Mixed feelings
Written: Mar 12 '01 (Updated Mar 19 '02)
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Pros: Price, built quality of the monitor case
Cons: Quality of display, sides still too curved, weak high voltage circuit ?
The Bottom Line: If you want an affordable 19incher the 99sl could be for you but in view of my experiences there could be a problem with the high-voltage circuit on Acer monitors.
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| isvikthere's Full Review: AcerView 99SL 19 inch CRT Monitor |
I received this monitor in exchange of an Acer G991 model, which broke down after just two months of use, and was apparently judged by Acer Europe to be beyond repair. Compared to the G991 which was very slender built having a small footprint and a more modern look, although with a flimsy feel to it - maybe that was the reason it only held out for 2 months - the 99sl has a sturdier casing and an older layout with six weird looking trapezoidal buttons underneath the screen: one blue I-key (see further down) four keys for the display settings and one bigger on/off button.
Acer situates both these monitors (G991 and 99sl) as mid-range in between 'Professional' and 'Value' putting them in their 'Graphics' range of monitors "fitted for corporate or graphic specialists who are looking for high performance and reliability at a reasonable price", which is of course a lot of hardwash as graphic specialists don't cut any corners and go for the best, which would be in Acer's case the 'Professional' line of monitors.
All in all this monitor has acceptable image quality and good refresh rates. The blue I-key which is situated underneath the screen didn't do much good for me, this key is designed to save you the work of manually adjusting the settings. When I pushed it it systematically reduced the viewable surface, leaving big black borders on the sides which takes the fun out of having a bigger monitor. Other reviewers didn't encounter this problem and for them the key just worked fine, so maybe it's just me. I feel most comfortable using this monitor at 1152x864 resolution with 85hz refresh, at 1280x720 running full screen the display is overstretched in height.
I did have some trouble making my Windows98SE accept this monitor as the OS insisted on detecting it several times at startup, even after I installed the right monitor.inf driver. But once I deleted all the Acer99sl entries in the Device Panel under Windows safe mode it finally gave in.
Of course as I received this model in exchange for the G991 ($349 with VAT) I don't know how they compare pricewise, but if I look at the features, technology, refresh rates, 0.26 pitch I think actual reselling prices can't be too much apart.
****UPDATE****
December 2001: after about 9 months of use one evening just before the new year the monitor would no longer fire up, it wakes out of sleep mode indicating there is data coming to it but the screen remains black. Strong indications that the high voltage circuit has broken down just like happened on the Acer G991. So it's back to the factory for this baby!
February 2002: Due to a lack of spare parts the monitor can not be repaired. In exchange the shop (not Acer themselves!) where I bought the original Acer monitor and for a little extra cash offered me a Philips 109S in exchange which I have now reviewed too : http://www.epinions.com/content_59115933316
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 349
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
isvikthere
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Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
Amongst other things, a computer hardware enthusiast who writes only about things I know/own.
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