KitGuru Annual Awards 2013

If money were no object, which monitor would you buy?

Going back even 12 months, that was a tough question.

Apple's 30″ ‘Cinema Displays' had provided a reference point for many years – and indeed they still look amazing today -but in 2013 the ‘Ultimate' definitely changed.

Welcome to the Era of Ultra HD 4K.

AMD's decision to make EyeFinity available in the Radeon HD 5000 series ushered in a new wave of gaming experiences, but not many people have the physical space needed to house 3x 1080p monitors.

As a result, KitGuru have made a strong move changing from three screen testing to Ultra HD 4K.

Before moving to an Ultra HD 4K set up, we spent time evaluating all of the options available – but from the start one screen really stood out.

To give it its full marketing title, KitGuru chose to standardise 4K testing on the Asus PQ321QE 4K Super-High Resolution Widescreen Monitor. Not only is it a monster in terms of sheer size, at 31.5″ corner to corner – it's also packed with some serious technology. It is built with an anti-glare Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) panel rather than traditional amorphous silicon. The IGZO panel supports much smaller transistors than amorphous silicon, which allows for much smaller pixels and much better detail. Couple with an ultra-wide 176-degree viewing angles on both vertical and horizontal planes, get a pristine image from virtually any angle. What’s more, the IGZO panel supports increased pixel transparency and reduced current leakage for increased energy savings.

Asus guarantees its work with a 3 year warranty but it does cost a lot of money. £2,999 inc vat, as we go to press.

KitGuru's choice for the Best Monitor Overall in 2013 is the Asus PQ321QE 4K screen.

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