You want to buy a new gaming monitor but don’t know how big it should be? We present you the best tips on what to consider when choosing a monitor size.
Gaming monitors come in various sizes and variants. But why shouldn’t you just buy any monitor size without thinking about it first? There are several good reasons for this.
What factors play a role in choosing a monitor? If you’re looking to buy a new monitor for gaming or work, you need to consider various aspects before making a purchase:
- The distance from which you’ll be sitting from the monitor.
- How much space you have on your desk.
- Which resolution (Full HD, WQHD, or 4K) you’re using.
- The higher the resolution, the higher the hardware requirements.
To optimize all these aspects according to your needs and hardware, we summarize the most important information for you.
Resolution, Size, Viewing Distance, and Pixel Density – What Is Important for a Monitor
What is the difference between resolution and size? The resolution indicates the number of vertical and horizontal pixels. The size often refers to the screen diagonal in inches.
The screen size is specified in centimeters (cm) or inches (“), measuring the diagonal from the lower left corner to the upper right corner.
If the screen size increases but not the resolution, fewer pixels will be distributed over a larger area. For the viewer, the image will then appear less sharp. This is where pixel density plays an important role.
What is pixel density? Pixel density is usually specified in pixels per inch (PPI). The value describes how many pixels are found on a rectangle with a diagonal of one inch.
The higher the pixel density, the sharper the image. If the pixel density decreases, the image appears blurry, causing you to see jagged diagonal lines or pixel noise.
According to the well-known monitor magazine Prad, the visible benefit falls off drastically from 150 PPI for most users (via prad.de). A pixel density of about 109 PPI provides a sufficiently sharp image for most users.
However, how far you sit from the monitor also plays a role. If you sit very close to the monitor, a high pixel density is more important than if you sit far away.
What is important for the resolution? The larger your resolution, the faster hardware you will need. Because in WQHD, your graphics card has to compute significantly more pixels than in Full HD. Therefore, before purchasing, you should check what hardware you have available.
What role does the viewing distance play? The minimum distance from the monitor should be about 50 centimeters. You should sit far enough away from the display that the entire screen fits in your field of vision. For a human, this is about 140 degrees. The theory behind these numbers comes from SMPTE, the “Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers”.
If you cannot see the whole monitor, it will tire your eyes over time. Depending on the size of the monitor, you may need to account for a greater distance. By the way, with a small online tool, you can easily calculate the best distance to the monitor yourself (via phfx.com).
Full HD: 24 – 25 Inches
If you want to game in Full HD (1920×1080), you should buy a monitor that has a size of 24 to 25 inches. At this size, the pixel density is highest, and the image remains sharp for the viewer.
Significantly smaller monitors are only conditionally recommended. If you’re considering buying a 27-inch monitor, we would advise you to go directly for a device with WQHD resolution. This is because in Full HD, 27 inches can already appear slightly blurry, as pixel density decreases when the display gets larger while the resolution remains unchanged.
WQHD: 27 Inches
If you want to game in WQHD (2560×1440), you should buy a monitor with a 27-inch size. With 108 PPI, you have a pleasantly high pixel density and can see many details.
32-inch monitors are also worth considering; many players find this size too much for gaming. Because either you need to sit far enough away to see everything, or you have to move your head a lot to capture everything. For a 32-inch monitor, you also need enough space on your desk.
For many users, WQHD also represents the best middle ground between Full HD and 4K. Because with WQHD, high refresh rates are possible while 4K already requires significantly more performance.
The refresh rate describes how many images per second can be displayed. The more images per second, the smoother the image appears to the viewer.
4K: 32 – 43 Inches
The best monitor size for 4K resolution is 32 inches and larger. Because here you have an aspect ratio of 16:9 and enough space for gaming and working. At 32 inches, you still have a pixel density of 138 PPI.
However, you should note that 4K requires significantly more performance than WQHD. The pixel comparison makes this clear: In 4K, you have 8 million pixels, while in WQHD you have “only” 3.6 million. With sufficiently powerful hardware, you can hardly take advantage of the high resolution in modern games.
Additionally, a 4K monitor of 32 inches also requires a lot of space on your desk.
More interesting articles about monitors: Are you looking for more tips or ideas about gaming monitors? MeinMMO editor Bendikt Schlotmann explains in his article why a second monitor completely changed his everyday life:
