I don't particularly recommend the Samsung 2233RZ - just wanted to show the difference between 60Hz-labeled and 120Hz-labeled monitors. As far as I know, the 2233RZ is discontinued. I noticed you said the 20" is too small for you. You will definately not want any of the 21.5 inch monitors that you listed. Compared to your current monitor, a 21.5 inch monitor will only be 10% larger. The only decent advantage would be a higher resolution. Instead, go for 23+" (25+% larger) 16:9 monitor or 22+" (21+% larger) 16:10 monitor depending if you need the horizontal resolution. Instead of buying two small monitors, I would recommend buying a larger monitor and then adding another later. If you could get 2 23+" monitors in your price range then that would be best.

Here are two reviews of the U2311H: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2311h.htm and http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php?subaction=showfull&id=1275291737. For me, the image quality difference was worth the extra money. I got it for $239 + tax with a coupon. Any higher than $269 would not be worth it.

By the way, what country do you live in?

Would HD movie play any differently on those two?IronTrooper

HD movies will look better on an IPS/PVA monitor. Also, if you decide to slouch or more your head to the side the colors won't shift too much if you have an IPS monitor. A 120Hz monitor would allow your graphics card to use 5:5 pulldown and smooth the motion of movies. A 60Hz monitor would require the graphics card to use 3:2 pulldown which causes stuttering in movies (it plays each frame 3 times, then 2 times, then 3 times, then...).

The game should run smoothly if FPS is high, I guess the ms doesn't apply too much to it?IronTrooper

You probably won't get the full benefit of 120Hz, because you need to reach 120fps to get that. That being said, most of those 120Hz-labeled monitors have almost no input lag relative to CRT and unnoticeable response time. Input lag is the time from when you move your mouse to when you can see your cursor move. A low input lag really matters if you are a hardcore FPS gamer. Another advantage is that most, if not all, 120Hz monitors are 3D. Most people would take image quality or lower price over 120Hz, but I thought I'd just let you know since you mentioned that you didn't want blurring or ghosting.

What's more important to you? Image quality or no blur/lag?

Image quality route:Wait for the Dell U221H to go on sale for around $200-$220 and buy two. The picture is going to be more "clear" than any of the monitors you are looking at and has great 10~ ms input lag and 8ms GTG response time. You will not notice a difference between 8, 5, and 2 ms. 2ms probably looks worse because they use overdrive aggressively and cause a trailing artifact on objects moving across the screen. Note the 60Hz picture for the Samsung monitor and the purple shadow that follows the object. That's the trailing artifcat.

No blur route: Buy a 120Hz monitor. They generally have 0~ ms input lag and unnoticeable response time. Example:

Release a new system, at the same price, every year. This way, devs can have the latest hardware AND optimize that hardware. PC gaming couldnt touch that combo.slarkyslark

This won't work because at release, consoles are sold at a LOSS. There is no financial incentive to have yearly release cycles. Devs are not going to be happy to support multiple architectures at once because of the yearly release cycle. The console manufacturers are also going to have a hell of a time supporting, manufacturing, and updating software for multiple architectures. PC gaming is cheap anyway. I only spent $220 to turn my desktop into a gaming platform that can run all the latest games at high settings.

I am looking into the HP dv7t. Will playing games on it with a 6770M damage it in the long run by causing excessive heat?

Depends what you want to use your headphone for. The HD555 is a well-rounded headphone that is decent for movies, music, and games. The sound is very warm and will be comfortable to listen to for extended periods. It follows that the HD555 can also be little boring to listen to at times. The AD700 is very analytical and detail oriented. The soundstage is wide, but feels very artificial. This is great for competitive gaming. It is also VERY bright so you might get fatigue listening to it for an extended period. Both headphones are very comfortable, but I do prefer the HD555 for the tighter fit. Both leek a lot of sound, so don't expect to use them in public. I prefer the HD555 in general.

There are plenty of laptops with good screens. You will just have to pay a premium for it, like $550 for a 17" IPS display on an HP notebook =)

It's not mainstream because they aren't many suppliers of IPS laptop displays and people are fine with Full HD 1080p LED. Tablets are supposed to be used in all sorts of odd angles and positions so a good viewing angle is necessary. That's why the tablet manufacturers can justify investing in it. Laptop manufacturers don't have a reason to invest. Viewing angle is not a big deal, since most people use their laptop on a desk and don't swing it around constantly like a tablet. It has already been shown that consumers prefer the screen with the most saturated, bright colors on a glass screen. They will not appreciate an improvement in picture quality. It may make the picture look worse in their eyes, which is all that matters. They won't like their batteries draining faster because of using IPS vs TN. And they certainly won't want to fork an extra couple hundred dollars for such a "downgrade".

It's noticeable, but not really any worse than a generic 60Hz TN monitor.

I was thinking of getting that one, but is it worth the huge price difference over this? They have the same pannel supposedly.

blakostructor

TN will be a better choice if you are into gaming because it'll generally have lower response time and input lag (less colors to process). Go for IPS only if you care a lot about image quality. BTW contrast ratio means nothing. Some of the best LCD monitors have less than 1000:1 static contrast ratio after calibration.

I would go with the ASUS since it is $20 cheaper after rebate for only a 0.6" difference and the Viewsonic looks like a shiny, cheap piece of plastic.

Avoid the HD555 then - it leaks a lot of sound at reasonable volumes.