Hey BB, if you are thinking of going for an lcd I would say go for it. I dont have your tech knowlege, but my eyes tell me
that my Samsung 225 syncmaster looks awesome in IL2. Much better than my old Veiwsonic 19" CRT. No ghosting, blurring or dead pixels,
and the colours are bright and vibrant. The specs of the latest 22" widescreens are better than mine. And they are even cheaper.
I had similar concerns to you before I took the plunge. A simple conf ini edit means I lost nothing top to bottom, and gained a bit on
either side. (in IL2)
Its quite hard to find a decent lcd now that isn't widescreen. I also find it better for other games, films and documents. (2xA4, side by side.)