Choosing the right Monitor

What are the main points to keep in mind when looking for a Workstation Monitor?

IPS Vs. TN

These are the 2 types of panel technology that are most commonly found in monitors.

IPS – This panel has the most accurate colour representation. High-end monitors will also have an Adobe RGB colour profile built into them. IPS monitors are normally a bit more expensive. however the image quality is very obvious when using a high end monitor. At BoxxUK we tend to use 2 brands for high end monitors Dell (Pictured above, model U2715H) and Eizo. There a lot other brands out there that are very good in this area too.

TN – This panel has a tendency to represent colours in a manner that may make them look faded. They can also give the impression that there is a lot of back light bleeding. These two issues can be reduced by adjusting the setting of the monitor.

In this area we recommend Iiyama monitors as they have done a lot to limit the effect of the above-mentioned issues and they also have very reasonable prices.

8 bit vs 10 bit Colour

In the most basic way we can explain it,

8 bit colour = 16 million colours

16 bit colour = 1.02 – 1.07 billion colours (depending on monitor)

DisplayPort vs HDMI

Which connection is best? There are plenty of forums and opinions about which connection type is best. In reality, there is a very simple answer, does the connector

 type you are using allow you to get the best image from your monitor ? If the answer is “yes” then you are using the best connection type.

DisplyPort1.4 and HDMI 2.0 will work identically up to a resolution of 3840 x 2160 or 4K @ 60 Hz refresh rate.

Refresh Rate

With the variety of monitors on the market, there comes a variety of refresh rates ranging from 30Hz to 200Hz. So how are we supposed to know which one is good ?

Let us start at the beginning all the way at 30Hz, If you have a monitor connected and it is running at 30Hz refresh rate your image is likely to be a little blurry or have an out-of-focus look to it. This is normally the case all the way to about 45Hz.

To get a crystal clear image you want to be able to run your monitor at 60Hz.

60Hz is the golden number for a crisp clear image.

People may ask, if 60Hz is the golden number why do we have monitors that can do 200hz ? In the professional world of graphic design, a higher refresh rate than 60Hz would very rarely be used. It would only get used in scenarios where you have a lot happening on screen at a very fast pace. Higher refresh rates are more aimed at the gaming market, where people are playing games like Battlefield for example, where the screen is filled with people running, bombs flying, explosions, bullets flying, all happening at the same time. The image is clear however there is motion blur on the fast-moving items. refresh rates of 120Hz or higher combat this and reduce motion blur.

If like most designers you are making 3D models, retouching photos in Photoshop or even creating animations, a 60Hz refresh rate is where you want to be.

We hope this helps people choose monitors that suit their workflow.

The Boxx UK Team