lcd screen inside pc brands

Equipped with IPS Screen with HD 1024*600 high resolution, 16:9 display format conversion in the image and an expansive 178 degree viewing angles is ideal for work and for reviewing on-screen data.

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All anime characters are not made equal. If a character’s sense of style or cool demeanor hit a fan just right, they might celebrate their love through purchases like figurines or plushies. More recently, gamers have found a more novel way to show off their beloved picks: by trapping anime characters in PC cases.

Rigs showing off people’s favorite characters via tiny LCD screens visible through a PC case with clear side panels often go viral on social media, because it’s a spectacle. While small, these LCDs often show a looped animation of a character while other parts of the PC pulse with RBG lights. Usually, the moments depicted here have anime characters looking powerful or sweet, depending on the tone of the franchise. One popular design, for example, sees fans capturing Kakashi, a ninja and beloved teacher from Naruto, winding up for a powerful attack.

While a number of companies produce PC hardware with this functionality, clips posted on social media often feature components sold by a business called NZXT. NZXT makes what it calls an “AIO liquid cooler with LCD display,” a high-end component that helps keep a computer at an optimal temperature. The accompanying screens are meant to help the user gauge their heat levels, but since you can customize these LCDs to display anything you’d like, fans like to get creative. You can, for instance, show off any gif or image on the LCD — so it wasn’t long before people used the feature to display favorite anime characters.

With prices ranging from $229.99 to $279.99, the AIO liquid coolers with LCDs aren’t cheap. But rather than inducing sticker shock, the hardware has “been amongst the top-selling CPU coolers on the market,” NZXT CEO Johnny Hou told Polygon over email. Hou added that, while initially people seemed skeptical about the tiny screen and its usefulness, seeing it in action on social media helped show people the appeal and depth of personalization possible.

People have been showing off the coolers on social media since the parts were released in fall 2020, though video platform TikTok has pushed the LCD screens in front of millions of viewers. Trends involving the coolers often have anime girls swaying their hips in time to a song called 2 Phút Hơn. That phenomenon then grew to incorporate a wider variety of franchises ranging from anime like Darling in the Franxx to lesser known picks, like characters from a rhythm game called Muse Dash.

For some, like Twitch streamer Emmesux, the LCD screen was simply another way to customize a PC set-up. She told Polygon via Instagram chat that she “bought the Kraken for visual purposes only.” Her character of choice? Killua Zodyck from the anime Hunter x Hunter.

Like a rotating wallpaper, Emmesux will change Killua’s depiction on the LCD screen from time to time, to keep her setup fresh. Sometimes, she’ll pick darker moments, like when Killua appears intense and powerful during the anime. But other times, Killua is displayed in a softer light, like when he’s smiling and giggling with friends. Based on popular picks on TikTok, characters trapped in PC cases like this usually exhibit a similar range of tones and emotions.

The cool thing about this PC hardware sensation is that it goes beyond the aesthetics of “hardcore” RGB gamers, and has also been embraced by those who like cleaner, pastel ambiances too. Everyone, regardless of fandom or gender, has a favorite character they love to celebrate, and these LCD screens provide a new avenue for exactly that. As it turns out, we all like to simp for a well-designed character.

If you want a secondary screen but can’t quite fit one onto your desk, you might want to check out ASRock’s latest invention — a PC side panel display.

PC owners have all that space on their chassis, and nothing to do with it. As long as you’re willing to give up being able to easily peer inside the case (and admire the RGB light show, if that’s your thing), you might like ASRock’s 13.3-inch Side Panel Kit. This is essentially a monitor, similar to that in a laptop, that is attached to the inside of your case.

As the panel is installed within the chassis, your case needs to have a side panel made of transparent tempered glass. It has to be sturdy enough to hold the screen, but it also needs to be see-through so that you can see it in the first place.

You could use it to simply monitor your PC’s temperatures and speeds, or you could turn it into a proper secondary screen for productivity or entertainment. Granted, needing to view it through the case will probably diminish the experience a bit, but it’s still a fun gadget if you’ve got limited desk space and want an extra screen. If you do get one and plan to use it for productivity, you might need to re-think the placement of your PC case to avoid constantly having to turn and look to the side.

