17- to 22-inch LCD Monitors

Best general purpose LCD monitors for home and office

For general use, TN-based LCD monitors remain a practical choice. Though they are outshined by more-expensive monitors using more-advanced LCD panels, reviews point out that many TN monitors are strong performers in their own right, especially if you respect their limits. All of the general-purpose monitors noted below use TN panels.

Currently, 17-inch LCD monitors are the smallest commonly available size. Unfortunately, reviewers don't often cover these models. Even Consumer Reports has stopped rating 17-inch LCD monitors, covering only 19- to 24-inch displays.

That's not to say that some useful guidance can't be found. For example, if you want a 17-inch monitor, you could consider one in a series in which another size is strongly recommended in reviews. For example, the 17-inch Samsung SyncMaster 743BX (*Est. $220) is a good bet because it's a smaller variation of the highly rated 19-inch Samsung SyncMaster 943N (*Est. $250).

User reviews can also be good guidance. The Hanns-G HW-173DBB (*Est. $160) and the Planar PL1700-BK (*Est. $190) have lots of user reviews and the top average ratings among 17-inch LCD monitors at NewEgg.com. The Benq FP72G+S (*Est. $230) has some support elsewhere.

Rather than 17-inch monitors, 19-to-22-inch LCD monitors represent the most popular and widely available group of monitors, thanks to the balance they strike between screen size and price. Unfortunately, the number of monitors on the market can make it difficult (even for reviewers) to exhaustively evaluate models in these size classes. As stated before, it can be more helpful to compare the reviews of a brand's product line more generally, rather than search for a review of the exact screen size you need.

Among 19-inch widescreen LCD monitors, most of what we saw regarding the HP w1907 (*Est. $200) is encouraging. It has a glossy screen, which bothers some people in general, but reaction in this case is positive. Computer Shopper rates the HP w1907 the best 19-inch LCD monitor. Reviewer Les Shu says, "The screen rendered gray-scale images well, something we don't normally see in low-cost 19-inch LCDs." He adds, "The w1907 also showed generally good color reproduction." Text quality is good, but small font sizes can be difficult to read.

The HP w1907 ranks second on PC World's current chart of the best 19-inch monitors, with sharp text and good graphics quality. The HP widescreen monitor fares very well in user reviews at CircuitCity.com, Amazon.com, NewEgg.com and CNet.com.

The Viewsonic VX1940w (*Est. $185) is another strong contender among 19-inch widescreen monitors. TechTree.com thinks it's a good value, and it tested well with text, graphics, games and movies. The Viewsonic VX1940w uniquely has 1680-by-1050-pixel resolution; other 19-inch widescreen monitors only have 1400-by-900 resolution. That higher resolution gives you the same usability as a 20-, 21- or 22-inch monitor, but the unit takes up less space and costs less. One obvious negative is that text and icons are smaller than on conventional 19-inch widescreen monitors, but Bit-Tech.net's Jeremy Laird says image quality is "razor-sharp" and that it is a good general-use LCD monitor.

Moving up in screen size, many 20-inch monitors with conventional (4:3) aspect ratios have 1600-by-1200 pixel resolution, while cheaper models only have 1400-by-1050 resolution. Widescreen monitors in diagonal sizes from 20 to 22 inches all have 1680-by-1050 resolution and are the cheapest in this group. They are slightly taller than conventional 17-inch monitors but much wider.

PC World rates the 20-inch HP w2007 (*Est. $220) as the best 20-inch monitor. Reviewer Roy Santos says it has "great graphics and text, and a reasonable price." The glossiness bothered him occasionally. PC Magazine's John Delaney says the w2007's glossy screen could be too reflective for some people, and he criticizes the one-year limited warranty. CNet.com gives it a high rating but would prefer more features and better movie playback. The HP w2007 has excellent average ratings in user reviews at Amazon.com, NewEgg.com and CircuitCity.com.

The 20-inch Samsung 2053BW (*Est. $240) also scores well. Computer Shopper names it an Editors' Choice, noting that it "was absolutely perfect" in grayscale tests and had only negligible loss of detail when testing white saturation. In a roundup of 20-inch LCDs, X-Bit Labs' Oleg Artamonov notes that the 2053BW, like other Samsung screens, has a convenient one-button "MagicBright" feature, allowing quick switching between Internet, Movie, Game, Sport and Text modes. While Artamonov concludes that the 2053BW is best for home use, especially gaming, Computer Shopper's Bill O'Brien is confident recommending this display for office cubicles as well.

The price jump between 20- and 22-inch monitors is actually quite small on average, but not all reviewers are enamored by the quality of the LCD panels typically used in the larger size. For example, AnandTech's Jarred Walton writes, "Despite their popularity 22-inch LCDs are not at present able to match the overall quality of other LCDs." He adds that "for some, the extra 2 inches in size might be enough to justify that tradeoff, but for once we're not going to recommend the larger size without some reservations."

The 22-inch Samsung SyncMaster 2253BW (*Est. $290), replacing the earlier 2232BW model, appears to be living up to the reputation of its well-reviewed predecessor, which topped reviews at BeHardware.com and X-bit Labs. Newegg.com gives the 2253BW a Customer Choice Award based on its exceptional user ratings. As with the 2053BW discussed above, reviewers of the 2253BW agree that the Samsung SyncMaster is one of the better product lines, although it lacks some adjustability and features.

The entertainment-oriented 22-inch Dell SP2208WFP is now discontinued but was selected as an Editors' Choice by PC Magazine and CNet.com. Features included an HDMI port, a webcam with a built-in microphone and a USB hub (speakers are optional). PC Magazine's John Delaney found only minor flaws, such as a poor viewing angle. Colors are sharp and text is readable down to a 5.3-point font. The SP2208WFP performed exceptionally well in CNet's DisplayMate tests. Editor Matthew Elliott was also delighted with it when playing games and watching movies. There's also a newer model available, the Dell S2209W (*Est. $240), which drops the webcam, mic and USB hub, as well as the price and is the same in every other way. This monitor has not yet been reviewed by professional outlets or users.

TechTree.com India says that the 22-inch Dell E228WFP (*Est. $260) is fine for home use but has limitations: "The Dell E228WFP is a great monitor for average users who would want to use it to see movies, play games; just anything else but professional image or movie editing." MaximumPC says quality is average in image testing and usage tests. Katherine Stevenson notes, "It lacks a richness and vibrancy that we've found in our favorite screens still, it's not a bad buy for the price." We've included the Samsung 2253BW in the ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed section as the best 22-incher, but the Dell would not be a bad choice either.