Take a Closer Look They may be stylish, but are oversized LCD panels worth the price? Here's the flat-out truth.

Oh yes, good looks are important. When you spend more than eighthours staring at something, it ought to be an LCD monitor.They're easy on the eyes, save space and energy, and are fairlyaffordable. But sometimes bigger is better. Seventeen- and 18-inchmonitors come with a bit more sticker shock than 15-inchers, butalso with a whole lot more. They pay off in comfort andproductivity and are appropriate for graphics work, viewinglegal-sized documents and Web design.

There's also something appealing about seeing your desktopcoming through with a 17-inch LCD. We replaced our last year'smodel 15-inch flat panel with the $890 (all prices street) 17-inchSamsung SyncMaster 171P to write this story. Big difference.Literally. If you go from a traditional CRT to an LCD, it'seven more stunning.

LCD prices are notorious for fluctuating. Big, flat panels aremore affordable than ever, but just when you think the cost of anLCD is down for good, a manufacturing shortage rears its ugly headand drives prices back up. It pays to keep an eye on the market. Ifyour dream 17-incher is out of budget reach, just wait and catch iton its way down or at the end of the model year.