IPS vs. VA: Which Monitor Type Should You Buy? 🖥️

Welcome to Let's Get Techy - a series that breaks down tech so you can make the best and most informed decisions when it comes to buying tech products!

As a beginner tech, I was overly frustrated that everyone just seemed to know what made a good tech product and that I had NO CLUE what all the specs meant. Well, now I'm serving you the info I know in bite-sized chunks so you too can learn about the specs of tech products the easy way!

WHY? Because making informed decisions means you won't waste time or money when it comes to upgrading and investing in your tech. And if you've ever wanted to build your own home office or desk setup, this is the perfect place to start. This post will be about monitors. The common two we see are IPS and VA monitors. Below is more information on the two types. These aren't the only two types, but they are some of the most common ones you'll find in stores and online. Lets goooo! 👇🏼

I know it can be overwhelming, but I think this post sums it up so well! You can always skip to the last two slides for a shortened bullet point list comparing each monitor panel type.

Essentially, IPS monitors are recommend for those who work with colour or design and want more colour accuracy with their work. You wanna make sure as a photographer or video editor that you're seeing accurate colours so you aren't over or under editing. Likewise, you want a higher refresh rate for editing and scrolling.

VA panels are recommended for movies (and gaming), but this is because the technology for showing black blacks and whiter whites is BETTER than IPS. This is called the contrast rate and it's typically much better in VA panels. This makes viewing dark scenes in games and movies/shows much easier. However, this seems to be their only strength in my opinon.

I'm not a big fan of curved monitors, simply because it feels as if there's too much screen to view. I find that when a monitor extends too far into my pheripheral field of view, my eyes shift more and it can cause eye strain and headaches for me. It's like my eyes are working too hard trying to consolidate all the information I'm giving it, whereas when my screen is more centralised and 'flat' (like most IPS monitors) my eyes don't have to move around too much.

Another issue for VA's for me is that most games and movies/shows aren't optimised for a curved monitor and leave two black vertical bars on either side of the screen. If you intend to buy a monitor for viewing movies and games because the CR is high, then it seems to be contradictory that you can easily view these shows/movies/games in true FULL SCREEN? This isn't the monitors fault, it's the game/show/movie creators fault. However, until content is optimised, I won't be buying a VA monitor.

For my work and my own viewing pleasure, I prefer IPS monitors over VA. But that's my preference.

What's your preference (if you have one) and if not, do you think this guide was helpful?

I'd love to know so that I can continue this series!

Please comment below! 🫶🏼

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