The Bottom Line With monitor prices (most LCD and CRT) falling to amazing lows recently, it has never been a better time to buy a new monitor.

In the past couple of months, prices on both LCD and CRT monitors have dropped tremendously. You can now get a decent 15" LCD monitor for under $300, and a decent 17" LCD monitor for under $500! Over a year about, the prices were almost double that. However, just because you can afford these monitors does not mean that they are right for you.

LCD versus CRT
When you go out looking for a monitor (or deciding which to buy bundled with your new computer), you will generally find two types of monitors: LCD (liquid crystal display) flat-panels and CRTs (cathode ray tubes). An LCD is that thing monitor (generally less than two inches think), the CRT being the tube monitor resembling a television screen (don't get confused by flat CRTs, I'll go over those later). Both have their pros and cons, both have their places. LCDs are chic and nice looking, take up little space on your desktop, consume little energy, and generally have better picture quality and sharpness. CRTs are easy on the wallet, easy on the eyes, the most color-accurate, generally larger, and more durable. An LCD will most likely cost two- or three-times as much as their CRT counterpart, however has all the afore-mentioned advantages.

Sizes
When you compare a 17" LCD monitor and a 17" CRT monitor, you have to know that they are not the same size. CRTs have a plastic rim around the side (generally one-inch thick) which is counted in the m