I just ordered my new system. See specs below. Now I just need to get a new monitor. I'm going to be using it to do every day tasks (surfing, documents, mail, etc.). However, I also want the monitor to shine when it comes to gaming. As you can see from my specs I went with the 8800GTS 640 card. Originally, I was going to go with the 320ram card however I read on this site that if I wanted to play at resolutions beyond 1600x1200 the extra ram on the card would be better.

I thought about going with a 22" LCD but it seems that they max out at 1600x1200. So I'm looking for something beyond that...maybe in the 1900x1200 range.

I would like widescreen and LCD.

If anyone has any preferences or recommendations based on personal use or reviews it would be appreciated. Thanks a bunch.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 8MB/1066FSB S775 CPU
Asus P5KC iP35 S775 ATX Mainboard w/Audio/GB/DDR2&DDR3/eSATA/FW
OCZ Vista-Upgrade 4GB DC PC2-6400 DDR2
Seagate 7200.10 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATAII Hard Drive
LG GSA-H62L 18X DVD+/-RW SATA Lightscribe Drive BLACK
BFG Geforce 8800GTS OC2 640MB PCI-E Video Card
Antec SonataIII Mid-Tower Case w/500W PS
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition DVD 64-bit

Depends on how much do u want to pay :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 0190020+13 09821328&name=24%22

ACER, VIEWSONIC , LG , SAMSUNG ... are good brands

The Dell 2407WFP-HC would be the default recommendation. It is currently on sale for $569.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna [...] u=320-5647

Personally, I am gunning for the 26" Planar PX2611W that is approximately $900.

http://www.planar.com/products/fla [...] x2611w.cfm

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into those sites.

I have a L204WT and its just great. Of course its lower priced than the lcd listed above, but I think its good enough.
5ms response time... good enough for gaming, no ghosting. I watch movies on it, its perfect for that too.

I'm in the same place you are, just putting together a new pc and looking for a monitor. Originally I was going to go for an 22" as well, but after reading loads and loads of reviews I decided to go for the BenQ FP241W (or WZ). Apparently it's the best 24" out there at the moment.... (at least on par with the Dell 2407WFP-HC)....

If you want to really get good information on displays head over to hardocp.com ...There display forum section is VERY active. They have quite a lot of information. But keep in mind there are 3 types of panels...TN, PMV/MVA, and IPS...TN is the cheapest of all...they don't have very good colors but they have very fast response times if you are looking for the right one. (Keep in mind flatpanels have delays...so you really need to find out what you're buying...if you play FPS getting a cheap monitor will result in ghosting...almost all flatpanels will ghost.,.it's just part of the technology). PMV/MVA panels are the greatest for blacks..They have very high contrast which helps..BUt...they have crushing blacks also..you lose a lot of detail in the black areas. They also have the highest delay..the dell 24 incher uses a PVA/MVA panel. Then there is IPS...The best you can get. It has the most accurate color of all. It's blacks aren't as deep as PVA/MVA..The response times aren't as fast as some TN panels but it's damn good..but they are pricey..

Overall flat panels have their own language..I've been learning the ropes for the past month or so. CRT's have the best color and accuracy in all counts. LCD and CRT are two vastly different technologies. CRT run on a tubes with a scan running across the screen to generate picture (this also explain why cameras have that shifting horizontal bar on computer screens. LCD's are liquid crystal displays..each pixel is it's own..which is why LCD's have native resolutions depending on how many pixels are in the panel. CRT's don't have a native res since it can be adjusted..

but overall if you want to go for a nice LCD go for a IPS panel. Do you plan to play with console gaming and such not as well?...There is one greatly priced 26" IPS panel...it's wide screen. From Planar. Been selling like hotcakes lately. it's around 999 dollars.

http://www.planar.com/products/fla [...] x2611w.cfm

They were up on dell.com and newegg but they have been selling out as soon as they get in stock..so you might have to nab it form a dif etailer. It has a quick response time (very important for gaming) with 1 frame of lag.

The next step up would be the Nec2690wuxi...Expensive though. I was looking into this monitor for my new rig. It's priced at 1,600. It has a slightly lower response time then the Planar with 2 frames of lag..But it is a damn great monitor for color accuracy and digital photo users. But the planar would be more suited to gaming and it's cheaper.

the only downside to the planar is it bands at 1080 via consoles..Which is a bit of a problem. You shouldn't notice anything in normal computer usages but that's the one flaw with it. It also doesn't hit the rated contrast ratio of 800:1...the Nec is very close to that while the planar is lower.

But indeed for the cash it's a great buy.

I'm about to purchase a new rig but I'm sticking with CRT's still. going to nab a 24" widescreen sony trinitron..the FW900...Damn best crt monitor out there..although they can only be nabbed used/refurbished now..

Damn these flat panels man..people don't realize that CRT's have better quality when it comes to blacks and color accuracy. But LCD's are great for browsing the net and what not. Easier on the eyes. But I do despise LCD's...going to wait it out for SED's to come around...Quality and advantage of a CRT in a Flat panel display ^_^...those are gonna be nice.

Hope this info helps. If the planar and Nec are out of your price range..You can try nabbing a PVA/MVA panel...such as the dell monitors...Whatever happens make sure you read the specs and response times..There are some 24" and lower size IPS panels which are much more wallet friendly...but for the 26" + range there is not many choices...and they are pricey...If you want try the hardocp.com forum for the displays...the knowledge there is worth more then gold.

Excellent suggestions. I will look into that 24" LCD you got. I will also look at the Planar's as well.

However, I do like the glossy screens and I've found that only the HP monitors have this.

Does anyone else know of a manufacturer that has this?

the HP w2408 (I think that was the model number) seems to be the only 24 inch glossy LCD. So you're out of luck on finding others =(

Viewsonic VP930 (19" 1280X960) or VP2130 (21.3" 1600X1200).

I have the smaller one, my friend has the larger. Both of them give awesome displays. No ghosting, bright brilliant color, really they leave nothing to be desired.

There isn't any point to going 1920X1200 unless you like widescreen. You aren't getting a better resolution, you are just getting more horizontal space.

If you want to get high resolution you would have to buy:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824001098

Which is a 30", 2560 x 1600, $1300 dollar monstrosity.

Unless you REALLY think you need something like that get one of the smaller ones I mentioned. I think the VP2130 would suit you well.

What's your take on HP monitors???

Thanks for the info. I definitely want to go widescreen. Plus I really want 22 or 24 inches.

I'd go straight to a 1080p (1920x1080 resolution) HDTV with a DVI port. The one I am looking to buy a 42" Westinghouse LCD, marketed as a computer monitor. I believe the response time is 6.5 ms.

Oh, by the way it is about $1100.