Computer monitor for new Mac

[musicphotog33]

I was having a hard time picking a forum for this post but since computer work and photography go hand in hand these days and most of us are using digital cameras in conjunction with our computers I figured this was as good a place as any to ask this advice...

I have used a Mac at work in the past but have pretty much been a PC guy at home. I'm not impressed with Vista and I'm finding out that many older programs will not work with Vista since Microsoft is graduating to 64-bit.

With a Mac, my understanding is that I can get the parallel software that allows it to run PC programs when I need to and the Mac is able to run both 32 and 64 bit programs.

After pricing a new Dell with all the specs that I would want I then priced a Mac and came up with a similar price range ($2500). Here's the problem.... Dell comes with a decent flat panel monitor at no extra cost and if I want to upgrade its still a reasonable extra charge but the Mac does not include a monitor in the $2500 package. Apple monitors start at $700 and that simply isn't in the budget. At the same time I don't want to invest $2500 in a new Mac and not have a good screen.

So, I'm asking any and all Mac users in here if they can suggest a good third party flat panel monitor that can be used with a new Mac Pro computer which delivers good color and accuracy for use in photography at a reasonable price? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Jim