Your monitor is the single most expensive component in your pc system. This means that a lot of money can be saved if you make the right decision and choose the right cheap computer monitor. There's a lot more to computer monitors than just the size of the screen. Read on to find out what to look for when choosing cheap computer monitors.

The features of a computer monitor: A computer monitor is like a high quality TV set. The difference is that with a computer monitor you sit very close and try to make out fine details such as words.

This means that a computer monitor must have very fine definition and an image that is nice and stable on the screen so you do not get eye-strain. You will spend a great deal of time staring at a computer monitor so it is important that you get one that suits you perfectly.

When you are looking for cheap computer monitors you will be given different specifications. These numbers can be confusing so let us look at what the specifications mean when you are sitting in front of your monitor.

Resolution: This is the number of pixels on the screen. Say your screen is set to 1024 by 768 it means that there are 1024 along the top of the screen. This means that if you had a picture that was 1000 pixels wide you could see the whole picture without zooming out and losing details.

Monitors will be described as having a maximum resolution. This will be the highest setting possible. Usually the monitor will have an optimum setting slightly below this resolution.

High resolutions are great if you want to look at graphics because more of the picture will fit on the screen at once. However if you are looking at text a letter 5 pixels high will get smaller and smaller as the resolution increases. This means that if you are only going to surf the net and do email then you will be wasting money and straining your eyes with a high resolution monitor.

All new 15 inch monitors will do 1024 by 768. If you are looking for a cheap computer monitor then get one capable of this resolution.

If things are too small then you can always lower the resolution to 800 by 600. You may also be able to raise the resolution but doing this will lower the vertical refresh rate. Read on to find out why you must spend more to get a monitor to run high resolutions.

Vertical Refresh Rate: This is a very important specification. The speed that a monitor draws an entire screen, called the "vertical refresh rate" or "frequency," is measured in hertz (Hz).

To prevent eye-strain you want your monitor to be running the current resolution at around 85Hz. This will make the image stable. At lower refresh rates the screen will flicker and you may not notice it at first but you will notice the splitting headache you get after about an hour of use at a low refresh rate.

The vertical refresh rate dcreases as the resolution increases. In the monitor manual look for the resolution that has 85 vHz next to it. This will be the optimum resolution for the monitor. Setting the monitor any higher will damage both your eyes and your monitor over time.

Monitor size: This is easy to understand. Bigger monitors make the picture bigger so that you can have higher resolutions without text getting too small. This makes less work for your eyes. Buy as big as you can afford. Currently 17 inch monitors are great value. If your interested in having a look at some great prices for computer monitors then click the ad on both the right and left sidebar to find out the monitors that match your need.

Dot Pitch: In trying to evaluate a monitor's quality, most people will usually talk about dot pitch. In general, the lower the dot pitch (measured in millimeters), the better the monitor. The problem is that dot pitch can be measured in many different ways, and therefore doesn't necessarily mean much.

A low dot pitch will make text crisp but as I said there is no standard measurement to compare. Usually spending more money will increase the monitor quality.

I found the best way to ensure that a monitor has a nice crisp image is to buy a good brand. I found an excellent deal on Viewsonic 17" monitors. Viewsonic is a trustworthy brand.

Choosing cheap computer monitors should take time. There are some excellent bargains out there at the moment. Remember if you don't have a huge demand for a high resolution monitor then get a 15 inch. It will still display sharp graphics at low resolutions and at these low resolutions things will be nice and big for your eyes.