"To get the best results from your monitor, it is important to understand the steps involved.
The first is calibration; i.e. setting your monitor to a well-defined, standard state. You need to select a color temperature to work with.
PC video cards and monitors are usually shipped with a white point set to 9300°K. This gives a bluish tint to everything. It is often used for CAD work stations or in video games where maximum color contrast is desired.
For photography, however, color accuracy is more important.
The next standard color temperature is 5000°K (or its close cousin D50). This is the color of lighting in art galleries, and approximates sunlight. On many PC monitors it produces white colors with a dingy, yellowish cast. For some Macs, it is a viable choice. A better choice is often 6500°K (or D65). Most monitors reach useful brightness levels much more easily at 6500°K/D65 than at 5000°K/D50. Also, some monitors display reddish highlights at D50. Play with your monitor settings and decide which looks best.
If you have an LCD screen and your calibration system allows using the native white point, do so. This preserves the maximum possible color range on LCD monitors."
9300K.
Right, so? What's that mean, if anything at all?
"To get the best results from your monitor, it is important to understand the steps involved.
The first is calibration; i.e. setting your monitor to a well-defined, standard state. You need to select a color temperature to work with.
PC video cards and monitors are usually shipped with a white point set to 9300°K. This gives a bluish tint to everything. It is often used for CAD work stations or in video games where maximum color contrast is desired.
For photography, however, color accuracy is more important.
The next standard color temperature is 5000°K (or its close cousin D50). This is the color of lighting in art galleries, and approximates sunlight. On many PC monitors it produces white colors with a dingy, yellowish cast. For some Macs, it is a viable choice. A better choice is often 6500°K (or D65). Most monitors reach useful brightness levels much more easily at 6500°K/D65 than at 5000°K/D50. Also, some monitors display reddish highlights at D50. Play with your monitor settings and decide which looks best.
If you have an LCD screen and your calibration system allows using the native white point, do so. This preserves the maximum possible color range on LCD monitors."
(Courtesy of: DryCreekPhoto.com - "Monitor Calibration Methods")