well to decide between a crt and an lcd, u would first have to determine what u are going to be using it for... now if u need performance from it, u must go with the crt, if u need just general use go with the lcd.. its new.. it looks nice, save space... other than that its just a monitor after all.. if i were you i would go to a store that offers both used and new monitors, get a used CRT a good one, not an old one from like 96' or something, get a good one, u can usually get a crt cheap at retail shops.. i paid 50$ for mine, its a 17 inch samsung, i use 1024 x 768 res. and i get 115 hertz refresh rate. great for gaming, then i turned around for a smaller space and bout an lcd for 150 15". i use it for my linux box, and sometimes when im coding for dual display setups... but if i were you i would invest sometime in this and try to get both, u wont regret it i promise