So you want a new 42" LCD...

Each month I update our price trend features. If you haven't seen them, they're like a geek's version of the stock market. For gadgets, naturally.

We track the prices for 60Hz LCDs, 120Hz LCDs, 240Hz LCDs, LED-backlit LCDs, plasma TVs, netbooks, 15" Core 2 Duo laptops, and Blu-ray players. That's a lot of prices (and a lot of info) to take in at once. So we usually chop up the charticles so as to not inundate anyone with too much info. (No one wants to read a messy Excel chart.)

I finished updating the batch today and it got me wondering. If I was in the market for a 42" LCD TV, what would be my cheapest option? Well, that's where this chart comes in. (You can click on it to make it bigger.) It shows you the price trends for 42" LCDs. All kinds of them.

So the cheapest 42" LCD you can buy is a 60Hz panel. They are hands down the most affordable LCD. (At least when comparing 42" screens, believe it or not, but they're not the most affordable panel when dealing with other screen sizes.) But how much more would I have to pay for a 42" 120Hz LCD? 240Hz? LED-backlit LCD? As you can see, the price difference between 60Hz vs 120Hz is small. From 120Hz to 240Hz is also negligible. But to forgo a 60Hz panel for an LED-backlit panel....well, that's gonna cost you. A lot.

There is some good news though. If you look at the deals for 240Hz sets, they're on a collision course with 120Hz LCDs. (Why get a 120Hz set when in a month a 240Hz set might cost you the same?)

So in closing, here are the ending LCD deal/prices for the month of January. And just for kicks, I also added the best deal we saw for a 42" plasma in January.

60Hz: $499
120Hz: $600
240Hz: $715
LED-backlit: $1,050

(Plasma: $495)