Need help picking a monitor

I've skimmed through most of the threads here, but I still have a few questions. 🙂

I’m currently using a 19-inch Dell LCD, and I'm finally looking to upgrade...

My initial plan was to grab one of those 24'' LG monitors that are on sale at Silicon Valley. However, while I was browsing today, I happened to see an LG model sitting right next to a Samsung LED display. Honestly, the difference in sharpness and color vibrancy seemed massive, even though I don't know what the specific settings were on either unit. It felt like comparing the screen on an iPhone 3G to a Samsung Galaxy.

What monitor would you guys recommend? I mainly need it for office work with some light gaming on the side (roughly a 65/35 work-to-play ratio). It needs to be 24 inches—I'm big on screen real estate because of the Steve Jobs setups we have in the office 🙂—and I don't want to overspend. My target was around $500, but I might stretch the budget a little if the quality is truly worth it.

Thanks, everyone. Help a lost soul out, haha.

Here is what I'm currently considering:

and

I don't really care about HDMI since I use an LCD TV for movies and my console, but I'm really leaning toward that ViewSonic because of the LED backlighting; every single review I've read raves about how crystal clear the picture is...

What are your thoughts? 😁

I’m running into a similar dilemma right now... I’ve narrowed my shortlist down to the Dell UltraSharp and the HP Pavilion.

Does anyone have any solid advice on these, or perhaps someone here has actually put one of them through its paces and wouldn't mind sharing some real-world feedback?