What Size Monitor Should You Get?
Monitor size plays a key role in your productivity, comfort, and overall PC experience. With so many options available, it can be challenging to pick the right size for your setup. While larger screens may seem better, the ideal size depends on your desk space, budget, and how you use your PC.
Before selecting a monitor, it's important to understand key specs like panel type, resolution, and refresh rate. Whether you're working from home, watching movies, or gaming, each use has different requirements, and choosing the right display size is crucial for optimising your experience.
Common Monitor Sizes: What You Need to Know
Popular Monitor Sizes
Most monitor sizes will work well for most tasks, though depending on what you use your PC for, a larger or smaller screen might serve your needs better.
24” and below
Affordable, comparatively requires less energy, and compact—perfect for small desks or multi-monitor setups.
27”
The new standard for many offices. These monitors support high resolutions (4K and 5K), making them ideal for gaming, creative tasks, and media consumption.
32” and above
Ultrawide, often curved displays offering a more immersive experience. Perfect for gaming and multimedia enthusiasts.
Choosing Based on Use Case
For Office and Productivity
If you’re working with spreadsheets and documents as part of your job, a smaller 24” monitor can get the job done- however, if you work with multiple open programs at once, you might want to opt for something larger like a 27” display, as this can help streamline multitasking.
If you work with graphics, photography or film, or need room for multiple complex programs at once, then a 4K ultrawide monitor could be the best choice for you. A higher resolution, like 1440p, 4K or 5K, is also a good choice for visual work.
For Gaming
A 27-inch or larger monitor is generally ideal for gaming, providing a wide field of view and enhancing immersion. A curved monitor, particularly an ultrawide, can further intensify this experience. However, the ideal monitor size depends on the games you play.
Older games may not be optimised for larger screens or higher resolutions, while fast-paced games, like competitive first-person shooters, may experience slower gameplay at very high resolutions.
No matter the size or resolution, prioritise monitors with high refresh rates and fast response times refresh rates and fast response times to suit your gaming style.
For Content Creation
If you use your PC for video or photo editing, design, or other types of content creation, an ultrawide monitor could be the best choice for you.
Some visual tasks are easier to complete if you have more horizontal space to work with, like editing video using timelines. Image clarity and sharpness are also important for visual tasks, so high resolution is another good feature to prioritise.
Higher resolution monitors over 1440p are ideal for content creation. 4K or 5K will give you even more stunning clarity and image definition, but QHD should also work well for detailed visual tasks.
For General Use/ Entertainment
A 27-inch monitor is a versatile choice for general PC use, offering good picture quality at relatively low prices. It's also a suitable size for gaming and entertainment.
If you watch TV shows, movies, or stream content on your PC, investing in a high-resolution 4K or 5K model could be worthwhile.
Additionally, consider your viewing distance. A smaller screen works well when seated at a desk, but if you're watching from farther away, a larger monitor might be more suitable for entertainment purposes.
Viewing Distance and Desk Space
Monitor size helps to determine viewing distance for your display, so you’ll need to consider how much space you have to work with when choosing a monitor size.
You can calculate the optimal viewing distance using factors like pixel density, aspect ratio, and resolution. For example:
24-inch Monitor
Optimal Viewing Distance:
50-90 cm
27-inch Monitors
Optimal Viewing Distance:
40-110 cm
32-inch Monitors
Optimal Viewing Distance:
40-120 cm
Ultrawide Monitors
Optimal Viewing Distance:
50-110 cm
Alternatively, a simpler method is to sit at least an arm's length away from the monitor, which works well for 24-inch and 27-inch displays. For larger screens, you may need to sit further back to maintain comfort and ensure the display fills at least 25% of your field of view. Another guideline is to sit far enough that you can't see individual pixels, which is especially important with lower-resolution displays where pixel density is lower.
If you work at a small desk, consider choosing a monitor that isn’t too wide. It’s not only the screen that takes up space - larger monitors are heavier and have wider stands, so unless you’re wall-mounting or using a monitor riser, you could end up sacrificing a sizable amount of desk space to a larger display.
Aspect Ratio
and Monitor Size
Aspect ratio refers to the ratio between a display's width and height. The standard ratio for film, TV, and video games is 16:9, which is why most monitors use this format.
However, ultrawide aspect ratios like 21:9 are becoming increasingly popular. These monitors are much wider than standard 16:9 displays and are ideal for content creation, gaming, and multitasking.
Due to their width, 21:9 monitors are typically curved, allowing users to comfortably view all parts of the screen. When deciding between 16:9 and 21:9 aspect ratios, consider that not all content is optimised for ultrawide screens.
Some video games support ultrawide configurations, but most movies and TV shows won't fully utilise a 21:9 screen without distortion. Be sure the aspect ratio fits all your intended uses before choosing an ultrawide monitor.
Resolution and Size:
Why They Matter Together
When choosing a monitor, it's easy to assume that bigger is better, but larger screens and higher resolutions don’t always guarantee the best results for every setup. Screen size and resolution should be considered together since the resolution needs to scale with the screen size to maintain image quality. This is because of pixel density, or the number of pixels within a given area.
For smaller monitors, most resolutions will look sharp because the pixels are more concentrated. For instance, a 24-inch screen with a 1080p resolution will appear crisp due to its relatively high pixel density of around 91 PPI (pixels per inch). A 4K resolution on the same screen will look even sharper, offering about 184 PPI.
However, resolution becomes more critical as screen size increases. On a larger display, 1080p may appear less sharp because the pixels are spread over a wider area. For example, a 32-inch monitor with 1080p resolution will have only 68 PPI, leading to potential blurriness and pixelation.
To maintain clarity on larger screens, higher resolutions are necessary to balance the increased size. For more detailed guidance on how to select a monitor based on resolution, check out this monitor resolution guide.
Budget Considerations
Larger screens and higher resolutions can drive up the price of some monitors, but it's entirely possible to find a high-quality option that fits your needs without overspending. In general, bigger monitors come with a higher price tag, especially when considering advanced ultrawide models.
Similarly, resolution impacts cost, with 4K and 5K displays often priced higher than 1080p models. Before choosing a monitor, prioritise the specs that matter most based on your usage. For instance, if you need a monitor for work and multitasking, an ultrawide display might be ideal, allowing you to skip features like a super-fast refresh rate or 5K resolution.
If budget is a concern, avoid monitors that require additional PC upgrades. Ultrawide monitors, for example, might need a more powerful graphics card, adding to the overall expense. The key is to find a balance between cost and the features that meet your needs.
Ergonomics:
Eye Comfort and Neck Strain
Creating good ergonomic habits is essential for avoiding issues like neck and eye strain, and your monitor is an important part of that process. Positioning your monitor at the correct viewing distance and just below your eye line, as well as taking frequent breaks when using your PC, can help reduce issues like dry eyes, fatigue, and difficulty focussing.
If unsure of the ideal distance, use online viewing distance calculators or follow manufacturer advice. Curved monitors can further reduce eye strain by maintaining a consistent focal distance, especially on ultrawide or 21:9 displays (Samsung Insights, 2022).
Conclusion
Ultimately, the best monitor size for you will come down to what you use your monitor for, what kind of desk setup you have, and your budget. Remember that bigger displays with higher resolutions won’t necessarily be the best choice for everyone, and that the unique way you use your PC will determine what monitor specs will be the most useful to you. Learning more about how monitors work can make it a lot easier to choose the best size and model, so if you want to dig deeper and discover more about specific features, you can read about check out our monitor resolution guide.
