Need a new monitor for good gaming...

I just ordered my new system. See specs below. Now I just need to get a new monitor. I'm going to be using it to do every day tasks (surfing, documents, mail, etc.). However, I also want the monitor to shine when it comes to gaming. As you can see from my specs I went with the 8800GTS 640 card. Originally, I was going to go with the 320ram card however I read on this site that if I wanted to play at resolutions beyond 1600x1200 the extra ram on the card would be better.

I thought about going with a 22" LCD but it seems that they max out at 1600x1200. So I'm looking for something beyond that...maybe in the 1900x1200 range.

I would like widescreen and LCD.

If anyone has any preferences or recommendations based on personal use or reviews it would be appreciated. Thanks a bunch.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 8MB/1066FSB S775 CPU
Asus P5KC iP35 S775 ATX Mainboard w/Audio/GB/DDR2&DDR3/eSATA/FW
OCZ Vista-Upgrade 4GB DC PC2-6400 DDR2
Seagate 7200.10 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATAII Hard Drive
LG GSA-H62L 18X DVD+/-RW SATA Lightscribe Drive BLACK
BFG Geforce 8800GTS OC2 640MB PCI-E Video Card
Antec SonataIII Mid-Tower Case w/500W PS
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition DVD 64-bit

The Dell 2407WFP-HC would be the default recommendation. It is currently on sale for $569.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna [...] u=320-5647

Personally, I am gunning for the 26" Planar PX2611W that is approximately $900.

http://www.planar.com/products/fla [...] x2611w.cfm

I have a L204WT and its just great. Of course its lower priced than the lcd listed above, but I think its good enough.
5ms response time... good enough for gaming, no ghosting. I watch movies on it, its perfect for that too.

If you want to really get good information on displays head over to hardocp.com ...There display forum section is VERY active. They have quite a lot of information. But keep in mind there are 3 types of panels...TN, PMV/MVA, and IPS...TN is the cheapest of all...they don't have very good colors but they have very fast response times if you are looking for the right one. (Keep in mind flatpanels have delays...so you really need to find out what you're buying...if you play FPS getting a cheap monitor will result in ghosting...almost all flatpanels will ghost.,.it's just part of the technology). PMV/MVA panels are the greatest for blacks..They have very high contrast which helps..BUt...they have crushing blacks also..you lose a lot of detail in the black areas. They also have the highest delay..the dell 24 incher uses a PVA/MVA panel. Then there is IPS...The best you can get. It has the most accurate color of all. It's blacks aren't as deep as PVA/MVA..The response times aren't as fast as some TN panels but it's damn good..but they are pricey..

Overall flat panels have their own language..I've been learning the ropes for the past month or so. CRT's have the best color and accuracy in all counts. LCD and CRT are two vastly different technologies. CRT run on a tubes with a scan running across the screen to generate picture (this also explain why cameras have that shifting horizontal bar on computer screens. LCD's are liquid crystal displays..each pixel is it's own..which is why LCD's have native resolutions depending on how many pixels are in the panel. CRT's don't have a native res since it can be adjusted..

but overall if you want to go for a nice LCD go for a IPS panel. Do you plan to play with console gaming and such not as well?...There is one greatly priced 26" IPS panel...it's wide screen. From Planar. Been selling like hotcakes lately. it's around 999 dollars.

http://www.planar.com/products/fla [...] x2611w.cfm

They were up on dell.com and newegg but they have been selling out as soon as they get in stock..so you might have to nab it form a dif etailer. It has a quick response time (very important for gaming) with 1 frame of lag.

The next step up would be the Nec2690wuxi...Expensive though. I was looking into this monitor for my new rig. It's priced at 1,600. It has a slightly lower response time then the Planar with 2 frames of lag..But it is a damn great monitor for color accuracy and digital photo users. But the planar would be more suited to gaming and it's cheaper.

the only downside to the planar is it bands at 1080 via consoles..Which is a bit of a problem. You shouldn't notice anything in normal computer usages but that's the one flaw with it. It also doesn't hit the rated contrast ratio of 800:1...the Nec is very close to that while the planar is lower.

But indeed for the cash it's a great buy.

I'm about to purchase a new rig but I'm sticking with CRT's still. going to nab a 24" widescreen sony trinitron..the FW900...Damn best crt monitor out there..although they can only be nabbed used/refurbished now..

Damn these flat panels man..people don't realize that CRT's have better quality when it comes to blacks and color accuracy. But LCD's are great for browsing the net and what not. Easier on the eyes. But I do despise LCD's...going to wait it out for SED's to come around...Quality and advantage of a CRT in a Flat panel display ^_^...those are gonna be nice.

Hope this info helps. If the planar and Nec are out of your price range..You can try nabbing a PVA/MVA panel...such as the dell monitors...Whatever happens make sure you read the specs and response times..There are some 24" and lower size IPS panels which are much more wallet friendly...but for the 26" + range there is not many choices...and they are pricey...If you want try the hardocp.com forum for the displays...the knowledge there is worth more then gold.

the HP w2408 (I think that was the model number) seems to be the only 24 inch glossy LCD. So you're out of luck on finding others =(

What's your take on HP monitors???

I'd go straight to a 1080p (1920x1080 resolution) HDTV with a DVI port. The one I am looking to buy a 42" Westinghouse LCD, marketed as a computer monitor. I believe the response time is 6.5 ms.

I've never used or seen a hp monitor in action...So I wouldn't be the best expert in that area...But here is a thread link to people that have used it. You can also go to the display section before this thread for more info on many displays. So far..HardOCP is the only forum I've come across that has a big display community with lots of informed people ^_^..Hope it helps.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1179531

That thread is for the 20 and 22 inch HP models..You can also read the TNT thread to find out the difference between panel types so you can really figure out what you want to buy. Just buying a random panel isn't the best thing do. Smart to purchase it depending on your activities since every flat panel is different, has it's weakness, as well as its strengths.

As for monitors by brand I have seen in action both good and bad:

Viewsonic: good (stellar)
Proview: good
Dell: not very good (they never seem to last)
NEC: good
Sony: decent (haven't seen many, but seem reliable)

In summary avoid Dells like the plague. They rarely work for very long. I've got 2 21" dells right next to me that are on the fritz, and they aren't very old. My friend had a CRT Dell that made a noise that made you want to murder people, and lost color frequently.

I would recommend Viewsonic or Proview. I have already stated why for Viewsonic

Proview are monitors I have encountered at 2 prior job sites (boiler work). They had brilliant displays, and were incredibly durable and long lasting. For all of them I encountered, not a single one ever had a problem, despite operating continuously for 6 + years under extreme conditions.

NEC I've seen a couple of in similar situations to the proview. They worked fine and never gave us any problems. I simply saw many more Proviews.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I'll look into those links. Never heard of Proview before though.