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Keeping in mind the digital vs analogue cable issue, I plugged the C783 into a Cube's VGA port using the VGA (and only) cable supplied, and while the monitor was bright, undistorted and flicker free, there was a certain blobbiness to text characters especially if the viewing angle became a little obtuse. Possibly this would improve with a beefier video card.

Adjustment, accessible from the front of the unit, includes Auto plus language, sound, brightness and contrast - colour adjustment is there too.

This monitor would benefit from a DVI connection.

Pros

• Bright, slim
• Good price
• Works with older video cards and VGA Macs

Cons

• No DVI connector

Large, flat and vivid, the Microtek C997SD 19-inch LCD monitor has an impressive viewing angle. Like the other Microtek, this one is a little 'PC' in looks but that can be an advantage in some environments. It's resolution really shines - ha ha - when set to 1280x1024. Contrast is good and there's no cursor drag even with a 16MB video card; thin text cursors display as well as they do on CRTs.

At 36 centimeters across by 30 deep (47.4 diagonal) of edge-to-edge clarity, it's surprising how much more screen real estate you get compared to a 17-inchCRT. With DVI and a VGA connector, very good contrast and two built-in speakers, the Microtek is a good choice for business applications and it's bright and contrasty enough for graphics work.

Pros

• Bright
• Sharp
• Speakers built in

Cons

• It's a little 'PC' looking

A low-profile 17-inch display, the 170W4 is exceedingly bright and is mounted on a handy, high stand.

This is basically a good business monitor which, strangely, has a resolution of 1280x768 - yes, it has a lot less height than a normal 17-inch, making it ideal for spreadsheets and watching wide-screen DVDs, if that sounds like you (the height is actually that of a normal-format 15-inch). Also, it's a pivot model - unfortunately this feature, which means you can swing the screen 90∞ and your picture switches to portrait mode, is only supported on PCs - a shame because, pivoted 90∞, it would be fantastic as a second monitor to put your palettes on! (This may be remedied in a future software release.)

Pros

• DVI and VGA connections
• The format will suit some perfectly

Cons

• Not for graphics work
• Lack of display height limits application
  

A cute little 15-inch display, the 152T has a funky little foldaway stand for portability; this allows for height adjustment and it's VESA compliant for wall mounting. With a resolution of 1024x768 at 75Hz, it's priced to be a good second monitor - as those who have experienced the luxury of having a Photoshop document open on a main monitor with all the pallettes you could ever wish for open on a secondary know, it's hard to go back to single screen. With many of Apple's towers, plugging an Apple monitor (or the Formac) into the ADC connector and a smaller display like this into the DVI connector gives you dual monitors, supported out-of-the-box by Apple's hardware and software. It's excellent.

With a rather coarse dot pitch, this is a business monitor and, via DVI, there is little control beyond brightness when it's connected to a Mac, but it has a VGA port and may suit connection to a laptop.

Pros

• Portable
• Handy size
• Good second monitor

Cons

• Not for serious graphics work
• Too small for a primary monitor
  

The SyncMaster is true plug and play. A real bonus is the optional slide-in HDTV-ready TV tuner, which does a fine job requiring little manual fine-tuning. Picture in picture has two sizes; approx one-quarter and three-quarter screen. Flicking between Mac, TV and PIP is smooth and you quickly get used to the slight delay evident from either the TV's remote or the front-panel soft-touch controls. The stand is well designed and makes a very compact footprint - folded, it doubles as a carrying handle.

On screen display (OSD) is intuitive with logical menus and hierarchy; the same goes for the remote, which has controls and settings for computer/TV/video. With images open in Photoshop there is, perceptually, a slight lack of depth and TV is a bit raw up close - but viewing overall is good (400:1 contrast ratio) and there's no great loss in quality at various comfortable angles and distance. The speakers are comparatively loud at five watts and sound quality is reasonable.

Pros

• Easy set-up
• Three-year warranty
• Great as a portable television

Cons

• No DVI connection
• Expensive for a 17-inch; it's the extra for the TV
• Expect to plug in better speakers for real AV use