This availability is likely to affect the popularity of ASRock’s new gadget. However, if you have one of the required motherboards or you’re planning an upgrade soon, it seems like a fun addition to a PC build.

With touchscreen technology taking over different sectors and industries, more businesses are looking for ways they can take advantage of these advancements. Hence the rise of such products like the touch screen fan controller, which helps improve user experience and efficiency. Perhaps the most appealing thing about touch screen tech is both the direct and natural interactions it tends to facilitate. This type of digital controller hub is far more intuitive, and simpler to use.

One of touch screen technology"s fundamental benefits is the easy-to-use feature it has. Touch monitors are usually easy to maintain. In most cases they"re flat, and have dust and water-sealed display screens so that they"re easy to clean. A lot of businesses today are using computer controller panels to help them perform a lot of tasks in the operation of the business. A temperature-based fan speed controller can go a long way in a hot steamy warehouse. Precise regulation of temperature allows people to work efficiently. Splitter cables are available to accommodate individuals who do PC mining frequently. With a multitude of practical computer and case accessories to choose from, it"s easy to customize different electronic devices. Frequent gamers can take advantage of gaming cases, which provide optimal cooling for high-speed computing performances. Gaming case materials include tempered glass panels, brushed aluminum and other durable options.

We have a large selection so you can find the perfect monitor for your needs. And no matter what screen size or image quality you prefer – or even where you intend to use it – Lenovo has all the most popular display sizes, and resolutions. Even if you are on the go Lenovo has portable monitors that attach to your laptop or plug into your laptop and give you a second screen to keep your productivity up.

Home monitors need to be versatile enough for a wide range of activities. When watching Netflix, you’ll want a widescreen monitor with powerful color quality and crisp resolution. When surfing the web at different times of day, the display should have adjustable brightness controls that match your lighting conditions.

The best home monitors maximize their real estate, with space-saving designs that don"t clutter your bedroom or home office. OurNear-Edgelessinfinity screens make the most of your viewing area, so you can take full advantage of the tremendous screen size. We pride ourselves on superb picture quality, with 99% sRGB color gamut on several models. When all these features are available at a competitive price, you simply can’t beat it.

LenovoThinkVision monitorsoffer incredible resolution, large screen sizes, and multiple ports so you can work more efficiently. Ourbusiness monitorsalso have handy features like touch screens, ergonomic stands, and quality cameras. Don’t let your monitor stand in the way of great work.

Lenovo Legion is taking the PC gaming world by storm with a new and vast array of gaming PCs and gaming accessories. If you want to see every little detail in the moment, so you"re prepared for whatever comes your way, look to our LenovoLegion gaming monitors. Our Legion 4K, HDR, curved and 1ms options offer both visual brilliance and unparalleled response times

Check out ourThinkCentre Tiny linefor an array of professional monitors. These LED monitors are lightweight, slim, and have advanced In-Cell Touch panels for maximum quality. Best of all, they integrate easily with Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny desktops through a modular design that allows the PC to slip right into the back of the ThinkCentre Tiny display. With ThinkCentre Tiny, you can have a new desktop computer and monitor working together seamlessly in minutes

Buying an impressive computer displays doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Browse our inventory of options based on group, activity, connections, resolution, aspect ratio, and more to find the best fit for your lifestyle. With the right monitor complementing your PC, you can fully realize its potential as a business, gaming, or everyday machine.

Sometimes traveling for work is necessary and you can only bring your laptop but not your second screen. With a high-quality portable monitor you can take your second screen with you in a car, on a bus, or on plane. Theseportable monitorsmake sure that you keep your productivity even when you are away from you home office set up. You can have portable monitors that are stand alone or ones that connect to your device to make transport easier and ensure a seamless work space limiting your distractions and making sure you get everything you need done.

