Monitor - 17" SVGA,  .28 dot pitch, Non-Interlaced Monitor

The monitor is the screen that you look at when you use your computer (forgive the obvious statement, some people actually don't know!)  SVGA stands for Super Video Graphics Accelerator.

We recommend that you get the largest monitor that you can afford.  It is completely worth it.  You will be happy with a monitor of at least 17".  The difference between a 15" (measured on the diagonal) monitor and a 17" monitor is tremendous!

The next aspect of importance is the capability of the monitor to display various resolutions.   Resolution is the measurement of how many pixels (dots) that the screen is made up of.  A monitor that is running 640x480 has 640 pixels across the screen and 480 pixels from top to bottom yielding a total of 307,200 pixels.   Obviously the more pixels, the better the screen will look. 

A monitor that has multiple resolutions may display any one of these resolutions at a time.  Common resolutions are 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, and 1600x1200.    If you run a higher resolution, some things that are of set size, for example a standard Windows icon is 32x32 pixels square, so on any given monitor size, the higher resolution will make the icons on your screen look smaller.  You will also want to run your monitor at the highest refresh rate possible when running at these high resolutions.  The refresh rate is the rate at which it updates the screen with changes.

Other specifications include the dot pitch (the space between the pixels).   A .28 dot pitch is a good number, the lower the number the better.  Also make sure that your monitor is a non-interlaced (NI) monitor.  This describes the method that the monitor refreshes the images on the screen as they change.  A non-interlaced monitor has less flicker and will be easier on your eyes long term.

Some monitors have controls on the front of the monitor, some have them on the back.   Others have digital controls that normally give you the maximum amount of control.   Look for controls that are easy to reach.  Don't put too much stock in this aspect of the monitor, since once you get it adjusted, you won't touch it very often.

Make sure that you adjust your monitor when you first get your computer to maximize the viewable area to the size of the screen.  You may have to increase or decrease the horizontal or vertical size of the viewable area or move it up, down, left, or right.   You may also want to adjust the contrast and the brightness to your satisfaction.   All monitors have these features.

Analogy - As they say, "the eyes are the windows to the soul," well here's a new one for ya, "the monitor is the window to show you what in the heck your computer is doing now!"

History - Monitors started off as CRT's that had a single color, puke yellow!  Over time, they started adding color and higher resolutions to monitors.  Size has also gotten bigger for less price.  Today a good 17" will cost you about $300 or less and that would be for a 17" monitor with 1600x1200 resolution with true color.

Manufacturers - Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic, pretty much any company that makes TVs!  Other good manufacturers of monitors include NEC, ViewSonic, Acer, Maxtech etc.

What You Are Looking For - Decide which resolution you will find most comfortable to view perhaps by checking with a friend, and then purchase a monitor that can accommodate that resolution.  If you are a novice computer user, we recommend a resolution of 800x600 for most of your computing needs.  All new monitors can accommodate this resolution.  Aside from resolution, we strongly recommend that you buy a 17" monitor minimum, you won't regret it!!!