you will want to give some thought to the type of panel you want to use. generally speaking panel types can be divided up into three tiers: tn, va or e-ips, s-ips or h-ips or p-ips.
tn panels offer the fastest response times and are the only 120hz capable monitors currently. the downside is that they have poor viewing angles. tn panels are often rather cheap.
va and e-ips panels improve upon the viewing angle but still have the same color accuracy. the downside is that they are slightly more expensive, are only available in 50 or 60hz and have slower response times. 50/60 hz is more than good enough even for fast paced games. even what is considered slow for response times currently is more than good enough for no-ghosting or any issues of the like.
p-ips, h-ips or s-ips are 8bit ips panels and offer the absolute best in terms of color accuracy. these panels maintain the large viewing angle (near 180 deg) of the 6bit e-ips panel also. prices are the most expensive and refresh rates and response times are the same as e-ips generally speaking.
next you will want to decide on led backlit or ccfl backlit. generally speaking cheap monitors with led backlighting will look blue-hued due to the fake white leds used. higher quality led backlighting uses white leds which avoid this problem. you can adjust out the blue hue to a degree in the options. what led backlighting gains you is increased power effeciency (quite noticible!).
in terms of size... remember that the larger the screen at the same resolution at the same distance the less crisp everything will look. at normal pc monitor distance 22 to 24 inches is a good number. if you sit back slightly farther then knock it up a few inches.
if you watch any video content in hd (1080p or 720p) then go with 1920x1080 hands down. if you dont watch any video content or are okay with black bars top and bottom and want more desktop real estate or a more squarish view then go with 1920x1200. x1200 monitors are a bit more expensive than x1080.
hdmi or dvi is more of a personal choice. i've had zero issues with dvi so i tend to recommend dvi but both will work. if you want a 120hz tn panel dual-link dvi is the only way to go.
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for around $200... tn panel, 24", 60 or 120hz, 1080p
for around $300-400...e-ips panel, 24", 60hz, 1080p
for around $500-600...8bit ips panel, 24", 60hz, 1080p
for over $600...8bit ips panel, 30", 60hz, 2560x1440 (or 1600)
on a budget i highly suggest going with at least an e-ips panel due to the viewing angle. if you have a larger budget then definitely take a look into 8bit ips products. personally i try to avoid tn panels like the plague since i hate the bad viewing angles and color shifting.
i personally use a 40" 1080p television at about 4ft distance. i also have a 20" 1600x1200 screen which is semi-retired for the moment. that i used to use at normal monitor distance.
i like viewsonic products myself (vp models are best) but you might want to look at asus, acer, dell, etc.
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