slapthemonkey55,
First, you should know about HDCP. This is a new protection scheme that will be incorporated into the next Windows version, Windows Vista. It's a security standard instituted by Hollywood, that will make it impossible to play Mpeg-4 encoded DVD's on a Vista computer without HDCP compliant hardware and monitors. If you don't intend to watch any DVD movies on your monitor, then it won't be a concern, but if you do you should wait a few months for the monitor of your choice to be HDCP compliant. Dell's new 30" panel is HDCP compliant, but the rest of their line won't be until Feb/March. Most companies selling high quality lcd panels should be including HDCP compliance here in the next three to four months. I don't know yet whether this protection will ever be applied to games.
I think this will be a big issue, as so many people are now buying large lcd tv's and plasma screens for their home theater systems, but once this standard is adopted with dvd players and computers, a lot of them are going to be surprised they can't watch dvd's on their systems.
I'm in the market for a 24" lcd flat panel as well. The Dell packs a lot of features, although I've recently seen multiple posts on several forums including Dell's own forum that say once the monitor heats up, the ballast for the backlight can emit a high pitched squeal. Some are sensitive to this, some are not. Most people are happy with the 2405.
AW just introduced a 24" wide screen for less than a grand. There are only a couple companies that make the actual lcd panel, and this monitor has the same Samsung lcd panel the Dell does, so the performance should be the same, though I've not read anything about this monitor making any noise. It's built by Acer, and they make high quality monitors. However, in order to compete with Dell's price, they offer this without the additional usb ports, and some of the inputs.
Right now, the monitor that's top on my list is the Samsung Syncmaster 244T. It's more expensive than the Dell, but it offers all the inputs and features of the Dell, plus it's made by Samsung so there won't be any cheap support hardware inside. I've read on a few forums that Samsung retains the best lcd panels they make for their own monitors, and they also offer a zero dead pixel policy that includes exchange for the three year warranty if a pixel should become stuck or broken with the correct warranty purchase. You can find this one on the net for around $1400.
If your choice is just between the Apple and the Dell, the Dell offers more features and adjustability IMO.
