monitors for trading/investing

Hi,

I am in the market for a notebook but also have the idea of buying either an extra large wide monitor or a multi-monitor setup so I can trade more easily.

Is using a seperate monitor, like 23 inches, OK with a small laptop such as a notebook?

Is it possible to just hook a large wide screen monitor or multi-monitor up and go from there?

FYI - I've been checking out the monitor reviews at cnet here:

http://reviews.cnet.com/best-23-inch-lcd-monitors/?tag=contentAux;topProducts

Thanks for any feedback,

talktome