Dell 30" Ultra sharp widescreen flat panel monitor

 As the largest and highest resolution display in Dell's flat panel lineup to date, the Dell 30" UltraSharp^TM  Widescreen Monitor is optimized for video editing, pre-press editing, 3D modeling, CAD, visualization, digital photography and gamers.

Note: For the best viewing experience, your PC must have a dual-link DVI-D graphics card that supports 2560 x 1600 resolution.

Limited compatibility with 64-Bit VISTA,Good picture quality, excellent resolution at very reasonable cost.All controls except for brightness are only available through the on screen display. The OSD.EXE application is currently incompatible with 64 bit Windows VISTA (with or without SLI configuration). Configuration: Windows VISTA Ultimate 64 bit, NVidia NFORCE 680i SLI ATX motherboard, Intel Core 2 Extreme 2.66GHz, 8Gb Mem, Dual NVidia 6800GTX, NVIDIA driver 100.65 (latest as of 2/20/2007).This is probably an excellent product for Windows XP, but people who buy 30" monitors will tend to have newer and higher end equipment. Therefore support for VISTA, 64-Bit, and SLI is probably more important for this product than for the run of the mill 19" monitor.

As you noted, the dual 19-inch monitor option can be less expensive up front, but a number of hidden costs are associated with a dual-monitor setup. Many older PCs have only one VGA output; if you choose to go with two separate monitors, you may have to invest in a dual-output graphics card, which can run from $60 to hundreds of dollars. Also, depending on the manufacturer, you'll have to shell out twice for extras such as extended warranties and cables, if they're not included.

For work tasks, dual monitors are more flexible: they allow you to clone screens, putting the same images on each monitor; span the screens to create a single, large image; or use each monitor with a different resolution. With a dual-monitor setup, you can adjust image and ergonomic settings for each unit, and two 19-inch monitors offer more screen real estate than a lone 24-inch LCD.

In addition to programming, design, and photo editing, do you ever use your computer for entertainment? For watching movies and playing games, a single wide-screen monitor usually works best; with dual monitors, you have to switch to single-screen viewing, since most games and video players won't span the screens.

For most users, I recommend a single wide-screen LCD monitor. A 24-inch wide-screen LCD offers plenty of screen real estate for tiling windows and is great for entertainment purposes. A single wide-screen monitor keeps your desk less cluttered and eliminates the potential double costs of a two-monitor setup. If you do decide to go with dual monitors, check out our Weekend Project: Add a second monitor to your PC, which gives step-by-step instructions on how to make a two-monitor setup work for you.

ViewSonic VX2025WM 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor

Product Description
Viewsonic VX2025wm 20.1" Widescreen LCD - This extremely large, 20.1", widescreen LCD computer monitor enhances any computer application. In a work setting, you can have two applications up side-by-side for increased productivity. When you're having fun, PC games and movies are larger than life, giving you an extremely immersive experience. Brightness - 300 cd/m2 Viewing Angle - 176 degrees horizontal/vertical Native Resolution - 1680x1054 (PC) / 1680x1050 (Mac) Analog & Digital Connection ( VGA / DVI-D ) Built-in Speakers PC and Macintosh Compatible Color - Black & Silver Unit Dimensions (w/ stand) - 19 (w) x 17.3 (h) x 7.9 (d) Unit Dimensions (w/o stand) - 19 (w) x 13.4 (h) x 2.6 (d) Unit Weight - approx. 13.9 lbs. (w/ stand)