Compaq's LCD Monitor: Great Display

TFT Testing Time

We looked at Web sites, colorful graphics, photos, and text documents at the TFT8020's native resolution of 1280 by 1024 and at an interpolated resolution of 1024 by 768. Everything looked great. To measure some of the fine points, we also put the TFT8020 through another series of informal tests at both resolutions, using Displaymate Technologies' Displaymate software, which provides a variety of complex test screens that helped us to gauge the monitor's prowess. In the course of our tests, we used both the monitor's factory settings and the Auto Adjust settings, and then changed the settings manually to ensure we were getting the best possible results. (In most cases, we found that the factory settings were perfect.) We also used both digital and analog video boards to test the output in both modes.

The TFT8020 passed our tough tests with flying colors. Resolution scaling was very good, color gradients and intensity were accurate and vibrant, and there were no problems displaying lines and patterns. In one test that shows the differential between slightly dissimilar shades of gray, we saw all 16 gray bars--in our experience, a rarity among LCD monitors at any price.

In other tests, color screens were uniform throughout the entire display, and there were no annoying moire patterns and none of the effects of interference often found in analog LCD monitors. Font readability was likewise impressive: When we viewed black text on a white background, small fonts were readable in a range of typefaces. Icon labels on the desktop were also perfect, and drop-down menus at 1280 by 1024 were sharp and easily readable. Equally impressive was the job the monitor did in displaying megapixel images from a digital camera.

Wanted: Full Printed Manual

While the TFT8020 is a terrific monitor and offers a lot of great features, we were bothered by what was missing: meaningful printed documentation. The setup guide amounts to little more than a few illustrations on how to connect the cable, and lots of safety tips--so unless you are familiar with setting up a monitor's drivers, you may be confounded. More detailed documentation is available on the bundled CD-ROM, however.

Despite the lack of printed documentation, our Compaq TFT8020 test unit did so much right that recommending this model is a no-brainer. If you want the space savings and easy-on-the-eyes images an LCD monitor can offer, and if you don't mind the price premium over CRT monitors, the TFT8020 is a solid bet.