Conclusion

Interestingly, most 19-inch monitors are still based on matrixes without response time compensation. It may be a kind of a deficit or the manufacturers just try to separate different monitor series. What is remarkable, I have only seen RTC-enabled widescreen monitors from two brands, Samsung and LG, which have their own LCD matrix manufacture. Well, I won’t be expounding any conspiracy theories. It just takes a little waiting: I am sure there will be plenty of fast 19-inch monitors soon.

As for the products tested in this review, there are several leaders that can be singled out. First of all, it is the Samsung SyncMaster 961GW, splendid on the outside and with a fast matrix inside. It is free from serious drawbacks. The high contrast ratio, wide selection of setup options and acceptable other parameters are going to suit you fine unless you are absolutely against “glossy” monitors.

The second RTC-enabled model in this review, the SyncMaster 931CW, differs from the others with its extended color gamut. Unfortunately, its RTC mechanism is implemented with a high level of errors while the color reproduction flaws cannot be made up for by the color gamut (as I wrote in my reviews, an extended color gamut is nothing more but a nice addition to accurate color reproduction).

Among the slower models, BenQ’s E900WA and G900WA feature good color reproduction, which is quite a rare thing for TN matrixes. The ASUS VW193S is somewhat inferior to BenQ’s models in terms of color reproduction, yet good enough anyway. It also has a surprisingly uniform brightness of the backlight.

The other tested monitors have considerable drawbacks and do not compensate them with some special advantages.