One option that you can usually disregard when shopping for a monitor is whether or not it has built in speakers. The speakers that any monitors have inside of them will almost always be of subpar sound quality. There simply isn’t room for high quality speakers, so you’ll end up with poor sound. If it was possible to squeeze speakers capable of high quality sound inside there, then the price would be significantly different enough to make the decision easy enough for you. Your best option is to use a set of standalone speakers, which will offer you much better quality. So unless you have a need for built in speakers due to space limits or the like, then you can pretty much look over them.

There are some other options that may or may not be important to you, it’s really just personal preference and need. These include things such as USB ports, a 3.5mm port (for headphones), etc. These things may be very convenient to you, or you may not really care. It’s completely up to you whether or not to make these a priority, but we do advise to always put the monitor with the better picture in first place.

So what really matters then when you are purchasing a flat screen monitor?

Simple. The single most important thing in a monitor is its picture quality. And this will be determined by the response time(ms), screen size, connection options, and the native resolution of the monitor.  You should put these factors above all else when shopping for a monitor. Don’t skimp out on the response time, especially if you plan on playing a lot of video games. Screen size will come down to personal preference, but try not to undersize yourself. For the best image quality, try to pick out a monitor that has a DVI or HDMI connector. And finally, make sure that the native resolution of the monitor is a size that you are happy with and appropriate relative to the size of the monitor screen. In conclusion, the little extras won’t end up mattering to you if your image quality is subpar, so be sure to select a monitor that will give you a high quality image.

If you’re choosing a monitor to do your work on and for internet browsing, then you don’t need a super high refresh rate. Shoot for a monitor with a large display area so that you can manage multiple programs at once easily and have plenty of space. A 17 inch monitor can do the job, but we wouldn’t recommend this size as it’s really just not enough space.  A 19 inch monitor is a much better alternative, and there isn’t much of a price gap between these two sizes. If you are willing to spend more, you can go bigger. It eventually all comes down to personal preference. Another thing to pay attention to is the adjustability of the monitor. Since you’ll be sitting in front of it for long periods of time working, you want it to be flexible so that you can be comfortable.

If you enjoy playing games, especially high definition games, then you’ll need a monitor with a fast response time so that you get a clear picture. Generally, the bigger the monitor the better experience you’ll have when playing games. If you intend on hooking up a console to your monitor, you’ll want to make sure you have multiple input options and an easy way to switch inputs back and forth so that you can swap between your gaming system and windows when need be. Some monitors have a dedicated button for this purpose, so if you see yourself needing to switch back and forth a lot, then it may be wise to seek out a monitor like this for your convenience.

In conclusion, you need to decide what you intend to use your flat screen monitor for so you can make the right purchase. If you don’t intend to use your monitor for gaming, you can easily get away with selecting a monitor with lower specs without any negative effects. But if you plan on playing games or other graphically demanding applications, then it’s best to get a monitor with a higher refresh rate.