LED Strip lights are becoming more and more popular for home lighting. More than likely you have heard the argument for LEDs over incandescent and even halogen bulbs: they are more efficient, brighter, longer-lasting, they don’t produce much heat, they are easily controlled and programmed…the list goes on and on. LEDs come in extremely compact packages that are durable and resistant to shock, making them so they can be used in a variety of designs both big and small.
One increasingly popular way is in LED strip lighting. Linear (strip) lighting has become very popular and is an affordable option for both commercial and residential lighting applications. Buying LED strip lights might seem relatively straightforward, but there are many things you need to consider in making sure you get the right type of light for your needs. Follow through this post as we walk through the important factors for LED strip lighting and run through our main LED light strip categories.
The LED Strips category is a broad category that includes all different types of LED strip lights. Depending on how you plan to use the LED strips, you may need one type over the other. For example, IP65 LED flex strips are better suited for outdoor and wet areas as they have a protective covering that makes them waterproof. Below is just a brief description of each kind of LED Strip Light, this guide will go into more detail on them later as there are multiple strip options in most of these categories.
When buying LED strip lights, it is important to look at the number of LEDs per length. For brighter output and higher light quality, you should look for the strip lights that have the highest number of LEDs per Foot (Meter, Yard, etc). If LEDs are spaced too far apart across the strips they could produce spotty lighting instead of a clean, constant line of light. It can be confusing as manufacturers use different units of measurement to advertise this. My recommendation would be to stick to a certain measurement and then convert all other measurements to see what strips have the most LEDs per set unit of measurement.
Take note that LED density is not the only factor in determining brightness and light quality. Our LED Rope Light, for instance, has more LEDs per foot than our DC LED Flex Strips but they are low output LEDs that produce only a fraction of that on the flex strips. Therefore, the Rope light is far spottier than any of the Flex Strips on our site, so always check on the brightness of the LED strips as well.
As LED technology continues to improve, LED strips continue to reach brighter capabilities. This does not mean all strips will be super bright… in some cases, you may not even want the light to be bright. An example of this would be accent lighting within a shelf.
The brightness of LEDs is measured in LUMENS. Depending on how you are using the LED strips, you will probably want a certain level of lumens.
For accent lighting, you will probably not need anything brighter than 200 Lumens per foot but there is no exact rule here, it is all about personal preference and the feeling/mood you are going for.
When using LED strips for general lighting purposes within a room it becomes a bit trickier. Brightness needs will depend on the light direction, its distance from your subject (the area you plan to illuminate) as well as personal preference.
Make sure you take note of the Lumens/length along with the LEDs/length of each strip your research as this will have a strong effect on light quality and the type of light the strip gives off.
Our LED strip lights come in a wide range of single colors as well as multi-color strips (RGB or RGBW). The most basic LED strip lights are our single colors that only emit one fixed light color. We offer them in: Warm White, Neutral White, Cool White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Pink, and Ultra Violet (UV).
The color-changing strips are called RGB strips. These LED lights can display any Red-Green-Blue The color-changing strips use multi-colored LEDs so that they can change colors to your liking. RGB Strip lights are the most common color-changing lighting we carry. These LED lights can display any Red-Green-Blue combination color.
The one color RGB lights can’t create is white. That is where RGBW strip lights come into play. The LEDs on the strip alternate between RGB and White diodes so that the light can produce multi-color effects but also a normal white for when you need it.
Color temperature is how we differentiate the various white colors that an LED can produce. Temperature indicates how ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ the light appears. Temperature is measured in Kelvin with higher temps representing cool colors (blueish hue) and lower temps representing warmer colors (yellowish light you would expect from a bulb). See below for a more visual explanation.
Tunable white lighting is becoming a very popular trend in lighting. This type of strip will offer multiple CCT colors on one strip and require a special controller much like RGB lighting. Instead of making vibrant colors across the rainbow, tunable white lighting can transform the feel of your room from a 2700K Warm White all the way up to a 6500K Cool White. We go over our tunable white lighting options in-depth in our Tunable Lighting Guide.
