Monitors

What's a good choice for a monitor? As usual the answer is depends. On my own desk I use different ones. Home is a 17" Viewsonic going on about 3yrs. Set for 800x600 it has a flat screen, big, bright, good for DVD viewing as well as computing. I've not always had the best of luck with Viewsonic products. They usually look good but often die an early death. With a less than a great warranty program I wouldn't recommend them today.

For a lot of people a CRT is better than an LCD despite what you might think. Pro - they're way cheaper, they are faster (this is important for movies and fast games - LCDs often blur from persistance under fast motion). Con - they are big and bulky, they use more energy.

My laptop is of course an LCD. I don't really like the 1024x768 display on a 15" screen but when I'm away from my desk it will do. For my work desk I have a 17" Samsung LCD that I connect the laptop to (also a regular mouse and keyboard). It displays at 800x600, is plenty big and more than reliable.

And that brings us to reliability and warranty. I've tried a lot of brands over the years and my past experiences may not reflect what any particular manufacturer is like today. But that said I've come down to being a Samsung fan.

First their upfront quality is excellent. Every CRT or LCD from them that I've bought has been flawless. Never a dead pixel (you might want to check a manufacturer's policy on this before you buy - I think Samsungs is eight). Second is the warranty and return. Three years.

Better yet is the way they preform a return (yes twice I've had a problem with CRT in the warranty period). You call and get a real live in the USA person within a couple of minutes. Is that alone worth it?! They ship to a Pack & Ship - is that UPS store now? - near you and you just walk your unit in and get the replacement. They do all the packing and shipping. That is all worth it to me.