Acer AL2017 LCD monitor
Size: 20"
Native resolution: 1400x1050
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Response time: 8ms
Contrast ratio: 600:1
Connectors: VGA, DVI-D
Speakers: Two 2.0W
Price: $190 USD from TigerDirect
(It's the one that says "Acer".)
After buying a video card with dual VGA outputs, I decided to get another monitor to complement my 17" Sony SDM-S73. I was considering a 17" Samsung, but the 20" Acer cost only slightly more, came with its own 3-year warranty and didn't have any mail-in rebate crap. The picture is very clear and sharp, the color is quite vivid, and the contrast and brightness are excellent. The monitor itself looks rather stylish in black matte, although the base doesn't allow much tilting. Unlike the SDM-S73, there's no separate control for the backlight, so it took a little bit of experimenting to get the brightness right for my mostly nocturnal environment. Once properly adjusted, it's a pleasure to look at for several hours.
There's one stuck pixel near the top left corner, but my windows are almost always maximized and have black title bars, which render it unnoticeable. There are 1.47 million of them, they can't all be perfect. The speakers sound about as good as you'd expect; I'll stick with the $20 Wal-Mart headphones. Overall, I would recommend this monitor, it's a wonderful deal and a joy to use.
Rating: 3.5/5