Are you still using the monitor that came bundled with your PC when you purchased it? A new monitor can make your PC experience look sharper, offer a wider range of features, and even improve your health, yet most desktop PC users never upgrade beyond the mediocre monitor that came with the system when they bought it. Whether you want to enjoy a home-theater-like experience with your PC, have the best tool for editing photo and video, or pump up your gaming rig, a new monitor will often do the trick for less money and less effort than any tweaks you could make inside the PC tower.

Monitors can be broken down into several categories, classified by price range and intended use, from gaming and entertainment to business use, to professional grade displays for photo and video editing. For a closer look at each category, and what to look for when selecting yours, check out How to Buy an LCD Monitor. In each category, as we review multiple models from several manufacturers, we'll test and rate each display across a series of criteria, and name the best of each our Editors' Choice. In this list, you'll find our current Editors' Choice from each monitor category: budget, business/professional, multimedia, and gaming.

For many buyers, the first consideration will be the price above all else. While high-end displays will often be priced at $1,000 or higher, you can still find plenty of decent mid-range monitors for less than half that price. Business users will often benefit from features like built-in USB hubs that allow peripherals to be connected to the monitor instead of the PC tower, and power-usage profiles that help companies manage their electricity costs across an entire computer-using staff.

For anyone working with photo and video, clear and accurate images are a must. To get truer colors, most photographers and graphic designers opt for a monitor with In-Plane Switching (IPS), a technology which offers clearer detail and a wider color gamut. Larger monitors also provide wide canvases for the digital artist to work on, or to display their work.

Gamers and home-theater enthusiasts will want a monitor that does more than offer bright colors and sharp details—they also need a display that can handle the fast moving images of games and movies without blurring and smearing across the screen. For these users, we recommend finding a monitor with a faster response rate, which is the time (measured in milliseconds) it takes for a pixel to transition from one color to another or to transition from black to white. You may also want to find a display that goes beyond the two-dimensional—3D capable displays offer an immersive aspect to games and films that normal displays cannot match.

Finally, no matter what specific uses you may have in mind for your monitor, you can benefit greatly from a monitor with ergonomic features. Adjustable stands often let you adjust more than just the tilt or height of the monitor, letting you pivot and rotate the display as needed to find the perfect angle for you. Still others, through either specific features or simply by virtue of picture clarity, are easier on the eyes, reducing eye-strain and the headaches associated with it.

Whatever your category of choice, there's a monitor that's right for you. Below is a list of the top 8 monitors that we've tested over the past few months. Maybe your future display is among them.

FEATURED IN THIS ROUNDUP:

Asus VG278H

$699 list
%displayPrice% at %seller%The Asus VG278H has everything you need to enjoy realistic 3D gaming right out of the box. It may be a bit pricey and lack USB ports, but this 27-inch gaming monitor offers a lot of bang for your buck in terms of performance and features. Read the full review ››

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Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421

$199.99 list
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421 portable 14-inch monitor is a great travel companion for users requiring more screen real estate while on the road. Read the full review ››

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How We Test Monitors

Asus PA246Q

$499 list
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Asus PA246Q is a 24-inch IPS monitor that delivers professional grade performance and a robust feature set at a reasonable price. Read the full review ››

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Lenovo LS2421p Wide

$219.99 direct
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Lenovo LS2421p Wide is an affordable 23.6-inch monitor that delivers solid color and text performance without using much power. Read the full review ››

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Viewsonic VX2753mh

$349.99 list
%displayPrice% at %seller% The ViewSonic VX2753mh is an energy efficient 27-inch display that delivers great all around performance for a reasonable price. Read the full review ››

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Apple Thunderbolt Display

$999 direct
%displayPrice% at %seller%The 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display delivers solid picture and audio quality in a stylish aluminum cabinet, but it doesn't come cheap. Read the full review ››

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NEC MultiSync PA301W

$2,299 list
%displayPrice% at %seller% The NEC MultiSync PA301W is a professional grade 30-inch display offering excellent color and grayscale performance at a premium price. Read the full review ››

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NEC MultiSync EA273WM

$499 list
%displayPrice% at %seller%The NEC MultiSync EA273WM is a slim 27-inch business monitor offering a robust feature set and vibrant colors. It'll save you money on your electric bill, but you'll pay a bit more at the register. Read the full review ››