Seeing is believing

This Labs featured in the November 99 issue, any pricing seen in these reviews were correct at the time of printing.

For several years the industry settled on a 14in diagonal as th

This Labs featured in the November 99 issue, any pricing seen in these reviews were correct at the time of printing.

For several years the industry settled on a 14in diagonal as the standard display size for a PC. Weve moved onto 15in which is the current standard, but many are predicting a jump to 17in in the next year. The reasons for this consists of the usual suspects: falling manufacturing costs, higher consumer expectations and technological advances which see the physical dimensions of monitors, especially the depth, shrink so that more people can afford to fit a larger screen on their desktop.

We are just starting to see some movement in the availability and desirability of flat panel displays. There are undoubted advantages on environmental and aesthetic grounds, but until some parity is reached in pricing theres a good bet you and I will be continuing to use conventional CRT displays in the next few years still.

Not that CRT monitors have been standing idle while flat panel displays get the hype and glory. Weve already mentioned some of the improvements youre likely to see but overall youll find that the latest models are simply better, brighter and sharper than their forebears. Well draw the line at easier to use. Users have all the functions at their fingertips but no one promotes a common interface so that the on-screen controls on Brand X match the functions on Brand Y. Its the same complaint as VCR remote controls - every model has a different interface.
We might be picky but when you come to think of it, as most people purchasing a PC dont have a choice with their monitor. Most of the brand names will offer a small variety of sizes and tubes; the smaller dealers are limited by the brands they carry. And when you come to think that the single greatest component cost of a system is likely to be the monitor - greater even than the CPU - then it makes sense to make an informed decision on what display you would like to spend your time in front of.

The selection we have before you is indicative of what is out in the marketplace. Pay attention to the warranty conditions. For most people an on-site monitor warranty is lip-service and the same as RTB. The reason for this is that most monitor services are workshop jobs. What the canny purchaser shops for is a warranty that stipulates a replacement monitor while yours is in the workshop.

On the score of actual display quality these 17in monitors are great. Though they were not uniform in features all bar one represent quality without any outright flaws.

This Group Test appeared in the August, 2000 issue of PC & Tech Authority Magazine