Hi Mark
I too am market for an LCD and posted on this forum with high hopes. Recommendations came, but because my requirements were tighter then yours I didn't find the info on "what & why". Maybe I didn't know how to ask. I will try to give you are more complete answer and recommendations on 19"ers. Sorry, don't know much about any bigger screens.
Here's my thread.. buried deep into the forums even though I tried a little CPR
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...4060&enterthread=y
Dell is a very common recommendation and for a reason. But there's so much more to see. Pretty much any modern 8ms or 12ms screen will show games without ghosting. There are CRT purists who will say otherwise, but majority people find gaming with modern LCDs no problem. Companies I like are Samsung, Benq, Viewsonic, Iiyama and Nec. I may have forgotten some. But there's more to displays then fast speed.
ABOUT PANEL TECHNIQUES
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...display/lcd-guide.html
In short:
MVA/PVA - Wide viewing angles, high contrast and good colors. A bit slow.
S-IPS - Wide viewing angles, natural colors, decent contrast, fast enough for games and DVDs
TN - Very fast, somewhat limited viewing angles, vibrant but not precise colors. Lacks the color range of other panel types so the range is produced by dithering. It is a problem for graphics artists, photo people and so forth but not for a gamer. TN is the most popular panel type now due to heavy marketing and gaming advantages. Companies compete in panel speeds.
Having said the above this thread may become more popular simply because people disagree. Flame away, I stick to my view. Please check the link to X-bit Labs article above. It is a superb read, very informative, professional and almost 30 pages long
I LIKE
I have been looking into 19" screens only, so I can't say anything about any bigger than that, sorry. But for 19" and gaming you could go for..
- Samsung 193P - 20ms PVA, not perfect for gaming (minor ghosting) but a very good screen & stand
- Viewsonic VP912B or VP912S - 12ms TN (apparently) with very good specs and stand.. read more below
- Nec 1970NX - new S-IPS, a good all-arounder, good stand
- Benq - any fast Benq screen gives TN gaming benefits (and problems) at low price
ON VP912B / VP912S
Actually I though Viewsonic VP912S would be perfect for me: good for graphics work and good for movies and web.. and exellent for games. VP912S is VP912B without reflective coating that bothered many. But for me color abilities of the screen were not enough. It produces vibrant beautiful colours but not "true". Will not be a problem for you. Also that XBRITE you so liked is the same thing VP912 has. On
www.hardforum.com many agree that in this case Viewsonic and Sony are using the same panel.
That's it. All I have said is based on reviews, articles and user opinions. I have no first-hand experience. I hope this info helps and perhaps somebody will give you their own experiences for screens such as VP912. All the best of luck in your search!
-Sleepy
If you are interested in reading more on VP912, here's some links I dug up:
VP912S info at
www.viewsoniceurope.com:
http://www.viewsoniceurope.com...cts/LCDProf/VP912s.htm
VP912B review at
www.gamepc.com:
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/vie...p?id=vp912b&page=1
VP912B review at
http://msnpcworld.com:
http://msn.pcworld.com/reviews...aid,118694,pg,1,00.asp
VP912B review at
www.machworld.com:
http://www.macworld.com/2004/1...wsonic19inch/index.php
VP912B review at CNET
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/ViewSonic_VP912b/4505-3174_16-31081769-2.html?tag=glance
HARDFORUM
910T and VP912B comparison
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=846962
praise & backlight leaking
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=849312
on Sony using the same panel
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=846943