How to Test a New Monitor in 15 Minutes (Before the Return Window Closes)

Every panel is a lottery ticket: uniformity, dead pixels, backlight bleed and backlight flicker vary unit to unit. Fifteen minutes of structured testing right after unboxing is the cheapest insurance you will ever run.

Minute 0–5: dead pixels and bright spots

Run our dead pixel test through all eight colors, then the bright spot test on pure white. Move your eyes across the screen in rows, like reading. Note anything that refuses to change — dead pixels fail warranty thresholds by count, and you want that documented in week one, not month seven.

Minute 5–8: backlight bleed, in the dark

Dim the room, open the backlight bleed test, and let your eyes adapt for two minutes before judging. Faint corner glow is normal; patches are not. Photograph what you see — "photos of a dark room" are also the evidence a return claim will ask for.

Minute 8–11: uniformity and gradients

The uniformity test on flat grey shows clouds and vignetting; the color banding test shows whether you got the color depth you paid for. On a monitor sold as HDR or 10-bit, banding that a phone camera can see is a legitimate complaint.

Minute 11–15: motion and the real refresh rate

Run the ghosting test and the refresh rate test. Confirm a "144 Hz" panel is actually driven at 144 — the single most common setup failure is the right monitor on the wrong cable or OS setting. Fix it now, while the return window is still open.

Frequently asked questions

Should I test before or after calibration?

Before, on factory defaults — that is what the warranty judges. Then calibrate.

Do I need special software?

No — every test you need is on this site, in your browser, for free.