Looking to purchase a 15/17 inch LCD monitor to accompany my laptop. Any suggestions regarding brand, model or where to purchase (in US)? Ideally I'd like to pay <$400. Generic name/lower price = lower quality?

Ask DCFC, they kitted out the offices with a ninja brand.

have a look on tomshardware.com for reviews. Iiyama, Viewsonic, Hyundai are all top brands. You do get what you pay for. Get one with a DVI input.

Thanks for the link. The current considerations are: ViewSonic, HP and Dell. Any comments? Wishing I still worked for my former employer where hardware of almost any sort could be obtained for personal use, at cost...

havent looked at the links butHP and Dell are likely rebadged monitors made by someone elseViewsonic have the best reputation - bar none.

and dont buy that Dell analog monitor. I've seen a Dell analog in use and it was blurry - their digital ones are good though. I notice those prices are for 'open box' monitors. That might mean that someone bought it and returned it because of dead pixels. These can be very annoying, and it it possible for a monitor to have up to 3 or 4 dead pixels (i.e. permanently on,off or coloured) and for you to have no right to reject it.

These can be very annoying, and it it possible for a monitor to have up to 3 or 4 dead pixels (i.e. permanently on,off or coloured) and for you to have no right to reject it.Yes this is true, I have a sad friend who wanted multiple LCD screens for a single box at home so he never missed a BB/RTS beat (I think a few other uses were intended too). I think the tolerance he banged on about was 5 pixels in the EU/UK. Tad more accurate (PDF)

NEC or Sony are the brands that Hamilton uses.

Hamilton is the best, and LondonPete used Sony's obnoxious, vulgar headphones on the City and Waterloo line with his CD player while reading the FT.Looks like Sony is the common winner.

Quotehave no right to reject itSo regarding an open box monitor, the warranty (assuming it's a manufacturer's warranty) wouldn't cover dead pixels?

To the best of my knowledge, no. The cost of 100.00% perfect is prohibitive. Accepting that dead pixels is part of the game, even for decent (read: Sony) manufacturers.

Some manufacturers and retailers do, however, have more generous policies and will replace if any dead pixels are present. Ask them.

See also CNet for reviews: reviews.cnet.comYou will be hard pressed to get a 17" LCD for $400 US, unless you have a very appealing corporate discount - the best consumer prices for 17" are $430-$500 for good brands. If you see something for $400, it will probably be either 'no name brand' or an open box or refurb unit. A 15" LCD for under $400 is easy; most are down around $350.The PC makers sometimes have good prices on peripherals, but the problem is you never know what you are going to get - they are re-labeling generic product, and tend to switch suppliers. My firm has usually used NEC LCDs, and we have been generally happy with them. I just got a bunch of Philips 18" LCDs for the trading desk, and I have been very pleased, but we have only had them for a few months, so I can't comment on longevity.Use pricegrabber.com to find a source for a particular model. We buy from CDW, because they have low prices and good corporate account support, but you will do fine with any of the major national PC e-tailers (pczone.com, pcmall.com, pcconnection.com, etc.) Don't forget to check the home electronics chains as well (BestBuy, Circuit City, etc.) - they sometimes have very cheap promotional specials.Finally, the gold standard in 17" LCDs is Apple's gorgeous Studio Display. It is very pricey ($699 list), but you get what you pay for - elegant industrial design and top-notch image quality. I have one on my G5 at home, and I love it - I have never seen a better LCD monitor. If you're lucky, and your laptop is a PowerBook, then save your pennies for a Studio Display .