When shopping around for a PC monitor, it's important to consider the size. Like televisions, monitors come in all shapes and sizes. 32 inches is considered the sweet spot for gaming with enough screen real estate to display everything from the game without costing a fortune for advanced features. There are some premium 32-inch screens available, which I will certainly include in our collection here, but if you're also looking for a monitor on a tighter budget, I'll have a few options there too!

My top picks for the best 32-inch monitor

The Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 is my top recommendation for the best 32-inch monitor for many reasons. Let's start with the imposing curved 32-inch VA panel, which makes the content look gorgeous. There are 1,196 mini LED zones for backlighting, allowing the screen to darken actual blacks and limit the amount of bleedover to create more immersive experiences. It's also 4K, which helps make the content look crisp by powering millions of pixels, and with a refresh rate of up to 240 Hz, you won't encounter any stuttering.

With both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync certification, you'll be good to go with whatever graphics card happens to be installed inside your system. Other highlights of this Odyssey Neo G8 include a wide color gamut and support for HDR2000, which means this screen can turn up its brightness high, unlike other "HDR" panels that can barely push past their SDR brightness level.

Gigabyte's M32U is designed for gaming, but you can use it for enjoying media and general computing. This 32-inch IPS screen can get bright with a 400-nit rating for better HDR experiences. The 4K resolution is great for getting more done at once or unleashing the potential of your GPU in PC games. With a refresh rate of 144 Hz, gameplay will be smooth with full support for AMD FreeSync and it's G-Sync compatible, meaning you can use it with any GPU and activate the synchronization tech.

One area this monitor falls short of is local dimming, which makes the Samsung Odyssey such a great monitor. Deep blacks will appear more like grey with the Gigabyte M32U. This isn't a deal breaker, but it is worth bearing in mind should you frequently enjoy darker content (be it movies or games) in a low-light environment.

The Dell S3221QS is proof you don't have to spend countless hundreds on a good 32-inch PC monitor. This good-value VA screen has a 4K resolution and 60 Hz maximum refresh rate with full support for AMD FreeSync. It's also not terrible for gaming, so long as you keep your expectations in check. The design is as basic as it gets but at least the S3221QS isn't the usual slab of black plastic. In terms of visual quality, this is a solid monitor that will make everything you do look great.

It's not all good news, however. The HDR is a little weak (mostly the brightness, or lack thereof) and the response time could cause issues if you're used to faster gaming monitors. Overall, this is a great way to move into 4K with a larger screen without spending too much.

This is the monitor to buy if you like to get creative with your work. Designed specifically for media professionals, the BenQ SW321C is a fantastic monitor for photo, video, and design work. BenQ calibrates the monitor at the factory, like many other brands, but the screen can also calibrate itself with a 16-bit LUT for enhanced color accuracy. The 10-bit IPS-type panel is stunning and is accurate enough for media software. Features such as this set this BenQ apart from the competition (and make it so expensive).

The 32-inch screen has a 4K resolution and a maximum brightness of 250 nits, which doesn't sound great compared to other screens, but it's color uniformity that makes this display amazing. There's also an integrated card reader and optional hood to reduce glare. It's a costly monitor, but one worth considering for creative professionals.

Don't expect too much from the Acer EZ321Q W1 as this is a truly budget-friendly PC monitor. The 32-inch IPS panel is a highlight of a monitor at this price, especially given the Full HD resolution that won't look the best with so many pixels to light up. The response time of 4 ms (GTG) is also not the best and that's the running theme of this monitor. It's priced accordingly as its specifications are slightly worse than what you can get elsewhere. The brightness of 300 nits isn't terrible, however.

For getting work done in an office or enjoying some downtime with a movie or show, the Acer EZ321Q W1 would perform at its best. Gaming is possible and you will likely have a great time with your favorite PC games, but it's not designed for high-fidelity experiences, and as such you won't find AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync here.

Are you hunting for one of the best gaming monitors for your setup? Look no further than the Alienware QD-OLED AW3423DWF from Dell. This is one amazing Quantum Dot 32-inch panel for gaming. Being a widescreen, the resolution is 3440 x 1440 and the refresh rate comes in at 165 Hz, which makes this an excellent choice for playing most PC games. Not only will they run and look great on the AW3423DWF, but there's full support for AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync with HDR as the icing on this sweet cake.

Capable of hitting 1,000 nits, this is one bright monitor with a response time (GTG) of just 0.5 ms making it one of the fastest screens for responsiveness in our 32-inch monitor collection. Did I mention it's curved? Alienware designs can be a hit or miss with desktop PCs, but I like how this monitor looks with subtle lighting on the rear.

Choosing the best 32-inch monitor

Picking out the best 32-inch monitor depends on what you plan on using it for. Resolution is important as the larger screen size makes it easier to distinguish individual pixels, especially when running lower resolutions. I would recommend choosing a monitor with a resolution of 1440p or 4K at 32 inches unless you're on a strict budget. Then there are adaptive synchronization technologies from AMD and Nvidia. Screens can support one or both so be sure to check beforehand if your GPU is supported.

Refresh rate is another vital metric that measures how many times it can refresh (or how many frames it can render). The higher this number, the more fluid gameplay and media will appear, as well as general mouse movement on-screen. Like all other electronics, the more you pay, the better the feature set is likely to be. Some of the best gaming monitors can cost a small fortune, but they have the best panels. For panel technology, VA or IPS will do just fine as both have their strengths and weaknesses.

I would go for the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 if you want the best 32-inch monitor for your money. It has some impressive features, will make everything look incredible on-screen, and you'll be able to enjoy some games on the side with AMD and Nvidia synchronization technologies fully supported. I will give a shout-out to the Dell S3221QS for offering great value at a more reasonable price compared to some of the competition.