After making the mistake of buying 32bit Windows when I needed 64bit (to access all my memory) I thought that I’d better ask before buying a flat screen monitor for my computer.

I’m currently using an old, but good quality, 17″ CRT monitor running a 1024×768 desktop. I want something with a little extra display area but would rather go for quality over pure size. I want a good quality display suitable for gaming and video playback (low response time?) as well as the usual desktop applications.

I seem to have a choice of LCD or LED (the more expensive option) but am a little confused about such things as ‘native resolution’ and whether I need a ‘gaming mode’ and how to differentiate a suitable monitor from an unsuitable one. There also seem to be a variety of connector types like analog VGA and digital DVI. My graphics card (ATI Radeon 5750) has dual DVI connectors and I assume DVI is a better option.

I don’t have a big budget so want to make the most of the money.

LED ones are lovely, but expensive and still quite rare.

VGA/DVI makes no difference to image quality. Most monitors now will have DVI inputs. Larger screens like 1920×1080 may have HDMI inputs.

Native Resolution

With LCDs, there’s such a bewildering amount of screens available, it can appear very daunting. Your best bet is to google ‘best LCD for £XXX’ or go to somewhere like Dabs.com and look at the user reviews and ratings.

I’ve got a 19″ Samsung which was sposed to be very good, but is eclipsed by the cheapo ‘Dabs Value’ DGM and HannsG monitors I’ve also got. Basically, screens are made by just a handful of manufacturers, and other companies put the components into their own casings. So Samsung, phillips, Sony etc could all be using the same LG screen for example.