Which monitor resolution is best for you - A beginners guide

When looking to purchase a new monitor it can be easy to get lost in the sheer number of options that are available to you. There are countless options available to you in varying dimensions, resolutions, refresh rates, and features that choosing the right option for you can be a daunting task.

The important thing to know when choosing your monitor is exactly what you are looking to get out of it. There is no point overspending on something that you are not going to fully utilise. In fact, it's all about choosing that sweet spot that gives you the ideal performance that you are looking for.

One of the most important things to decide on is what resolution you want to be using with your monitor. So, today we are looking to try and make that journey into monitors a little bit easier as we take a look at which monitor resolution might be best for you.

What is monitor resolution?

When we talk about the resolution of a monitor, what is it that we are really talking about? Well, monitor resolutions refers to the amount of pixels that are displayed on the screen. These pixels are tiny squares of colours that, when shown on screen together, form the images that you are looking at.

The higher the number of pixels that you can display on your screen and the more densely that you can get those pixels means the sharper and clearer the image is that you can see.

As an example, one of the most popular monitor resolutions is 1920x1080 (also known as 1080p or Full HD). This means that the monitor has 1,920 pixels running across the width of the display and 1,080 pixels across the height. This results in the monitor having a total of 2,073,600 being displayed on the screen, with these pixels providing you with the images that you see when using your computer.

So are more pixels better?

This now raises the next question, does what we mentioned before mean that more pixels are better? Technically, yes it does, the more pixels you can show on the screen (the higher the resolution) the better the image quality is that you will be seeing. However there are some things to consider in relation to this.

Firstly, the more pixels that your monitor has to display means the harder your computer has to work to be able to produce that image. This means that if you want to use a higher resolution you will need a more powerful computer and graphics card in order to be able to display graphics at those resolutions. This is especially important to consider should you have an older or lower specification computer.

Secondly, not all applications and games are optimised to be displayed at higher resolutions. This can lead to some compatibility issues with some software which can cause some interface and user experience issues when using them.

Once again, it all comes back to deciding exactly what your use case is and what it is that you are wanting to get out of your monitor. Take the time to consider the hardware that you currently have and if you would need to perform any additional hardware upgrades in order to utilise the resolution that you want with your monitor.

What are the most popular monitor resolutions?

Let’s now take a look at what the most popular resolutions are that people are using when it comes to gaming and productivity.

1920x1080 - Full HD 1080p

1920x1080 is one of the most popular monitor resolutions that people use. This is due to the fact that you are able to have great, clear image quality at this resolution and it doesn’t require a top tier computer to power.

There are countless monitors available at this resolution which means that you will certainly be able to find a monitor that ticks all of your boxes and within the budget that you are looking to spend.

1080p is especially great for gaming as it means that you are more likely to be able to max out your games graphics settings or at least run high settings should you have a decent gaming computer. This means that you can fully utilise your graphics card to their full potential for features such as ray tracing to really get the most out of your games.

In a lot of cases a high quality 1080p display, such as the AORUS FI25F Gaming Monitor, is the sweet spot for gamers with a mid tier gaming rig.

This resolution is also perfect for general office and productivity use as the monitors are affordable and can handle pretty much any task that you want to throw at it. The added bonus of these monitors is that you can also get a second monitor to run a dual monitor setup without breaking the bank or making your computer hardware sweat by having to work too hard.

1920x1080 resolutions display 2,073,6000 pixels.

2560x1440 - 1440p WQHD

Things now start to get a bit more interesting when we start looking at 2560x1440 resolution monitors. These monitors are also known as 1440p monitors.

1440p displays offer a fantastic gaming experience thanks to the extra pixels that they cram into the image. These extra pixels mean that you get a wonderful crisp image in your games adding to a much smoother gaming experience. Paired with a higher refresh rate such as 144Hz and this resolution is a dream to game on.

The beauty of gaming at 2560x1440 is that pretty much most games support this resolution and it isn't the hardest resolution to power. You will need a decent gaming computer to be able to power games at this resolution, however most mid to high tier gaming PC’s can  handle it pretty easily.

When it comes to productivity, this resolution is also nice to use however a lot of users won't notice a difference when comparing this to a 1080p display, unless they are using tools such as graphics editing software etc. Text does appear more crisp compared to a 1080p display which makes reading content a bit easier and helps with eye strain.

2560x1440 resolutions display 3,686,400 pixels.

3840x2160 - 4K UHD

Now we are on to 4K displays that come in with a resolution of 3840x2160. 4K monitors are the holy grail of monitors and provide you with some of the best image quality available today.

