Monitor Arm Compatibility Checker

Get your three numbers first

Panel weight without the stand is the number owners most often get wrong. The weight on the box includes the stand and the packaging; the arm only ever carries the panel alone. Your monitor's specification page lists a “weight without stand” figure — use that. If it doesn't, a bathroom scale works: weigh yourself holding the panel, then without it.

VESA pattern is the spacing of the four mounting holes on the back of the panel, in millimetres: 75×75 and 100×100 cover most standard monitors, some larger panels use 200×100, and some monitors have no VESA pattern at all (check under any removable cover before concluding that). Screen size is the diagonal you already know — it matters because each arm's stated range is the manufacturer's own guidance, not a suggestion.

The three arms, and the ranges the checker uses

These are the manufacturers' figures as recorded in each arm's full review on this site — the same numbers behind every fit table in those reviews, including the F80's conservative manual size range rather than the wider figure some listings show. The two gas-spring arms also carry a minimum weight: a panel under 4.4 lb is too light for the spring to balance, and the checker fails it for that reason too.

Why “tight headroom” is its own verdict

A rated capacity is tested in ideal conditions with the arm retracted. Pulled out to full extension, leverage multiplies the effective load, and an arm running at 95% of its rating is an arm that slowly sinks. The rule this checker uses is the one in our arm guides: a fit is comfortable when the panel weighs at most 75% of the arm's ceiling — an arm rated at least a third above the panel — and borderline between there and the ceiling itself. Borderline arms get their buying link, because the fit is real; they also get the warning in plain sight, because owners' sag reports concentrate exactly in that band. Above the ceiling, there is no link at all.

When none of these three fits

A “none fits” result tells you what to shop for instead. Take these requirements to whichever arm you look at next:

• A stated size range that actually includes your screen — a 34-inch ultrawide needs an arm that lists 34 inches, not one that stops at 32.
• A weight ceiling at least a third above your panel's weight without its stand — about 17 lb or heavier panels leave none of the arms here real headroom.
• A VESA range that lists your pattern, including 200×100 if that's what your panel uses.
• For a deeply curved panel, a tilt joint rated for the extra leverage — the failure owners describe is the screen nodding down, not dropping.

Our ultrawide monitor arm guide runs these same numbers in long form for 34-inch panels, including why owners do run light ultrawides on arms in this class and what that trades away. Heavy-duty ultrawide arms are a category we're expanding our reviews into; until one is reviewed here, buy on the published ranges, not on a listing's headline photo of a giant screen.

Checker questions, answered

How do I find my monitor's weight without the stand?

Your monitor's specification page lists a weight-without-stand figure — that is the only weight an arm ever carries. The box weight and the on-desk weight both include the stand the arm replaces. If no figure is published, a bathroom scale works: weigh yourself holding the panel, then without it, and use the difference.

Why does the checker say tight headroom when my weight is under the limit?

Because a rating is a ceiling, not a comfort zone. Capacity is tested with the arm retracted; at full extension, leverage multiplies the load. This checker calls a fit comfortable only at or under 75% of the ceiling, and borderline above that — the band where owners' slow-sink reports concentrate.

My monitor's VESA pattern is 200×100. What should I buy?

None of the three arms reviewed here — all three accept 75×75 and 100×100 only. Look for an arm whose published VESA range explicitly lists 200×100, and check its size and weight ranges against your panel the same way this checker does.

Does screen size matter if the weight and VESA pattern fit?

Yes. The stated size range is the manufacturer's own guidance, tied to the arm's geometry and clearance as much as its spring. Running a panel above the stated maximum is outside the printed spec even when the weight fits — which matters if staying inside spec matters to you for warranty or returns.