As monitor technology has evolved over the years, so have the types of inputs you’ll potentially use to connect your monitor to your PC and other devices. The most common way to connect your PC to your preferred display is by HDMI, but most modern monitors feature eitherHDMIorUSB Type-Cinput options to be easily compatible with today’s tech.

Many monitor manufacturers, including Lenovo, also still offerVGA displays. VGA is a more dated method of connecting your PC and visuals but there are still plenty of PCs around that may require this input method.

As shared by @momomo_us on Twitter,(opens in new tab) ASRock has built a new accessory for PC builders that allows you to turn your PC chassis" side panel into an LCD monitor. The gadget is a 13.3" side panel kit designed to be tapped to the inside of your see-through side panel, giving users an additional display for monitoring system resources and temperatures or being used as a secondary monitor altogether.

The screen is a 16:9 aspect ratio 1080P IPS 60Hz display, measuring 13.3 inches diagonally. This screen is the equivalent of a laptop display. It uses the same connection method as laptops, featuring an embedded DisplayPort (eDP) connector.

Unfortunately, this represents a problem for most PC users. The connector was originally designed specifically for mobile, and embedded PC solutions, meaning the connector is not available on standard desktop motherboards or graphics cards.

It"s a shame this accessory won"t get mainstream popularity due to these compatibility issues. But for the few users with the correct motherboard, this side panel kit can provide a full secondary monitor that takes up no additional space on your desk. The only sacrifice you"ll make is blocking all the shiny RGB lighting inside your chassis.

General Display Type LCD monitor / TFT active matrix Aspect Ratio Standard Screen - 5:4 Native Resolution 1280 x 1024 Contrast Ratio 600:1 Dimensions (WxDxH) 14.6 in x 7.2 in x 12.9 in ...

Resolution is a key feature of any monitor. It measures the width and height of the screen in terms of pixels, or “picture elements”, the tiny points of illumination that compose an image. A 2,560 × 1,440 screen, for example, has a total of 3,686,400 pixels.

Common resolutions include 1,920 × 1,080 (sometimes called “Full HD” or FHD), 2,560 × 1,440 (“Quad HD”, QHD, or “Widescreen Quad HD”, WQHD), or 3840 × 2160 (UHD, or “4K Ultra HD”). Ultrawide monitors are also available with resolutions such as 2560 x 1080 (UW-FHD) and 3440 x 1440 (UW-QHD), 3840x1080 (DFHD), and 5120x1440 (DQHD).

The pixels being counted in these measurements are usually rendered the same way: As squares on a two-dimensional grid. To see this, you can either move closer to (or magnify) the screen until you perceive individual blocks of color, or zoom in on an image until it becomes “pixelated”, and you see a staircase of small squares instead of clean diagonal lines.

Beyond increasing the detail onscreen in games or movies, there"s another benefit to higher resolutions. They give you more desktop real estate to work with. That means you get a larger workspace on which to arrange windows and applications.

You might already know that a screen with 4K display resolution doesn"t magically make everything it displays look 4K. If you play a 1080p video stream on it, that content usually won"t look as good a 4K Blu-ray. However, it may still look closer to 4K than it used to, thanks to a process called upscaling.

Upscaling is a way to scale lower-resolution content to a higher resolution. When you play a 1080p video on a 4K monitor, the monitor needs to “fill in” all of the missing pixels that it expects to display (as a 4K monitor has four times as many pixels as 1080p). A built-in scaler interpolates new pixels by examining the values of surrounding pixels. HDTVs often feature more complex upscaling than PC monitors (with line-sharpening and other improvements), as the latter often simply turn one pixel into a larger block of the same pixels. The scaler is likely to cause some blurring and ghosting (double images), especially if you look closely.

Monitors can also change resolution. Modern screens have a fixed number of pixels, which defines their "native resolution" but can also be set to approximate lower resolutions. As you scale down, onscreen objects will look larger and fuzzier, screen real estate will shrink, and visible jaggedness may result from interpolation. (Note that it wasn’t always this way: older analog CRT monitors can actually switch between resolutions without interpolation, as they do not have a set number of pixels.)

