CRT vs. LCD
If your current monitor is a 21-inch bulky behemoth that dominates your desk space, you're using a CRT. CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) displays are used in traditional computer monitors and television sets, and they work by utilizing a picture tube, which accounts for their size and weight. When energized, an image is created on the picture tube's display area by scanning phosphors with an electron beam. The larger the display, the larger and heavier the tube has to be. With many CRTs weighing in at around 40 pounds and taking up 17 inches from front to rear, space is a consideration, although some newer models of CRTs do have a flatter and lighter design. The advantage of the CRT is that its brightness, color accuracy, and range of resolutions are a bit better than that offered by an LCD flat panel display, so depending on your uses (such as graphic design), you may want to stick with what's tried and true.

A flat panel LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor is made by sealing liquid compound between two pieces of glass and/or a filter. The screen has hundreds or thousands of dots that are charged or not charged, making them reflect or not reflect light to form letters, characters, and numbers. This technology allows an LCD to produce the same image as a CRT, but in a much smaller package. LCDs also have low energy requirements, are generally easy to read, and are better for your eyes because they don't "flicker"(see refresh rate) like CRTs do. If your needs require you to spend many hours in front of your monitor, an LCD is the ergonomically sound choice.

Size: A monitor's size is measured diagonally, so a 19-inch screen is 19 inches from the top right corner to the bottom left corner. When a CRT is advertised as having a 19-inch screen, the viewing area is actually only 18-inches due to the border that surrounds it. With an LCD, the viewing area matches the screen size, so that a 17-inch screen gives you a 17-inch viewing area. Just like other monitors, LCDs come in 15-, 17-, 19-inch, and up to 24-inch sizes but are smaller and lighter than traditional monitors. In contrast to a CRT, an LCD monitor is only 6-10 inches deep and weighs less than 10 pounds. Newer models of LCD monitors can also be rotated 90 degrees on an armature to allow a portrait view of an entire document.

TFT (Thin Film Transistor): This is basically the only kind of LCD you'll run into these days, and is the only kind you'll want. Older model LCD displays only offer an image visible from head-on, but TFT monitors have pictures that can be viewed from many angles (up to 170 degrees) and are brighter. They also offer clear distinct images and colors that pop, rivaling the color accuracy of a traditional CRT.

Dot Pitch: Another rating you'll see for LCDs is dot pitch, which is the term that describes the space between the tiny dots (called pixels) that make up images on the screen. The less space between pixels, the finer the images. Dot pitch is measured in millimeters, and you'll want an LCD with 0.28mm dot pitch or better.

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Resolutions