Eizo 17IN LCD 1000:1 1280X1024

Eizo's FlexScan L568 performed like a pro on our tests, adeptly handling the flesh tones, reverse type, and small images that confounded other monitors--a strong enough showing to tie the Iiyama ProLite E435S-B for the highest graphics quality score on our list of 17-inch LCDs. The only knock against it: Some testers found the hues in its display of a fruit tart a bit bluer than the colors in the original picture. Its proficiency with both white-on-black text and black-on-white text helped it finish in the top third of its cohort for text quality.

Presented with baseline performance this impressive, you probably won't have to spend much time adjusting the screen controls. But if you do, the L568 offers more options than most competing LCDs do. You can control color temperature, saturation, hue, gain, gamma, and smoothing. The bundled Eizo Utility Disk contains a screen adjustment program and Screen Manager Pro, which lets you adjust parameters via your mouse. A full range of physical adjustments--tilt, height, swivel, and pivot--ensure that you can set your screen to the exact position you want.

All of this quality doesn't come cheap. Commanding a price of $549 at testing time, the L568 is the most expensive 17-inch monitor we've seen lately.

Upshot: It's pricey, but if you need professional image quality and controls, the L568 is a sure bet.

Laura Blackwell