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15-Inch Monitors: How Cheap Can They Get?

In our November issue, we review high-quality monitors that cost as little as $142.

By Mick Lockey and Rex Farrance, PC World   

We know that we continually urge you to buy the biggest monitor you can afford. But there's nothing like having extra screen real estate: You can boost your resolution to get more information on screen. Bigger screens are ideal for apps like spreadsheets, in which being able to view more columns and rows at once saves you tedious scrolling.

But for many people, a big monitor isn't necessary. The average word processor, for example, really doesn't need a 17-inch monitor running at 1024-by-768 resolution. A good 15-incher running at 800 by 600 will suffice.

15-Inch Monitors: A Dime a Dozen
If you're in the market for a good, affordable word processing monitor, don't miss "Top 10 15-Inch Monitors" in our November 1998 issue. The last time we reviewed 15-inchers (June 1998), we were blown away by how inexpensive these models had become. The average price then was $270. Well, brace yourself for the biggest price tumble yet.

The price of the average model we reviewed for November was about $200. That's a savings of more than 25 percent--and the least expensive model now costs only $142. A half-dozen models cost less than $200, and the most expensive model--which also has the best image quality--costs $259.

Does that mean you get bottom-scraping picture quality from the less expensive models? Not at all. In fact, none of the models on our chart earns a rating of less than good on either text or graphics. And six of the models rate very good or better on both. Three models that are less than $200 are in the latter category--and we rated them as stringently as ever on image quality, features, and support.

One caution: With monitor prices in decline, you may spot sweet-sounding deals on models we haven't reviewed. If so, make sure you get an opportunity to try before you buy. Finding out too late that you got a cheap price on a poor-quality monitor is a sour experience.

For more information and buying recommendations on the latest 15-inch monitors, see "Top 10 15-Inch Monitors" in the November 1998 issue of PC World. "17" Monitors: Big Screen, Less Green" is a roundup review of the latest 17-inch models.