On the topic of displays, if the 17" CRT is on it's way out, I'd recommend you go ahead and let it go, recycle it, and pick up a newer LCD.

If we're recommending LCDs, I personally love the Dell UltraSharp series. 1708fp is a really nice 17" panel, height-adjustable stand, the ability to rotate the display to portrait, and a few other nice things including DVI or VGA input, and a USB2 hub.