The last few years has seen the power of GPUs increase exponentially bringing ultra-realistic gaming to the mainstream. At the same time, CRTs have gradually faded away with prices of LCD panels falling rapidly and actually becoming affordable. Screen s izes have not remained stagnant either. Widescreen monitors have appeared on the scene, leading to an explosion in the availability of large resolution monitors. These allow you to enjoy games and movies in excellent detail, and look drool-worthy due to their awesome sizes and stunning looks.
In this feature, we pick the three best high-resolution widescreen monitors for the technophile.
Viewsonic VX2235WM : Rs. 29,000
Viewsonic has been a perennial favorite with gamers and enthusiasts. The Viewsonic VX2235WM is a 22-inch flat panel, with a native resolution of 1680x1050 and a contrast ratio of 700:1. The monitor is usable with older PCs as it supports both DVI and Analog inputs. This widescreen resolution offers an impressive amount of workspace. The monitor also has an ultra-fast 5ms response time, makes gaming a pleasure and allows HD video (720p) to be viewed without the ghosting effect, which is visible in other monitors in the 22 inch range. It also sports two 2.5W speakers on each side of the screen, that have decent output without the need for dedicated external speakers.
The VX2235WM ships in a stunning piano black body with a slim bezel and is priced at Rs. 29,000. Check out our review of this product coming up soon.
Dell Ultrasharp 2407FPW LCD : Rs. 40,000
Dell never ceases to surprise me, with the amount of features they manage to pack into their monitors and the prices at which they sell them. The Ultrasharp 2407FPW LCD comes in a sturdy dark grey bezel with four USB 2.0 Slots and a native resolution of 1920x1200. Its response time of 5ms (Gray to Gray) and contrast ration of 1000:1 allows for clear gaming and video viewing without the tearing effect that is prevalent at high resolutions.
The monitor also comes fully equipped with S-Video, composite and component inputs therefore allowing you to hook it up to a video camera, gaming console and other external video sources. It even features a 9-in-2 media card reader for use with flash media. A great plus point is its resolution of 1920x1200, is HD ready (monitor can output 480p,720p,1080i/p) and with its wide variety of external connectivity options, you can easily use it with an external player or a Blu-Ray/HD-DVD DVD-ROM—once these are more common place.
The Dell Ultrasharp 2407FPW LCD with its wide variety of options and excellent response time is priced at Rs. 40,000.
Dell has priced itself quite sweetly at 40k. Now if they just reduced the price to 30-35k, they would kill the competition. 1.2l for the cinema display which is not as good or sharp as the dell is typical of apple's not for everyone approach.
