Conclusion
To the question : which monitor is the best today, the jury answered unanimously :
The verdict is given: the new challengers including TN 4 ms and Samsung/Fujitsu 8 ms panels haven’t replaced the ViewSonic monitor, which is still, for us, the best balanced monitor on the market.
This monitor won’t, however, be the best for all monitor users. This is the one we recommend for a multiple use: games, office, picture editing, video, surf…
If you have a tight budget (almost 200€ cheaper), the Fujitsu-Siemens C19-4, a monitor including the same panel than the VP191b with lower ergonomics and little higher afterglow will be a very good choice.
Hard core gamers will still benefit more from a TN panel. The 4ms version hasn’t convinced us and we are waiting for a final version to see if some of the problems we noticed are corrected. While waiting for these corrections, the Samsung TN 8 ms panels monitors are still the most interesting. More and more are now under 400€: there is the Iiyama E480S tested here, the Hyundai L90D+, the Samsung 913N…
The first 6ms, the BenQ FP91V+, has the best reaction time, but the panel surface treatment – mirror effect – disturb us. It isn’t really annoying for games, but it distorts colors and reduces movies quality.
For graphic designers, you have two options. If you have an important budget you will find the new Nec LCD 1980FXi a very good choice. This is a very good IPS monitor. If you feel it is too expensive, the new VA AU Optronics will be perfect once it is calibrated. The Fujitsu-Siemens C19-4 has an unbeatable price/quality ratio.
Finally for video, the NEC monitor also provides the best results ahead of VA panels. This is the first time that we obtained such a result. Once more, if you prefer to save your money for other things, the VA of Fujitsu-Siemens and ViewSonic are excellent choices (with twinkling effects in dark areas).
Survey : Episode II
This new roundup doesn’t replace the last one published for 19" monitors, it completes it. The tested products are still in shops. It is, however, best to make an update of the monitor prices tested in December.
You will also notice the price reduction in less than 6 months: 25%.
>
Access to the previous 19" survey: 8, 12, 16, 25 msWe also remind you that we published a
17 inches survey, another one for
20 inches and a third one dedicated to
23 and 24 inches monitors.
