There are a few different types of monitors on the market, however the most popular by far are LED and LCD monitors. But what is the difference between these two types of displays?
Well, there are some subtle but quite significant differences between products, which could influence your buying decision. However, in short: LCD is a type of LED display. Not all LED displays are LCD, but all LCD are LED.
Read on:
LED vs LCD Monitors
Both LCD and LED are often confused for each other. It’s best to start by explaining what each of them stand for, and what they actually do.
LED stands for light-emitting diode and LCD for liquid crystal display. The actual name for LCD should be ‘LED-lit LCD display’, but it is normally shortened to just LCD.
These names reference the way that they work, however all LED screens are LCD screens; LED screens just have an extra functionality that makes them work slightly differently.
LED screens are named so because of the light-emitting diode lights that are installed in the screen themselves. These screens can be volatile or static; some of them will only respond to touch and others will display a picture even when they are turned off.
There are benefits to these types of monitor, like a better quality picture. Another potential benefit is local dimming. The local dimming feature essentially dims down the certain areas of the backlight of your television. This can make the screen itself appear darker, and better at producing blacks.
How are LCD monitors different?
The main difference is that LCD screens feature a layer of liquid crystal. This is put in between two plates, and images are made by light passing through parts of liquid crystal.
Older LCD screens used CCFLs, or Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps, to light the screen. These use electron discharge and fluorescence to illuminate a screen behind them. However, LEDs have taken over from CCFLs because they are brighter, last longer, leave higher quality images and are more environmentally friendly.
This means that LCD screens lit with CCFLs (known also as LCD screens or monitors) are fading from importance in the market, and LED screens are becoming more and more popular.
So is LED better than LCD for Gaming ?
There are different types of monitor which are better for different things. But if we’re talking in terms of monitors, then yes, and LED monitor is definitely going to be better. An LED monitor will typically give you;
Better Colour – An LED monitor will give you better colour and contrast on the screen, which in turn give you a sharper image.
Longer life – LCD monitors last on average 30-50,000 hours. LED monitors however last anywhere between 50,000-100,000 hours.
Cheaper to run – LED are the better choice if you’re trying to keep costs down, as they are more energy efficient of the two. However, they are more expensive, so you will have to lay out more initially.
Slimmer design – We can make LED monitors in a thinner, slimmer design than an LCD monitor.
Better resolution and response time – If you’re often going to be playing games of watching videos, you’ll want to get an LED monitor as they will give you a more responsive display.
In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom (J.G.Ballard).
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