There is a wide range of monitors. If you’re looking for an PC LCD monitor that will meet next-generation demands for gaming and high-definition video playback, you need to know features that all of the top models share.

Faster response times means fewer visual artifacts or ghosting when you’re watching high-speed video or fast frame rates in computer gaming. The best monitors have response times between two and five milliseconds.

HDMI is the future for video inputs. The best computer LCD monitors provide at least one HDMI input so you can use a high-definition source. Two or more HDMI ports are ideal. You might also want HDMI outputs in case you need to run a monitor to another high-definition video source.

Uniformity across the screen is another sign of a good monitor. Some poor-quality monitors are brighter in one area than another. Typically brighter in the middle of the monitor and darker, when you look toward the corners. Avoid monitors with washed-out streaks where backlights are too bright around the edges of the frame.

The other consideration in picture quality is an absence of bleeding. Poor-quality computer monitors have a tendency to bleed. Colors may leak into other colors, and an image may appear to be blurry. High-quality computer monitors have sharp, distinct images with no bleeding, no matter how fast the image moves.

Monitors of LCD monitor TVs with a poor viewing angle won’t display a full range of color unless you’re sitting straight in front of them. A viewing angle of 100 degrees keeps the image looking good even when the monitor’s tilted away from you.

Resolution and contrast ratio are the two most important considerations when buying a computer monitor. These features are important, but they’re less of a consideration among the best monitors. Contrast ratio numbers are too easily manipulated and are not a good indicator of a good monitor, so you can’t rely on this number to tell you whether a monitor is good. All of the best monitors have plenty of flexibility in resolution and support the most common resolution formats, but you may want to double-check if you need something specific for high-definition video editing or a piece of legacy software.