Date: February 13, 2006 - Author: - Editor: Jen McPherson
Are you looking for a modestly sized LCD monitor, that rolls in at a good price and really delivers the picture quality you want? We are taking a look at a 17" monitor from NEC that offers quite a bit in a relatively small package.
Purchasing a good monitor used to be quite easy. Personally, I'd grab a CRT with a decent size and refresh rate and would be happy. Since technology never slows down, more new technologies are always introduced and force you to do some hard research! If you are thinking about purchasing a CRT as your next monitor, you may want to stop and think about the purchase. I personally love CRT monitors, however LCD is clearly a better choice for most people. Before we get into the model specifications, let's check out some reasons why you should consider and LCD over a CRT.
One of the primary reasons people move up to an LCD monitors is because of the space it saves on your desk. If you move from say, a 19" CRT to a 19" LCD, it's like night and day. Whereas your desk may have been so cluttered that you could barely fit your coffee on it, afterwards you could rest your legs up there if you wanted to. A second large reason is the fact that LCD's are flicker and glare free, as opposed to CRT's. Many people develop headaches and even migraines due to the flicker, but new LCD's are a way to help prevent them.
Unlike CRT's, LCD's allow you to use a pure digital input instead of the standard VGA input. This can result in a clearer, cleaner picture. A few other benefits that stand out is the fact that LCD monitors use less power on average than a CRT, and also emit a lot less heat. Of course, if you rely on your CRT to heat up your apartment, then you may wish to stick with it.
The LCD we are taking a look at today may not interest some of you right off the bat, due to it's 17" size. Granted, it's not a large monitor, however I personally find it perfect for all I do on the computer each and every day. One main reason I prefer 17" over 19", is because at a larger size I prefer to increase my resolution. Many 19" CRT's are capable of handling up to 1600*1200 resolution, but when you demand that on a 19" LCD, you better be willing to haul out a huge wad of cash, as the price jumps drastically. However, if you enjoy a 19" size and 1280*1024 resolution, then the cost is nothing hard to swallow.
The monitor itself has great styling, nothing over the top. It's more 'simple' looking than some others on the market, but hardly plain. Unlike some LCD monitors, the frame is not huge, which looks far better in my opinion. All of the control buttons are found directly below the screen, five in total. The base for the monitor is completely round, and large, for a very secure placement. If you prefer to mount the screen to your wall, you can easily do that as well.
Looking at the back of the screen, we see that the cover is designed to allow lot of air to escape so that it does not overheat. Some LCD's require you to remove a small cover in order to use the inputs, but that's not the case here. The Digital and Analog input are directly beside each other, with the power input on the opposite side. Sadly, S Video is not an option here, but won't prove a problem for those who won't use it anyway.
One of the most important features of this particular LCD is the fact that is has an 8ms response time. While some LCD's with higher response times can actually ghost images while gaming, 8ms (millisecond) and lower is perfectly suited for gaming, and no ghosting should ever occur. Mainstream LCD's are now as low as 2ms, but it would be unlikely to actually notice a difference between 8ms and 2ms, but there would be a noticeable difference from 16ms to 8ms.
The monitor has dual inputs as already mentioned, one analog and one digital. If you have two computers connected to the one monitor, you can switch between them by pushing the 1/2 button on below the screen. It switches over quickly, and if it sees that nothing else is connected to the other input, it will automatically revert to the way it was. The only sad thing is that if you wish to use the digital input, then you will need to purchase the dual ended DVI cord separately, as this model includes only the analog cable.
As mentioned earlier, the default resolution for this monitor is 1280*1024 @ 60Hz. If you try to run an application lower than this, it will let you know that the picture it not optimized, but will fit the image to your screen accordingly. One huge benefit is that you will not likely have to move the picture in order to fit in your screen properly. If you run the default resolution and the screen is off centered, you can click the Reset button and it will automatically test and align the picture correctly, so you will see no black lines around your screen.
