Artwork: Rick Rizner, Chris Manners

The MultiSync 70GX2, NEC's latest 17-incher with a glossy screen, has a lot of pluses. It looks great, is easy to use, comes with unique features, and delivers great image quality. It's just a little pricey, at $399 (as of 2/16/06).

I loved the 70GX2's subtle silvery-colored bezel, and I became particularly enamored with the NaviKey, a small joystick on the front of the display that lets you access screen modes and adjustments. Using the NaviKey was easy and intuitive, and helped me access many of the 70GX2's sophisticated controls, including modes that adjusted the screen brightness to optimize it for photos, text, movies or games. A nice extra: Included NaviSet software lets you make screen adjustments using your mouse and keyboard.

If our tests are any indication, however, the display won't require much adjusting. The NEC performed the best among the 17-inch models in its test group, showing sharp, well-defined text in a Microsoft Word document. It fared well with our judges in the graphics tests, too. Particularly impressive was the rich, vibrant color it rendered in both our test photo of a fruit tart and a color scale.

Though the 70GX2 can tilt and swivel, it can't pivot or be height-adjusted. Despite those limitations, it's easy to adjust, and keeps its position without wobbling.

Most great screens come at a price, and the 70GX2 is no exception. Its $399 price is one of the highest in our test group. Most other 17-inch displays cost on average $50 to $75 less. Nevertheless, for many people its excellent image quality and wealth of settings make it worth the higher cost.

Kalpana Ettenson