After getting my HTPC mostly configured, I disgustedly let it sit unused for a few weeks. My cup of computer hatred had runneth over, and I didn't want to deal with it. A week ago, a friend ordered a new Dell... the package included a 15" LCD monitor. He didn't need one because he had a few already, but it was included for so little it didn't make sense to not get it. Never one to pass up a good deal, I offered to buy it from him. It turns out that a standard primary monitor was the final piece in my HTPC puzzle. I had configured all the screen resolutions such that I could do almost everything with the TV acting as the monitor. The problem was resolution switching... WinXP/ATI Drivers/whatever was just a bit too buggy. Plus sometime my TV would loose sync. It was just a huge pain. The new monitor solves all that. First, it required no configuration. Second, I can leave the HDTV output fixed at 1920x1080i and forget about it. This is definately the way to go. The only snag now is I can't seem to get my Winamp visualizations to appear on the HDTV... it wants to go full screen on the LCD. Oh well.