The Monitor Numbers
The Monitor Numbers is Pixel Lab's normalized reference dataset for PC monitor specifications: one versioned set of tables that separates real, measured/certified specs from marketing language, so a claim like "1ms" or "HDR" or "144Hz" can be checked against what it actually means. Every row is sourced to a VESA specification, an adaptive-sync program's published requirements, or a manufacturer datasheet — see the source column in each table and the methodology section below.
A machine-readable copy is available as CSV: monitor-numbers.csv. A permanent version-pinned snapshot is at monitor-numbers-v1.0.csv — versioned snapshots are never modified after publication; the unversioned CSV always reflects the current release and is the canonical link to cite.
License: CC BY 4.0 — free to use with attribution. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
How to cite:
Pixel Lab Editorial Team. (2026). The Monitor Numbers (Version 1.0) [Data set]. Pixel Lab. https://pixel-lab.pages.dev/monitor-numbers/
Panel technology comparison
This site covers PC monitors only — no televisions.
| Panel Tech | Emissive? | Native Contrast Class | Viewing Angle | Burn-In Risk Class | Text Clarity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPS | No — LCD backlight | Low (~1,000:1) | Widest of the LCD types | None | Excellent, consistent off-axis | Manufacturer datasheets |
| VA | No — LCD backlight | High (~3,000–6,000:1) | Narrower; color/gamma shift off-axis | None | Good on-axis; can smear on fast dark transitions | Manufacturer datasheets |
| TN | No — LCD backlight | Low (~1,000:1) | Narrowest; color shifts quickly off-axis | None | Weakest of the four | Manufacturer datasheets |
| OLED (WOLED) | Yes — per-pixel | Very high (near-infinite) | Widest available | Small long-term risk with static content | Excellent; triangular subpixel can render fine text slightly differently | Manufacturer datasheets |
| OLED (QD-OLED) | Yes — per-pixel | Very high (near-infinite) | Widest available | Small long-term risk with static content | Excellent; triangular subpixel can render fine text slightly differently | Manufacturer datasheets |
Full breakdown: IPS vs VA vs OLED for My Use and Will My Monitor Burn In?
Response-time claim truth
| Term | What it actually measures | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GtG (gray-to-gray) | The time a pixel takes to transition between two gray shades — the closest LCD analogue to "real" response time. Manufacturer GtG numbers are typically best-case, specific transition pairs. | Manufacturer datasheets |
| MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time) | Perceived motion blur duration, achieved primarily via backlight strobing (rapidly flashing the backlight off between frames) rather than a genuinely faster pixel. A "1ms MPRT" panel can have a slower underlying GtG time than its MPRT number suggests. | Manufacturer datasheets; VESA ClearMR test methodology |
| Why strobing is used for MPRT | Turning the backlight off between frames prevents the eye from tracking motion across a still-illuminated old frame, reducing perceived blur — independent of how fast the LCD pixel itself actually switched. | VESA ClearMR test methodology |
| OLED response time | Genuinely sub-1ms GtG is achievable without strobing tricks, because each OLED pixel is emissive and switches near-instantly. | Manufacturer datasheets |
Full breakdown: Is 1ms Response Time Real?
Refresh rate vs frame rate reality
| Concept | What it actually means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh rate | The maximum number of times per second the panel hardware can redraw the screen — a ceiling, not a guarantee of what you'll see. | Manufacturer datasheets |
| Frame rate | The number of frames per second your GPU actually renders and delivers for a given game/application — determined by your hardware and settings, not the monitor. | General GPU/display pipeline documentation |
| Perceptible smoothness ceiling | Most viewers report diminishing returns above roughly 120–144Hz; competitive gamers report measurable input-to-photon latency benefits up to 240Hz+, though the gain per additional Hz shrinks. | Independent display-testing outlets |
Full breakdown: Do I Need 240Hz?
