NEC MultiSync P221w

This attractive, well-designed 22-inch widescreen monitor offers impeccable image quality. But at $499, it's extremely pricey, particularly when you consider that other 22-inch displays can be found for $350 or less.

In our tests, the P221w showed beautiful color and sharp, easy-to-read text, even at small font sizes. It also handled our motion tests with aplomb, showing negligent blurring. NEC gears this display to specialized uses such as graphic design, and many of the controls in the on-screen display certainly are aimed at fine-tuning the screen. For instance, you can make manual adjustments to the monitor's red, green, and blue levels individually.

The P221w also offers hardware calibration, an unusual extra that will likely appeal photographers and others who might want to adjust the whitepoint or gamma curve. NEC also sells calibration software for the P221w--the software enables further fine adjustments to the screen.

The monitor pivots and adjusts easily, and the unit's smooth black finish would grace any desk quite nicely. The P221w includes DVI and VGA ports for hooking it up to a PC, but it lacks both HDMI and DisplayPort connections.

Still, unless, perhaps, you're a graphics specialist, $499 seems a high price to pay, even for rock-solid image quality and high-level controls. As mentioned, you can find a decent 22-inch widescreen now for $350 or less, and during these uncertain economic times, it makes sense to watch where you spend your hard-earned cash.

--Kalpana Ettenson