If you're looking for something arty to adorn a corporate front desk or shop counter the LG stands out from the crowd.

19in widescreen LCD TV which shows much promise and is Dell’s first consumer offering in Australia. Spec-wise it looks quite good on paper, with 450cd/m2 brightness, 600:1 contrast ratio and 1280 x 768 widescreen resolution, and it doesn’t disappoint when fired up.

The MultiSync LCD1760V has a design sporting a small bezel, making it look more like one of the LGs.

Featuring a very high neck, a very deep stand and a thin bezel, the LG L1710B evoked the iMac screen’s ability to ‘float’ in front of you. What’s more, the LG panel could be rotated to portrait mode if required, a feature that made it perfect for lots of document use or for graphic artists.

It was a little hard to compare some monitors as they were more for the high-end market where others were aimed at the consumer/budget market. Such was the case with the Viewsonic VP171B, a high-end professional graphics model. The VP171B featured 280cd/m² brightness coupled with an incredible 600:1 contrast ratio.

The SyncMaster 172X from Samsung was a bit of a powerhouse in our tests, scoring highly in all regards except one: surprisingly the monitor was a little over-saturated, meaning whites looked a little washed out, and this would not change regardless of how we tweaked and fiddled with the screen’s settings. However in day-to-day usage you’d barely notice this.

Sony’s SDM-HX73 was an extremely attractive TFT with plenty of features and performance for your buck. The specifications that set it apart from the rest were the dual RGB D-Sub connector for two analog inputs, the 400:1 contrast ratio and the 400cd/m² brightness ratios, a combo that’s impressive indeed.

The FlexScan L557 was a great looking monitor with some top specs, including a high contrast ratio, dual inputs (D-Sub and DVI-D), very wide (and high) viewing angles (170º vertical and 170º horizontal), and a whopping five-year next business day warranty.

If you're space conscious or limited when it comes to your PC set up then no doubt you've already looked at the TFT display option at some point. We've got three new TFT offerings from three companies in the Labs this month, which should give you a good idea of the state of play of the TFT market at the moment.

Scoring stronger than both the more costly 17inch Panasonic and Hitachi, the Mitsubishi DV172B just misses out on a recommendation.

Weighing in as more of a budget 18in option, the Cornea 1810MF costs less than some of the 17in models, but is by no means budget in configuration, with some excellent features up its sleeves.

AOC's 19in LM914 has a DVI-D and an extraordinarily high contrast ratio, thus it holds its ground with regards to specifications.

High contrast and fine focal abilities make this display perfectly suited for business or student users doing a lot of reading. Impressive sharpness and resolution scores make it a great companion to those doing desktop publishing or graphic manipulation.

Boasting two D-Sub and two audio ports along with DVI-D, the Sony SDMX72 presents a range of features that even surpasses the winning BenQ FP791.

Almost identical to the FP591, 15in model (previous page), the BenQ FP791 is everything the little model is, although we actually found it to be slightly more.

CTX has put together a very sturdy display that is a real all-round performer. The solid steel base is heavy and encased in black ABS plastic, great for occasional knocks on your desk.

As with all of the NEC displays we received, the bases are strong and have a good range of tilt movement.

The IBM T170 presents a versatile and clean design and would score well for physical design.

The ACER AL922 is a 19in screen that performed somewhat inconsistently across our range of tests. It scored strongly in colour and yet poor in clarity and real-world tasks.

One of the more expensive 17in models reviewed - weighing in at just under $1,800, the AG Neovo F-317 proves the adage that you get what you pay for.