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LCD six-pack: Monitors that make the grade

Matthew Elliott
Matthew Elliott, November 9, 2007

If you are looking to upgrade your current PC monitor or pick up an external display for your laptop, odds are you're looking in the 19- to 22-inch range. Prices are such that it's easy to justify going with a 22-inch model; they don't cost all that much more than 20-inch models, and prices rise quickly when you move up to 24-inch LCD monitors. We've recently reviewed 22-inch LCDs from AOC, HP, Gateway, and ViewSonic, each of which proved itself to be an able performer on CNET Labs' image quality tests. The feature sets vary, so read the reviews to find the model that best suits your needs. You might also consider a simple yet stellar 20-inch model from HP and a basic 19-inch LCD from Acer.

Product name
Price $278.42 Check Prices Check Prices $229.99 to $342.52 $219.00 to $300.85 $149.99 to $219.99
CNET editors' rating
Average user rating
Review date August 24, 2007 April 11, 2007 September 25, 2007 August 28, 2007 August 16, 2007 September 12, 2007
The Bottom Line If not for the short warranty, the Gateway FPD2275W would have taken home an Editors' Choice award for its winning design, feature set, and performance. If you can live with a one-year warranty (or spring for the extended coverage), we recommend this stellar 22-inch wide-screen LCD. If you can look past a few minor issues, we can think of few people who would be unhappy to own HP's new w2207 LCD. Its attractive design, outstanding overall performance, and approachable price tag make this one of our favorite 22-inch screens to date. The AOC 212Va-1 LCD monitor sticks to the basics and does it well, delivering a better-than-average but not terribly bright image at a low price, but sacrificing extras that you may not need anyway along the way. The 22-inch ViewSonic VX2255wmb features a wide-screen display framed by a consumer-friendly, piano-black bezel, but it lacks the extra video ports consumers can rightfully expect to find on an LCD these days. Its image quality is excellent, however, and it boasts a built-in Webcam and microphone. It's a little shy on features, and we wouldn't recommend the HP w2007 for HD movie watching. Then again, we wouldn't suggest you use any 20-inch LCD for that purpose. What we did like was the overall image quality of this display, which we found outstanding, and it's ultimately what saves the monitor. We wouldn't pay more than $200 or so for any 19-inch LCD, but if you need a smaller screen and can find Acer's p191w for that price, we'd recommend it. It's a basic display with no speakers or HDCP-support, but its image quality and sleek design make up for any lacking secondary features.
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Features
Country Kits Info unavailable United States
Info unavailable Info unavailable United States
Info unavailable
Compatibility PC
PC
PC
Mac
PC
Mac
PC
PC
Display (projector) technology TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
Max resolution 1680 x 1050
1680 x 1050
1680 x 1050
1680 x 1050
1680 x 1050
1440 x 900
Dot pitch 0.282 mm
0.282 mm
0.282 mm
0.282 mm
0.282 mm
0.284 mm
Weight 17.4 lbs
19.8 lbs
13.2 lbs
13 lbs
19.8 lbs
13.2 lbs
Input device type Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable None
Info unavailable None
Viewable screen size Info unavailable 22 in
Info unavailable 22 in
Info unavailable 19 in
Digital video standard Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
Service & support type 1 year warranty
1 year warranty
3 years warranty
3 years warranty
Limited warranty