NEC MultiSync FE992 review: NEC MultiSync FE992

CRT manufacturers are forever coming up with new and exciting ways to sell what is essentially a 100-year-old technology. With the NEC MultiSync FE992, it's all about the "dynamic cabinet design," which "creates space," and the ClearFlat screen, which is supposed to reduce distortion and glare. Indeed, the $219 FE992 is not the bulkiest 19-inch CRT we've seen, and its screen is pleasantly glare-free. Better yet, it delivers accurate color and grayscales. It's a solid display overall.

Vacuum-tube technology makes CRTs inherently bulky, but NEC seems to have put a lot of thought into streamlining the MultiSync FE992. Though it weighs 40.8 pounds--average for a CRT--and measures 17.6 by 17.9 by 18.5 inches (WHD), its cinched back end takes up slightly less space than that of a typical 19-inch CRT.

All CRTs lack the adjustability of LCDs. The MultiSync FE992's ball-and-socket joint affords it only a few degrees of tilt in all directions, though it moves smoothly for a big CRT.

The monitor's onscreen menu (OSM) is easy to navigate, thanks to the cluster of buttons on the MultiSync FE992's bottom bezel, which includes Menu, Select, and four-way navigation keys. The OSM options are pretty standard for a CRT. In addition to a color-temperature setting (between 5,000 and 10,000 degrees Kelvin), the FE992 has an impressive array of standard controls for adjusting the shape of the picture, including skew, pincushion, and hooking for the bottom and top corners.

The MultiSync FE992's maximum resolution is 1,600x1,200 (at a 75Hz refresh rate), but you're better off with the recommended setting: 1,280x1,024 (at 85Hz). At the recommended resolution, the display performed reasonably well on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based tests. Smaller text looked fuzzy and difficult to read, but the MultiSync FE992's grayscale and color-test screens were a joy to behold, compared to those of LCDs, which can display only a limited range of colors. Grays looked pure gray and whites looked white. The transition from dark to light was smooth and even, though the shades lacked intensity. Colors looked rich. The OSM's shape controls could not correct a few distortions in the monitor's geometry, but the problems weren't overly distracting.

The NEC MultiSync FE992 comes with an industry-standard three-year warranty, but you can extend it up to two more years for $35 a year. Toll-free tech support is available 24/7, and NEC's support Web site offers live chat with a technician, e-mail support, FAQs, troubleshooting, and driver downloads. When we sent an e-mail query to tech support, we received a reply within two hours.