Tom's Hardware > All Reviews > Peripherals > Monitors > 17" LCD Part I: Six Sexy Panels

Conclusion

07:00 - Monday 29 April 2002 by Vincent Alzieu

Name	L712	X-174	TFT 7020	PV 720a	170B2M	LM 1711
Manufacturer	ADI	AG Neovo	Compaq	CTX	Philips	Solarism
Price in US $	$659	$917	$820	$685	-	$1099
Technology	TN + Film	MVA	TN + Film	TN + Film	nc	IPS
Panel manufacturer	CHI MEY	Fujitsu	Acer	Acer	Acer	Samsung
Response time	40 ms	25 ms	25 ms	45 ms	40 ms	40 ms
No of colors displayed	16 million	16 million	16 million	16 million	16 million	16 million
Contrast rate	300 : 1	400 : 1	400 : 1	350 : 1	400 : 1	400 : 1
Brightness	250 cd/m²	220 cd/m²	250 cd/m²	250 cd/m²	250 cd/m²	600 cd/m²
Vertical angle of vision	1100	1600	1400	1150	1600	1700
Horizontal angle of vision	1200	1600	1500	1200	1600	1700
Screen (diagonal measurement)	17 inches	17 inches	17 inches	17 inches	17 inches	17 inches
Connection	VGA + S-VIDEO + DVI	VGA + S-VIDEO + DVI	VGA + DVI	VGA	Analog + Digital	VGA + S-VIDEO + DVI
Integrated loudspeakers	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pivoting function	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Size (mm)	486 x 479 x 214	432 x 407 x 175	436 x 424 x 178	438 x 447 x 166	414 x 406 x 180	450 x 430 x 200
Weight	6 Kg	7 Kg	6.5 Kg	7.5 Kg	7 Kg	8.1 Kg

Six screens competed in Part I of this test. Of all the displays, Solarism was the only one that stood out from the rest. What it has going for it are bright, luminous colors that are unbelievably comfortable to use. On the other hand, the response time is rather poor, which limits its use for games such as Quake.

Next in line is the Philips screen with its exceptional ergonomics. Tied for third place are the ADI and CTX, two monitors without a particular defect except for a slight tendency to veer towards a dominant color. The CTX has a slight advantage in that the PV720a has a pivoting function.

The Compaq and NEOVO screens bring up the rear. Our opinion is that they are only good enough for office use in a corporate environment.