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In the beginning all monitors had tiny screens. Then came the quantum leap from fluorescent green text to color graphics, and screen sizes began to inch upward. Soon it seemed that almost everyone had a 15-inch monitor. Before long, consumers were demanding larger, higher-resolution screens. Prices fell, and 17-inch models became the standard. But hold on to your hat. Now a profusion of affordable new 19-inch models is vying for a spot on your desktop.
Prices Take a Dive
Only a year ago we reviewed the first of the 19-inch monitors. They looked great and, starting at about $1100, they were a lot cheaper than their main competition: 21-inch big-screen models. But what a difference a year makes! One of the models we reviewed then-- Hitachi's SuperScan Elite 751--can now be procured from aggressive discounters at just over half its former cost. Current prices commonly range from about $600 to $800, about the cost of last year's crop of 17-inchers. Prices are even down significantly since our last review of "Top 10 19-Inch Monitors" just last August. So we decided to round up a half dozen new and upgraded models that weren't available for that review.
Our current batch ranges in price from $488 to $799. We selected models from Compaq, Cornerstone, Dell, Korea Data Systems, Mitsubishi, and Panasonic and tested them at a resolution of 1280 by 1024 with the same suite of screens we use for our "Top 10 Monitors" reviews. The Dell and Mitsubishi units both use aperture grille (or stripe pitch) CRTs; the other models used the more common dot pitch tubes. Mitsubishi's Diamond Pro 900u stands out from the rest by having a perfectly flat screen; it also includes USB ports, as does Compaq's V900.
Different Strokes
The Compaq, Cornerstone, Dell, and Panasonic--priced from $579 to $740--are all well suited for business and home use. Each looked very good displaying our test screens. However, the Dell UltraScan P990 had an edge over the others. Its Sony Trinitron tube outshined the other displays: it seemed brighter and sharper with more-vivid colors than any of the dot pitch models. The Dell surprised us with its attractive $579 price, which beat most of the dot pitch models; aperture grille monitors are usually...