When purchasing a monitor, there are a couple of important factors to consider to ensure that you are buying a valuable product. First of all, it is always important to consider the price that you are paying. Whenever you make a purchase, it is a good idea to research the product and read reviews online. Since there are many comparable products available on the market, it can be hard to determine which one is the best.
Response Time
A computer's response time generally indicates to the consumer how long it will take the monitor to display a moving image. Therefore, monitors with a lower response time are more desirable, especially if you are using the computer to view movies or television shows and play computer games. The most common response times are usually around sixteen milliseconds. Anything much higher than this will usually negatively affect the picture quality, and can make television viewing unenjoyable due to the distortion effect that will be caused.
Some of the higher end monitors will even offer response times as low as three milliseconds. If you are mainly using your computer to browse the internet and type up documents, a really low response time may be unnecessary. However, if you are using it to view movies or play computer games, a lower response time will help create images that are much more realistic and less choppy.
IPS vs TN
Every monitor will have a different type of panel display. Two of the most common types include IPS and TNs. Before purchasing a monitor, it is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of both.
IPS panel displays have long been praised for their high level of color reproduction and angles for viewing. In addition, some critics of the product also say that there are issues with the contrast. Since IPS displays don't do a good job emphasizing the color black in its images, you may find that the picture is less crisp. Another criticism of this type of display is that they are relatively expensive when compared to some of the other alternatives.
Twisted Nematic (or TN) displays are another popular type of panel display. It is a popular product with gamers since it has a really low response time. They also offer a brighter, crisper image than a lot of the competing products. However, one of the main drawbacks is that the color may seem distorted when viewing the screen from different angles.
Color Gamut
Color Gamut refers to the array of colors in a spectrum that can be displayed by an electronic device. Computers and television sets use an additive color gamut, which generates a color by mixing together different colored lights. Subtractive color gamut is also used for magazine images and photographs. This type of color gamut produce colors by mixing together different dyes that prevent reflection. Both types are extremely common but are used for different purposes.
When shopping for a monitor, keep in mind that the quality of the color displayed by the monitor will be expressed as a percentage of the color gamut. This means that a higher percentage means that more shades out of a color spectrum will be displayed. Average computer monitors will usually display around 75% of the color gamut. However, if you manage to find a higher percentage, you will find that the images will be much crisper and vibrant looking.