Screen Gems
Our tests of 22 new displays reveal which ones give you the most monitor for your money.by Kalpana Narayanamurthi
Shopping for a computer monitor can be like looking for the right house. Some home buyers put appearance before square footage, while others are concerned with a property's size or the features that make it distinctive. But even the most beautiful gem of a cottage won't meet your needs if it's too small, and the cheapest mansion isn't a good buy if it's an eyesore.
So do you want a monitor with great curb appeal, or are you willing to sacrifice image quality to get a little more elbow room? In addition to the simple question of size, you must choose among low- and high-end models, some with USB ports, some with flat screens, some with curved screens, and some with prices too good to pass up. Oh, and did we mention LCDs?
Several years ago computer users tended to purchase 15-inch CRT monitors, mainly because they were the most affordable. But prices have fallen considerably. In 1999, 17-inch CRTs vying for our charts cost an average of $417; now many are available for under $200. As a result, the differences between 17-, 19-, and 21-inch models have narrowed so much that prices in each size class overlap--you can now choose a 19-inch monitor that costs less than many 17-inch displays, or a 21-inch model that costs less than high-end 19-inch screens.
Furthermore, demanding graphics programs, such as those for image and video editing, benefit from larger screen area and higher resolutions. Graphics cards have risen to the challenge; many currently available cards can easily support a resolution of 1280 by 1024, 1600 by 1200, or even higher--at 32-bit color.
Surveying the Field
To help you sort out which monitors provide the best screen real estate for your dollar, we set out to appraise 22 CRT monitors in three different size classes--17-inch, 19-inch, and 21-inch. We threw a host of text and graphics applications at them to see which produced the best image quality, and we evaluated each unit's features, price, service policies, and usability. To fairly compare monitors of different sizes, we considered each model's viewable area when we calculated its overall score. (On average, 19-inch monitors offer 26 percent more viewable area than 17-inch ones, and 21-inch models offer 56 percent more.) Finally, we limited our field to monitors that cost less than $700. The cheapest unit we looked at, a 17-incher, cost a scant $195, and the most expensive, a 19-incher, cost $699. NEC-Mitsubishi declined to participate in our review, so we were unable to evaluate any of their CRT displays.
After all the tests and inspections, one model--Samsung's 19-inch SyncMaster 950p--emerged as the clear winner, thanks to its impressive image quality, wealth of useful features, and hard-to-beat $284 price. Close on its heels was another Samsung, the 17-inch SyncMaster 700NF. Its fantastic image quality and reasonable $279 price make it a solid value as well.
While 17-inch monitors may be de rigueur now, 19-inch models' falling prices make them increasingly worth considering. On our chart, 19-inch displays hold five spots, and 17-inch models capture four. A lone 21-inch contender snags the number ten spot. All of the monitors that made the chart cost less than $600; the most expensive is the 21-incher--which, at $578, is still a bargain for its viewable area.
The chart demonstrates, however, that the best value isn't necessarily the monitor with the most screen area. Two 17-inchers, the SyncMaster 700NF and Sony's CPD-G220S, earned high chart positions because they were the only two models to earn Excellent ratings for both text and graphics.
Flat-screen, aperture-grille units grabbed six spots on the chart, edging out displays based on invar shadow mask technology. However, flat-screen displays usually cost more: Of the six on the chart, only one, the 17-inch SyncMaster 700NF, is under $300. (See " What Makes a Monitor Expensive?")
The Appraisal Process
According to Rhoda Alexander, director of monitor research at market research firm Stanford Resources--ISuppli, over 80 percent of current computer users surveyed would choose a display costing $350 or less. In the past, that figure might have restricted the choice to 15- and 17-inch monitors, but falling prices have blown the field wide open.
Mario Morales, a data electronics technician at Cerritos Community College in Norwalk, California, was looking for monitors below that $350 price ceiling. Faced with the prospect of having to replace roughly 200 to 300 computers and monitors on campus each year, Morales conducted extensive research before settling on two models to distribute to all departments: the 17-inch ViewSonic GS773 and the 19-inch ViewSonic GS790 (number four on our chart). According to Morales, price wasn't as much of an issue as short case depth, given the space constraints in many of the college's classrooms. Indeed, for departments with small laboratories, Morales says he is recommending LCD monitors instead.
Although we've chosen to focus on CRT monitors in this roundup, we're well aware that LCD monitors--particularly 15-inch displays--have been dropping in price in recent months. However, LCD monitors still cost substantially more than CRTs, especially if you consider the screen size. Stanford Resources' Alexander says that if your budgetary constraints are more pressing than your space constraints, a CRT monitor continues to be a sensible investment.
