Before we start rounding up the biggest and the best, there are some important facts that we are going to point out. If you really intend to buy a 19-inch monitor, then we strongly suggest you take the time to go through these points first. 

First things first- make sure you have sufficient space on your desk to place a monitor that’s at least 3-5 inches wider than your current 14-inch or 15-inch monitor. Since an averaged sized 19-inch display would require at least 17-19 inches from your desk, make sure you have sufficient space for such a juggernaut. 

The second point is the most important one- money. Before you set your sights on a big screen, there is always the cost to think about. You should know that these products don’t come cheap; the price of a good 19-inch monitor may be anything from $450 to $800.  So make sure you have sufficient cash to spend for such a product before you have to put out a mortgage on your house when you receive the credit statement. 

Next, think about the features of your graphics card. It will play a key role in deciding the quality of your display even with a 19-inch monitor. This is also one important point that some buyers tend to overlook prior to their purchase. Don’t buy an expensive monitor if you have an older graphics accelerator, because you’ll regret it before the day is out. The display won’t look anything like it did in the store. This is because older graphics cards have RAMDACs in lower clock frequencies. Normally, the clock frequency of a RAMDAC in an older card would range from 130MHz to 170MHz. This isn’t going to do you any good because the picture quality and refresh rates offered at these settings wouldn’t suit your cool new monitor. 

Generally speaking, large monitors offer better image quality and sharpness when used with new 2D/3D accelerators because these cards have RAMDACs with clock frequencies ranging from 205MHz- 250MHz. Currently, graphics accelerators based on nVidia’s Riva TNT and Matrox MGA G200 chipsets offer the best image quality in both 3D and 2D display. So if you’re planning on buying a graphics card to help improve the display, we recommend any card based on the above chipsets. Not only does a fast RAMDAC offer good image quality, but it offers higher refresh rates as well. 

Some users find it difficult to spend long hours looking at their displays, at the adapter default settings of the graphics card. The reason for this irritation is the low refresh rates at this setting. The refresh rate is the number of frames the monitor displays in one second to make up the display you see in your monitor. Just like a television, the elector gun inside the tube of the computer monitor produces a vast number of images based on the three primary colors red, green and blue. So, the higher the refresh rate, the more comfortable it is for your eyes. For example, try switching between adapter default and an 85Hz setting to see the difference. You’ll soon realize what we’re talking about. It’s always better to use a refresh rate higher than 75Hz to protect your eyes. And most of the new 19-inch monitors offer maximum refresh rates up to 160Hz, so remember to look for a monitor with high refresh rates. 

Most of these monitors offer a maximum resolution of 1600x1200. To display true colors at 1024x768, your graphics card needs to have at least 4MB of onboard memory. Or, if your graphics card has more than 4MB, the monitor will be able to support true color at resolutions higher than 1024x768. 

Always remember to have a good look at the screen. Monitors that use the Trinitron tube by Sony have a completely flat surface, which offers the best possible image recreation without bulge or radius defamation in the image, whereas a monitor that uses a shadow mask display type offers the best overall image quality with sharp text. 

The secret of sharp image quality is the dot pitch of the monitor. The dot pitch is the distance between the adjacent red, green & blue phosphor groups. This means, the smaller the dot pitch, the sharper the images.

When you finally do decide on your monitor of choice, make sure you test the monitor before you buy it from retail stores. Or if you prefer to buy a monitor from a mail order company, make sure the monitor comes with the manufacturers warranty and money-back guarantee in case something goes wrong. Don’t go for rock bottom offers unless they are from a reputed dealer.

Enough tips; it’s time to get back to our threesome being reviewed, namely, the Sony GDM-400 PS, the Hitachi SuperScan Elite 751 and the ViewSonic PS790.