Screens with 4K resolution and higher introduce another scaling concern: at ultra-high definition, text and interface elements like buttons can start to look small. This is especially true on smaller 4K screens when using programs that don’t automatically resize their text and UI.

Windows’ screen scaling settings can increase the size of text and layout elements, but at the cost of reducing screen real estate. There’s still a benefit of increased resolution, even when this scaling is used — onscreen content, like an image in an editing program, will appear at 4K resolution even if the menus around it have been rescaled.

Manufacturers measure screen size diagonally, from corner to corner. A larger screen size, in tandem with a higher resolution, means more usable screen space and more immersive gaming experiences.

Players sit or stand close to their monitors, often within 20”-24”. This means that the screen itself fills much more of your vision than an HDTV (when seated at the couch) or a smartphone/tablet. (Monitors boast the best ratio of diagonal screen size to viewing distance among common displays, with the exception of virtual reality headsets). The benefits of 1440p or 4K resolution are more immediately perceptible in this close-range situation.

Basically, you want to find a screen where you never perceive an individual pixel. You can do this using online tools that measure pixel density (in pixels per inch), which tells you the relative “sharpness” of the screen by determining how closely pixels are packed together, or the alternative pixels per degree formula, which automatically compares its measurements against the limits of human vision.

It"s also worth considering your own eyesight and desktop setup. If you have 20/20 vision and your eyes are around 20” from your screen, a 27” 4K panel will provide an immediate visual upgrade. However, if you know your eyesight is worse than 20/20, or you prefer to sit more than 24” away, a 1440p panel may look just as good to you.

A monitor"s aspect ratio is the proportion of width to height. A 1:1 screen would be completely square; the boxy monitors of the 1990s were typically 4:3, or “standard”. They have largely been replaced by widescreen (16:9) and some ultrawide (21:9, 32:9, 32:10) aspect ratios.

Most online content, such as YouTube videos, also defaults to a widescreen aspect ratio. However, you"ll still see horizontal black bars onscreen when watching movies or TV shows shot in theatrical widescreen (2.39:1, wider than 16:9), and vertical black bars when watching smartphone videos shot in thinner “portrait” mode. These black bars preserve the original proportions of the video without stretching or cropping it.

UltrawidesWhy opt for an ultrawide screen over regular widescreen? They offer a few advantages: They fill more of your vision, they can provide a movie-watching experience closer to the theater (as 21:9 screens eliminate “letterboxing” black bars for widescreen films), and they let you expand field of view (FOV) in games without creating a “fisheye” effect. Some players of first-person games prefer a wider FOV to help them spot enemies or immerse themselves in the game environment. (But note that some popular FPS games do not support high FOV settings, as they can give players an advantage).

Curved screens are another common feature on ultrawide monitors. These can correct one typical issue with larger ultrawides: Images at the distant edges of the screen look less distinct than those in the middle. A curved screen helps compensate for this and provides a clearer view of the extreme edges of the screen. However, its benefits are most noticeable on larger screens over 27”.

Contrast RatioContrast ratio, one of the most basic measures of a monitor"s performance, measures the ratio between the extremes of black and white that the screen can display. A baseline contrast ratio like 1,000:1 means that the white parts of the image are 1,000 times brighter than the dark parts.

Use caution when LCDs advertise very high “dynamic contrast ratios”, which are achieved by changing the behavior of the backlight. For gaming or everyday use, the standard “static” contrast ratio discussed above is a better marker of the monitor"s quality.

LuminanceBrightness is often measured in “luminance”, a precise measure of how much light is emitted by the screen. It"s given in candelas per square meter (cd/m2), a unit which is also called a “nit”. For HDR displays, the VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) has standardized a suite of tests for luminance using specific test patches. When comparing luminance specs, check to make sure they use this consistent test platform, rather than a proprietary metric.

Black LevelIn all LCD screens, light from the backlight inevitably leaks through the liquid crystal. This provides the basis for the contrast ratio: For example, if the screen leaks 0.1% of the illumination from the backlight in an area that"s supposed to be black, this establishes a contrast ratio of 1,000:1. An LCD screen with zero light leakage would have an infinite contrast ratio. However, this isn"t possible with current LCD technology.