When buying light strips for an application you should always have an idea of how you will mount them and set them up. For some strips like the DC LED Flex Strips, it is as easy as exposing the adhesive backing and sticking them onto a clean surface. Other installations can be much more difficult for mounting, cutting, and wiring strips together. Here are some factors you should always keep in mind, we will get more specific farther on in this post when we talk about each individual strip:
Another key factor in setting up your LED strips is knowing the wattage. First, you need to find out the wattage of the system you want to set up. Here at LEDSupply, we provide you with the wattage per length of strip so it is easy to find what your total wattage will be once you know how many linear feet you have. Finding total wattage will not only help you find an adequate power supply but will also let you know how much electricity you will be using with your new lighting setup.
Once you know the total wattage you are ready to find a power supply. You will need a power supply for all our strips other than the Plug & Play options (AC5050 Strips and LED Rope Light). Plug and play strips have a power cord built onto them with a switching transformer in line so there is no need for an additional power supply.
The first thing when looking for a power supply is knowing what input voltage your LED Strips require. The strips found at LEDSupply can be either 12V or 24VDC powered…just make sure you know what your strip needs and find a power supply with that output. Secondly, make sure the wattage of the power supply is at least 10% higher than the wattage your LED strips will consume. If there is no wattage listed on the power supply (there always will be on our site) it is a good thing to note that: Output Voltage x Amperage = Wattage of your power supply.
Now that we have gone over some of the basics of buying LED strip lights, it is time to look at the specific strips we carry. In the rest of the post, I will go over each strip in hopes to help you decide what strip is best for your application. This is the most important section of this post as it will help you find the strips best for your needs and will have all the info you need to set them up and complete your project.
These 12-24 volt flexible LED strip lights are the most popular product for in-home lighting DIY projects and renovations. Thousands of customers and contractors just like you find these lights extremely helpful for both task and accent lighting around the home. There are a lot of complimentary accessories offered as well to make these strips very user-friendly.
The strips are made with 3M double-sided adhesive backing for easy installation. Secondly, they sit at an extremely low profile. The strips themselves produce little heat so are perfect for tightly spaced applications. The strips are offered in 3-foot increments up to a full reel which is 16.4 ft (5 Meters) but they have cut lines along the strip for you to cut to more precise measurements.
The strips will take either 12 or 24 VDC input. The low voltage lighting makes it safe to set up for novices. Not only does it make the wiring and connections safer than straight AC line voltage but it also makes it so you can power them directly from batteries and solar systems! When powering in the home, just make sure you use a power supply or transformer that will change your AC line voltage to a safe DC voltage.
These flex strips are offered in three different styles of the strip. The flex strips most basic, bare-bones design is the IP20 style that is a flexible printed circuit board housing 5050 SMD LEDs with no protective coating. These strips are great for areas where you don’t need to worry about any water or dust ruining the strip and electrical components.
The IP65 Waterproof LED strips are the IP20 base strip with a thin silicone layer on top of the flexible strip, these LEDs can withstand the elements. Waterproof strips are recommended for outdoor lighting, patio lighting, bathroom lighting, and under cabinet lighting where moisture or dust can collect.
The best protection the strips come in is IP68 which can be fully submerged in water or kept in high heat environments like saunas or steam rooms. You can see how the steps up in protection also add to the size of the strip below.
The standard DC flex strips have two different density options. The standard density strips have 30 LEDs/M and their brighter upgrade, the High-Density strips, have double the LEDs, 60 per Meter!
Premium strip offerings like our COB Spotless Strip lights and Tunable White Strips have up to 512 LEDs/M and produce a seamless source of light with no spots. These are great for high-profile lighting projects and especially excel when the lights are around reflective surfaces like granite or glass.
Obviously, those looking for the brightest light should migrate to the high-density strips but be careful to look at the differences between the options in the table below.
Density# of LEDsLumensWattageStandard Density flex strips are great for use in tight spaces or when used for indirect, accent lighting. They are clearly not as intense as the higher density so they are better for the applications where less light is more. Examples of this are shelf lighting, backlighting, and stair lighting.
The one big advantage of the 30 LEDs/M Strip is they can be connected end to end up to 32 ft…DOUBLE that of the high density. This is a definite benefit to the lights, helping those decide that need longer lengths and don’t care as much about the brightness.
Remember how we talked about light quality earlier and how it depends on the brightness of the LEDs as well as LED density (LEDs/M)? Well, the high-density strip uses the same exact diode on the strips but double the amount, therefore delivering a quality light much more powerful than the standard density strips.
