Get a 22-inch Hannspree monitor for $109.99 shipped
Okay, technically it's a 21.5-inch monitor. Can't these manufacturers do math? Anyway, it's new, not refurbished, and you don't have to wait on a rebate.
Monitors are so cheap these days.
How cheap are they?!
Monitors are so cheap these days, Starbucks is giving them away free with any venti latte purchase. Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week.
Seriously, though, check this out: Newegg has the Hannspree HF225DPB 21.5-inch LCD monitor for $109.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCKEGJ52 at checkout. (Note: You must be a Newegg newsletter subscriber to use that code, but signing up is quick, easy, and free.)
That's tied for the lowest price I've ever seen on a monitor like this. Amazingly, the HF225DPB is new, not refurbished, and you don't have to monkey around with any rebates.
Save for one small item, the monitor's specs are rock-solid. It's a 1080p LCD, meaning it has a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, with a 5ms response time and 30,000:1 "X-contrast" ratio (a made-up and fairly meaningless number, IMHO).
It also sports built-in speakers, which would be a bigger deal if it had an HDMI port. Alas, it comes with VGA and DVI only--fine for pairing with a PC, but not ideal for, say, a Blu-ray player or game console. (You could use an HDMI-to-DVI adapter, but I'm not positive the audio would pass through. Anyone know for sure? The DVI port does support HDCP.)
Impressively, a whopping 93 percent of Newegg customers rated the monitor four or five stars, with 81 percent giving it the latter score. Needless to say, it's a sweet screen. I'd use it to replace an older, smaller monitor or add a second display to your desktop or laptop. (If you decide to go the latter route, check out Make the Most of a Multi-Monitor Setup.)
Bonus deal: Yesterday's game deal ended abruptly (sorry to those of you who missed out), so let's try again. Direct2Drive has the awesome, award-winning adventure game Machinarium (PC) for just $1.99. Regular price: $19.99. Find out why GameSpot awarded it an 8.0.