What should I look for in buying a computer monitor?

What is it to be used for? What system is to go on? How big does it need to be? How much do you want to spend

It will be used for everything, It will go on a Vista machine. Size and cost are irrelevant.

@SirBailey Then take yourself to a computer store and find a high res, widescreen, HD screen that you like, Many of them have built in TV tuners. I use a 24” and a 30” screen and love them both.

If size and cost were irrelevant I would probably go for an Apple Cinema Display, they’re just gorgeous. Not sure how well they work on a PC though. I have a 37 inch monitor mounted on my wall that acts as my TV, that’s a super sweet thing to have if your entertainment setup revolves around the computer, which mine does. Otherwise I would go for a nice widescreen monitor by some name brand company. Get whatever looks good and you like.

I didn’t say size and cost didn’t matter. I said they were irrelevant, i.e., I’m looking at monitors with various image contrast ratios, maximum brightness, response time, etc. What should I look for in these and other important parameters?

@SirBailey What should I look for in these and other important parameters?

Most have sufficient response time for general use. For gaming and video work you might need something quicker. For my purposes, the ability to adjust to ” fine tune” my monitor to a palette for accurate photographic reproduction is my primary criterion. I need to have an image print exactly as it appears when I working with it on screen. All of my recent monitors have HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) to allow working directly with digital sources.

If you have a need for a gaming machine then pick up a couple of the magazines from your local news agent and look through reviews, or search gaming sites on line for recommendations. I am not a gamer, I use mine for magazine layout and design (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop). I have recently seen a number of Samsung Monitors that impressed me with features, speed, quality, value and length of warranty.