Choosing a Monitor

No computer is complete without a monitor.  Seriously.  You won't be able to see what your computer is doing. So, it's time for you to pick a new monitor.  Maybe it's for your new custom machine.  Maybe you want to upgrade from your "Stone Age" screen.  Or you want to upgrade to an awesome multi-monitor setup (see Multiple Monitors FTW).

Nowadays, there are just so many different monitors out there.  So which one is the right one to buy?

There are 5 main things to consider in a monitor:

1. Resolution
• This is probably the most important thing to consider when buying a monitor because the higher the resolution, the more you can see on the screen at a time.  As of now, nearly all mainstream monitors are in the 16:9 aspect ratio, so bigger is pretty much better.
2. Dot-pitch
• This has to do with the size and resolution of your monitor.  It's how big each pixel on your screen is.
• If your monitor is bigger, the pixels will be bigger, so you can see stuff on it from farther away.
• If your monitor is smaller, the pixels will be smaller, so the images will appear sharper.
• Personally, I prefer higher dot-pitches so I can sit further from the monitor and have more things on my desk between me and my monitor.
3. User reviews
• You can find out a lot of useful things from user reviews.  You want to make sure that the monitor has a lot of positive reviews.  It's the only real way to tell how well the monitor actually works.  If it has a high fail rate, you may not want to buy it.
• You can find out how durable the monitor is -- that is, how long it will last before giving up.  Many of the really cheap ones can break in around a year, so if you're intending to replace it by then, then you might want to go for one of these.
• Make sure your monitor has minimal backlight bleed and color inaccuracy.  Backlight bleed is when there is too much light coming from the sides of your monitors, and it is extremely noticeable/distracting when you have a black background showing.  If color reproduction is important to you, many times the reviews will tell you how good the colors are.
4. LED vs. LCD  (see LCD vs. LCD)
5. Input
• Your monitor should be able to receive input from whatever signal you're outputting.  If you don't have any adapters and don't want to buy any and your monitor can't get your output, then it's basically useless.
• Most monitors come with all of the cables needed to connect them to your computer.  However, some try to cut costs by not giving you all of the necessary cables (not the power cord, of course), so you'd have to buy them yourself unless you happen to have spare cables lying around in your house.

The verdict (my choice): For under $160, highest resolution, largest size, very positive reviews, LED