WHAT'S HOT: At $899, the MultiSync LCD1830 is the lowest-priced 18-inch flat panel we've tested to date--and the price is dropping. After we went to press, NEC-Mitsubishi notified us that the company had lowered the price of this monitor to $849. The LCD1830 comes with LiquidView software, which makes it easy to increase the size of icons and type--minimizing the one potential disadvantage of its 1280 by 1024 native resolution. Judges rated this monitor highly for its uniform brightness across the entire screen, as well as for the steady clarity of its image when it displayed a screen of vertical black-and-white bars.

WHAT'S NOT: The MultiSync LCD1830 received a low score on our gray-scale test--shades appeared much darker than they should have. The same was true in our test of color shades: The MultiSync LCD1830 tended to lose subtle differences in darker colors.

This monitor's video connectors are located very close to its neck, which makes it particularly difficult to attach and remove cables. (One trick we discovered: It's easier to attach cables to pivoting models, because you can rotate the panel and move the video ports away from the base. But the MultiSync LCD1830 doesn't pivot, so we didn't have that option in this case.)

WHAT ELSE: When you set the resolution lower than the LCD1830's native 1280 by 1024 pixels, a warning dialog pops up, letting you know that the resolution you've chosen isn't optimal. Since running this or any LCD monitor at non-native resolution degrades the picture quality significantly, this is a useful warning. No USB ports or speakers are available for this model. It has two analog inputs but no digital interface. NEC-Mitsubishi provides a thorough printed manual as well as around-the-clock phone support.

UPSHOT: A rock-bottom price, rock-solid support, and a good-looking picture make this big-screen LCD a strong contender--as long as you don't need a lot of bells and whistles.

SUMMARY

NEC-Mitsubishi MultiSync LCD1830 18.1-inch screen, 1280 by 1024 native resolution, 17.1 by 8.5 by 17.8 inches, 14.3 pounds, active-matrix TFT, dual analog inputs, TCO'99-compliant. Three-year warranty (including backlight); 24-hour daily toll-free support. $849 800/632-6487 www.necmitsubishi.com