You can't go far wrong with this one. (HP L2045w)

Member Name: Jonny_L

Product:	HP L2045w
Date:	12/06/08 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of adjustment, good resolution, USB hub, looks good

Disadvantages: Heavy but very sturdy base, strange resolution sometimes needs some fettling in control panel.

I only bought this monitor because at the time HP were doing a £50 cashback offer, and it was £180 on Dabs, so I knew I was getting a bargain. I was originally planning on just ebaying it after the offer had expired, as it turned out that it was a one day only price, and the next day the monitor was up to nearer the £300 mark.

Oh how glad I am that I didn't sell it on ebay though, it's an absolutely wonderful monitor. The colours are great, it's brilliant for watching a film on (being 20" it's ample for that), It'll go up to 1680x1050 in resolution, which makes keeping multiple windows open at once a breeze.

The only annoying thing is that 1680x1050 doesn't appear to be a standard size, and so installing it requires the proper drivers to get the maximum out of it. Not a problem though, you get all that in the box, and I'm sure you can download it for mac or PC, as I've had this monitor working on both.

It offers the capability to swivel round and use it in "portrait" mode, which is really handy when you've got a lot to read, though I must admit that the screen's big enough for me not to bother. You can adjust it vertically, and tilt it probably more than you'd ever need, as well as turning it horizontally, which is a nice touch to keep the base straight while the monitor is facing off at an angle, this makes it a bit more asthetically pleasing.


The actual base for this monitor is made from plastic and metal. It's quite heavy, but really sturdy once in place. It has a handy little tray for storing all sorts of desktop rubbish.

With a response time of 5ms, and connections for both VGA and DVI-D, it's a good option for gaming too. It also has a USB hub built in, which is always handy.

All in all, I'm sorry that I didn't buy more than one. It's a great monitor!

Summary: I'd happily buy another one, good branding and great picture make this a very safe bet.

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