It does seem to be that you get what you pay for with monitors, though once you get to a certain point you tend to be paying for one very specific area.

The cheap Dell monitors are not worth it, I've got one here at work and it's horrible. The more expensive Dell ones are okay. If you're doing anything where you need accurate colour then NEC have monitors that will point and laugh at the Dells, but you'll pay for them, If you want a 30" panel then you'll really pay for it.