Your monitor is arguably the most important peripheral attached to your computer. It displays everything that you work on and view, from the most routine Word document to gorgeous high-definition video. A good monitor can make all this look clear, crisp, and accessible. A bad monitor will make you want to watch videos on your smartphone.

      Fortunately, this holiday season is a great time to buy a monitor. Prices have dropped drastically across the board, and deals are tending to stick around for awhile, rather than appearing in a quantity of 10 before vanishing to never be seen again. You’ve your pick of the litter no matter what your PC is used for — be it gaming, everyday web browsing, or photo editing.

But this leaves a problem. If so many monitors are on sale, how do you know which one to buy? This has become even more complex in recent years, as lower pricing has made a greater variety of monitors available. You can pick anything from a 24-inch, 1080p monitor to a 32-inch, 4K monitor, and that’s not even to mention ultrawides.

You might be tempted to throw your hands up and just buy whatever is inexpensive and seems to have okay picture quality, but that’s a mistake. The monitor is not just important. It’s also extremely durable. You’re going to be using it for awhile, perhaps even alongside multiple computers. So it’s a good idea to pick one you can live with.

In this week’s episode of Close to the Metal we’ll dive into the current models, debate what aspect ration and resolution is best, and ultimately deliver some solid conclusions about the monitor you should buy this holidya season.

Close to the Metal is a podcast from Digital Trends that focuses on the geekier side of life. It tackles the topics PC enthusiasts argue over in language everyone can understand. Please subscribe, share, and send your questions to [email protected]. We broadcast the show live on YouTube every Tuesday at 1pm EST/10am PST.