Computer Monitor
A Most Important Choice!

The computer monitor is one of the most important parts of your computer system. It is a major part of the man/machine interface, but all to often the only consideration given when picking one is the price. You will be looking at this item day in and day out, so as well as the aesthetics of the case, the quality of the display needs to be up to scratch as well. Check out as many different monitors as you can to see which one suits you, and I do not mean on the web.

What size of monitor should you choose? My preference is for at least a 17-inch monitor display, ideally a 19-inch monitor, the price difference between these two sizes is now small. The larger the screen, the higher the display resolutions that you can comfortably run on it and still see the detail. Incidentally the size refers to the diagonal, corner to corner, measurement. One of the facts of computer life is that, once purchased there is a tendency to hang on to your monitor whilst other parts of the computer are upgraded. So if this is a first purchase, get it right and spend the extra money to get the one that suits you first time

LCD – TFT
CRT or Cathode Ray Tube monitors represent good value for money. Today's 19-inch monitor cost the same as the 14-inch monitor that I used when I started out in computing. One reason why they are such good value is that another contender, in the form of the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor, is becoming very fashionable. The LCD allows large flat panel monitors to be produced. A large screen now longer need consume a large space on your desk.

DVI
With the advent of the LCD monitor we have the digital interface, referred to as DVI (Digital Video Interface). Traditionally CRT monitors are input with analogue red, green and blue video signals. The new LCD monitors will still accept this type of input as well as a more up to date DVI. Look out for this dual input capability when getting an LCD monitor. Note - your graphic card must be capable of outputting DVI as well.

What to look out for when purchasing a monitor.

• Screen size - go for at least a 17-inch computer monitor, ideally a 19-inch. Beware one manufacture's 19 inch monitor may not have the same viewable area as another manufacturer's.
• Screen resolutions - a screen resolution of at least 1280 x 1024 is desirable. This is the pixel by pixel resolution, output by the computer graphic card. The computer monitor needs to be able to display at least this resolution. Graphic cards are able to output much higher resolutions than this.
• Screen refresh rate - this governs the flicker rate. Look for a refresh rate in excess of 80 Hz at the higher of the screen resolutions, say 1280 x 1024 pixel.
• Dot pitch - this is the size of the individual spots of colour that the monitor displays to reproduce the images. A very good monitor will have a dot pitch of 0.24 mm. Cheaper monitors may have a dot pitch of 0.28 mm.
• LCD computer monitor - If purchasing an LCD computer monitor, look for dual input. This is the capability to take analogue RGB or the newer digital DVI.

I cannot suggest any particular make or type of computer monitor to look at. Picking a monitor is a very personal choice.