Why You Can Trust CNET AG Neovo F-417 review: AG Neovo F-417
<i>Good value</i> has become synonymous with <i>inexpensive,</i> but it originally meant getting something of high quality at a low price. The 17-inch F-417 LCD is part of AG Neovo's Value Line, but the image quality just isn't there. Are there enough extras to make up for it? Read our review.
AG Neovo’s F-417: value or varmint?
Good value has become synonymous with inexpensive, but it originally meant getting something of high quality at a low price. The 17-inch F-417 LCD is part of AG Neovo's relatively inexpensive Value Line, but the quality just isn't there. Users looking for a better deal should check out the comparably priced Planar PE170.
The F-417's appearance is spartan. It has a gray-and-black bezel, the bottom of which sits a meager 2 inches off of the desktop. Too low for you? Too bad: you can't raise, lower, pivot, or swivel the display. The panel does tilt 15 degrees forward and approximately 30 degrees backward, however. Should you desire additional flexibility, the F-417 connects to a VESA-standard arm and a wall-mounted bracket, both "--="" rel="noopener nofollow" class="c-regularLink" target="_blank">&siteid=7&edid=&lop=txt&destcat=ex_1&destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eneovo%2Dusa%2Ecom%2Fproducts%2Faccessories%2Ehtm">sold separately. Although AG Neovo says that the F-417 has fairly wide viewing angles--160 degrees horizontal and 130 degrees vertical--we found that the contrast and brightness levels changed dramatically at even 30 degrees from the side.
The F-417 has no digital input or audio connections; there's just one analog input (cable included) and a power port on the back panel. Six buttons on the lower-right bezel control the power and the onscreen menus. The F-417 offers a decent range of image-adjustment options, but we found that altering the brightness level had only a slight effect on the image. Still, the rest of the image-adjustment controls work as stated, although closing the menu is challenging: no one button automatically closes it, and only one of the 16 function screens offers an exit option.
We could look beyond these flaws if the F-417 delivered good image quality, but no such luck. In CNET's tests, we found sudden shifts in color intensity instead of a smooth, linear progression. We also detected distortions in adjacent blocks of color. Our grayscale test screens displayed prominent ripples and hot spots; darker grays had a green hue and lighter grays looked bluish. The F-417 couldn't even manage basic tasks: text displayed on colored backgrounds and smaller fonts were barely legible because of a lack of sharpness.
AG Neovo's service warranty is average: three years on parts, labor, and the backlight. For one year after purchase, the company will replace a monitor that has seven or more dead pixels. Toll-free tech support is available 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, and representatives are friendly and knowledgeable.
Find out more about how we test LCDs.
Good value has become synonymous with inexpensive, but it originally meant getting something of high quality at a low price. The 17-inch F-417 LCD is part of AG Neovo's relatively inexpensive Value Line, but the quality just isn't there. Users looking for a better deal should check out the comparably priced Planar PE170.
The F-417's appearance is spartan. It has a gray-and-black bezel, the bottom of which sits a meager 2 inches off of the desktop. Too low for you? Too bad: you can't raise, lower, pivot, or swivel the display. The panel does tilt 15 degrees forward and approximately 30 degrees backward, however. Should you desire additional flexibility, the F-417 connects to a VESA-standard arm and a wall-mounted bracket, both "--="" rel="noopener nofollow" class="c-regularLink" target="_blank">&siteid=7&edid=&lop=txt&destcat=ex_1&destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eneovo%2Dusa%2Ecom%2Fproducts%2Faccessories%2Ehtm">sold separately. Although AG Neovo says that the F-417 has fairly wide viewing angles--160 degrees horizontal and 130 degrees vertical--we found that the contrast and brightness levels changed dramatically at even 30 degrees from the side.
The F-417 has no digital input or audio connections; there's just one analog input (cable included) and a power port on the back panel. Six buttons on the lower-right bezel control the power and the onscreen menus. The F-417 offers a decent range of image-adjustment options, but we found that altering the brightness level had only a slight effect on the image. Still, the rest of the image-adjustment controls work as stated, although closing the menu is challenging: no one button automatically closes it, and only one of the 16 function screens offers an exit option.
We could look beyond these flaws if the F-417 delivered good image quality, but no such luck. In CNET's tests, we found sudden shifts in color intensity instead of a smooth, linear progression. We also detected distortions in adjacent blocks of color. Our grayscale test screens displayed prominent ripples and hot spots; darker grays had a green hue and lighter grays looked bluish. The F-417 couldn't even manage basic tasks: text displayed on colored backgrounds and smaller fonts were barely legible because of a lack of sharpness.
AG Neovo's service warranty is average: three years on parts, labor, and the backlight. For one year after purchase, the company will replace a monitor that has seven or more dead pixels. Toll-free tech support is available 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, and representatives are friendly and knowledgeable.
| CNET Labs DisplayMate tests (Longer bars indicate better performance) | ||||||||||
|
| Brightness in nits | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Note: Measured with the Sencore CP500 |
Find out more about how we test LCDs.