Adaptive sync tiers
| Tier | Certifying body | Minimum requirements | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeSync | AMD | Variable refresh over DisplayPort/HDMI adaptive sync; no minimum refresh-range or HDR requirement | AMD FreeSync program documentation |
| FreeSync Premium | AMD | Minimum 120Hz at FHD resolution, plus low-framerate compensation (LFC) | AMD FreeSync program documentation |
| FreeSync Premium Pro | AMD | Premium requirements plus HDR certification testing (luminance, color, and low-latency HDR) | AMD FreeSync program documentation |
| G-Sync Compatible | NVIDIA | NVIDIA validation testing of a monitor's existing adaptive-sync hardware — no dedicated NVIDIA module | NVIDIA G-Sync program documentation |
| Native G-Sync / G-Sync Ultimate | NVIDIA | Dedicated NVIDIA hardware module in the monitor; historically wider variable-refresh range and stricter certification | NVIDIA G-Sync program documentation |
Full breakdown: FreeSync vs G-Sync Explained
HDR certification tiers
| Tier | Minimum Peak Brightness | Local Dimming Required? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| DisplayHDR 400 | 400 nits | No | VESA DisplayHDR spec |
| DisplayHDR 500 / 600 | 500 / 600 nits | Yes | VESA DisplayHDR spec |
| DisplayHDR 1000 / 1400 | 1000 / 1400 nits | Yes | VESA DisplayHDR spec |
| DisplayHDR True Black 400/500/600 | 400/500/600 nits (OLED-specific tier) | N/A — certifies near-zero black level instead | VESA DisplayHDR spec |
| "HDR10 compatible" (uncertified) | Not specified — signal support only | No certification at all | N/A — not a VESA-certified claim |
Stated plainly: DisplayHDR 400 is nearly meaningless as an "HDR experience" claim — it certifies only that the panel can hit 400 nits peak brightness, with no local-dimming requirement, which is a modest bar most non-HDR-marketed monitors could plausibly clear. DisplayHDR 600 and 1000 are the tiers that require the local dimming and brightness headroom that produce a visible HDR difference.
Full breakdown: DisplayHDR 400 vs 600 vs 1000
Resolution + size → PPI table
| Size | Resolution | PPI (approx.) | Typical OS Scaling Needed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24" | 1080p | ~92 | 100% | Calculated from panel diagonal + resolution |
| 27" | 1080p | ~82 | 100% | Calculated from panel diagonal + resolution |
| 27" | 1440p | ~109 | 100% (sweet spot) | Calculated from panel diagonal + resolution |
| 27" | 4K | ~163 | 125–150% | Calculated from panel diagonal + resolution |
| 32" | 1440p | ~93 | 100% | Calculated from panel diagonal + resolution |
| 32" | 4K | ~138 | 100–125% (sweet spot) | Calculated from panel diagonal + resolution |
| 34" | 3440x1440 (ultrawide) | ~110 | 100% | Calculated from panel diagonal + resolution |
27" at 1440p and 32" at 4K land near the PPI sweet spot because both fall around 90–140 PPI at typical 24–30" desk viewing distance — sharp enough that individual pixels aren't distinguishable, without needing OS display scaling to keep interface text a readable size. Going sharper (27"/4K) usually requires scaling, which some older applications still render imperfectly.
Full breakdown: What PPI Do I Need at What Size?
Subpixel layout and text rendering
| Layout | Common On | ClearType Implication | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGB stripe | Most standard LCD monitors | Default ClearType tuning target — renders as expected | Manufacturer datasheets |
| BGR stripe | Some LCD panels (reversed order) | Can cause color fringing on text unless ClearType/subpixel order is corrected in OS settings | Manufacturer datasheets |
| OLED triangular (delta/PenTile-style) | Many WOLED and QD-OLED monitors | Non-standard geometry can render small text subtly differently than RGB-stripe LCD; usually minor but noticeable to some users doing all-day text work | Manufacturer datasheets |
Port bandwidth
| Port/Version | Max Bandwidth | What It Carries | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| DisplayPort 1.4 | 32.4 Gbps | 4K up to 120Hz with DSC (compressed); 4K/60Hz uncompressed | VESA DisplayPort spec |
| DisplayPort 2.1 | Up to 80 Gbps (UHBR20) | 4K at 240Hz+ or higher combinations without relying on DSC, depending on UHBR tier implemented | VESA DisplayPort spec |
| HDMI 2.1 | 48 Gbps | 4K at 120Hz with VRR; note many devices only wire full bandwidth to select ports | HDMI Forum spec |
Full breakdown: What Cable for 4K 144Hz?
