X-bit labs

19" LCD Monitors Roundup. Part IX. (page 17)

Category: Other

by Aleksey Meyev

[ 02/20/2008 | 10:39 AM ]

Conclusion

There is no definite leader in this review. Of course, the PVA-based SyncMaster 940T from Samsung features broader viewing angles than the other models. Now that it has got Response Time Compensation technology, it is competitive even in those applications that require a good response. Unfortunately, it is more expensive than the other monitors included into this review while the availability of this model in two versions (with and without RTC) is confusing unless you buy the monitor for work and do not care about its speed.

Among the monitors with the standard aspect ratio of 5:4 the Samsung SyncMaster 940N may be singled out. It has a functional stand, a uniform backlight, and no serious defects. This makes it different from the NEC AccuSync LCD93VM and ASUS MB19SE.

Among the widescreen monitors the Acer X192W is the only noteworthy model due to its exterior design but it is somewhat more expensive than the other monitors with an aspect ratio of 16:10. The strongest point of the Acer AL1916W Asd, ASUS VW193D and ViewSonic VA1903wb is their low price, so you should make your shopping choice basing on what features you need and what features you can live happily without. Note that among these four models the monitors from Acer are the only ones that have both digital and analog inputs. The other two are equipped with an analog input only.

Generally speaking, 19” LCD monitors are largely viewed by both the manufacturers and the buyers as inexpensive entry-level products today. The main reason for that is the considerable reduction of price of monitors with larger screens that has occurred recently. 20” and 22” monitors are not much more expensive, and there are more models among them with matrix types other than TN. On the other hand, you don’t need a large screen for office work, and many people are quite satisfied with 19 inches of screen space even at home, especially gamers who can’t afford an expensive graphics card that would run games fast enough at high display resolutions. So, this is not the last of our reviews of 19” monitors. We’ll be trying to keep you in touch with this market sector, too.