Your monitor is an important accessory to your computer. Computer monitors come in different styles and sizes, 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.

Understanding Computer Monitor Sizes

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 bottom left of the screen to the top right of the screen, and vice versa). These diagonal measurements are of the screen only and not the computer monitor's casing. 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, you will experience less eye strain with a larger monitor.

Cheap Computer Monitors

If you are looking for an extra monitor or just want something cheap for your home office or kids, the CRT monitor will probably be the most economical option.

Although they are big and bulky, CRT monitors will work just fine for basic home computing uses such as sending and receiving email, playing video games, or running a bookkeeping program. These types of activities do not require an expensive or elaborate monitor.

A standard CRT (cathode ray tube) computer monitor works like a standard CRT television, accounting for its bulky size. Many people are switching to slick, flat screen monitors and as a result, the prices of CRT computer monitors are dropping. I have found refurbished CRT monitors at auction for just $12. New CRTs might run anywhere from $40 to $100, which is just a fraction of the cost of the popular LCD monitors.

Prices Are Dropping on LCD Monitors

They're sleek. They don't take up a lot of space. They look sharp. For these and other reasons, many people these days are choosing the more advanced LCD (liquid crystal display) computer monitors for home and business 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 are generally 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. Generally speaking, an LCD monitor will cost about four times as much as a CRT monitor.

Considerations for Choosing Your Monitor

Whether you choose to use a LCD or CRT computer monitor, you will want to choose the size that works best for you. As mentioned above, the more time you work at your 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 be high. Some online vendors offer free shipping.

Classified ads, estate sales and yard sales are great resources for used CRT monitors ... and of course, you avoid shipping fees when 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 local computer shop.

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