For the last six years, my primary computer has been a notebook computer. First, I used a Dell Inspiron 5000, with a 1400×1050 resolution. Now, I have a Dell Inspiron 8600 with a widescreen 1680×1050 resolution. I love the LCD screen and the extra “real estate” on the screen. My desktop computer is a home-brew and uses a 19″ Dell monitor that I picked up from Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council, who sells all their stuff on eBay.

Now, my wife has a new monitor, too. Her old Iiyama 19″ CRT with built-in speakers started having problems. The slight green shading in one corner wasn”t too bad. But, when it decided that it didn”t want to turn on — that was bad. We also learned from the Iiyama CRT that built-in speakers may be ok, but they also may be noisy pieces of junk.

The beautiful new monitor is a Viewsonic VA902B.

I bought her ViewSonic VA902B 19″ LCD Monitor at Buy.com. It has 1024×768 resolution, 550:1 contrast and 270 “nits” brightness. It handles standard 15-pin video connectors.

Amazon.com has it also and has a special rebate — ending today (March 31) — of $50 (Wish I had seen that!). ViewSonic VA902B 19″ LCD Monitor (Black) (Electronics) Manufacturer:View Sonic