The on screen display offers many options at your disposal. From here, you are able to adjust the brightness, which is at 100% by default. You can also manually adjust your contrast, but there is an option right beside that to do it for you automatically, which worked just great for me. Auto Adjust will reset the screen to fit properly, as mentioned in the previous paragraph. If for some reason the auto adjust doesn't work correctly, you have the ability to manually adjust it.
Fine is the next option available, which increases the clarity and focus of the picture. I have no idea why you would ever decrease it, personally. If you are using your monitor for a specific purpose other than normal computer use, you can choose from preset color options; 9300/7500/6500 and USER. USER is the default and is what most people would use. Once again though, you have the option to adjust the color yourself if you so wish. Other such options refer to the on screen display and information of the screen, including your serial number. The menu overall is very easy to navigate, and all the options you really need are there. Most will apply only if you are using an Analog input, as a digital connection should lessen the need for select options.
For those interested in the exact specifications of this display, here you go:
One personal reason I never wanted to step up to an LED monitor is that I found many of them had far worse image quality than any CRT you'd find. The images would never be crystal clear, contrary to what the marketing would say, but rather be dull and even hazy. I was immediately impressed with this monitor right off the bat though, and all the worry about poor picture quality was gone. To me, this easily matches the picture quality of my previous CRT, but the picture is brighter, which is perfect for when you want to watch movies or play games.
This is the first LCD I have owned, besides the one on my laptop. After using the LCD for a few days, I could not imagine going back to any old CRT... the picture quality is amazing. I even found simply playing games and performing everyday things was more enjoyable, because the picture was so crisp and clear. Unlike the CRT, this monitor was not giving me headaches, due to the flicker free nature of it.
The only thing I'd like for the monitor to have is the ability to have the picture 'ultra-bright', for gaming mainly. On my previous monitor, a ViewSonic E70F+SB, I had the option to simply press a button to enhance the brightness beyond the norm. This was perfect for very dark games or movies. Not such a huge problem really, but I find having the monitors brightness increased is more natural than adjusting it through your video driver.
Overall, I am very impressed with the picture quality on this monitor. I am not one to purchase anything if I am not completely happy with it, but this is a product I hauled out my own money for... so that says something right there.
This is an LCD that's easy to like, because it's a rather good value. NewEgg currently prices the monitor at $279.99US, which is not too bad considering the 8ms response time and digital input. NEC is also a very well known company because of the quality of their products, so you are getting a good buy any way you look at it. I did however find a few select monitors that are slightly cheaper with similar stats, so you will want to keep your options open even after reading this review.
Of course with all good, there is usually some bad. Luckily, nothing is truly bad with this monitor, but some things should be mentioned. The first is that you must separately purchase the Digital input cable if you wish to use the monitor that way. Even with an Analog input though, the picture quality is amazing for the prize range, and I'd be hard pressed to notice a difference between the two either way.
Within a few days of owning the monitor, I found a dead pixel. But then it was gone. Then there again. Then gone again. Yes, I was actually wondering if it was indeed a dead pixel or not, but it certainly was. However, dead pixels have the possibility to correct themselves sometimes, and I haven't seen it in a few weeks, so I currently use a completely dead pixel free monitor. As with all LCD's though, not just NEC, getting a dead pixel is not uncommon, but it's a pain in the rear to get rid of.
If you are looking for a monitor with built-in speakers or TV Tuner, then you will want to look away. The lack of S Video inputs also makes it hard to use it for television use at all, but that's probably alright with most people out there anyway.
Due to the great picture quality, included features and price, I am awarding the NEC MultiSync 1740CX an 8 out of possible 10. If you purchase this monitor, you will certainly not be regretting it, but still be sure to do your research and comparisons to others. You may be able to get an essentially identical monitor for a little less cash.
Being our first LCD review, we'd like feedback on what changes you'd like to see in similar reviews in the future. We also welcome corrections if we made an editorial mistake. Please feel free to shoot us an e-mail or post in our related forum thread! You do not need to register in order to reply to our content related threads.
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