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LCD monitors go dirt cheap

by on18 September 2008

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19-inchers drop under €100, 22-inch screens under €150


Taking a
stroll down the virtual isles of European e-tailers, we browsed through some LCD prices and found several noteworthy deals.

Starting at the cheap side of things, you can get a 19-inch screen for under €100. The Belinea 1925 S1W and ViewSonic's Optiquest Q191wb sell for a measly €99. Far from being top notch screens, these 1440x900 units should be enough for undemanding users on a tight budget and office workers in companies run by embarrassingly cheap blokes. Benq's recently announced 1386x768 G900HDA sells for €106 and offers superior contrast, brightness and viewing angle compared to the previously mentioned models.

For a €20 premium you get an extra inch and 1680x1050 screen res. Again, Belinea has the cheapest 20-inch screen, the Belinea 2025 S1W, priced at €118. Most vendors flog their 20-inch models at €130+.

Considering you can get a Hyundai 22-inch screen for just €129 these days, it's probably best to forget about the 20-inch models altogether. At just over €150 you can get dozens of fairly good mid-range 22-inch screens and these babies should be enough for most users.

If you're bent on HD and have enough graphics muscle to run current games in 1900x1200, you'll have to cough up at least €235 for Hyundai's cheapest 24-inch unit. Although this seems a bit steep compared to 22-inch screens, it's still very cheap considering the screen acreage and high resolution.

Of course, we're talking about the cheapest models. You can forget about DVI on the cheap 19- and 20-inch models, and climbing up the ladder you'll probably want HDMI on your 22-inch and 24-inch screens. These features will cost you extra, but still won't drive the price through the roof; and investing in an HDMI model is worth the extra expense for a multitude of reasons.

Last modified on 19 September 2008
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