HP Compaq dc7800 Ultra Slim

The monitor itself is decent. It's bright and clear, and is fine for everyday office use. And, despite its D-SUB-only input, the image produced was rock steady, and it even did well in our technical tests. Contrast was reassuringly good, although it struggled with very bright areas of detail. There was also the slightest hint of signal compression in our greyscale test.

But the real problem is the price. At £146 (£172 inc VAT) from www.morecomputers.com, you'll need to be desperate to save space to spend so much money on a 19in panel when it's possible to buy generic panels for substantially less.

Author: Dave Stevenson