Samsung SyncMaster 172B 17

WHAT'S HOT: The 172B's strongest asset is its image quality. Even though it has only an analog video interface, in our tests the 172B rendered terrific graphics and text on photos and Web pages; font sizes smaller than 9 points had crisp edges. (This is contrary to our image-quality testing experience over the past couple of years--LCD monitors using digital inputs usually look better than analog units do.) After image quality, the 172B's next-strongest point is style: The LCD panel measures barely an inch thick, far thinner than competing products. It comes in a silver finish and rests on a square base, which is hinged to allow you to stretch the panel out and up (a feature we liked on its digital-capable sibling, the SyncMaster 172T).

WHAT'S NOT: The SyncMaster 172B's top-tier image quality and high style don't come cheap. Priced at $599 when tested for our May 2003 issue, it's the most expensive unit on our chart that doesn't have a digital video interface.

WHAT ELSE: The power cord and the VGA cable connect conveniently to the back of the panel's support--you don't have to struggle to thread cables through the pedestal, or twist around to connect them to the panel's underside

The slender, silver-colored buttons on the front let you adjust the monitor's image without doing a lot of button pressing or using a lot of pressure. The on-screen controls are fairly standard, but we would have liked one that lets you lock settings in place.