“Glow” is a particular issue in dark viewing environments, which means that achieving low black levels is a major selling point for LCD monitors. However, an LCD screen can’t reach a black level of 0 nits unless it’s completely turned off.

OLEDs have incredible black levels because they don"t use backlights. When an OLED pixel isn"t activated by electricity, it creates no light at all. OLED screens may advertise black levels “below 0.0005 nits”, as taking measurements more precise is usually prohibitively expensive. However, the black level is usually much closer to 0 than 0.0005.

Color DepthMonitors need to display many subtle shades of color. If they can"t smoothly transition between slightly different hues, we see onscreen color “banding” — a stark shift between two different colors, creating visibly lighter, and darker bands where we should see a seamless gradient. This is sometimes referred to as “crushing” the colors.

A monitor"s ability to display many slightly different colors, and thus avoid banding and inaccuracy, is measured by color depth. Color depth specifies the amount of data (measured in bits) the screen can use to build the color of one pixel.

Each pixel onscreen has three color channels — red, green, and blue — illuminated at varying intensities to create (typically) millions of shades. 8-bit color means that each color channel uses eight bits. The total number of shades possible in a screen with 8-bit color depth is 28 x 28 x 28=16,777,216.

Some inexpensive LCD panels use 6-bit color along with “dithering” to approximate 8-bit color. In this context, dithering means the insertion of similar, alternating colors next to one another to fool the eye into seeing a different in-between color that the monitor cannot accurately display.

Frame Rate Control, or FRC, alternates different colors with each new frame to achieve this. While this can be implemented more cheaply than 8-bit True Color, color accuracy suffers, especially in low-light environments. Some screens also feature 8-bit color depth with an additional FRC stage (commonly listed as “8-bit + FRC”) to approximate 10-bit color.

Monitors sometimes feature a Look-Up Table (LUT) corresponding to a higher color depth, such as 10-bit color. This helps speed up color correction calculations that take place within the monitor as it converts color input to a color output appropriate for your screen. This intermediate step can help create smoother color transitions and more accurate output. These are usually reserved for more professional grade monitors than general consumer and gaming displays.

Monitors advertising "99% sRGB" are claiming the screen covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut, which is often considered indistinguishable from 100% when viewed with the naked eye.

In LCD screens, the backlight and color filters determine the color space. All of the light created by the backlight passes through a color filter with red, green, and blue spots. Narrowing the “band-pass” of this filter restricts the wavelengths of light that can pass through, increasing the purity of the final colors produced. Although this lessens the screen"s efficiency (as the filter now blocks more of the backlight"s output), it creates a wider color gamut.

HDR monitors display brighter images with better contrast and preserve more detail in both light and dark areas of the screen. Using an HDR monitor, you might be better able to spot something moving down a dark corridor in a horror game, or see more dramatic shafts of sunlight in an open-world title.

For LCD displays, a high-end backlight feature called local dimming is critical to HDR quality. Dimming zones for the backlight behind the screen control the brightness of groups of LEDs; more dimming zones means more precise control, less “blooming” (where light areas of the image brighten dark ones), and generally improved contrast.

Edge-lit local dimming relies on groups of LEDs clustered around the edges of the screen to brighten or dim the image in what is typically a fairly limited number of dimming zones.

Full Array Local Dimming (FALD), a more high-end option, uses far more dimming zones (typically hundreds) directly behind the panel rather than just at the edges of the screen. It can give more finite control of the HDR content and dimming of the screen as a result.

On the low end, a DisplayHDR 400 screen can have a peak brightness of 400 nits (compared to a 300-nit standard monitor), but only needs a standard 95% sRGB color gamut and 8-bit color depth. DisplayHDR 400 doesn"t require backlight local dimming.

On the higher end, a DisplayHDR 600 screen needs a brightness of 600 nits, 90% of the DCI-P3 color gamut (providing a wider color space), 10-bit color depth, and some form of local dimming.

