I've been looking at replacing an old NEC CRT monitor with a lower cost flat panel in the range of the Asus PA238Q(+ another $100 or so) .
I have read many reviews about this monitor but they don't say how a working amateur like myself feels about it.
I have read that it has good color lookup depth and hae also read that the antiglare coating throws off color and crispness of the images.
The specs say that it covers 100% of Adobe RGB color space.
I also saw a write up on the Dell23 " monitor but it covered only 86% of Adobe RGB, but how much are these issues going to effect what you see.
Now I realize that there are much better monitors that I can not afford but with an aging, drifting NEC what are better choices, not the best but better than what I have.
I use a spyder 2 for calibration and print on an Epson 2200.
Looking forward to any thoughts, Wyndham

You may have an opportunity to score something insanely great in the used monitor market, as we are in the midst of a domino effect with the advent of the 35 MEG Nikon D 800 camera body. Most of my Nikon friends and clients bought one, or are on a waiting list.

In order to crunch the big RAW Nikon D 800 files in a timely manner, nearly everyone I have spoken with decided/ had to replace their desktops, laptops, and external hard drives. Many went with the new 15" Retina Display Mac laptop. Darn, now the old 30" Apple Cine Display desktop monitor isn't up to par. Some are going with the 27" glossy Mac with Thunderbolt, others are waiting for the same in the new stunning Retina Display.

So, this has and will generate a land of opportunity for used monitors, which may fit your under $300 budget.

If you can hold out until 2013 after Apple replaces everything with Retina, things in the used monitor market may be even rosier.

Thanks Steve, I'll be on the look out for one, that's an area I missed completely. I can wait till a deal happens.
Wyndham

I found several sites, one being "I Sell Macs or I Buy Macs" and found a 23" cine display for around $350. In another search I found that the DVI port needs to be a dual link and others said not, just a DVI for a win xp or win 7 system. I guess it must depend on the year and model, if anyone has a thought on this please chime in,
Thanks again Wyndham

If the resolution is 1920x1200 or less it does not need dual link DVI

Thanks E.J.