multiple monitors offer flexibility, increased screen real estate, and the ability to mix and match displays. Consider your specific needs, budget, and space constraints when making your decision.

What are the benefits of a new monitor for laptop users?

Upgrading your monitor can bring a host of benefits, especially if your current one is more than five years old. Here are some advantages of a new monitor for laptop users:

Improved Display

The most noticeable improvement is in resolution. Modern monitors offer sharper resolutions, with 4K monitors becoming increasingly affordable. This makes text easier to read, and allows you to have multiple windows open at the same time. The increased screen real estate also improves productivity, as you can compare documents or compose emails with reference material alongside. The higher resolution also enhances any multimedia content, such as games or movies.

Enhanced Colour and Brightness

Modern monitors have better colour accuracy and a wider colour gamut. They also offer higher brightness, which can be a more comfortable experience, especially in places with a lot of natural light.

Smoother Performance

Monitors with higher refresh rates provide a more responsive feel. This is particularly beneficial for gamers, but it also improves everyday tasks like scrolling through web pages or typing in a document.

Improved Ergonomics

Larger monitors with adjustable viewing angles can help create a more ergonomic sitting posture, preventing neck and back pain.

Convenience

Monitors are easy to connect to laptops, often via HDMI or USB-C. This setup can also help keep your workspace tidy, as you only need one cord to connect your laptop to the monitor.

What are the benefits of a new monitor for console gamers?

While monitors and TVs serve the same function, displaying an image from an input device, there are some key differences that can make a monitor a better choice for console gamers.

Image Quality

The most noticeable improvement when upgrading to a new monitor is the resolution. Modern monitors have outstanding sharpness and clarity, with 4K monitors offering a higher pixel density than comparable TVs. This makes everything from the Windows desktop to 3D games look crisp and fresh. Small fonts are easy to read, and improvements in Windows' scaling options make it easy to find a comfortable UI scale even on high-resolution displays.

Responsiveness

Monitors tend to have much lower latency than televisions, which means less delay between tapping a button on a controller and the result occurring on screen. Monitors typically display an image with little to no image processing, which minimises latency. A typical gaming monitor will add just a few milliseconds of latency, while televisions can add significant latency—over 100 milliseconds in the worst cases.

Refresh Rate

The refresh rate is how many times a monitor refreshes per second. A higher refresh rate means smoother motion. The baseline is 60Hz, but even budget gaming monitors can achieve 144Hz. High-end gaming monitors can hit 240Hz or even 360Hz. Monitors that achieve up to 500Hz are on the way. A higher refresh rate can provide a more responsive feel when scrolling through web pages or typing in a Word document, and can be a nice perk for everyday use, not just gaming.

Size

While a larger screen can be great for some games, monitors are generally smaller than TVs, making them easier to fit on a gaming desk.

Ease of Use

Most monitors have an adjustable stand that makes it easy to achieve the best viewing angle and to use multiple displays at once.

Frequently asked questions