Refresh rate is the frequency at which your entire screen refreshes the image. Higher refresh rates make onscreen motion look smoother, because the screen updates the position of each object more rapidly. This can make it easier for competitive players to track moving enemies in a first-person shooter, or just make a screen feel more responsive as you scroll down a webpage or open an app on your phone.

Response rates are measured in hertz: A response rate of 120Hz, for example, means that the monitor refreshes every pixel 120 times per second. While 60Hz was once the standard for both PC monitors and smartphones, manufacturers are increasingly adopting higher refresh rates.

However, you"ll only actually see those extra frames onscreen if you have a refresh rate that matches or exceeds them; similarly, you only benefit from a high refresh rate screen if you have a CPU and graphics card capable of high frame rates. Plan your build accordingly to get the full benefit from your hardware.

Response times must be fast enough to keep up with the refresh rate. On a 240Hz screen, for example, a new frame is sent to the screen every 4.17 milliseconds (1000/240 = 4.17).

Players sometimes confuse response time with input lag, a measurement of the delay before your actions appear onscreen, similarly measured in milliseconds. Input lag is felt rather than seen, and is often a priority for players of fighting games and first-person shooters.

Input lag is a side effect of the processing done by the monitor scaler and the screen"s internal electronics. Selecting “Game Mode” on your monitor"s adjustment menu often switches off image processing features and lessens input lag. Disabling VSync (which prevents some visual artifacts) in in-game option menus can also help reduce input lag.

Adaptive SyncScreen tears will be instantly familiar to most players: A graphical glitch that appears as a horizontal line on your screen, with slightly mismatched images above and below it.

The glitch involves both your graphics card and monitor. The GPU draws a varying number of frames per second, but the monitor refreshes its screen at a fixed rate. If the GPU is midway through overwriting the previous frame in the frame buffer when the monitor reads the frame buffer to refresh the screen, the monitor will display the mismatched image as-is. The top of the image might be a new frame, but the bottom section will still show the previous frame, creating the “tear”.

AMD Radeon FreeSync monitors operate along similar lines, matching the display to GPU output to avoid screen tearing and stutters. Rather than using a proprietary chip, they"re built on open Adaptive Sync protocols, which have been built into DisplayPort 1.2a and all later DisplayPort revisions. Though FreeSync monitors are often cheaper, the trade-off is that they aren"t subject to standard testing before release, and vary widely in quality.

Both LCDs and OLEDs "sample and hold", displaying moving objects as a series of static images that are rapidly refreshed. Each sample remains onscreen until it"s replaced with the next refresh. This "persistence" causes motion blur, as the human eye expects to track objects smoothly rather than see them jump to a new position. Even at high refresh rates, which update the image more often, the underlying sample-and-hold technology causes motion blur.

Motion blur reduction features use backlight strobing to shorten the time that frame samples are displayed onscreen. The screen turns black after every sample before displaying the next, reducing the time that a static image is held onscreen.

This mimics the operation of older CRT monitors, which worked differently than current LCD technology. CRT screens were illuminated by phosphors that rapidly decayed, providing brief impulses of illumination. This meant that the screen was actually dark for most of the refresh cycle. These quick impulses actually created a smoother impression of motion than sample-and-hold, and motion blur reduction features work to replicate this effect.

Because the backlight is being rapidly turned off and on, these features also lessen the brightness of the display. If you"re planning to use motion blur reduction backlight strobing, ensure that the screen you"re buying has high peak brightness.

CRTs used three bulky electron guns to send a beam to excite red, green, and blue phosphors on the screen. These phosphors decayed within a few milliseconds, meaning the screen was illuminated by brief impulses on each refresh. This created a smooth illusion of motion, but also visible flickering.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)In TFT LCDs (thin-film-transistor liquid crystal displays), a backlight shines light through a layer of liquid crystals that can twist, turn, or block it. The liquid crystals do not emit light themselves, which is a key difference between LCDs and OLEDs.

