Gamma and monitors (!)

[psxpetey]

Hello!

This question is not directly related to SOMA; I've played though, and now that I've bought Amnesia too, the same concept applies.

What is believe is my monitor [quality] is giving me problems related to gamma.

When I adjust it to have the X element (box in Amnesia, and something I don't remember in SOMA) to be "barely visible" (this happens around the +1.3 level), I generally can see sharp gradients in the dark areas, for example, the Abyss in SOMA.
When I lower the gamma, the color range/exposure feels much more "tuned" to the atmosphere, especially in SOMA, but I can't see the gamma detail box (or the other thingy in SOMA).

My monitor is a relatively old TN, from Samsung (245B).

Now, the question is - is there any suggestion for which monitor to go for, or at least, a general guideline?
Are IPS monitors much more suited to (Frictional) horror games?

My current setup is quite spoiling the experience.

I can't see anything either unless I turn up the gamma high enough that it looks like crap. Sony monitor. How high is your brightness