What resolution do I need in an external monitor for my 15" G4 Powerbook?

Hello mac friends this is my first post I really hope someone can help me out. I need to get an external monitor for my 15 powerbook g4 1.67 w/ 64 mb graphics card. I can not find any monitor on the market whos' native resolution matches that of my g4 (1280x854). Do I need to match the native res? I ideally would like a widescreen b/w 20 and 23", though I am not crazy about the apple displays (mainly the $). I am trying to figure out what native res I need to be looking for in an external monitor, etc. Anyone who can advise would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks- Jon
PowerBook G4 15inch 1.67ghz   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   low res, 1.5gb ram

The fact that you don't need to match the native resolution disguises a great and valuable feature: Your PowerBook can drive monitors higher than its native resolution. Check the specifications for your PowerBook to see how high it can go. (There's a Specifications link at the top of this page.)
For example, my PowerBook G4 native resolution is also 1280x854 like yours. I bought a 20" Apple Cinema Display which is 1680x1050. Is that a problem? No, it's GREAT. Because I didn't just double my screen space, the external more than doubled it thanks to the ability of the PowerBook video card to go beyond the native resolution. My PowerBook's specs say I could run a monitor up to 2048 by 1536 pixels. (Many Windows laptops have the same capability.)
You can go to any computer store and buy just about any monitor that has a DVI or VGA port on it, that is within the resolution range for your PowerBook, and it will work. Dell, Samsung, NEC, etc. should all be OK if you want to save money. DVI is better and plugs in directly, but if you buy VGA, you will need to use the VGA-DVI adapter that came with your PowerBook.

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