Best 24" and Higher Monitor

Put the 26" Planar PX2611W on your list. I like it for games because it's slightly larger than 24" (so it feels huge) and has a 1920x1200 native res (so it won't slow your video card down like a 30" ). It's an IPS panel so it has great colors, but it's not so great in very dark conditions (blacks are more like very dark grays). Also it has the lowest lag of any 24" and above panel I've seen.

I've heard the LG panel is good but has a bad OSD.

You've most likely bought the monitor by now but jus in case you havent:

I would agree with the suggestion of an NEC monitor. They have excellent quality but horrendous prices - we are talking 600+ quid - its debatable whether they are worth that much.

I would say that the best 24" monitor is still generally regarded to be the BenQ 24" FP241W - although its been around since 2006.

An alternative would be Dell's UltraSharp 2408WFP. However, just a word of warning, although it has scored rave reviews, users dont seem to rate it very highly and there are several known issues with the first version.

If you wanted a faster response time, an alternative might be the Acer G24 - but this uses older (admittedly much improved) TN technology, rather than IPS or PVA. Its claims to a whopping 50K :1 constrast ratio depend on its dynamic contrast ratio technology and are generally taken with a shovel of salt. That said, it is still a nice monitor with a good quality image which is v smooth.

The other 2 downsides to the G24 is the price (£320 for a TN panel is pricey) and the fact that the surface of the monitor is shiny (well thats a downside in my view anyway) meaning that you will see yourself staring back in dark conditions and catch snlight etc...

In my view, unless you want to spend silly dollars on a monitor, You're probably best off with the BenQ - at least until the Dell sorts out its teething problems.