Windows 7: Monitor Buying Guide Dec. 2010 - Monitor Technology

Panel technology
CRTs have effectively been replaced by their thinner and brighter sister, the LCD. Under the umbrella of LCD technology, there are a few choices to consider before buying a monitor. First, you'll have to decide which panel technology is right for you.

The three main panel technologies currently used in LCDs are: twisted nematic (TN), vertical alignment (VA), and in-plane switching (IPS). Manufacturers make the vast majority of consumer monitors using TN panels.

Not surprising, TN panels are the cheapest of the three technologies to make. With a few exceptions, monitors that cost $300 or less will likely have TN panels. The main advantages of TN panels are their fast--usually 2ms--response time and, of course, low price. Their major disadvantages are narrow viewing angles, relatively low brightness, and inaccurate color reproduction.

Next up are VA (mostly seen as S-PVA) panels. VAs have improved viewing angles compared with TNs, better color reproduction, and they typically have a much higher maximum brightness. Also, they tend to have the lowest black levels of all three panel technologies. Unfortunately, a VA panel's response time and input lag are not quite as fast as a TN panel, and they can cost anywhere from $400 to $800, and sometimes more depending on the panel's size. Also, you can expect a VA-based monitor's profile to be wider than a TN's.

Lastly, we have IPS. IPS-based monitors are usually the most expensive; however, the new e-IPS panels cost as little as $300 for a 22-inch model. They also have the best viewing angles of all three technologies and produce the most accurate colors; however, their blacks are not as deep as VA panels'. IPS monitors are the slowest of the bunch in both response time and input lag. ....