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HP Compaq LA2306x
by williams91
The HP Compaq LA2306x is a monitor that was handed to me recently to test out and I have to admit i pre judged this because I'm not a HP fan, this was a mistake on my part I may not like the desktop computers these guys produce but I do like this monitor.
It's offered in the advantage series and the monitor is 23 inches of ... stunning full HD display, the LED display really does a great job of producing the crisp clear images and it's a lot friendlier on the electricity than a standard screen. This monitor allows up to 170 degrees viewing and it has an impressive 5ms response time so it's pretty good for the gamers among you.
The Compaq has a two port USB hub built into it which will keep those USB ports on the computer free, I originally thought I wouldn't use these ports but what I found was this was actually useful for my flash memory devices. This uses either VGA or DV-I port to connect to your computer, I'd recommend using the DV-I port where possible because that can display HD. The monitor itself has a stand which is completely adjustable which is useful if you happen to place the Compaq somewhere it might get glare. It is of course a simple plug and play you may need to adjust the settings according to the location of the monitor.
On the front of the screen you have your display option buttons which don't get in the way and they aren't an eyesore. The stand itself however in my opinion is an eyesore. I didn't like the way it looked and although that may seem unnecessary to comment on this is what will define your desk, the first thing that people will look at when they look at your computer and for me the monitor needs to look amazing all over.
The monitor itself is a great piece of hardware and I cannot fault its performance or its features, as I said the looks let it down slightly but you can pick one up for around £150 maybe even cheaper if you shop around. If you buy it brand new HP offer a 3 year warranty which you may or may not choose to have but better to be safe than sorry right?
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LG L194WT
by pumfster
I've never really been a big fan of keeping up with any technology apart from computers just for the sake of it, and so it was only a couple of years ago when my sad old-school monitor finally gave up on me, that I decided to free up some space and take the plunge with an LCD one. After looking around on the Internet and in several shops ... I decided on the L194WT from LG.
I made my purchase from PC world, and at the time it cost me £120, however you can now buy online for a good deal less than that by looking around in the usual places. I've just had a quick look and come across one site selling at £75. As this model is now a good few years old, it's not widely available on the high street, so online is your best option for this one.
The monitor itself is a decent size for the average home computer desk, not too big and not too small. I'm not a big fan of the bigger is better craze with televisions and monitors, as I find that sitting too close to a huge screen just gives me a bad headache, so this 43cm x 29cm monitor is just the perfect size for me, and being just 6cm thick frees up loads of space on the desk. The monitor itself slides onto a circular base stand, which itself is quite compact and doesn't vastly increase the footprint of the monitor. It's not what I would term a super stylish looking monitor and stand, more of a neat, functional one. The base itself is black with a grey trim around it, and the outline of the monitor also has the same silvery grey trim. It does also come with an option to attach it to a wall, but I don't really think it's designed for that and I can't imagine it looking particularly great stuck on a wall! The power cable fits neatly into the back of it, well out of site, and you have the option of either using a digital DVI-D connector or the old fashioned analogue VGA cable, making this a decent choice for older as well as newer computers as you can connect it to suit yourself. What I do like about the design is that the power button, as well as the usual menu and adjustment buttons are nicely located on the back so they don't stand out, but are very easily accessible, meaning that although they don't stand out, it is still very straightforward to change the display at any time should you so wish, without having to muck about turning the screen around. In addition despite it being a widescreen model, it doesn't look too wide if that makes any sense! Some widescreen monitors just look too rectangular which I personally don't like, whereas this just looks the correct size.
So the main issue with any monitor is basically does the picture look any good, and it is fair to say that the L194WT doesn't disappoint in this regard. I've run it via a VGA connector as well as the DVI-D connector and can happily say that the picture quality is superb with either of them. It handles the digital input effortlessly, and there is no evidence of any slowdown, ghosting of images or blurring, which is what you would expect from a quality brand such as LG. As I said earlier, the contrast, brightness etc can all be altered very easily, so it won't take you long to set the thing up, and once you are happy with the picture you probably won't need to change anything again. Streaming television and watching blu-rays are also no problem to this particular monitor. The picture quality makes this an ideal choice for use as a gaming monitor, and having played quite a few games on it, including some of the more video intensive modern ones, am very impressed at how it handles fast moving scenes. Obviously your choice of graphics card takes its fair share of the credit for this, but the L194WT certainly holds up its end of the bargain here.
So picture quality is very good, so this monitor should be a definite purchase for everyone right? Well not exactly, there are a couple of drawbacks that do deserve a mention and do take some of the gloss off what otherwise is a good little product. Firstly you are supposed to be able to tilt the monitor forwards and backwards so it is positioned in the ideal place for your comfort. However no matter how hard I pull or push the monitor, I can't get the thing to tilt. As a result it is stuck in one position which albeit isn't the worst one it could be, isn't the one I would choose it to be in. This is a major downside for me, far more than a little inconvenient. I'm happy to entertain the suggestion that I have a dud one, however I've looked at it several times and I'm not actually sure that the unit is designed to actually tilt. Short of snapping the thing apart, I've put quite a lot of effort into moving it, so I do question the design here.
My second little bugbear is the fact that this monitor seems to take far longer than any other monitor that I have ever used to come back to life after going to sleep. This is just me being picky really, but it is a noticeable amount of time and can be quite annoying if you need to do something very quickly on the computer. It wouldn't put me off getting one, but it is something to bear in mind when making your decision.
So to sum this review up I would definitely say that this is a monitor worthy of some serious consideration when making a decision of purchasing a new one. The thing that you have to consider above all else is does the superb picture quality and compact size outweigh the major issue of the dodgy tilting mechanism. Taking everything into account I would say that I am happy with my monitor, its been going well now for over two years without any issues and I am willing to overlook the design flaw given this good performance.
Thanks for reading this review and it may also appear on Ciao under my same username.
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