ottofarm - 1/19/2011 20:53 If you don't need a laptop for portability get a desktop. More bang for the buck. Expandable. Upgradable. The monitors today will be 16:9 wide screen for the most part. I purchased a 24" with a 16:10 ratio. Not so much wasted space on the sides. I need vertical room. I run dual screen. I had two 19" Dells until the upgrade to the 24" for on that was dying. It's quite efficient for work and not that expensive. A dual port card can run $60 or less for one that does everything but gaming. You can buy some nice dell monitors from www.dellauction.com I just picked up a 19" for $70 plus shipping. Someone wasn't looking. I usually pay $80 - 90. You can pick up some nice 3 year old computers there for a good price but I'd go for new for what you're doing. Their laptops are overpriced. Lance