If you’re looking to save some dough on a computer display, Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event, starting today, is a great time to do that.
PCWorld constantly reviews the latest monitor models with the newest tech. We also hunt for the best values if you don’t need all the bells and whistles. You can trust us to not just find the biggest discounts, but the discounts on the monitors that are actually worth buying in the first place.
Read on for the best monitor deals at the best prices I could find, and check out our Prime Big Deal Days 2024 deals hub for great sales in other tech categories.
Last updated on October 8th, 2024.
OLED monitors are the cream of the crop for gamers, and at the moment you can’t get any bigger than Samsung’s 49-inch super-duper-mega-ultrawide. It’s easily the best bang-for your-buck on the list. But for something a little less unwieldy, I’d go with the MSI 34-inch ultrawide and its more manageable 3440×1440 resolution.
If you want to upgrade to OLED for as little cash as possible, Corsair is offering a 27-inch QHD model that’s great for gamers for just $600. That might also be the best choice if you’re interested in competitive gaming — its lower resolution and 240Hz refresh rate is a great compromise if you’re hoping to keep those framerates up.
Once again Samsung offers both the biggest monitor and the biggest discount in the gaming sector, this time on the humungous, curved, and rotatable 4K Ark design. But that one’s beyond most people’s budgets (and their desk’s weight limit). For an easy recommendation I’d once again go with the ever-reliable Gigabyte 34-inch ultrawide, already a good deal at its regular $400 price, a steal at $70 off.
For something more general for a home office, check out that Acer 27-incher. It’s QHD with a speedy 240Hz refresh rate, a cut above the usual, and uses a high-quality IPS panel. That makes it great for both competitive multiplayer gaming and office or media production work.
For a general office monitor, I’d recommend Acer’s 27-inch 4K model. It’s got tons of resolution on a high-quality panel, and a USB-C connection for easy laptop support. Samsung’s 32-incher doubles as a smart TV (including streaming apps) if you want to watch an episode on your lunchbreak. For the absolute cheapest deals possible, check out the Sceptre and Asus 24-inch 1080p models.
On the portable side we’ve got two choices: a gorgeous OLED from Asus that’ll look great next to any laptop, or a similar panel from MNN for a fraction of the price. Choose according to your budget.
PCWorld covers a wide range of tech deals every Prime Day, so make sure to check out some other best deal roundups that may be of interest, and see our top picks for the best monitors of 2024 for more PCWorld insights.
Monitor size depends on personal preference and location.
A 24-inch monitor is fine for a desk that is around 24 inches deep, or less. Its small size will still be sufficient because the monitor is closer to you.
Most people, however, will want to go with a 27-inch monitor. The added size will make the monitor easy to see. This also opens up a wider range of 4K monitor options, as 4K is very rare on a 24-inch monitor.
Larger monitors, such as a 32-inch widescreen or 34-inch ultrawide, are great for deep desks and people who want an immersive experience. Monitors this large can serve as a TV replacement in a small room.
Displays of even larger size, such as 42-inch or 48-inch HDTVs, are best for home theater setups or an unusually large office. You’ll want to sit four to six feet away from a display of this size.
USB-C is the best display input for most people. It works by bundling DisplayPort into USB-C, so offers all the same features as DisplayPort. Yet it retains the features of USB-C including optional support for Power Delivery to charge external devices. This is why we recommend a USB-C monitor for most people.
DisplayPort is generally second-best. It supports higher resolutions and refresh rates than HDMI. This input is particularly common on desktop computers.
HDMI comes in third due to lower resolution and refresh rate support. This is improved by HDMI 2.1, but this feature remains hard to find and often adds to a monitor’s price.
All three of the options above handle 1080p at 60Hz, which is the most common resolution and refresh rate available today. It’s also important to buy a monitor that has an input compatible with your PC.
Modern monitors are compatible with all recent versions of Windows and MacOS. They’re plug-and-play, which means the monitor should display an image without the need to install driver software or mess with Windows or MacOS settings.
