Articles

Your monitor is an important accessory to your computer. Computer monitors come in various sizes and styles and some offer various functions, such as a built-in speaker system. You will obviously consider your budget for a monitor, but may also want to consider how often you will be using your computer and how you will be using it.

How Computer Monitor Sizes are Measured

Monitors are available in 15, 17, 19 and 21 inch sizes. The size of a monitor is the viewable area of the screen, which is measured diagonally (i.e., from the upper left of the screen to the lower right of the screen and vice versa). These diagonal measurements are of the screen only and not the casing of the computer monitor. Regardless of what type of monitor you decide to purchase, the larger the monitor, the more expensive the monitor will be. However, if you use your computer several hours a day, a larger monitor will create less eye strain.

Cheap Computer Monitors

If you are thinking about buying a computer monitor to serve as an extra part in case your primary monitor malfunctions or just want something cheap for your home office or kids, the CRT monitor may be your best priced option.

Although they are big and bulky, CRT monitors are adequate for basic home computer uses such as sending and receiving email, playing video games, or running a word processing program. These types of activities do not require an elaborate or expensive monitor.

A standard CRT (cathode ray tube) computer monitor works like a standard CRT television, accounting for its television-like appearance and bulk. Many people are switching to the less bulky flat screen monitors and as a result, the prices of CRT computer monitors are falling. I have found refurbished CRT monitors at auction for just $12. Brand new CRTs cost anywhere from $40 to $100, which is just a fraction of the cost of the sleeker LCD monitors.

Prices are Falling on LCD Monitors

They're sleek. They don't take up a lot of space. They look sharp. For these and other reasons, many computer users these days are buying the more advanced LCD (liquid crystal display) computer monitors for business and home use. Nowadays, the flat screen LCD monitors are often packaged with a new computer system. LCD monitors are flatter and lighter than CRT monitors, and can be more energy efficient and produce sharper pictures.

Although prices for LCD monitors are dropping since they initially came on the market, they are still more costly than CRT monitors. A rule of thumb is that an LCD monitor will cost around four times as much as a CRT monitor.

Considerations for Choosing Your Monitor

Whether you choose to use a CRT or LCD computer monitor, you will want to choose the size that works best for you. As mentioned above, the more time you sit in front of the computer, the more you will benefit from a larger view screen. Although larger monitor screens can be beneficial, you want to make sure that the monitor will fit in the area where you will be using it, and will fit your budget as well.

Online vendors offer some terrific deals for just about any type of computer monitor. If you are looking for something reliable but have a tight budget, you can save quite a bit of money by purchasing a refurbished model. Before buying a new or refurbished computer monitor online, however, make sure it has a warranty. Check out the shipping costs, too. Because of their weight and size, shipping costs for CRT monitors can get pricey. Some online vendors offer free shipping.

Classified ads, estate sales and yard sales are great resources for used computer monitors ... and of course, you avoid shipping fees if you shop locally. When buying from individuals, see if the seller can plug the monitor in and demonstrate that it is in good working order. You can find any type of monitor at your hometown computer retailer.

Whether you are buying a new monitor online or offline, make sure that it is compatible with your computer.