Older LCDs used Cold-Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFLs) as backlights. These large, energy-inefficient tubes were incapable of controlling the brightness of smaller zones of the screen, and were eventually phased out in favor of smaller, energy-efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

LCD panels are available in a range of technologies and can vary widely in color reproduction, response time, and input lag, especially among high-end options. However, the following generalizations about panels usually hold true:

Oldest and most affordable LCD panel type. High refresh rates and response times for high-speed gaming such as first-person shooters or fighting games.

Pale glow, known as “IPS glow” visible when viewing screens in dark rooms from off-center angles. Response times usually worse than TN panels, but better than VA panels. Lower contrast ratio than VA panels.

Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED)OLED screens are emissive, meaning they create their own light, rather than transmissive screens that require a separate light source (like LCDs). Here, the application of electric current causes a layer of organic molecules to light up on the front of the screen.

Backlights may be imperfectly blocked by the liquid crystals in an LCD, causing black areas of an image to appear gray. Because OLEDs have no backlight, they can achieve “true black” by simply turning off a pixel (or at least 0.0005 nits, the lowest measurable brightness).

OLEDs therefore boast very high contrast ratios and vibrant color. The elimination of the backlight also makes them slimmer than LCDs. Much as LCDs were a thinner, more energy-efficient evolution of CRTs, OLEDs may prove a thinner evolution of LCDs. (They can also be more energy-efficient when displaying dark content, like movies, but less energy-efficient with white screens, such as word processing programs).

You"ll find a multitude of ports behind or beneath your monitor. Display interfaces connect your screen to graphics output from your PC, while USB and Thunderbolt™ ports provide data and power to external devices.

USB: These common ports transfer both data and power. Many monitors let you connect keyboards and mice to them to free up USB ports on your PC. USB Type-C ports feature a reversible design and can double as DisplayPorts.

Stealth builds Rugged LCD Monitors suited for industrial and commercial applications. Panel mount, Rack mount, Sunlight Readable, Marine & Open Frame designs are available as standard off-the-shelf products in 15″ up to 24″ diagonal sizes. Our rugged displays are environmentally sealed to NEMA 4/4X & IP65 ratings for applications where dirt, dust, moisture and water are present. Our Rugged Industrial LCD products are constructed from solid steel and stainless steel for corrosion resistance applications. Displays can be custom configured with Touch Screen (Resistive, Capacitive or PCAP), DC power supplies, Stainless Steel bezels and extended warranty options are available.

ASRock"s 13.3-inch Side Panel Kit, spotted by Tom"s Hardware on Tuesday, includes a 13.3-inch IPS display meant to attach to the inside of a desktop PC"s side panel. This is a convenient design for people who are low on space but still keep their tower on a desk. The kit provides a 1920×1080 display with a 60 Hz refresh rate, 300 nits of brightness, and an 800:1 contrast ratio, making its specs comparable to dedicated portable monitors in the $200 range, such as Lenovo"s ThinkVision M14 (although, when we tested the M14, we recorded a notably higher contrast ratio, 1,064:1, than ASRock"s panel claims).

The Taiwan-based company, which is known for selling DIY PC parts, also says the 13.3-inch Side Panel Kit will work on "most" ATX, Mini-ITX, and Micro-ATX PC cases. As any PC builder will assure you, compatibility with "most" PC cases does not mean compatibility with them all.

The kit also provides flexibility. Theoretically, you could use it on multiple monitors, assuming everything"s still compatible. That"s different from iBuyPower"s Snowblind S PC case, which has a 19-inch, 1280x1024 transparent LCD display on the side. However, the transparent panel doesn"t appear to have the strongest image quality and is also meant to showcase PC components, which are encouraged to be white or silver, to help images on the display pop.

Laptop users already have more options. Take the NexPad, for instance. Announced in October, it"s a 12-inch IPS display that"s meant to sit on top of a laptop display for more vertical screen space. While ASRock"s kit isn"t as simple as the NexPad, perhaps it will help pave the way for more versatile solutions for desktop users.