Recommendations for simple display under $200

Hey guys. I will be purchasing my 13" rMBP next week to use for university next year and then am now looking into a monitor to use occasionally with it.

I have to say that I am pretty ignorant when it comes to knowing about displays. Om the guy that tells my friends who game "they all look the same to me ." Anyways, I'm looking for something in the 22-24" range that is reliable and well designed. Speakers are not necessary but HDMI is a must have. I've seen quite a few models under $200 and I'm sure most would suit my needs but I wanted to get some other opinions on brand reliability.

bootz said:

What do you intend to use the monitor for? Just as an external monitor, or do you plan on using it as a TV or maybe with a gaming console?

I'm partial to BenQ monitors when it comes to bang for your buck. You can find an entry level 24" (RL2455HM) for under $180 from the big online retailers. I would recommend using a mini displayport to DVI cable, though. You can get one online for under $10. I've had nothing but problems when connecting my MBP using an HDMI cable.

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I'm am engineering student and hope to be able to do some light CAD work on residence when the winter gets too cold to make the trip to the residence computer lab worth it. Other than that it is nice to be able to multi task research and writing of reports at the same time either both on the same monitor or across the monitor and laptop screen. Won't be using it for movies and I don't game.

I am hearing more and more about BenQ. I had never heard of them before since I am not into video games. I saw a few on the local classifieds marketplace which I might check out.

Good tip about DVI. I wasn't sure if DVI was still a quality HD connection since it closely resembles VGA.

I don't want to be rude or anything but if anyone was bored out if their minds they might perhaps be able to suggest 1 or two models of interest from the best buy Canada selection page. http://m.bestbuy.ca/?lang=en#/m/productlist.aspx?cid=26175&lang=en-CA (please don't take this suggestion the wrong way. I'm not lazy, just trying to get opinions.)