Macbook Pro and External Monitor flashing?

I am using a Macbook Pro with an External Dell 1908fp 19" monitor via a Thunderbolt to DVI adaptor all fine.
However the annoying niggle I have is that the monitor which seems fine, keeps flashing intermittently on and off randomly?!?
Would anyone know why this is happening and if its the Mac's fault? I have the MBP open and the Monitor as the 2nd screen at 1440x900 which it seems to have defaulted to, and its very clear on both screens.
Is my monitor on its way out? it seems ok, and is quite new (though it was 2nd hand a couple of years ago) or is this a known Apple issue?
Thanks for any help

The graphics card in the MBP supports resolutions far greater than that of the internal display, so any modern monitor will work fine - up to and including Apple's excellent (but pricey) Thunderbolt display and Cinema display.
The MBP will detect the external display and set the image to the correct resolution automatically, or you can choose the resolution in System Preferences -> Displays, so you don't need to worry about a black border.
Most modern monitors are 1080p and this works perfectly as an external display for a MBP.  You will need a mini-displayport to HDMI cable to connect the two.  If you get a monitor with built in speakers then that cable will also transfer audio.

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