The best monitors you can buy from South African sellers right now

The spec sheet covers everything a general-purpose screen needs: a 27-inch IPS panel, 144Hz, HDR10, 99% sRGB and a three-sided borderless frame that makes it easy to park next to a second display. For office work, browsing and casual gaming, nothing on this list below it does more.

The same monitor is listed by two other sellers here, and both ask noticeably more for it. FirstShop's version carries a single five-star rating and New World's carries none, so there is no quality argument for paying the difference. Computer Mania's listing has a small but perfect run of shopper ratings behind it.

Full HD stretched over 27 inches is not razor sharp up close, but at normal desk distance it reads fine, and you get a lot of usable window space for the money.

The catch. Five ratings is a thin sample, and the listing says nothing about height adjustment, so budget for a stand or an arm if tilt alone will not do.

On paper this lands in almost exactly the same place as the Xiaomi: 27 inches, Full HD, IPS, 144Hz, with a 1ms moving picture response time and TUV eye comfort certification. Dell also lists anti-glare treatment and a cable lock slot, which is useful in a shared office.

The listing is lighter on colour specs than the Xiaomi, with no sRGB figure given, and it carries no shopper ratings yet. Buy it if the badge and Dell's service network matter more to you than the numbers.

The catch. No ratings at all, and the listing does not mention speakers or stand adjustment.

ASUS gives you a 23.8-inch frameless IPS panel at 120Hz with adaptive sync, HDMI and VGA, a headphone jack and VESA mounting. For a second screen beside a laptop, that is the job done.

It is rated 4.8 across six shoppers, which is as much feedback as anything on this shelf has, and the price history shows it sitting below its usual mark at the moment. The discount is a bonus, not the reason to buy it.

Going from 23.8 to 27 inches costs surprisingly little, so step up if you have the desk. If you don't, this is the smarter spend.

The catch. HDMI 1.4 and VGA only, no DisplayPort, and 24 inches at Full HD gives you less room for side-by-side windows.

This is the cheapest route to 2560 x 1440 on this list, and on a 27-inch panel that resolution is the real fix for soft text. Dell pairs it with a 144Hz IPS panel, FreeSync and anti-glare, so it works for games as well as spreadsheets.

Samsung's QHD options here cost more, and the curved ones more again. If you want sharper pixels rather than a curve, this is the better buy.

The catch. No ratings, and the listing is silent on ports, speakers and stand adjustment.

The listing is the most honest kind: 1920 x 1080 at 100Hz on an IPS panel, 250 cd/m2, 1300:1 contrast, anti-glare surface, 178-degree viewing angles and VESA 100 x 100 mounting. It also supports Lenovo's ThinkCentre Tiny bracket, which is handy if you run a small-form-factor PC.

It undercuts the comparable Dell Pro 24 listed here, and the fuller spec sheet makes it easier to know what you are getting.

The catch. Tilt is the only adjustment, there are no shopper ratings, and 100Hz is the floor rather than a feature.

Decide on size and resolution together. Full HD looks fine up to about 24 inches and acceptable at 27 if you sit back a bit. Past 27 inches, or if you stare at text all day, QHD is worth the extra. Anything 32 inches and up really wants 4K.

Panel type still matters. IPS gives you consistent colour from an angle, which is what you want for a second screen off to one side. VA panels usually show deeper blacks and higher contrast numbers but shift colour more when viewed off centre.

Check the ports against the machine you own, not the one you might buy. VGA is a sign of an older design; DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0 and up is what you want for high refresh rates. A USB-C monitor that carries video, data and laptop power on one cable costs more but genuinely tidies a desk.

Read the stand line. Plenty of cheap monitors tilt and nothing else. If height adjustment is not listed, assume it is not there, and either add a VESA arm to your budget or check the mounting pattern before you buy.

Finally, compare the exact model number across stores. Identical screens sit at very different prices here, and the dearer listing is not the better one.