The 7 Best Computer Monitors - Fall 2021 Reviews

The Samsung LC32G75TQSNXZA is the best monitor we've tested for gaming. It's a premium 1440p model with many gaming features and an incredibly fast 240Hz refresh rate. The unit we tested has a 32 inch screen size, but there's also a 27 inch model available, and we expect our results to be valid for both. Whether you have an AMD or NVIDIA graphics card, you should be happy to know it supports both FreeSync and G-SYNC compatibility for a nearly tear-free gaming experience.

Motion looks incredibly smooth thanks to the outstanding response time, and there's also backlight strobing feature that can reduce persistence blur. Like most VA panel monitors, it has a slower response time with dark transitions, but there isn't much black smearing. Speaking of VA panels, the G7 has a great native contrast ratio to display deep blacks, making it a good choice for dark room gaming. Even in bright rooms, it has great peak brightness and good reflection handling, so glare shouldn't be an issue.

Unfortunately, there are a few bugs associated with it. There are reports of distracting backlight flicker with variable refresh rate (VRR) enabled, but we didn't notice that issue on our unit, so your experience may vary. There's a VRR Control setting that, when enabled, doesn't seem to make VRR work properly at 60Hz, so it's best to disable it if you're going to use it for console gaming. If this doesn't bother you, it's one of the best monitors we've tested.

The best monitor for office use that we've tested is the ASUS ProArt Display PA278CV. It has a large 27 inch screen with a 1440p resolution, giving you plenty of space for multitasking, as well as delivering sharp images and text. It uses an IPS panel with wide viewing angles, and it comes with a stand that allows for tons of ergonomic adjustments so that you can get a comfortable viewing position. It gets bright enough to provide good visibility in most lighting conditions, but it might struggle a bit in direct sunlight.

It's well-suited for content creation as long as you work in the sRGB color space. Its Adobe RGB coverage is good, but it might not be enough for professional photo editors. It has a great response time for a 75Hz panel, good enough for some casual gaming on the side, and there's even VRR support to reduce screen tearing. The backlight is entirely flicker-free, which helps reduce eye strain on those long workdays.

Unfortunately, it doesn't support HDR at all, but that's somewhat expected for a low-cost monitor. There's a good number of ports available. You get four USB 3.0, with two located on the side for easy access, as well as a USB-C input with DisplayPort Alt Mode and power delivery of up to 65W. It's not quite enough to charge a gaming laptop with a dedicated GPU, but it should be fine for most thin and light ultraportables. All in all, it's a great monitor worth considering.

The best computer monitor for office use that we've tested in an ultrawide format is the LG 38WN95C-W. It's a 38 inch model with a 21:9 aspect ratio, roughly 30% wider than a typical 16:9 display, which means you can have multiple windows placed side-by-side. It has wide viewing angles, and the screen is slightly curved to help with visibility on the sides. The stand allows for height, tilt, and swivel adjustments, but it can't rotate to portrait mode due to its wide format.

It's great for content creators. It has full sRGB and excellent Adobe RGB coverage, and it supports a wide color gamut for HDR. Its USB-C input supports Thunderbolt 3 data transfer speed, DisplayPort, and 94W charging. It should be enough to charge most laptops, bar power-hungry ones with a dedicated GPU. It has built-in speakers, a Picture-in-Picture mode, and a blue light filter to help reduce eye strain. Its reflection handling is just okay, but visibility shouldn't be an issue because it gets very bright.

Like most IPS panels, it isn't ideal for dark rooms because it has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks appear gray, and even though it has local dimming, it's edge-lit and performs terribly. That said, it does get very bright, enough to make highlights pop in HDR content. It performs impressively well as a gaming monitor thanks to its 144Hz refresh rate, exceptional response time, and VRR support. Overall, it's a versatile monitor that should please most people.

The LG OLED48C1 is the best large monitor that we've tested. It's a TV that we tested as a monitor, as there are few models of this size on the market, and it offers better performance than most large monitors we've tested. It has a 48 inch screen that feels incredibly immersive, and it's a fantastic choice for dark room viewing because, like most OLEDs, it can turn the pixels off to produce inky blacks. It handles reflections exceptionally well and gets bright enough to combat glare for the most part, although visibility might still be an issue in very well-lit settings.

Its OLED's motion handling is excellent. It has a 120Hz refresh rate and a near-instantaneous response time to make fast motion look smooth and improve overall input responsiveness. It also has native FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility to minimize screen tearing when gaming. There are four HDMI 2.1 ports, which means you can use it with your PS5 or Xbox Series X console. HDR looks amazing as it has a wide color gamut and good peak brightness to make highlights pop.

Unfortunately, permanent burn-in is a risk, especially with static elements like a desktop user interface. That said, we don't expect it to be an issue for most people watching varied content. The stand doesn't allow for any ergonomic adjustments, but it does support a 300 x 200 VESA mount. Since it's a TV, you get a remote to navigate the OSD settings, smart features, and built-in speakers. Overall, this is an excellent option for those who want a large screen but still retain a 16:9 aspect ratio.