Point me in the right direction

[Boseaphus]

Hi all,

I have spent some time on the site and on these forum looking for some solid advice on what to look for in a LCD monitor and video card. I really have no experience with flat panel, LCD monitors and don't want to have buyers regret. I am still running my old geforce2 pro but want to upgrade to a 4200. Notice some have a DVI output. Is this important?

I have about $400ish to spend (work budget).

Thanks in advance.

 

[SickBeast]

dvi is very important, but that means you'll also want a screen that has a dvi connection.

as far as i know the two important features to look for in a flat panel are:

- contrast ratio: 400:1 is considered very good
- latency: i'm pretty sure you'll want something less than 30ms

i still think that those screens are overpriced tho. not to mention the fact that widescreen models are just starting to come out, so you might want to wait. if you must get one now, check the reviews before you buy. anandtech, tomshardware, and cnet are all good places to look. good luck.