The high-density strips are a significant upgrade from the standard density if you are looking for more light output. These are mainly for those applications that have higher ceiling coves and you need more light or if you are using them as a main source of light in a specific area. The light output is fantastic for task lighting of all kinds and you will probably even want a dimmer to adjust down when needed.
12 volt LED flex strips are super simple to use. There are many options, however, that can make the task seem overwhelming to some. If this LED strip interests you and you would like to learn more about setting this up yourself then follow our Guide to Installing 12V LED Strip Lights. This guide is specific to DC Flex Strips and goes over all the information and helpful accessories you will need to set up your lights!
Perhaps you want to just plug something in and go, if that is the case the AC Plug & Play LED Strip Lights are just for you.
These strips are slightly wider than the DC powered strips, sitting at 9/16″ wide and 1/4″ tall. Don’t worry about the size increase as these pack a lot of light with 20 LEDs per foot giving off 180 Lumens in that span. The best part? These are plug-and-play strips, just buy the length you want, plug into a wall receptacle, and these babies are ready to go!
The other big advantage of this style is that they can run in continuous lengths up to 150 feet!! This makes it so you can run longer lengths without any issue. The strips cannot be cut in the small intervals that the DC Flex strips can but they can still cut every half-meter. If you have a gap in your application you can easily choose a strip-to-strip jumper to fit the gap and keep your light going seamlessly.
The mounting isn’t quite as easy as the DC flex strips as they do not come with adhesive backing. Luckily they come with mounting clips (1 per 3 feet) to mount to the surface. For those not wanting to deal with clips or want the LED strip in a very tight, straight application the 3-foot mounting tracks would be a good choice to set the LED strips up.
If you are running longer lengths (75′ and up) it will be a good idea to consider AC LED strips. These strips run much better over distance and there won’t be the need to purchase multiple power supplies and dimmers as they can run straight from 110-120AC line voltage. Take a look at our AC5050 Review which goes into further detail on using these strip lights.
Alright, we have moved past flex strips now and are into a slightly different type of linear LED, LED rope light. Unlike the flat, ribbon-like flex strips, this LED Rope light is encased in a 1/2” diameter round rubbery plastic. The encasing makes for a waterproof rope light that can bend in all directions and has Omni-directional LEDs. This means that, unlike the LED Flex Strips that emit out the top, these LED Rope Lights emit all around the whole rope, there is no backside or area where you cannot see the light. The Rope Light is not nearly as bright but works great for dim accent lighting or just a nice added touch to your outside deck, patio, garden, etc.
This LEThis LED Rope Light is like the AC LED Flex Strips in the sense that it can plug straight into a standard wall outlet and run from 120VAC. They give off no heat and run off of very little power as they are only .77 watts per foot. The LED Rope Light is offered in warm white, cool white, and blue.
The rope holds 12 LEDs per foot with an inch in between each. The lumen output is extremely lower than our other linear options at 6.3 lumens/foot for cool white and 5.5 lumens per foot for warm white. We offer the Rope Light in custom-cut lengths of 3, 9, 15, 30, 75, 105, and 150 feet. Like the AC LED Flex Strips the Rope Light can be connected with jumpers but can go all the way up to 150 feet in length. With every 3 feet of rope light purchased, we include a clip for mounting them wherever you’d like. These ropes look like a typical rope light in the sense that you can tell where each LED is placed, it is not meant to be a steady, smooth light all the way through. The light that comes off is great for accenting certain areas but is not enough to be the stand-alone lighting for a room.
This Rope Light is a great value and has a rated lifetime of 60,000 hours for whites and 100,000 hours for colors. They are extremely durable and add a nice touch to your spot. Use them in places where you don’t want a bright light or just need something to draw attention to a part of your house or outside area. Take a look at the pictures above to see how they are typically used.
This final category includes our brightest strip lights. Unlike the flex strips and rope light above, these strips have mid to high power surface mount LEDs on a more rigid strip.
The Duo LED strip is manufactured right here in the United States by LuxDrive. If you want to make your own LED linear fixture this is your light engine to start with. The Duo houses 48 Nichia 757 diodes on a 1-foot by 1-inch printed circuit board (PCB). There are onboard drivers that keep the LEDs safe while requiring only a 24V input. Each 1-foot Duo Strip runs at about 8 Watts while outputting over 870 Lumens!
