I’m in the market for a new monitor. I would like it to be a LCD 17" no more than $300. I don’t really know much about these things so what would be my best bang for my buck?? I will be using it for 3d graphics (3ds max), games, movies, ect. Needs to be able to handle 1280 x 1024 resolution. It has to be an LCD because of limited space with my new computer case that I’m making.

Thanks
Matt_s

Pretty much all 17" TFT monitors will run at a native resolution of 1280x1024. However, because you're looking specifically for gaming and graphics uses, rather than general home/office applications, you need to be looking for one with a fast refresh/response rate. Typically, TFT displays have not drawn images on the screen as quickly as CRT monitors, such that you could notice the difference when playing fast-moving games. More recently, however, they've been getting better so look for new models with low response times (which are measured in milliseconds).

The top brands to look for include Samsung and Iiyama.

Prices for "value" brands in the UK start at about £125 ($200) but our prices are usually more expensive than in the US.

The Iiyama Pro Lite X436S-S would be worth taking a look at. As well as integrated speakers, it has both analog D-sub and digital DVI inputs and a fast response time of just 8 milliseconds (when TFT displays first came out, the response times averaged 15-20 milliseconds). It's not especially bright at only 300cd/m2 but it has a high 700:1 contrast ratio, which means a clear picture. This model should come within your $300 budget.

When you compare this one to the Samsung SM710TM, which has a 15ms response, just 250cd/m2 brightness and a lower 500:1 contrast ratio, yet is 60% more expensive, you can see that those models that have been around for a couple of years are now easily out-performed by new models, despite the price.

Hope that helps

ok thanks but whats wrong with this one? Samsung SyncMaster 740N 17" 600:1 8 ms LCD Monitor. its got a 8ms response time

That's a pretty cool screen. It has some nice self-adjustment features built into it. It's not especially bright and it doesn't have a DVI input but, if you don't need DVI and you can find it at a good price, then I'd say that would be a nice screen to buy

cool but what do u mean buy its not very brithgt? and what is a DVI input?