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Top 10 15-Inch LCD Monitors

An HP monitor is our new Best Buy--but some 15-inch panels are getting more expensive.

Sean Captain

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15IN LCD 297MM 1024X768 60HZ L1530 400:1 OSD (HP (Hewlett-Packard)-P9624A) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: April 01, 2004

1. HP 15IN LCD 297MM 1024X768 60HZ L1530 400:1 OSD (HP (Hewlett-Packard)-P9624A)

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 9.9 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $330

Bottom Line: Despite this monitor's fairly low price, HP packs in thoughtful extras, including full position adjustability and strong integrated speakers with a handy volume-control wheel.

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MultiSync 1560M PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: February 04, 2003

2. NEC MultiSync 1560M

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 9.7 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $360

Bottom Line: This stately black unit shines, thanks to a triple treat of desirable features: rich screen colors, a four-port USB 2.0 hub, and unusually crisp sound from its built-in speakers.

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15in LCD 1024x768 L150P THINKVISION Monitor (IBM-6636HB1) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 09, 2003

3. IBM 15in LCD 1024x768 L150P THINKVISION Monitor (IBM-6636HB1)

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 9.3 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $380

Bottom Line: Especially good at text, this slick-looking charcoal gray monitor offers very smooth height and swivel adjustments. Advanced controls include the ability to set individual red, green, and blue levels in digital mode.

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150P 4CB 15 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 09, 2003

4. Philips 150P 4CB 15

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 7.9 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $365

Bottom Line: Good performer includes screen adjustment software, plus the LightFrame application for highlighting portions of the screen. Control menus and physical adjustments are rather awkward, however.

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COMPAQ TFT 1520 15 CARBON SILVER (Compaq-295925003) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: February 04, 2003

5. HP COMPAQ TFT 1520 15 CARBON SILVER (Compaq-295925003)

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 10.3 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $350

Bottom Line: Gray-and-black business model has detailed and intuitive on-screen controls and good position adjustability. But its price is a bit high compared with some competing models that offer even better image quality.

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LL-T15G3-B 15 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 25, 2003

6. Sharp LL-T15G3-B 15

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog input, 8.4 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $320

Bottom Line: This basic LCD offers quite nice image quality for an analog-only unit. A Mode button on the bezel allows you to toggle through three color-setting preets. It lands lower on the chart this month due to a price increase since our last review.

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15IN LCD 1024X768 350:1 0.297MM 153B-BLACK NARROW BEZEL PIVOT TECH (Samsung-153TBLACK) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 10, 2003

7. Samsung 15IN LCD 1024X768 350:1 0.297MM 153B-BLACK NARROW BEZEL PIVOT TECH (Samsung-153TBLACK)

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 7 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $380

Bottom Line: The 153T produced rich colors, though we found them a bit too dark (even after raising the brightness setting). The basic-black unit offers easy adjustment and a slim, smart-looking bezel.

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MP503 Black 15 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: April 25, 2003

8. Cornea Systems MP503 Black 15

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog input, 5.1 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $290

Bottom Line: This model's unique easel-style stand allows for greater-than-average tilt adjustment (but no other positioning). Colors looked deep but a bit dark on some test photos; screens of Word and Excel documents showed sharp, focused text.

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FP591 LCD Monitor (BenQ-FP591) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 11, 2003

9. Benq FP591 LCD Monitor (BenQ-FP591)

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 7.7 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $425

Bottom Line: In addition to providing great image quality, the FP591 brims with goodies, including surround-sound speakers and a memory card reader for displaying digital photos. But it's expensive, and tech support hours are a bit short.

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FlexScan L367 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: April 01, 2004

10. EIZO Nanao FlexScan L367

15-inch screen, 1024-by-768-pixel native resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 8.2 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Price when ranked: $419

Bottom Line: This slim-bezel monitor is available in black or gray and provides basic speakers. Eizo's bundled Screen Manager Pro software lets you adjust the display from your PC via a USB connection. Tech support hours are limited.

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Twelve judges rate how well each monitor displays 13 text and graphics images at a native resolution of 1280 by 1024. Some test screens are from the DisplayMate for Windows Multimedia Edition utility (www.displaymate.com). See find.pcworld.com/34613 for more details on how we test monitors. Data based on tests designed and conducted by the PC World Test Center. All rights reserved.

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