The Duo can be cut down into smaller segments for design flexibility. Every 3 inches there is a dashed cut-line showing where it can be cleaved into separate pieces with a circuit board cutter (paper cutters work as well) or shears.
The strip segments, whether cut short or full foot lengths can be connected up to 8 feet at a time. That means 8 full Duo strips can be connected in series off of the same power source. If you cut the strips down smaller, just make sure your total LED strip length does not exceed 8 feet.
The Duo is offered in a wide color temperature (CCT) range from 2700K to 6500K. If you need color the Duo has that covered with red, yellow, green, and blue.
Believe it or not, there are even horticulture-specific LEDs that come on the duo. The Nichia 757 Horticulture options are available in both 3000K and 5000K. These LEDs have a very wide output spectrum that is perfect for growing applications.
This high brightness, low profile strip is 12” x .45” and has 9 quality high power Nichia LEDs on a rigid strip with onboard circuitry and drivers. The low-profile LEDs only sit about .15” high on the strip but give off a 120-degree viewing angle so you can pack this strip in tight locations and it will still provide flood illumination.
These strips are sold in 1-foot sections but you are able to connect 10 together at a time for a 10-foot strip. The nice part about these strips and connecting them is they already come with connectors on the end so all you have to do is plug them together. Additionally, you can also cut the strips in half at 6” if you need them to fit in a certain spot, note you can only cut them in half, if you cut them elsewhere the strip will not work. This gives you a lot of control in building a custom-length high brightness strip.
The ElaraStrip can be purchased in warm white, neutral white, cool white, red, blue, and green. The 9 Nichia LEDs are high quality and give off a bright light at 200 Lumens/foot. These strips are great for linear applications where you want a brighter light. They can be used in coves and for accent lighting, general illumination, under cabinet lighting, and are great as a wall wash light. They are actually used in this under cabinet fixture that we sell, called the LVL2 (pictured to the left). For cove and accent type lighting they may be too bright but no worries as they are 0-10V dimming and totally compatible with our 0-10V wall dimmer. If you want to dim you will need the ElaraStrip wiring harness that plugs right into the 4 pin connection at the start of the strip and then has two sets of wire leads for your input power and your dimmer.
The Elara Strip is easy to power as it takes 12-25VDC and runs at 4.5 watts per foot. You can easily connect power using the wiring harness from above or we have another option in the ElaraStrip Power connector that plugs right into the 4 pins on the end of the strip and has a 2.5mm female barrel plug on the other end where a desktop power supply could be plugged right into. For a high-power LED strip this is extremely easy to power in order to get great quality, bright light.
This strip is ideal for when space is limited but you need a lot of light. It is extremely low profile and has built-in drivers so you have no need for any bulky drivers in the application. This strip also comes with its own thermal control so when the LEDs are too hot it will compensate for this and cool down, making it so you don’t need a bulky heat sink if you’re working in a tight space. Take note that this does take away from the brightness as it dims the LEDs a bit so if you want the brightest light you can get then put this on an aluminum flat bar or a small heat sink material in order to control the heat so that the automatic thermal control doesn’t kick in, taking away from the strips efficacy.
The LuxStrip is basically the ElaraStrip on steroids, and one of the best parts is that it can be totally customized to what you want. This 12” x .95” strip can hold 6 LEDs of your choice. Choose from the Luxeon Rebel and Cree XLamp options along with the colors and optics you’d like as well. This makes it so you can customize these strips for general lighting, outdoor lighting, light bars for vehicles, or grow lights and reef tank lights with the different colors that are available.
The LuxStrip is sold in 1-foot pieces that can be connected up to 12 feet long. They come with connections on both ends for easy connecting like the LuxStrip but if you are connecting strips and need a gap in your application you can use the Luxstrip wiring harness and a custom harness in order to connect the two together. They can also be cut every 2” for more specific lengths, make sure not to cut the strip down any smaller than 4” or it will not work correctly.