Kalpana Narayanamurthi is an associate editor at PC World.
Top 10 Monitors (chart)
| Rank | Monitor | Street price (6/8/01) | Overall rating | Text quality | Graphics quality | Size class (inches) | Dimensions (inches)1 | Measured viewable area (inches)2 | Tube type | Pitch (mm)3 | Maximum refresh rate at tested resolution | Maximum resolution (at minimum refresh rate of 70 Hz) | Ease of use of controls | TCO compliance | Extras | Warranty (years) | Tech support (hours/days, charge) |
| 1 | Best Buy Samsung SyncMaster 950p (http://find.pcworld.com/10570)  | $284 | 93 | Very good | Very good | 19 | 18.4/19.0/18.6 | 18.0 | Shadow mask | 0.26 | 89 Hz | 1920 by 1440 | Excellent | 99 | Color- and image-adjusting software | 3 | 24/7, toll-free |
| 2 | Best Buy Samsung SyncMaster 700NF (http://find.pcworld.com/10571) | $279 | 93 | Excellent | Excellent | 17 | 16.3/17.6/17.2 | 15.9 | Diamondtron NF | 0.25 | 89 Hz | 1920 by 1440 | Excellent | 99 | Color- and image-adjusting software | 3 | 24/7, toll-free |
| 3 | Sony CPD-G220S (http://find.pcworld.com/10572)  | $370 | 90 | Excellent | Excellent | 17 | 15.8/16.5/16.6 | 15.9 | FD Trinitron | 0.24-0.25 | 85 Hz | 1280 by 1024 | Very good | 99 | Built-in speaker | 3 | 24/7, toll-free |
| 4 | ViewSonic GS790 (http://find.pcworld.com/10573) | $315 | 90 | Good | Very good | 19 | 17.6/18.3/16.2 | 18.0 | Shadow mask | 0.26 | 89 Hz | 1600 by 1200 | Good | 99 | Horizontal and vertical moiré adjustment | 3 | 24/7, toll-free |
| 5 | KDS VS 195i (http://find.pcworld.com/10574) | $259 | 89 | Very good | Good | 19 | 18.2/18.3/19.1 | 18.2 | Shadow mask | 0.25 | 85 Hz | 1600 by 1200 | Good | 99 | None | 3 | 11/5, toll-free |
| 6 | Compaq P710 (http://find.pcworld.com/10575) | $379 | 89 | Very good | Very good | 17 | 16.1/16.2/17.1 | 15.9 | Diamondtron NF | 0.25 | 85 Hz | 1600 by 1200 | Good | 99 | Moiré adjustment | 3 | 24/7, toll-free |
| 7 | Eizo Nanao FlexScan T565 (http://find.pcworld.com/10576) | $499 | 89 | Very good | Excellent | 17 | 16.1/16.3/17.3 | 15.8 | FD Trinitron | 0.25 | 118 Hz | 1600 by 1200 | Very good | 99 | Bezel button alters color temperature for text and graphics applications | 3 | 8/5, toll-free |
| 8 | Sony CPD-G420S (http://find.pcworld.com/10577) | $530 | 89 | Very good | Very good | 19 | 17.8/18.5/18.1 | 17.9 | FD Trinitron | 0.24-0.25 | 85 Hz | 1920 by 1440 | Very good | 99 | Built-in speaker | 3 | 24/7, toll-free |
| 9 | HP P920 (http://find.pcworld.com/10578) | $529 | 88 | Very good | Very good | 19 | 18.4/19.1/18.6 | 17.9 | Diamondtron NF | 0.24 | 85 Hz | 1920 by 1440 | Satisfactory | 99 | None | 1 | 11/7, toll call |
| 10 | Optiquest Q115 (http://find.pcworld.com/10579)  | $578 | 88 | Good | Very good | 21 | 19.6/19.8/19.2 | 19.6 | Shadow mask | 0.26 | 88 Hz | 1600 by 1200 | Very good | 92 | Moiré adjustment | 3 | 24/7, toll-free |
Monitor Reviews
Best Buy: Samsung SyncMaster 950p
Best Buy: Samsung SyncMaster 700NF
Sony CPD-G220S
ViewSonic GS790
KDS VS 195i
Compaq P710
Eizo Nanao FlexScan T565
Sony CPD-G420S
HP P920
Optiquest Q115
Beyond the Top 10: Optiquest Q95
Beyond the Top 10: Sampo AlphaScan 912ST
Beyond the Top 10: Iiyama Vision Master 406 Shadow Flat
Beyond the Top 10: Hitachi CM810
Beyond the Top 10: Cornerstone Peripherals c1030
Beyond the Top 10: Eizo Nanao FlexScan T761
Beyond the Top 10: Iiyama i91a
Beyond the Top 10: CTX EX950F
Beyond the Top 10: Acer G773
Beyond the Top 10: Dell E771p
Beyond the Top 10: Hitachi CM615
Beyond the Top 10: Envision EN-780e
Price Check: What Makes a Monitor Expensive?
