HP LP2065

We found the best review at Government Computer News. This publication is written especially for office workers, and testing is as thorough as we found anywhere. We also found good reviews aimed at a more general audience from PC Magazine, CNet.com, DigitalTrends.com and Maximum PC magazine.

The HP LP2065 looks like a good bet in a 20-inch general-use monitor. While this HP monitor wouldn't be anyone's first choice for watching video or playing games, it isn't awful at either, reviews say. A review by DigitalTrends.com says color quality is OK for average gamers. But the major attraction is text display. The HP LP2065 isn't a widescreen, which reduces the amount of scrolling required for a similar amount of text (or web page). And the specialized vertical alignment panel is meant to reduce eyestrain. A review geared specifically to government office workers says the HP LP2065 tested better on text display than any monitor it had tried (and was also the worst at distinguishing shades of gray). Another advantage is this monitor's ability to rotate 90 degrees, and since this is a business monitor, there is onsite service available for the next business day under the three-year warranty. If you prefer a widescreen monitor, the 20-inch Samsung SyncMaster 2053BW (*est. $240) costs less and also gets good reviews.