One problem in the area of monitors is, the evaluation tends to be rather
subjective. What one person finds acceptable may be unacceptable to
another. Pretty tough to buy a monitor for another person, for this reason.
You tend to get a better picture w/ a DVI input (vs. VGA). DVI doesn't
require conversion from digital to analog, the way VGA does. The
conversion, like most conversions, always compromises picture quality to
some extent. Of course, there are great VGA monitors and poor DVI monitors.
And you'll need a DVI port on your video card to support it. But if you're
not into gaming, only office apps, an older, moderately priced DVI-capable
video card upgrade might be worth it (e.g., ATI 7000). IOW, don't overlook
the video card, anymore than you would overlook the lens manufacturer if
buying a quality digital camera. BOTH matter.
If you're into gaming, response times will matter too. Most gamers and some
DVD lovers won't touch anything greater than 16ms or so these days. But for
office apps and most DVD playback, 25ms or under continues to be adequate.
But as always, if you can get faster response times for the same money, go
for it, it never hurts.
Contrast ratios tend to be exaggerated these days, but higher is generally
better (minimum 500:1 or better, IMO). On really low-end models, you also
need to consider maximum viewing angle (horz. and vert), particularly is
you're disabled. You don't want to find yourself being forced to sit "dead
on" straight to the monitor in order to enjoy optimal picture quality.
Consider carefully ease of replacement, esp. dead pixel policies. Even the
best monitor sucks if there are sufficient dead pixels, particularly in
obvious locations, and the retailer won't replace it.
If I had to buy an LCD today, I've picked from the Dell UltraSharp line.
Their 19" (UltraSharp 1905FP) has been around awhile, but if you Google for
reviews on the unit, it gets very good marks. And not being the latest
greatest model will keep the price down. If you scan bargain hunting sites
like SlickDeals.net or FatWallet.com, among others, you'll see really good
deals on these Dells (using rebates, coupons, etc., sometimes no sales tax
(depending on location), sometimes free shipping). Of course, there are
other UltraSharp models too, with yet more features, excellent reviews, and
larger displays, priced accordingly. From what I've seen, all seem to have
the DVI option too.
HTH
Jim