If you've ever considered purchasing a new monitor, then you've probably found that prices lie all over the map. Even if two 17-inch CRTs look identical, one can cost as much as $500; another, less than $200. So what the heck is the difference between the high- and low-priced models, anyway?
According to Rhoda Alexander, director of monitor research at market research firm Stanford Resources--ISuppli, the biggest factor determining a monitor's cost is the type of tube it uses. Less-expensive monitors tend to use invar shadow mask technology, in which the monitor's electron gun fires electrons through a shadow mask (a metal sheet riddled with holes), which focuses the beam to illuminate precisely the phosphors coating the inside of the front glass of the tube.
More-expensive models tend to use aperture-grille tubes, which focus the electron beam with thin vertical wires instead of a shadow mask. The aperture grille sits on a heavy metal frame, so monitors that use it require more metal than shadow mask monitors do. As a result, they're more expensive to manufacture. Ian Miller, director of technology for Samsung Electronics America, notes that if a monitor has a flat screen (which most aperture-grille monitors now feature), rather than a curved screen, it will probably be more costly. That's because of the complicated manufacturing process required to correct image distortion at the corners of the display, where the glass must be curved on the inside to ensure that the electron beam accurately hits the proper phosphors.
Vendors that use a flat-screen aperture-grille tube such as Mitsubishi's Diamondtron NF or Sony's FD Trinitron must purchase the tubes directly from Mitsubishi or Sony. Both companies charge premium rates for their tubes, ostensibly to account for the extra manufacturing expense. However, some observers think the price isn't due only to the manufacturing process. "Products with an FD Trinitron or Diamondtron NF tube tend to command a premium in the market," says Jim Witkowski, chief hardware engineer for Cornerstone Monitors. "At least some of the premium is due to the brand name," he added.
Manufacturing a display for use at higher resolutions and refresh rates can also incur labor costs that carry over into the overall cost. Witkowski explains that certain aspects of the manufacturing process must be performed manually. A high level of skill is required, for instance, to tune convergence rings at the back of the CRT. While the process might be quick for a 15-inch model, it isn't for a 21-inch CRT. "It's difficult to keep the image sharp, and thus [different] companies that use the exact same tube can have dramatically different quality levels," says Witkowski.
Compliance with standards such as TCO'99 also plays a role in raising costs. TCO'99 requires monitors to meet strict emissions limits and to use recyclable parts, among other things. Cheaper models use shielding, but not enough to meet TCO's strict standards. All but one of the monitors on our chart are TCO'99 compliant. Optiquest's Q115 complies with the older TCO'92, which is less stringent regarding the use of recyclable parts.
Other cost factors are the extras a monitor may come with, such as USB ports, color- or image-adjusting software, and advanced on-screen controls.
Is paying for a costly high-end monitor worth it? According to Alexander, it can be. "Users would be smart to spend a little extra to get a monitor with a flat face. It's well worth the price," she says. Witkowski doesn't agree. He insists that Trinitron and Diamondtron tubes don't offer significantly better performance than shadow mask tubes. However, in our tests we found that pricier flat-screen monitors outperformed shadow mask monitors.
Cost Analysis
Several factors determine whether a monitor is costly to manufacture.
For invar shadowmask and aperture grille models:
- TCO compliance
- Certain parts that have to be tuned by hand, incurring labor costs
- Extras such as color- or image-adjusting software, built-in speakers, or USB ports
For aperture grille models only:
- Heavy frame that requires more metal
- Flat-screen tubes, with curved glass at inside corners of display, that require a complicated manufacturing process
Best Values: Price vs. Performance
You don't have to pay through the nose to get top-notch image quality. Thanks to falling monitor prices, you can now buy a 19-inch model that performs better--yet costs less--than some 17-inch displays. The clouds indicate where price and performance overlap. The best values--those monitors that provide the best performance at the lowest price--are located in the lower-right portion of the chart.
