We've spent a lot of time evaluating the performance of graphics cards and processors, but a good monitor is almost every bit as important to gamers and professionals alike. For our first look at monitors in 2011, we are starting out with three 23" LCDs.

Tom's Hardware LCD Reboot

It has been five long years since our last monitor roundup (19" LCD Monitors: The Spring 2006 Collection). Since we don't cover the cost of a monitor in our quarterly System Builder Marathon, we know that the lack of LCD coverage has been frustrating for those building completely new systems. Generally, we assume you're trashing your old system for parts, but keeping your existing monitor, keyboard, mouse, and operating system. Obviously, this isn't always the case, and we haven't forgotten that fact.

While the days of bulky CRT technology are over, the expense of a monitor really hasn't changed. The cost of an LCD can still break your next PC's budget. Researching monitor purchases is hard enough without having reliable information, and that's why your review requests for haven't fallen on deaf ears.

We are relaunching our LCD coverage with three 23" displays, all of which we pulled off the shelves at Best Buy. Reviews will continue to be presented as roundups, because they allow you to more easily make comparisons. However, our benchmarking process has changed dramatically. We are specifically interested in traits like color gamut, luminance uniformity, and contrast ratios. We'll explain our benchmarks individually, but first, we're going to take a physical look at our three LCD monitors.