Not so long ago, a flat panel monitor was an extravagant purchase, where a 17 inch LCD monitor would cost over five hundred dollars, and that wasn’t even for a widescreen model! Thankfully, manufacturing technology and costs have improved, resulting in larger widescreen monitors costing little more than an old and heavy CRT monitor.

Before buying a flat panel monitor, you need to be aware of the following, to ensure your new monitor can connect to your computer, and optimally perform for all your needs, whether you are a hardcore gamer, graphic designer, video editor, or just like to surf the web, chat, and email.

For connectivity, you need to know what type of monitor your computer’s video card can support. The most common monitor ports are VGA, DVI, and HDMI. Older video cards always support VGA monitors, while newer cards have added DVI and HDMI connectivity. Refer to your computer or video card’s documentation, or do a little research online to find out what type of monitor your computer supports.

For gaming and multimedia editing/viewing, a 19 inch or larger widescreen monitor is a good place to start. Make sure you get a monitor with a 5 ms (millisecond) or less response time for gaming, and for a crisper picture, the lower the dot pitch value the better.

Ultimately, it’s best to see a monitor in action for yourself, but that’s not always feasible, so check out our expert and user reviews to see which monitors are the best for your needs in features, price, and functionality. At TopTenREVIEWS, we do the research so you don’t have to.