They Paid Me To Take It
Written: Dec 09 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Crisp clear picture, decent speakers, built in mike.
Cons: None come to mind.
The Bottom Line: Can't be beat for the price.
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| Bruguru's Full Review: Compaq MV 540 15 inch CRT Monitor |
One of the mistakes I think people make when buying a new computer is to automatically assume that they need a new monitor to go with it. Most of the time this is not the case, and there’s no reason at all why you can’t have a Hewlett Packard monitor with a Gateway computer, or any other combination for that matter.
Of course, that means you might have to go out and buy a new monitor without a new computer at some point, and that is exactly what happened to me. My old Hewlett Packard monitor had served me well through about three computers, but it finally gave up the ghost and forced me to go out and buy a new one.
There are a lot of monitors on the market these days, and flat screen LCDs seem to be all the rage. Personally, I don’t like them. I prefer a standard monitor with a crisp, clear picture. Then too, you can buy monitors in from 15 inches to 19 inches and more. As close as one sits before the monitor, I didn’t want a TV set. So I looked at the 15 to 17 range.
I finally decided on the Compaq MV 540. Before I tell you why, let me tell you about it. The monitor features:
.28 mm dot pitch
15 inch screen, 13.8 Inch viewable
JBL Platinum Series Speakers
Built-in Microphone
Coloreal™ Technology for true to life images
As you can see, it’s a pretty standard monitor for its class. It weighs about 28 pounds without the speakers and takes up a good deal of space at about a foot and a half deep by a foot tall and a foot wide. Most importantly, however, it offers a very crisp and clear picture. Photos are displayed vividly, game graphics come to life with incredible detail, and websites look brilliant. That’s pretty much what a monitor is supposed to do, I think, so all in all this is a good one that really suits my needs.
The microphone is an added bonus. Having it built in saves space and means there’s one less cord I have to stretch out to the front of my computer. It works well and picks up sound well, faithfully reproducing it on my system or sending it over the internet.
The speakers are a big plus too. They don’t sound as good as a three-piece set with tweeters and subwoofer but they sound good enough when playing back MP3s, CDs, or game sound effects. They can be hung on the side of the monitor or sit on the included stands. They have an independent volume control, a headphone jack and a convenient direct input for an external MP3 player. They are powered via a connection to the monitor itself.
I looked at several monitors before deciding on this one. Overall, the quality of the unit convinced me but I must admit that the final deciding factor was the price. Sears was selling the MV 540 for $150, and with an additional 10% off for the Thanksgiving weekend it could be purchased for the low price of just $135. But it got better, because this monitor came with a $150 rebate which meant you actually make $15 on the deal. That was a hard deal to pass up. I didn’t. If you need a new monitor, you shouldn’t either.
Recommended:
Yes
Operating System: Windows
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