Thanks for your reply pp.
I appreciate that it won't be as good as my Dell panel but if I'm only using it primarily for TV/ games/ movies and music etc and viewing it from a distance surely any colour problems or lack of definition shouldn't be as noticeable.
I'll be doing most of my stuff, editing pictures plus all the other stuff I mentioned, on my main pc 90% of the time.
Truth is I built a new pc and can't find a buyer for the old one (not at any kind of decent price).
Most of my friends have low end laptops and are very happy with them. I don't know any other computer geeks who might want to buy a great big quad core box.
Hence the idea of using it as a lazy bedroom pc/tv. I also like the idea of having another pc set up in case of catastrophic failure.
£250 equals about $378 at present. Obviously I've been looking at reviews in bewildering numbers and a lot of them are contradictory so I thought I'd post on here and see if I get any personal recommendations. I have a great deal of respect for the people who frequent this forum and the sum of experience they represent so- bang for buck please