Top 10 Power PCs

Tech Trend: What Ever Happened to Flat-Panel LCDs?

Flat-screen LCD monitors were supposed to be inexpensive--or at least affordable--by now, and we expected them to begin appearing in some Top 10 Power Desktops configurations. But what with the popularity of budget notebooks and manufacturing difficulties (such as a shortage of appropriate glass), LCD panels are more expensive than ever. Our Top 10 Monitors charts indicate that a sub-$1000 LCD monitor, for example, costs about 15 percent more this year than last. And, analysts believe demand for flat panels will outstrip supply for at least another year.

The scarcity of flat panels has led to rapid development and lower prices for flat-screen CRT monitors, according to Bob O'Donnell, research team manager for PC display and multimedia technologies at International Data Corporation. All the major monitor manufacturers, including Mitsubishi, NEC, Samsung, Sony, and ViewSonic have introduced flat CRT monitors. NEC, for example, is discontinuing its ChromaClear family of CRT monitors and coming out with a line of flat CRT displays to fill the void. We've reviewed several flat CRTs for our Top 10 Monitors chart within the past six months, and we've been pleasantly surprised at their image quality.

Now, they're starting to ship with PCs that are earning places on our desktop PC charts. Our number one power system, the Dell Dimension XPS T600, comes with a flat-screen CRT monitor (the Dell UltraScan P780) and earned top-notch graphics scores. Similarly, Quantex's fourth-ranked SM600 SE system comes with a flat-faced DiamondTron NF monitor.