This will sound pretty ghetto, but it's the best experience I've ever had testing out stuff that is newer than what I have....

If you are in a University town/city/area, go to the local flea market and scope out what they have as far as technology. I say this because I have bought my last two systems and latest monitor from my own local flea market vendor...and guess from whom he buys his equipment? Desparate college students wanting party money. If mom and dad buy it, college students who pawn systems have NO clue what they are selling (either that or they don't care).

Anyway, onto my best buys:

hp pavilion f1703 - only 17" but is awesome at high resolutions.

samsung SyncMaster 192MP silver (pc monitor and hd television) - only a 19" but I only paid $350 for it (at the flea market) and it retails for close to $800

PCstats review on the samsung: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1564