Microtek C893 18" LCD Monitor

Rating:
Summary: The price is certainly right
Review: If you've been holding off on getting that LCD monitor because of the big price tag... well, you could always keep on waiting until the prices drop even lower. But if you're watching your wallet and you just can't settle with 1024x768 on a 15 inch, here's your next best bet.

So far, my impression of the C893 has been a good one. The box is well padded and the monitor suffered no damage during shipping - the first thing I checked for was dead pixels, and (maybe surprisingly) I couldn't find a single one. Images are nice and crisp at 1280x1024, and while some may cringe because this is as high as the monitor will support, I find higher resolutions to be a bit difficult to read anyway on a comparably sized screen, so I wasn't bothered any. There really isn't any reasonable difference in size between this and a 19" monitor, either - I imagine you could tell most of your friends it's 19" and they won't give it a second look. I'm actually rather impressed with the image quality, especially considering the big price jump when you add that extra inch onto the diagonal.

I can't say much for the C893's design, though. Admittedly, a small part of getting a snazzy new LCD monitor is for looks - and while the controls on the monitor are functional and give you access to a standard OSD menu, the strange zig-zag button design might be a turn off for some. Auto-adjustment is decently intelligent, but of course you can always do a better job yourself. And, contrast at 400:1 is fine, but you can certainly tell the difference between this monitor and a similar LCD with a contrast ratio of 600:1.

Just keep in mind, you could always pay for more "oomph" if you want to. But if you're hunting for a good sized LCD and price is your main concern, the C893 is a great value and definitely worth considering.