[benzimm86]

I am looking to buy a new 17 or 19in flat screen monitor. What are some things that i would want to look for when buying one? What are some good brands? Also if you know of any that are a good deal at the moment let me know that also. Thanks for the help

[Trifid]

Samsung, Sony, Hynudai and viewsonic are the companies I would buy from.

Make sure it has DVI input, as there are a few cheaper LCD's that don't have that input.

[benzimm86]

Is it necessary to have the dvi if you do not have a dvi output from your computer? If all i have is the vga output on my video card, why would i need the dvi?

[TheMajor]

No, don't need DVi. Just get the one your gfx card supports.

[Trifid]

K, get a VGA one, but if you do upgrade, the DVI would be better.

[benzimm86]

any other suggestions?

Contrast ratio?
response time?


http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/def...spx?edc=862744

[Trifid]

Get the highest contrast ratio while getting the smallest ms (under 16 is fine, 12 and under is best to stop ghosting happening.)

I'm not a huge fan of Acer, but this is for no reason, just preference. Like WD and seagate.

edit: what about: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824116373

A little bit more than your previous one but it has DVI as well as D-sub. 8ms.

Or how about: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824179018

[beedubaya]

DVI really makes a difference. Get one that supports it, so if you upgrade your graphics card later, you will have it. Be sure to get over 500:1 contrast ratio. 700:1 or higher is better. Also, make sure its under 12ms, as those have said.

Do you play games? If you do, get the 17" one if you don't want to upgrade your graphics card. The 17" LCDs look much better at the gaming resolution of 1024x768 than the 19" monitors do. However, this wont be an issue if you get a good graphics card.