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Buy a 21-Inch Monitor, Cheap!

The price-plunge continues as Samsung offers its biggest SOHO monitor for only $999.

By Rex Farrance, PCWorld   

Case in point: A sub-$1000 21-inch monitor just announced by Samsung, a well-respected monitor manufacturer whose models often appear on PC World's Top 10 Monitors charts. This is the first product of its type I've seen at this low a price from a major vendor. Samsung says this model is ideal in a small- or home-office environment where a big screen is needed but price-sensitivity is high.

The company touts a 19.7-inch diagonal viewable screen for its $999 SyncMaster 1000s, and its PC specs are more than respectable: Even at its top resolution of 1600 by 1200, it supports a VESA-standard maximum refresh rate of 75 Hz. (A high refresh rate helps eliminate the perception of screen flicker.) At the 1280 by 1024 resolution most commonly used with 21-inch monitors, the rate is a rock-steady 85 Hz. The 1000s has a dot pitch of .28mm.

Macintosh users will have to settle for a 1280 by 1024 maximum resolution at 75 Hz--still adequate for typical business use. Mac users will also appreciate the free adapter.

Impressive in a low-price product like this is the SyncMaster 1000's compliance with TCO'95, the world's most stringent specification for low electromagnetic field emissions. Generally, TCO compliance comes with about a $50 increase in price.

The warranty is an industry-standard three years, but Samsung also throws in a year of free on-site service, which guarantees quick on-site repair or replacement. This perk is offered by only a few monitor vendors. You also get Samsung's better-than-average 24-hour toll-free support.

This announcement should be good news for those who are interested in a big monitor from a top manufacturer at the lowest price around.