Macbook Pro compatable Display?

So I'm a graphic design student looking for an added display for my Macbook Pro (the last version, not the newest..) and I'm going to be the first to admit that my talent lies in creation of print design, ect, and definitely not hardware.

My boyfriend told me just today that the display I was looking at (nearly drooling, really..) would definitely not be able to work with my Macbook pro, saying that the video card could never handle it. To be honest, I didn't know that would have any effect on it whatsoever.

Could someone please take a look at the one I was thinking about buying, and if this is, in fact, unsuitable, could you offer an alternative that would be a good choice for my purposes (design..I need a monitor with good clarity and contrast. I obviously am trying to get something a bit bigger but within a lower budget range.. anything over $350 is basically out of the question for me.) I was excited by the price combined with the 27", but it doesn't necessarily need to be THAT big.. I was crossing my fingers to find a good deal with something close to 24" even..if that is possible.

This is what I was looking at:
Amazon.com: ViewSonic’s VX2739WM 27-Inch 1920x1080 Full HD Monitor: Computer & Accessories

Here are my specs:


Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP41.00C1.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.27f2
Serial Number (system): RM8421951XR
Hardware UUID: 1EE8BF22-404E-5D24-B06B-F20B71AC3040
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled
GeForce 8600M GT:

Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0407
Revision ID: 0x00a1
ROM Revision: 3212
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1440 x 900
Depth: 32-Bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Built-In: Yes
Display Connector:
Status: No Display Connected

Your MBP can support up to 2560x1600 on an external display.

There should not be an issue with that monitor. I would advise you connect to it with a DVI cable, e.g. don't use a DVI to HDMI.

You can verify this for yourself here.

Agree with bobtomay ... I have my MacBook Pro 2.16GHz Core 2 with the RadeonX1600 hooked to a 24" via DVI running 1920X1080 with no problems... (My machine is older than yours..)

Looks great..

Didn't even think about that, but my MBP is 1 1/2 yrs older than your MBP and have had no problems running several monitors and TVs at 1920x1080 on screen sizes measuring 26", 32", 37", 42", 58" & 65". Those are the ones I remember.