LCD 17" Acer vs LG vs ViewSonic in Wide Screens???

The Acer AL1716F is not a widescreen monitor.

Between the LG and Viewsonic, I would probably go with the LG since it has "Aspect Ratio" option. If you are playing an older game that does not support widescreen, this option will prevent the monitor from stretching out the image to fill the entire screen.

All of these monitors uses TN panel tech which is why they are so cheap. Therefore, screen quality will suck especially if you try to compare it side by side with a CRT monitor. TN panels generally have poor color accuracy and limited viewing angles. According to the specs, the Viewsonic's viewing angles are narrower than the LG. However, those are simply specs.

I didn't say TN panel tech is "old" although it is certainly has been around for many years, it has been improved.

There is nothing better and cheaper than TN panel tech. Although there is certainly better and more expensive.

Since I've never been in the market for a 17" monitor, I don't know of any LCD monitor that uses the more advanced and expensive S-PVA / M-PVA / IPS panel techs. If there are any then they will certainly be more expnesive than the amount you are looking to spend.

Example, you can generally buy a pretty decent 22" LCD panel that uses a TN panel for around $300 in the US (less when on sale or mail-in rebate). The least expensive are as low as $220. But if you want to step up to a 22" S-PVA LCD monitor with 1920 x 1200 resolution (same as 24"+ monitors), then the price jumps up to about $500 for the Lenovo ThinkVision L220x. Why? Because the L220x is the only available 22" monitor that uses a S-PVA panel that is sold to the general public.

my budget is only $186