The 6 LEDs on the strip are capable of being run at 350mA, 500mA, and 700mA which is chosen at checkout. This means the wattage per foot will be 7-15 Watts depending on the driving current you choose. These are the highest quality LEDs and if you run them at the max for this strip (700mA) they will be giving off 1000 Lumens per foot! The onboard driver circuitry includes 0-10V dimming so you can dim that brightness down with our low voltage dimmer if necessary. At 700mA the LuxStrip will run pretty hot so you will need a heat sink to dissipate the heat so as not to burn out the LEDs and onboard circuitry. We recommend using an aluminum flat bar for backing as this keeps it low profile and takes care of the excess heat.
An industry-standard 24VDC power supply is ideal for use with the LuxStrip and can easily be connected via the LuxStrip Wiring harness or the LuxStrip Power connector which comes with a barrel jack and dimming/non-dimming options. Power and dimming control voltage is connected from strip to strip via a low profile board-to-board connector at the end of the strip and utilizes a unique polarized connection for foolproof assembly.
So basically, if you are looking for the brightest strip then this is the one for you. This can be extremely bright and can light up any area you need. Under cabinets, behind a frosted lens, high ceiling coves, whatever the linear area might be, this strip is sure to give you some high brightness and is pretty easy to set up. Another plus is that it is the only strip that can be used with optics to control your light if you need the strip to focus on a specific area. This US manufactured strip comes with the best-LED options available with industry-leading Cree and Luxeon LEDs. So have fun with this strip and tailor it to how you’d like, the choices are yours after all.
That about does it for our run-through of LED strip lighting. Buying LED strip lights does not have to be a difficult process as long as you know what to look for. The key for you when buying LED strips is to make sure you know your application and area restrictions and then understand your options for installation, power demands, and colors. With our range of strips and options, you will find what you need for your lighting project. Remember we are always here to support you along the way via email (sales@www.ledsupply.com) and phone (802-728-6031). As always feel free to share what you’ve done with our strips on our social media pages, we love seeing what is done with our LEDs and it helps provide inspiration for those unsure of the power and greatness of LEDs.
You use it for work. You use it for gaming. You use it to access Netflix, YouTube, and your ex’s HBO account. It’s your computer monitor, and opting for a model that fits you and your needs is crucial. Whether your old display has died or you’ve decided that you need to upgrade to take advantage of the latest software, picking the best monitor to match your needs is a big decision.
Not everyone is looking for the same thing, however. Some buyers are seeking a great display, while others put features and connectivity at the forefront. Then, there are different monitor types, ranging from standard flat 1080p screens to impressive 4K ultrawides. With so many great options out there, it’s easy to get confused, but once you read our comprehensive monitor buying guide, you’ll know exactly what you need.
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For most shoppers, the first thing to decide on is the monitor’s size. How big is big enough?
When it comes to computer monitors, you want something that can fit comfortably on your desk while giving you plenty of screen real estate. These days, we really don’t recommend buying a monitor below 22 inches. For most, 24 inches is going to be a baseline, as you can pick up a number of screens at that size for around $100, and they look fantastic at 1080p. At that resolution, you won’t need to spend much money on the rest of the computer, as there are plenty of affordable 1080p GPUs to choose from.
For those who want more than that, though, there are plenty of sizes to choose from. Monitors that stretch 27 inches diagonally are increasingly popular, and there are plenty of options beyond 30 inches that are affordable. If you want to go extreme, we’ve even tried some great computer monitors that get close to 50 inches, like this ever-so-impressive 48-inch LG UltraGear OLED.
While you’ll need to sit well back from those, there’s no denying that they look amazing. They give you the same screen real estate as multiple smaller monitors without a bezel dividing them down the middle. They tend to be rather expensive, though, and if you go really wide, you’ll struggle to find media that can display at close to its native resolution, leaving the picture either looking stretched or surrounded by black.
Anywhere between 24 and 32 inches is going to be perfectly fine for most users, and these tend to be the sizes that PC gamers tend to gravitate toward. They let you make the most of modern resolutions and color clarity, and they also fit a couple of open webpages at the same time without needing to use two monitors, which is handy for many professionals. They don’t tend to be too expensive at that size, either, unless you opt for the top-end models. Some of the top 32-inch gaming monitors can get pretty pricey.
Today, there are plenty of screen types to choose from when you’re shopping for a new monitor. Once you’ve decided on a size, the next step is to consider the resolution.
