Just a word of warning:Monitors have two ratings. Their standard or recommended resolution that they are designed to run in, and their absolute maximum resolution at a much lower refresh rate (generally bottomed out at non-interlaced at 60Hz or interlaced at 87Hz). They produce some serious flicker at these cranked modes. Non-interlaced at 85Hz is considered to be flicker-free.Running at the absolute maximum will shorten the life of the monitor so be aware that you are choosing to do so before pushing the envelope. This applies to all cathode ray tubes.Ray

Clayton,Images received - thanks. They don't look too bad at all now that you've increased the resolution. Bear in mind Fishu's comments about setting the correct resolution. 800*600 is a ratio of 1.333:1. Same with 1024*768. With 1280 you should use 960 not the more popular 1024 as the aspect ratio will be wrong and the image will be slightly less sharp. Ray_CYYZ's comments about only choosing the highest refresh rate to eliminate flicker are also very important otherwise you'll overwork the monitor and reduce its working life. 85Hz is the ideal setting.Cheers,

Hi Paul,I've inherited a 21" Sanyo from a relative which for some odd reason doesn't work as it should. If I can get it fixed then I'll be laughing. But then again, I've been considering buying a new monitor for a while.Size isn't everything as someone famous once said :-lol If you live in the UK (and I'm assuming you do from your sig) consider the Iiyama range. I have the Pro454 19" which you can now pick up for around

Thank you. I hadn't even begun to consider models/prices/etc etc, but I'll bear your comments in mind!TFT is out as far as I'm concerned: apart from their questionable benefit with simming, they're too highly priced with too low a lifespan at the moment.Cheers,Paulhttp://www.strontiumdog.plus.com/sbird.jpgOfficially licenced by British Airways plc for use of name and logo[p]AMD XP2800+ Barton, Gigabyte GA-7NNXP nForce2, 1Gig Crucial PC3200 DDR 400MHz, Gainward 128 MB GF4-4200, SB Audigy, 3 x WD Caviar SE[/p]

I know one thing.....For about 5 years, every monitor I had ran at 60Hz. Then I got a 17in and ran it at 1024x768 at 60Hz again for about 2 months. For that entire period of time, I had constant eyestrain when walking around outside and frequent headaches. Couldn't figure out why on earth that was happening. One day, while experimenting I changed the refresh rate to 85Hz the highest for 1024x768 and .......the eyestrain and headaches went away. After about a month I changed it back to 60Hz and immediately noticed the flickering.I can get 1280 x 960 x 32 x 70Hz. But instead I use 1152x864x32x72Hz with no distortions at all in the panels. I get better fps than with 1280x960 and I can turn down my AA from 4x to 2x and set High performance instead of High Quality......and get better visuals than with 1024x768.And no more eyestrain.AMD2200+ , GF4 Ti4600.

Oh ok then,i suppose i better put it back at its default value 1024x768 as i don't want to stress it out and reduce the life span of it.On a 21" the recommended is 1600 x 1200, obviously this will be even more sharper, correct?

Clayton,On a 21" the recommended is 1600 x 1200, obviously this will be even more sharper, correct?Yes but with provisos. It must be a decent quality monitor to be able to support that resolution and run at a refresh rate of 85Hz. Not all monitors are the same quality so be careful in your choice. The higher priced 21" monitors will be able to achieve that criteria - lesser ones, and especially older models, won't.I would suggest that you make sure your graphics card can output a display of sufficient quality before investing lots of money. The Ti4600 or Ti4800 (128Mb) should be considered the absolute minimum quality otherwise you won't reap the full benefits.Great graphics card + mediocre monitor = Bad news.Mediocre graphics card + great monitor = Bad news.Great graphics card + great monitor = Nivarna :-)Cheers,

Well put Ray, but one proviso: if you sink the bucks into a good monitor, it can really make up for a not so hot rest of the machine. Based on monitor lifespans, you will be likely to replace your machine at least twice, so when looking at the monitor, think about what your NEXT graphics card is going to be, not the one you have now ;)Ray

here is what someone had to say with the monitor i intend to get."Philips 201P 21inch Brilliance computer monitor review & information.The Philips 201P 21inch monitor is one of Philips range of Professional monitors that gives both quality and an affordable price. The other sizes are one at 17 inches and 19 inches.The size of this Philips 201P 21inch monitor translates into actual viewable measurement of 20 inches diagonally or rather 16 inches horizontally & 12 inches vertically. This provides what we think is a very comfortable viewing area to use and of course the screen really is a flat screen. The aperture Grille being 0.24mm. It has a maximum horizontal frequency of 121kHz and vertical frequency of 160Hz. This Philips 201P offers resolutions of 2048 x 1536 with flicker free display of 1600 x 1200 at up to 97Hz. Enough to cater for the most discerning users.A feature of the Philips 201P as with the other Philips monitors in this range is the Auto Calibrate feature which extends the useful life of the monitor by automatically adjusting the colour and luminance to original values. This Philips auto calibrate guarantees consistent performance and extends the useful life of the monitor by one third, that's what the manual says. At the back of the monitor are a variety of different ways you can connect using either VGA, USB or RGB inputs.It might be difficult to see with the picture but we hope you can see that this Philips 201P monitor is not too deep for its size. The advertising information says that it is the World's shortest 21inch Flat monitor. We do not know if that is true but it is certainly a very neat and compact monitor that will fit in most spaces.In our tests & use of this Philips 201P computer monitor we have to say that it has and is performing very well, providing sharp images and excellent colour reproduction. Like all these larger monitors you see two very thin light grey lines across the screen which are very thin wires to stabilise the grill. With this Philips monitor like the other monitors in the Philips Professional range we have to say that they are hardly noticeable at all on a white background.The Philips on-screen adjustments provide a fully comprehensive range of adjustments that can be made by pressing the buttons on the front of the screen (not visible in the picture).In England these Philips monitors come with a 3 year on-site warranty should you ever need it, and should the monitor need to be replaced then you can expect from a well respected company like Philips next day replacement. We cannot fault their after sales service. Yet again Philips is second to nonePhilips 201P 21inch Brilliance final thoughts.All in all we think that this Philips 201P 21inch monitor provides a very good balance between quality and price while being a size that is not too big. Excellent value and quality."

Hi Ray,I agree with you. The monitor is a long-term investment so if funds don't initially extend to buying a good graphics card then at least the user will know the monitor is making the best use of it until a better one become available.Cheers,