Something else to be aware of:
You'll basically find two types of screens: ones advertised to have 16.7 million colors, and ones that claim to have 16.2 million. you'll also see screens with response times anywhere between 16ms and 2 ms.
Most of the lowest response time monitors are actually the 16.2 million models. A significant difference is that those are based on 6-bit panels rather than 8 bit. They can only accurately represent 65K colors, and use some smart dithering algorithms to fake smooth transitions and such... but you are still much more likely to encounter 'color banding' and the likes than with the true 8-bit 16.7 million color screens.
so... if you're just into gaming, a 2ms 16.2 million color screen is great. If you also are into digital image editing and such where accurate colors are important, you'd probably want one of the 5-8ms 16.7 million color screens.
In the first category the Viewsonic VX922 is a pretty good contender, at a good price as well. I just ordered a 16.7 million color 8ms screen myself yesterday, the Acer AL1917ABDM...
Next, when buying an LCD, make sure you get one that has a DVI connector. Even if your current video card doesn't have DVI, more than likely your next one will. the image quality over DVI is much better than over standard VGA, resulting in a clearer/crisper image, and less blurring. There is little price difference in monitors with and without DVI now, so its well worth making sure whatever screen you buy has a DVI port.
Also, when buying an LCD make sure to read a lot of reviews, and stay far away from the no-name budget models. There are different 'grades' of panels made by the various manufacturers, and obviously the lowest grade panels are the cheapest. Very few monitor companies give you a guarantee that the screen you buy will be flawless, and pretty much all specify how many flaws are considered 'acceptable'. With most vendors, you will not qualify for a repair or replacement if you have <4 dead or stuck pixels. (Their reasoning is that if every screen had to be flawless, prices would be much to high for people to be interested). but with the a-brands, there's a high likelyhood that you'll get a flawless screen anyway. With the companies at the bottom end of the market, though, sometimes *dozens* of dead pixels is still no grounds for a return/repair, and the chances that you will have dead pixels is much higher thanks to the lower grade panels used. When you're thinking about a screen, look at sites that include user reviews, and see how many users mention that they got (or didn't) dead pixels. Ordering any LCD is pretty much a gamble, but some reasearch can definitely put the odds in your favor.
You'll basically find two types of screens: ones advertised to have 16.7 million colors, and ones that claim to have 16.2 million. you'll also see screens with response times anywhere between 16ms and 2 ms.
Most of the lowest response time monitors are actually the 16.2 million models. A significant difference is that those are based on 6-bit panels rather than 8 bit. They can only accurately represent 65K colors, and use some smart dithering algorithms to fake smooth transitions and such... but you are still much more likely to encounter 'color banding' and the likes than with the true 8-bit 16.7 million color screens.
so... if you're just into gaming, a 2ms 16.2 million color screen is great. If you also are into digital image editing and such where accurate colors are important, you'd probably want one of the 5-8ms 16.7 million color screens.
In the first category the Viewsonic VX922 is a pretty good contender, at a good price as well. I just ordered a 16.7 million color 8ms screen myself yesterday, the Acer AL1917ABDM...
Next, when buying an LCD, make sure you get one that has a DVI connector. Even if your current video card doesn't have DVI, more than likely your next one will. the image quality over DVI is much better than over standard VGA, resulting in a clearer/crisper image, and less blurring. There is little price difference in monitors with and without DVI now, so its well worth making sure whatever screen you buy has a DVI port.
Also, when buying an LCD make sure to read a lot of reviews, and stay far away from the no-name budget models. There are different 'grades' of panels made by the various manufacturers, and obviously the lowest grade panels are the cheapest. Very few monitor companies give you a guarantee that the screen you buy will be flawless, and pretty much all specify how many flaws are considered 'acceptable'. With most vendors, you will not qualify for a repair or replacement if you have <4 dead or stuck pixels. (Their reasoning is that if every screen had to be flawless, prices would be much to high for people to be interested). but with the a-brands, there's a high likelyhood that you'll get a flawless screen anyway. With the companies at the bottom end of the market, though, sometimes *dozens* of dead pixels is still no grounds for a return/repair, and the chances that you will have dead pixels is much higher thanks to the lower grade panels used. When you're thinking about a screen, look at sites that include user reviews, and see how many users mention that they got (or didn't) dead pixels. Ordering any LCD is pretty much a gamble, but some reasearch can definitely put the odds in your favor.