Product Reviews

If you're building a budget PC, a standard 17in LCD such as NEC's 175VXM+ should do the job. It has the same native resolution of 1,280x1,024 as 19in displays, an average contrast ratio of 500:1 and both DVI and D-sub inputs. NEC also includes a DVI cable, which surprisingly few manufacturers do.

The 175VXM+ has a sturdy double-hinged stand that allows you to adjust the height of the screen from between 75mm and 115mm. Image quality was superb. Colours were bright, rich and natural. Our greyscale test is quite difficult for LCD monitors to reproduce, but the 175VXM+ did extremely well, producing smooth transitions from the darkest to lightest greys.

Viewing angles are poor, with a loss of contrast that's immediately noticeable as soon as you're not directly facing the centre of the display. However, with a screen this small it is unlikely that more than one person will be viewing it at a time.

If you don't need or can't afford a bigger monitor, the 175VXM+ is one we'd happily recommend.