i'd go with a 1600x1200 20.1" over a 1280x1024 19" any day of the week. unless your vision is very poor in which case the 19" might be better suited.
i paid about $600 for my professional grade viewsonic 20.1 5 years or more ago. $500 or cheaper sounds like a good price on a professional grade monitor. not sure about the one he linked since i cant view NE here.
---
keep in mind that there are 1920x1200 monitors available (instead of 1920x1080). they aren't 3:4 but i just thought i'd let you know about them.