Hi chapIndave,

Yeah, it truly has been a long time.  Glad to see that you're still frequenting the board.  Yup, I still own the Viewsonic P810 monitor.  It's a 21 incher CRT.  Buying a flat panel now, huh?  *sigh* I'm jealous!  Anyway, if I was in your situation (getting $500 from UPS), I would definitely go with a flat panel.  There are a couple of added benefits from this.  Some are that flat panels use a lot less power than the big clunky CRT tubes.  Very good in this time of energy conservation.  Another one is that you'll definitely reclaim a lot more desk space.  Not to mention the sharp resolution you'll get too.  The only drawback that is keeping me from buying a big flat panel is the cost.

As far as brands that I recommend, I definitely like the Samsung ones.  Especially, the model that you can take with you and hook into with RCA cables and use it as a TV as well.  They're very sharp and I LOVE the 17 inchers.  Viewsonics are nice and bright as well.  NECs are half and half with me.  Some that I've looked over are not as bright as those from Viewsonic and Samsung.  There is also a nice no name brand here at San Diego that is comparable with the Viewsonic panels that I like as well.  

Ultimately, I'd opt for the Samsung models just because of their features.  Next would be Viewsonic.  Of course, it would be good if you can go into a store and actually see and mess around with the panels before you decide to buy any thing, you know?  Only then can you be absolutely sure if that $500 that you're about to plunk down is going to a good investment.  Well, I hope that long novel helped you in your buying decision.  If you find any other comparable models that you like I'd like to know of them.  Happy shopping and good luck with UPS!  I'd go straight to a manager about that and write their corporate headquarters about the lack of care that they're giving you in that matter.