Description
What To Look For
Recommendations

Already know what a Monitor is and what to look for? Then skip to the Recommendations. 

What To Look For:

• First, consider the monitor size that you want.  The larger you can get, the happier you will be. The monitor is the one part that you can keep with you through all the times you upgrade your computer or purchase a new computer, so it doesn't hurt to spend the extra money once on a monitor you will be happy with for awhile. 15" is considered the bare minimum anymore. 17" monitors are also on the small end.  The 19" monitors provide a nice large screen at a fairly cheap price, and they don't take up a huge space on your desk either.  Anything above 19" is pure luxury and not really needed unless you're into graphic design, etc. If you plan to do graphic design, watch DVDs at your computer, or even play a lot of games then a 21" or larger monitor may be just what you need.
• The type of monitor is very important in many users' eyes. To me, the "aperture grille" monitors (aka Trinitron or DiamondTron) provide a much superior image to the traditional "shadow mask" monitors, despite having two faint support wires across the screen.  Aperture grille monitors are also usually flatter than the shadow mask monitors.
• The dot pitch of the monitor is one of the most important things to look for when considering a new monitor.  It basically shows how clear the picture will be (higher dot pitch numbers may provide a fuzzy image).  Anything at .26 mm dot pitch or smaller should be fine for most users. Pay attention to how the dot pitch is measured.  It can be written as horizontal, vertical, or other forms.  Usually horizontal is used, but avoid or at least question monitors that present different measurements for the dot pitch. Aperture grille monitors often have a dot pitch "range." If that is the case, look for a range of .25-.27 or better (.24-.25).
• Look for monitors that support fairly high resolutions for their size. Consider, however, that it is impossible for a small 14" monitor to display at 1600x1200 resolution (same for a 15").  17" monitors are about the minimum to be able to run at 1024x768 comfortably. A 15" monitor can usually do 1024x768, but objects are small and somewhat hard to see. 19" monitors are ideal for running at 1024x768, 1280x1024, or even 1600x1200 (although that's a little too high for my eyes).
• Higher refresh rates will definitely make computer work easier on your eyes.  Consider 75-85 Hz as a minimum refresh rate for any resolution that you actually plan to run your monitor at. Anything above 85 is a nice bonus...  Make sure your video card will support the higher refresh rates and resolutions.
• Another important thing to consider is how flat the monitor is.  Watch out though, many manufacturers call their monitors flat, but they are only flat up and down. Sony's "FD Trinitron" monitors are perfectly flat both up and down and side to side.  A flat monitor avoids distortion of the image by the curves in the monitor.
• LCD flat panel monitors are becoming more popular, but not because of better image quality. While they can be brighter, in general the image quality is better on a regular CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor. LCD monitors are really just useful because they take up less desk space. They are also prone to stuck pixels and ghosting of images (since they redraw slowly), thus they are poor for games.
• The monitor's controls can be important as well. These are helpful in tweaking the picture for proper brightness, contrast, and taking the picture to the very edges of the monitor, not to mention for removing any slight curves or other abnormalities that may be present in the picture.
• Some monitors come with USB hubs that allow you to easily attach desktop USB items like mice, keyboards, or game controllers without crawling behind your tower case. Front mounted microphones are also often included on the monitors. The speakers that occasionally come on monitors usually have terrible sound, and I would not recommend them.

Buying Tips:

The nice Trinitron tubes are all made by Sony, but often resold to other manufacturers who then build the casing around the tube and sell the monitor for less than the Sony model costs.  So, you can get essentially the same monitor for a lot less. You can get monitors like these from manufacturers such as KDS and Princeton Graphics.

More Info:
Description
Recommendations