Lab

17in TFT monitors

To say we were surprised doesn't do our feelings justice. Even though we're used to prices dropping every month, we couldn't quite believe that it's now possible to buy a 17in TFT for just £139 - and a quality TFT at that.

The Relisys screen that earned our admiring glances, and an award, isn't alone. In fact, several of this month's monitors cost less than £200, so there's no excuse not to replace that bulky old CRT or add a second monitor for an extended Desktop display.

Other received wisdom was also put into question by this group test. Most importantly, a D-SUB interface isn't the Achilles heel it once was. Almost all of the D-SUB-equipped monitors on show here passed the traditionally tricky task of clock synchronisation, which determined whether the pixels appear shimmery or rock solid. And all the monitors now latch onto the analog signal without any need for intervention, making setup much easier.

With so many monitors being adequate for almost every use this month, we've had to raise our testing standards to sift the good from the mediocre. We've demanded the best quality in a whole host of technical assault-course tests while making sure that real-world tasks are all easily handled.

We've even given feature points to the styling of TFTs this month. With flat screens becoming a must-have lifestyle accessory, we've examined each panel from every angle, even round the back. Consequently, we make clear which models will suit style requirements over technical excellence and point out which do well at both.

For a full explanation of our tests, see Performance analysis overleaf, and then read on to find out which models picked up the awards. No matter what your budget is, we've got an award-winning TFT to suit your needs this month.