Ask Engadget: Best LCD monitor under $400?
By Darren Murph 
posted July 17th 2008 9:30PM
posted July 17th 2008 9:30PM
Tired of looking at that tired old CRT monitor? Anxious to get a screen with a bit more screen real estate? So is Paul -- have a look: "I was wondering if you all could help me out in deciding on a monitor. I'd like it to be at least 19-inches, bigger is better, but the main thing is to have a nice resolution. I currently have a 1,280 x 1,080 17-inch LCD monitor, and really like it, but would like to go past the 1,080 to possibly 1,200. Thing is I'd like to spend around $300, going up to maybe $400. What's the best choice out in this price range?"
We'd wager Paul's quandary is one shared by many, and if you just recently solved this yourself, be sure to toss in your recommendation below. Once you've completed said task, feel free to shoot us a question you'd like help with at ask at engadget dawt com.
Samsung 245BW. Incredible brightness and a great dynamic contrast system, with extremely vivid colors. Puts the 24" Acer and BenQ to shame. It's also aesthetically pleasing with the glossy bezel....oh, and you get height adjustment, which is hard to find these days.
Here is a question (hope I'm not too late):
What in the world is the point of paying for an HDMI connection on a computer monitor?
DVI-I is the exact same as HDMI sans-audio, and most computer monitors either don't have speakers or have poor quality ones. So what's the point if you don't want audio from your computer monitor speakers? To alleviate me of the burden of a heavier wallet?
For convenience -- so you can easily and conveniently (don't have to head to Monoprice) hook up HDMI DVD players, or more significantly, the Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles to your monitor.
Well, I have to say - I bought a Soyo Topaz S 24" monitor at Office Max for $250, and this was by far the best purchase I've ever made. It has a M-VA panel, no input lag, no dead pixels, and even brightness/color throughout the entire panel. For the price I ended up buying out all of the panels there! :)