An Overlooked Value
Written: Feb 15 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A truly quality monitor with premium refresh rates for $150 is a steal!
Cons: Big footprint, relatively unstylish and inefficient case design!
The Bottom Line: This is easily the best monitor in its price range and class. I found monitors costing $50 more that still couldn't match its refresh rates!
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| j_cauthen's Full Review: BenQ Value V991 19 in. CRT Conventional Monitor |
After years of using a 17" monitor limited to 1024 x 768 resolution, technology forced me to upgrade to a monitor that could display 1280 x 1024 at a tolerable, flicker-free resolution (for me that's a refresh rate of 80 Hz, or higher). I shopped the market exhaustively for a 19" CRT that would meet my requirements. These were: 1280 x 1024 @85Hz, 1600 x 1200 @75 Hz, and a dot pitch of 25mm, or better.
The BenQ V991 somehow made my shopping list despite the little promotion its received. I bought this monitor from Tiger Direct based mostly on its spec sheet. I picked it up from Tiger Direct for $149.95, plus $33 shipping. It has surpassed every expectation I've had for it. It's billed as a flat screen monitor, although it truly isn't. It's almost flat, but the curvature is evident. It's not a distraction once you get used to it.
What impresses me the most about this monitor is its sharp image quality. I've taken all the way up to 1600 x 1200 at 75Hz and it's easy on the eyes. I've learned that flicker becomes more noticeable at higher resolutions and this one is no exception. I can tolerate some games for a while at 1600 x 1200 at 75Hz, but text becomes a problem. I'm virtually unaware of any flicker at 1280 x 1024 @85Hz in both gaming and text. What's really astonishing is how great this monitor is for text at 1024 x 768 @90Hz. There is no eye strain that I can sense at this refresh rate, and it will even do 100Hz at this res if you desire.
The panel controls are pretty Spartan looking, but they're easy to use. The default settings left some bothersome geometry problems, but I was able to work most of them out via the conventional array of geometry adjustments available. Still, a scant few quirks are evident around the edges but you really have to look for them to find them.
Physically the monitor has a pretty good sized footprint. You'd better have a deep desk or a recessed wall (as I have) in which the tube case can project. You're also going to need to sit back from it a slight bit more if you're used to a 17" screen, otherwise the expanded viewing area will overwhelm you! It weighs about 47 pounds, which is slightly under average for a monitor this size. The face of the monitor (including the non screen area) is also a bit bigger than I would think it needs to be. There's There's about 4" of space below the screen that seems to be a result of an inefficient and somewhat lacking in style case design.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $149.95
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
j_cauthen
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Reviews written: 3
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