Using a 4K display gives you graphics that just look stunning when compared to other resolutions. The image is bright, vibrant, and displays crystal clear details in the image that you simply just don’t get with a lower resolution.

When it comes to gaming, there is nothing better than gaming at 3840x2160. Your games will pop like never before and you can actually achieve an advantage over other players  on the battlefield sometimes thanks to the added clarity that you see in game.

The thing that you need to remember when gaming at this resolution is that you need a decent gaming rig to be able to game at high settings. If you only have a mid tier gaming rig then you will likely need to update your GPU and/or CPU in order to get the most that you can out of your games.

4K resolution displays are also critical when it comes to productivity tasks such as video editing. If you are someone that creates content in 4K such as YouTube videos, you really do need a 4K display. This allows you to be able to edit your videos and view your video at the full 4K resolution that you are producing. Colour accuracy is incredibly important with video production so you need to make sure that you choose a monitor, such as the AORUS FI32U Gaming Monitor, that offers great colour accuracy at the right resolution.

These UHD displays are also the pinnacle when it comes to media consumption. If you are someone that likes to use their display to watch movies and TV shows then you really want to take a look at a 4K display. With most content, whether it be on YouTube, Twitch, Netflix or Disney Plus, being available in 4K resolution you really want to take advantage of that. There is nothing better than sitting back and watching the latest Marvel in full, glorious 4K on something like the AORUS FO48U Gaming Monitor.

3840x2160 resolutions display 8,294,400 pixels.

3440x1440 - Ultrawide

Ultrawide monitors come in at a few different resolutions however the most common is 3440x1440. These displays differ from those that we have discussed previously due to them being much wider. They keep the same height of the other monitors with 1440 pixels however they are a wider display with 3440 pixels running across the width.

This wider display is absolutely fantastic for productivity use thanks to the extra screen real estate that you get on each side of the monitor. This means that you can show more windows on the screen at the same time, perfect for tasks such as programming, video editing, and graphic design. The more you can show on your screen at the one time the easier it can be to do things such as multi-task, drag and drop elements, and perform comparisons between different elements.

Ultrawide monitors also shine when it comes to gaming, especially single player games. Not all video games out there natively support ultrawide resolutions but when they do it can really add to the immersion of a game. Role playing games and story driven games are an absolute pleasure to experience at this resolution, provided the developers support it.

By having a wider screen you get a much wider field of view in games which really helps to draw you into the gaming experience. For single player games this is an amazing experience. When it comes to competitive multiplayer games such as shooters, generally speaking ultrawides are not what you are looking for. By having a much wider screen and larger field of view it can interfere with your reaction times and vision during gameplay due to the larger screen real estate that you need to monitor.

3440x1440 resolutions can display 4,953,600 pixels.

It is important to remember Pixel Density

Resolution is not the only factor when it comes to getting great image quality, you also need to consider Pixel Density. Pixel Density refers to the number of pixels that are displayed within a certain area of the screen. This Pixel Density is measured in what’s called Pixels Per Inch, or PPI for short.

The more pixels that can be squeezed into a given area, the better the image quality you will get as a result. By having a higher pixel density it makes it harder for the human eye to distinguish between the individual pixels. 

A good way to look at this is by comparing a 1080p resolution of a 27 inch monitor with a 1080p resolution of a 32 inch monitor. Both monitors, although they are different sizes, display the same number of pixels with 1920 pixels across the width and 1080 pixels across the height of the display with both displays producing 2,073,600 pixels. 

However, because the 32 inch monitor is actually larger than the 27 inch, this means that those 2,073,600 pixels are spread further apart from each other. These pixels being further away from each other leads to a lower quality and less sharp image being displayed. This is especially noticeable if you are working with a lot of text whereby you may notice that the text looks a bit blurry on the 32 inch monitor.

As a rule of thumb you generally want to try and find a display that has a PPI of 80 or higher in order to have a seamless viewing experience when gaming and working.

As we mentioned earlier, the sheer number of displays available can be daunting and can also lead to people choosing a display or resolution that doesn't best fit their needs. By ensuring that you take the time to think about what you are wanting to use your monitor for, what hardware you are currently running, and what factors are most important to you, you will be much better equipped when it comes to making your decision.

Learn More:

-Gaming monitor buying guide - The 10 most important things to consider when buying a monitor (Part 1/2)

-Beginners 101 - How to Setup Your Gaming Monitor

-Beginners 101 - How to Get Started with PC Gaming in 4K Monitor