While 1080p was once the gold standard, today it’s just the baseline. If you’re happy to spend a little more, there are a few other options worth considering, especially if you want to improve screen space or gaming visuals. Resolution isn’t the be-all and end-all of monitor features, though. In fact, too much resolution on too small of a screen can often be annoying because it shrinks all images down and forces you to enlarge everything to easily read it.
If you want reasonable clarity, but want to save on cost or focus on other, more important features, 1080p is where it’s at — as long as the monitor you’re buying isn’t extremely large. For 21-inch to 24-inch displays, 1080p is ideal. These monitors offer great picture quality, and now that they are competing with 4K, the prices are rock-bottom. If you want to go larger than 24 inches, though, you should consider 2,560 x 1,440 resolution at the least and perhaps 4K.
These days, 1440p is the so-called sweet spot for gamers, as it offers a noticeable improvement in visuals over 1080p, but doesn’t overly tax your graphics card. Even if you’re not a gamer, you’ll enjoy the extra screen real estate. There are plenty of options ranging from 24 inches to 32 inches and beyond, and 1440p is also far more affordable if you’re interested in extra features like high refresh rates. It is also commonly referred to as Quad HD/QHD.
Currently, 4K is the resolution that the industry is most keen to drive consumers toward. With 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, it looks much more detailed than 1080p, and prices have come down substantially in the past few years. However, gamers will need a powerful graphics card to run a system at this resolution, and finding affordable monitors with full suites of frame synching support or high refresh rates is still difficult.
While 4K monitors are more common these days, you’ll still need to pay a pretty penny if you want to pair this resolution with high refresh rates and a high-quality panel. These displays are typically on the bigger side, meaning that you’ll need the desk space to support it and the ability to sit far enough away to not strain your eyes and your neck.
This resolution made headlines when Apple debuted it on its iMac, but it’s far from a common resolution even years later. Dell’s UP2715K is a great-looking display, but we would recommend many high-end 4K monitors before it, as you won’t be able to see too much difference between them. Apple, however, remains committed to making 5K happen, having recently released the Retina 5K Apple Studio Display.
Right now, 8K monitors, such as Samsung’s Odyssey Neo G9, which was dubbed the first 8K ultrawide display, remain on the horizon. There have been other instances of 8K in the past, and more are sure to follow, but we are still years away from this becoming the go-to high-end tech that 4K is today. Will we get there one day? Probably, but right now, there’s almost no reason to recommend buying an 8K monitor, both due to hardware limitations and cost.
While the above are the most common resolutions you’ll find on monitors, some fall into more niche categories. The best ultrawide monitors offer unique aspect ratios and resolutions with broad horizontal pixel counts, but less focus on the vertical dimension. Popular aspect ratios include 21:9 and 32:9, but you’ll find all kinds of shapes and sizes when you browse through these types of displays. These aspect ratios translate to some exotic-looking resolutions, such as 2,560 x 1,080, 3,440 x 1,440, or 3,840 x 1600.
Ultrawide monitors give you a broader view of content, and they’re often curved to make the experience more immersive. This makes them a favorite among gamers and content creators. For productivity, some users tend to prefer a dual-monitor setup (with normal aspect ratios), while others swear by ultrawides — it’s all down to preference.
Several other aspects of a monitor’s display contribute to just how awesome of an image it can produce. Gamers, for instance, will pay a lot of attention to refresh rates, but these days, even casual users benefit from a faster display than the standard 60Hz. Let’s dive into all the other aspects of buying a monitor that you should consider before you take your pick.
The aspect ratio tells you how wide the screen is compared to how tall it is. A common standard, and your best bet, is 16:9. It works with plenty of content, and it’s great for movies or games. Some fancy monitors like to stretch things out with ratios like 21:9, but that is more suitable for unusual work situations or hardcore gaming. Another common format, 16:10, provides slightly more vertical space for viewing multiple open documents or images, and 3:2 is becoming more commonplace in laptops for better web viewing, but that’s rare on stand-alone displays.
Depending on panel type, your monitor may have different peak brightness, and HDR support will amp that up considerably. Most monitors are built to be bright enough to use in a typical office environment, but high-end models these days push the brightness to the limit. Most monitors currently have brightness of around 300 to 350 nits, but high-end options advertise as having peak brightness of 1,000 nits, and many often offer over 700 nits. Extra brightness may be handy if you work in a well-lit room or next to large windows. However, too much brightness is a recipe for eye strain.
Contrast ratios tell you the difference between how white and how black a monitor screen can get. Higher contrast ratios are a good sign because that means colors will be more differentiated. However, multiple measurements for contrast ratios exist, and stated specs aren’t very reliable.
High dynamic range, or HDR, can have a dramatic impact on visuals. However, most PC monitors lack the brightness needed to take full advantage of it, and even the best ones don’t look as good as they should. On the other hand, there are gems like the Alienware 34 QD-OLED that show the true potential of this technology, which is well on its way to becoming more commonplace in the next few years. Keep in mind there are a variety of HDR versions to consider, like HDR10+, for more advanced content.
Rated in hertz (Hz), a monitor’s refresh rate is how often it updates the image on your screen. While most support up to 60Hz, some displays now offer much higher refresh rates. That can result in smoother movements on your desktop and support for higher frame rates in games, which can make a big difference in fast-paced titles by reducing your input lag.
While 120Hz to 144Hz is a great range to target, you could opt for the fastest screens out there with up to 240Hz support. There are even 500Hz displays, like this Alienware model, that embody the phrase “next level.” Just make sure you have a high-powered graphics card to back it up. Most users have no need for a 500Hz monitor, but there’s a huge leap between 60Hz and 144Hz that’s worth exploring — and it’s now a lot more affordable than ever before.
Response time indicates how quickly the monitor shows image transitions. A low response time is good for fast-paced action video games, twitchy gameplay, and similar activities. Response times are measured in milliseconds, with the best screens able to switch pixels at only a couple of milliseconds, but not everyone needs such fast reactions.
Viewing angle isn’t as important for a monitor as it is for a TV screen, but if you like to watch shows on your computer with groups of friends, aim for a larger viewing angle so people at the sides can see it easily. Anything above 170 degrees is good news here.
Shopping for a monitor means wading through tons of different terms, such as OLED, QLED, mini-LED, or, most commonly, good ol’ LED. Finding your way around these might be tricky, so let’s take a quick look at each.
LED monitors are the most common of all, and as such, the cheapest to get. LED essentially refers to an LCD monitor that uses LED backlighting. A LED monitor can come in varying flavors with different display panels, so just knowing that it’s LED doesn’t really tell you that much these days.
OLED displays are becoming increasingly popular, and some of the best OLED monitors have a lot to offer — at a price. If you care about image quality, OLED is hard to beat right now, thanks to its intense contrast, beautiful visuals, excellent color reproduction, and low input lag. Gamers who aren’t on a tight budget might turn to OLED to play immersive titles at the highest possible quality, although esports enthusiasts still choose high refresh rates over improved visuals.
QLED stands for “Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diode,” and it’s an LED display technology mainly promoted by Samsung, although some other manufacturers have jumped on that train, too. It’s much more common in televisions than in gaming monitors, but some manufacturers are toying with it to offer up supreme brightness. If you’re curious how it compares to OLED, we have a full guide to shed some light on the matter.
This is yet another category of monitors that’s still more common in TVs, but the last few years have brought us some top-notch mini-LED monitors, such as the Cooler Master Tempest GP27Q. Without going into too many redundant technical details, mini-LED is a backlighting technique used in LCD screens that results in brighter images and stronger contrasts. For someone on a quest to find a new monitor, it’s worth noting that a mini-LED monitor can be paired with all kinds of display panels, such as IPS or VA.
The type of panel used to make your new display can have a major impact on what it looks like and how it performs. They all have their strengths and their weaknesses, making each better-suited to different sorts of PC users. While manufacturers have made valiant attempts to bridge the gaps between the types, each tends to still have its evangelists, and depending on what you spend most of your time doing while on your PC, you’ll likely want to opt for one over the other. There can be a cost to pay for certain features, though.
Formerly the most common panel type, Twisted Nematic (TN) displays offer good visuals and some of the fastest response times, making them great for gamers — but if you’re into immersive RPGs, you might opt for a VA or an IPS panel instead. An esports aficionado will love TN for how speedy it is, though. On a TN monitor, colors can look a little washed-out, and viewing angles aren’t great. Displays with TN panels tend to be the most affordable.
