You want to look for a few things, mostly the technology that the screen actually uses. S-IPS is one of the better systems, although apparently there are a few others today that are equally good when correctly implemented.

Basically, you will pay for contrast, color reproduction (both number of colors and overall gamut), and viewing angle.

The Apple Cinema Displays and some Dell displays both had a reputation for being good, but in any given year they can go from great to crap in no time at all, so YMMV. I have a 2005 Dell 20" SIPS and it's a very nice display...but I had to purchase it as a refurb because the 2006 were not rated nearly as well.

The biggest point I wanted to make to you, though, was more general: do not be afraid to spend money on a good monitor. It pains me when I see people spending a lot of money on a computer and then cheap out on the interface devices. Unless you're building a cluster (or something else you'll rarely work with directly), that's a mistake. Aside from the power switch and maybe a few indicator lights, all of your interaction with your computer is done via the keyboard, mouse, and monitor. And of those links, the monitor is the highest-bandwidth medium of interaction. It makes sense to spend money there; if you don't, your whole experience of using your fancy new computer is going to suck.

Also, interface devices have a very long lifespan if you purchase good ones. Last year, I upgraded (to the Dell) from a high-end CRT that I bought in late 2000. My keyboard is from 1996 (having long outlived the computer it came with), and my mouse isn't exactly a spring chicken either. I'm sure I'm not that atypical. (I know guys using IBM Model M keyboards that are way older than mine. Hell, they're older than some young people I work with.)

You only get a few years to recoup in productivity what you spend on a computer itself. All the expensive stuff inside that chassis will be so much e-waste within far too few years. But you have a lot longer to wring the value out of your input devices. Buy quality, and you'll be enjoying it 4 or 5 computers down the road in all likelihood.

Same goes for office chairs.

I would reccommend this Dell monitor:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/product...

The key point is that it is LED backlit - this means much better contrast than similarly priced screens, as well as generally less power consumption.

CNET also gave it its highest-ever image-quality score, which as far as I can tell, is based on as objective of tests as they could do.

http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/dell-g2410/4505-3174_7-...

Depends on what you're going to do with it.

I've had good luck with Samsung-made screens. Nice colors and reasonable prices. Even for gaming(back in the day), they were still ok.

I read somewhere that DELL monitors are re-branded Samsung monitors. Not sure if that's still true or not.

Go to the store and look at them?

I have had good luck with Dell; a 24" LCD and a 37" TV. Both have beautiful color rendering, good contrast, great brightness. I have had the 24" LCD for probably 5 years, and it still looks as good as the day it arrived.

I have not looked into LCDs for a while, so I don't know if Dell still makes good ones.

The best guarantee of quality is probably to buy a high-end monitor from a company that also manufactures the actual panels.

I don't think Del actually manufactures panels for their displays.

> How should I select a desktop monitor?

Buy a used CRT, they all look good at whatever resolution you want and you keep something from ending up in the landfill and save a few bucks.

Be careful with used CRTs. Always check it out before you buy. Even good ones get dimmer with age, cheap ones can get so dim you can't even read standard white on black emacs or command line text. Otherwise, I agree, decent used CRTs still have a better image than even pretty expensive LCDs.