The monitor is the window to the PC’s soul. Without the right display, everything you do on your system  will seem lackluster, whether you’re gaming, viewing or editing photos and video or just reading text on your favorite websites.

Hardware vendors understand how the experience changes with different display specs and features and have flooded the market with a bounty of options. But which features and specs are most valuable for how you use your monitor? Should you get 4K, 1440p, 1080p or just plain HD resolution—and what’s the difference anyway? How much do refresh rates and response times matter? Are things like flicker-free, low blue light mode, G-Sync and FreeSync crucial? And how should your priorities change if your focus is gaming versus professional applications versus general use?