In recent years, prices have come down on VA and IPS panels, making TN mostly obsolete. You’ll still find it on some budget gaming monitors, but most display makers opt for VA or IPS now.
VA panels, sometimes referred to as MVA or PVA, have slightly better colors and good viewing angles, but can suffer from ghosting. While their response times can be good on paper, that doesn’t always translate well into real-world usage. You’ll typically see VA on gaming displays due to their response times, though that comes at the cost of color accuracy compared to IPS.
Displays with IPS panels tend to be the most expensive of the bunch, but what you get for your money is much richer colors and clear viewing angles that are nearly horizontal. The downside of IPS panels is that they don’t tend to have as fast response times as TN displays, so some consider them inferior for gaming.
Some IPS monitors suffer from quality control issues, though, and most IPS displays have a telltale glow when displaying dark images due to backlight bleeding. But IPS has evolved a lot over the years, and many now consider it to be the gold standard for a gaming monitor — an IPS panel combined with high refresh rates is what many aim for.
There are also curved monitors to consider. They don’t have different resolutions than their flat counterparts, but present a concave curved screen, which can make a difference to the experience and tasks they’re best suited for. If you want an ultrawide monitor, you will most commonly find that it’s curved — but there are also curved monitors that aren’t ultrawide.
Curved monitors used to be a fancy thing just a few years ago, but these days, you can find certain models at an affordable price, so they’re an option if you want that extra bit of immersion regardless of your budget.
Curved display pros:
Curved display cons:
If you are interested, we certainly have our favorite curved monitors.
There are a few different ports you should look for on your monitor. Where VGA and DVI were standards of yesteryear, new displays ship with HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C connections most commonly. To make things more confusing, each of those has its own multitude of generations, which you need to be aware of if you’re planning on running a high-resolution or high refresh rate display.
To run a display at 4K resolution, you’ll need to use HDMI 1.4 at the very least, though HDMI 2.0 would be required if you want to support a refresh rate of 60Hz, which should be a bare minimum unless all you do is watch movies on it. If you want to do high refresh rate gaming, especially at higher resolutions, DisplayPort 1.4 monitors can handle up to 8K at 60Hz and 4K at up to 200Hz, so they’re better-suited than HDMI in that regard. DisplayPort 2.1 is also already here, although it’s virtually unavailable as far as monitors go just yet.
The slightly older, DisplayPort 1.2 connector can handle 1440p and 1080p at high refresh rates, so if you’re not opting for 4K, that port option should suffice for lower-resolution monitors. USB-C is an option, as it can support up to 4K resolution, but it’s not as capable as DisplayPort connections, and you can’t connect it directly to the graphics card, so it’s not recommended at all.
We recommend picking a monitor that is easy to use, especially if you’re building a complex setup with more than one screen. Think about adding a stand that you can tilt or rotate to achieve the perfect monitor angle. Some monitors even let you adjust tilt and rotation with one hand.
Built-in controls to navigate through the monitor’s menu and select different monitor modes are an interesting feature, but they shouldn’t feel clunky. Pay attention to port placement and cable management features to connect your new monitor in a neat and tidy manner. Some monitors go an extra step and include charging ports along the base or even turn the monitor base into a wireless charging pad for your phone.
The most common computer monitors are compact enough to sit on a table, desk, or stand. However, if you’re in the market for an enormous monitor, the most space-efficient choice is to mount the monitor onto a wall, thereby freeing up precious space. In this case, look for monitors that come with VESA standard mounting options or that are compatible with them. That way, you’ll have a larger selection of mounting arms from a variety of manufacturers to choose from, rather than being limited by specific mounting options.
You may use your monitor to hold video chats with friends or for business conferences. You have two main options for video communication, namely a built-in webcam or an independent camera, with marked differences that provide benefits based on your needs. Some monitors, especially high-quality models, come with an integrated webcam, although you generally won’t find it as an option in gaming displays.
You’ll find a built-in webcam especially useful not just for quick communication, but also for extra protection when logging in, thanks to features like facial recognition. However, if a monitor lacks a built-in webcam, that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. In fact, we suggest buying a monitor and then picking out a separate webcam, which is easier to mount and adjust and can be taken offline for privacy whenever you want. Plus, upgrading or replacing a standalone webcam is a lot easier than changing a built-in camera feature.