Color gamut
| Gamut | Primary Use Case | Relative Size | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sRGB | Web content, general computing baseline | Reference (100%) | International Electrotechnical Commission sRGB spec |
| DCI-P3 | Digital cinema, HDR content mastering | ~25% larger volume than sRGB | SMPTE DCI-P3 spec |
| AdobeRGB | Print workflows (photo/design) | Larger than sRGB, especially in cyan-green; different shape than DCI-P3 | Adobe AdobeRGB spec |
Coverage percentages are measured per gamut independently — a "99% DCI-P3" spec says nothing about AdobeRGB coverage, and vice versa. Always check which specific gamut a coverage percentage refers to.
Curvature radius meaning
| Radius | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1000R | Screen curve matches a circle with a 1000mm radius — a tighter curve, close to typical human peripheral-vision curvature at desk distance | Manufacturer datasheets |
| 1800R | Screen curve matches a circle with an 1800mm radius — a gentler curve, common on wide productivity ultrawides | Manufacturer datasheets |
Caveats — read before citing a row
- MPRT and GtG are never directly comparable — never compare a strobed MPRT number to a GtG number from another monitor.
- DisplayHDR certification, adaptive-sync tier, and panel technology can change between product revisions of the same model name — always confirm the specific SKU's certification, not just the model family.
- PPI figures are calculated from panel diagonal and resolution, not independently re-measured per unit.
- This table is general reference, not a verdict on any specific product's implementation of these specs.
Methodology & versioning
Version 1.0 — published 2026-07-30. Facts are drawn from VESA's published DisplayHDR and DisplayPort specifications, AMD's and NVIDIA's published adaptive-sync program requirements, the HDMI Forum's published HDMI 2.1 specification, and manufacturer datasheets, cross-checked against our own published guides (linked inline throughout this page). We do not test monitors ourselves; this is a specification-facts reference, not a lab result. Where we could not verify a claim to our own standard, we omitted it rather than guess — this dataset does not include exact prices, model-specific benchmark scores, or any claim we have not traced to a source.
Correction policy: this page and its CSV are updated whenever a source specification changes (a new VESA DisplayHDR revision, an updated adaptive-sync program tier) or a factual error is reported. Version numbers increment on any change to the underlying data; the "Published" date reflects the most recent verification pass. See How We Evaluate for our full editorial policy.
Machine-readable download: the full table is available as CSV at https://pixel-lab.pages.dev/monitor-numbers.csv, with a version-pinned snapshot at https://pixel-lab.pages.dev/monitor-numbers-v1.0.csv.
Citing this dataset
Name: The Monitor Numbers. Publisher: Pixel Lab. Canonical URL: https://pixel-lab.pages.dev/monitor-numbers/. Machine-readable distribution: https://pixel-lab.pages.dev/monitor-numbers.csv.
Sources cited throughout: VESA (DisplayHDR, DisplayPort specifications), AMD (FreeSync program documentation), NVIDIA (G-Sync program documentation), HDMI Forum (HDMI specification), SMPTE/Adobe (color gamut specifications), and manufacturer datasheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
A normalized reference dataset covering the specification claims that matter most when buying a PC monitor: panel technology, response-time measurement type, refresh rate vs actual frame rate, adaptive-sync tier, VESA DisplayHDR certification tier, PPI by size/resolution, subpixel layout, port bandwidth, color gamut, and curvature radius. Every row is sourced to a VESA specification or a manufacturer datasheet.
Usually it's MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time, measured with backlight strobing enabled), not GtG (gray-to-gray pixel transition time) — the two numbers are not comparable. See the response-time table below and the full explainer at Is 1ms Response Time Real?
VESA's DisplayHDR 400 tier requires only 400 nits peak brightness with no local-dimming requirement, which most independent reviewers consider close to a marketing minimum rather than a meaningful HDR experience. DisplayHDR 600 and 1000 require substantially more brightness and local dimming. See the HDR tier table below.
Both describe variable refresh rate support over the same underlying DisplayPort/HDMI adaptive-sync signaling. FreeSync is AMD's certification program (with Premium and Premium Pro tiers); 'G-Sync Compatible' means NVIDIA validated a monitor's existing adaptive-sync hardware, while native 'G-Sync' monitors contain a dedicated NVIDIA hardware module. See the adaptive-sync table below.
Yes — QD-OLED (blue OLED emitter converted by quantum dots) ships in consumer PC monitors today from multiple brands. It is a different technology from QDEL (electroluminescent quantum dots, no OLED layer), which does not yet ship in any consumer monitor or TV.