An Inexpensive Generic Workhorse
Written: Sep 12 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, easy to setup, good quality for this price.
Cons: Slightly dimmer than expected. Susceptible to glare.
The Bottom Line: If you need a budget 1024x768, 17" monitor the 76V is a great choice.
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| j_cauthen's Full Review: Samtron 76V 17" (16" Viewable) CRT Monitor |
I purchased the 76V, for use with my secondary "low budget" system. It's a conventional CRT with no anti-glare provisions. The setup was a breeze and required no special tweaking in the tools menu. Past experience has shown that monitors can have compatibility issues with certain video cards. Mine is a Visiontek 32MB, Geforce 2 GTS. With the 30.82 drivers installed, the 76V is rock solid at conventional resolutions. The 76V will scan at 85Hz in the 1024x768 resolution, which is easy on the eyes. It will display 1280x1024, but the scan rate drops to 65Hz. I find this unacceptable because of the burden on the eyes due to the flickering. It also loses contrast and brightness at 1280x1024, making 1024x768 it's highest useful resolution. The contrast is not as sharp at this setting as its cousin in the Samsung line, but it's acceptable for a budget system.
The design of the 76V is unmistakably generic, but it doesn't feel "cheap". The screen is somewhat susceptible to glare. This may limit your placement options in the room in avoiding glare contributors (sun and room lighting). The 76V is frequently found with a $40+ rebate offer. I found it for $139.95, and another $15 in store rebate offer, cutting my final cost to $84.95!
Image quality is reasonably sharp for both graphics and text. Colors were faithful, though not as vibrant as my more expensive 17" Samsung 753df. The display is a bit dimmer at default settings than expected, but the brightness can be adjusted up to makeup for this with a slight penalty on the contrast. Display geometry is fully adjustable and allows the screen to be shaped to fully fill the tube without appreciable distortion. I'm more than satisfied with the 76V's performance given its low cost.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $84.95
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
j_cauthen
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Reviews written: 3
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