I personally prefer Samsungs. I have a pair of 173Ts that have been working well for over 2 years. The refresh rate of an LCD doesn't really matter, since they don't flicker at lower refresh rates. There is no difference in display between 60Hz and 75Hz (most LCD monitors don't have a very high maximum refresh rate, as there is no need to design the circuitry to handle the higher frequencies). I'm not sure about response time, but any modern LCD should have no ghosting issues. Lower is better. A higher contrast ratio just means you can set the contrast and brightness controls lower for the same brightness. (I have both my monitors set at minimum brightness and contrast, it causes less strain on the eyes.) Pixel pitch is the spacing of the individual pixels. All LCDs of the same size and resolution will have the same pitch, so it is rarely a factor of comparison. As for brightness, I prefer a darker monitor, it's better for the eyes than looking into a bright light.