LCD Monitors: Buying Made Simple by FastMHz
There are many LCD buying guides out there…this one aims to be short, simple and sweet. I own quite a few flat panel monitors, and from them I can give a decent amount of first-hand advice.
Store Browsing: When you are looking at the LCDs at your electronics store…do NOT, and I repeat, do NOT go by what you see. The image being pumped to all those monitors is split far too many times to be useful for comparing, and is unevenly fed across all the monitors. If possible, bring your own laptop and connect it to each monitor you’re interested in, with a picture that you know what should look like. Compare them with this known source!!!
Inputs – VGA, HDMI, DVI, Video: Make sure you get a monitor with the inputs that you’ll be using, or might be using. Almost all panels come with a VGA input, however if you’re buying one of those nice HUGE ones, this old analog input will be inadequate, and you’ll want to use digital DVI. Make sure your computer has a DVI output on it. If it doesn’t, see about upgrading your video card to one that does. You’ll be glad you did. Some cheaper panels, even larger ones, do NOT have a DVI connector….check carefully before buying….if the panel is > 19″ and does not have a DVI, skip it.
Some panels have Component/Composite/S-Video inputs so that they double as televisions. This is great for hooking up your game console or other video source, and can save a good amount of money if you were considering the need for a TV in addition to a monitor.
Dead Pixels: unfortunately this comes with the territory. Higher end models have lesser chance of a dead pixel, which can come in the form of a dot of stuck-on color, or a dot of black. Some stores consider this a defect and will exchange the unit, others don’t. Ask before buying. Also, those programs which claim to “fix” your dead pixels don’t work 
Ordering online: LCD monitors, especially the larger ones, are delicate. I tend to avoid ordering them online because the package carriers tend to be rough, even if it says FRAGILE all over the box. If it arrives damaged, you often end up sucking up the return shipping charge, whereas if you buy locally, going back to the store and getting another unit is much cheaper and faster.
Quick Brand Reviews:
My Samsung 24″ is beautiful. I obtained this at Circuit City just the other day. Zero dead pixels, black is really black, awesome color….best panel I’ve ever owned hands down. My next panel will be a Samsung.
The NECs and Dells I own have always performed well…even the ones from years ago are still going strong.
The Gateway is another story…I probably should have returned it. This 22″ panel has backlight bleed around the edges, the firmware is HORRIBLE, and the brightness is just overkill. Great for games and movies, but terrible for office apps and photoshop. It’s one shining point is the component/composite and svideo inputs, so it doubles as a HDTV.
Other brands I recommend include Viewsonic, Sony and Apple. Avoid those funny sounding names. I’ve read many good things about LG’s 24″ panel, but do not own one.
