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>My manager (a paragon of managerly solicitude) has decided to get
>me a 21" monitor. I've read a fair amount about them, and now am
>looking for recommendations.
After a *lot* of research, I ordered a Mitsubishi DiamondTron 91TXM
for my home office (had to get a new video card to support it...
went with Matrox Millenium 4MB). I only just installed it,
but it looks wonderful at 1280x1024 at 85 Hz. It looks sharper,
brighter, and less grainy than the two NECs I use at work:
17" XV17 1024x768 -at- 72 Hz
21" 6FGp 1280x1024 -at- 72 Hz (comparable to XP21, I think)
(both have OK-but-not-top-end Number Nine video cards)
NEC used to be the best buy in large monitors, but new products by
Hitachi, Mitsubish, and Viewsonic in the last 18 months beat them
in specs and price. However, NEC has reknowned service and is
a popular corporate choice. I haven't seen their newest line.
In my research, I found that Panasonic and Viewsonic monitors had
wonderful specs, but did not compare well in focus and brightness.
Hitachi SuperScans looked good, but the models I was considering
turned out not to support both Mac and PC, something I need.
Monitors are like stereo speakers in that some of the quality issue
is subjective--it helps to look before you buy. In Austin, a couple
of stores stock 21" monitors: Best Buy had Panasonic and NEC;
CompUSA had Hitachi, Viewsonic, and NEC. Unfortunately, they
stocked only the low-end 21" monitor of each mfr's series--at a
high price, at that.
There has been a lot of Usenet chat about this subject (try AltaVista
search of Usenet for "21-inch monitor"), including an extremely long
analysis of Hitachi, Viewsonic, and Mitsubishi monitors. The writer
is a Mitsubishi fan, and so far I have not found him to be wrong.
Two good resources:
* NECX, an online computer store that offers detailed information
(including side-by-side product comparisons of *your* choice)
and good prices: http://www.necx.com
I ordered from them and am very happy with their performance.
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