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From TeamLogic IT: Choosing The Best Computer Monitor for Your Business

Posted by TeamLogicIT-Woburn, MA in Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA on May 30, 2008

It might surprise you to learn that your computer’s monitor may be the most expensive part of your computer system. There are over 40 computer monitors available and that’s just from major manufacturers. The number increases when you also consider off-brand monitors. Monitors vary in terms of size, resolution, contrast ratio, response time, and price. Before you invest in the wrong computer monitor, you should get advice from a professional like those at TeamLogicIT serving Woburn.

How do you decide what monitor you need?

There are CRT monitors and LCD monitors, also called flat screen or flat panel monitors. All notebook computer and most new desktop computers use flat screens because of their slimmer design and lower energy consumption. CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube and is an older technology that uses red, green, and blue phosphor dots that glow when struck by an electron beam. An LCD or Liquid crystal display is made of two pieces of polarized glass. Electrical current causes the liquid crystal molecules to align allowing light to pass through and create colors. An excellent introduction to computer monitor technology is offered by How Stuff Works. CRT monitors are less expensive than LCD monitors.

Monitors are available in 15", 17", 19", and 21+" sizes. Getting a larger monitor is generally preferable, so that you can view more page space without reducing the text too small to read. The quality of your monitor’s picture is a function of its resolution. The resolution tells you the number of pixels that can appear on the screen at one time. If you will be viewing a lot of pictures or graphics rather than text, you will prefer a higher resolution monitor. Below is a summary table of resolutions and the standard that controls the display.

Common Display Standards and Resolutions

XGA (Extended Graphics Array), 1024x768, 15- and 17-inch CRT monitors and 15-inch LCD monitors
SXGA (Super XGA), 1280x1024, 15- and 17-inch CRT monitors and 17-and 19-inch LCD monitors

UXGA (Ultra XGA), 1600x1200, 19-, 20-, 21-inch CRT monitors and 20-inch LCD monitors
QXGA (Quad XGA), 2048x1536, 21-inch and larger CRT monitors

WXGA (Wide XGA), 1280x800, Wide aspect 15.4-inch laptops and LCD displays

WSXGA+ (Wide SXGA plus), 1680x1050, Wide aspect 20-inch LCD monitors

WUXGA (Wide Ultra XGA), 1920x1200. Wide aspect 22-inch and larger LCD monitors

A monitor’s contrast ratio is the difference in brightness between the darkest and brightest screen area. A higher contrast ratio will mean that the screen will tend to have deeper blacks and brighter whites. A monitor’s response time refers to how quickly a pixel can change colors, measured in milliseconds (ms); the fewer the milliseconds, the faster the pixels can change, reducing the ghosting or streaking effect you might see in a moving or changing image. (from CNet).

Don’t forget the video card in your computer! At any time, there are approximately 60 different models of video cards available and choosing a video card will likely be one of your decisions when selecting your computer’s features. A video card connects your motherboard to your monitor. A video card with more memory will improve the speed your computer’s image refresh rate which is important for viewing games and movies.

Price: Monitors range in cost from $150 to well over $1,000 for top of the line models. You have many decisions to make when selecting a monitor and it will help you to have the consultation of professionals from TeamLogicIT in Woburn to make the right decision for your small business.