I have been doing lots of research on the different LCD panel technologies, and their respective strengths and weaknesses. On the other side, there isn't one monitor that beats all the others, so choosing the model to buy is really tough.

In my case, I have 3 categories to choose from:

1) 22" TN:
- 1680x1050 resolution
- 2 ms response time
- Viewing angles and color are not as good as S-PVA panels
- Best I could find in this category: Viewsonic VX2240 (no 1:1 mapping) and samsung 2243BW (1:1 mapping but worse color and blacklight bleed, though less input lag)
- Average price: 280$

2) 24" TNL
- 1900x1200 resolution
- 5 ms response time
- Viewing angles and color are not as good as S-PVA panels
- Best: BenQ G2400W (Very good out of the box colors, very low input lag)
- Price: 350$

3) 24" S-PVA
- 1900x1200 resolution
- 5 ms response time
- Viewing angles and color are very good compared to TN panels (although I haven't seen the 2 technologies side by side to compare)
- Best: Dell 2408WFP (Very good colors, nice array of inputs, very bad input lag)
- Price: 600$

Now, keep into consideration what I'm going to do with the monitor. I mostly play games, watch movies and browse the web. I rarely do any graphical or 3D work, and I don't have a PS3 or Xbox360 or Bluray reader. I do however, play old games that support 4:3 resolutions, so I wouldn't like the image to be stretched to fit the 16:10 aspect ratio. 1:1 pixel mapping isn't essential as long as there's an "aspect" mode where the image is streched to fit the screen while keeping the aspect ratio.

Since I don't do professional graphic work, the color quality is not crucial for me. As long as I can get a decent color quality and deep blacks, I'll be happy.
I don't play many FPS games, but I still want to have as little ghosting and lag as possible. Currently I have a 19" 8ms monitor, and I don't really notice ghosting...but I might as well get as much from my money as possible.

One last consideration...although I have the money to pay for any of the 3 types of monitors, having the best value is important to me since I'm a student. I'd rather spend 300$ on a better videocard or sound system than on a difference in color fidelity I may not notice.


Now my thought process in the decision making is this:
Let's start with the 22" TN monitor. The 2ms response time significantly reduces ghosting in games compared to the 5ms of 24" monitors. The problem is the resolution is lower so I may not get as much juice out of the new system I will build soon. It will contain one of the new ATI HD48XX cards, so I want to be able to play games at high resolutions to get the best quality possible (that is, until games become so demanding that I have to go back to lower resolutions). Another good point is the low price (as low as 270$).

Next we have the 24" TN monitors. The response time is higher than 22" (5ms), so that will increase ghosting. On the other hand, the resolution is better and the BenQ G2400W is supposed to have great color fidelity without the need to calibrate it). The price is only 70-80$ more than a 22"...so it is very attractive. So is the increase in resolution important enough to sacrifice response time and pay 70$ more?

At last, we have the 24" S-PVA monitors. These have the same response times as 24" TNs, but very high input lag (as high as 36ms). They do have very good viewing angles and color fidelity...but they cost a whooping 250$ more. I don't think I want to pay that amount of money if I'm not gonna do any graphic work, or watch full HD movies.


So, to end this long topic...I am mostly torn between buying a 22" TN or a 24" TN monitor..they have very similar prices but the bigger trade response time for better resolution. Do you think it is worth it?
Also, do you think the models I selected are the best for that type of monitor? If not, can you recommend me a better model?

Thanks a lot!