I often get asked for recommendations on monitors. These days I’m a fan of widescreen LCD monitors. I think 20 and 22 inch are generally the sweet spot for best price. I was doing some research on the status of different types of panels (IPS, PVA/MVA, TN) and came across these:

• LCD Panel Technology Explained
• TFT LCD (Wikipedia)

It seems like xbitlabs.com currently has the best reviews for LCD’s for 20”, 22”, 24”, and more.