How to buy a decent monitor?

How do I NOT buy a monitor online w/dead pixels or thumbnail cuts in the screen?

• I've been interested in buying a new monitor for a long time. The thing that has been stopping me is the price and dead pixels. Now that the price has come down especially for online purchases, I'm just worried about the pixels So how do I buy one online without dead pixels? PS. The last time I tried to buy one online was from Newegg. When it came it had a big huge thumbnail cut right in the middle of the screen. I'd like to avoid this too.

• Answer:

  Many on line resellers provide a dead pixel checking service, where they will un box your monitor and check for any dead pixels. Although this helps with avoiding dead pixels, they can still appear a long time after purchase. I believe some manufacturers offer a swap out service for monitors that get dead pixels within 3 years of purchase but this is usually reserved for the monitors aimed at the professional graphics artist market. That's my advise as far as dead pixels are concerned but unfortunately I have never heard of a "thumbnail cut".