ViewSonic VG2030wm

Although they can't match those of the Asus, the speakers on the ViewSonic VG2030wm are rare in that they're actually rather good. Like most, they distort at top volume, and at lower levels they're too quiet to fill a large room, but for personal use they have enough bass for you to enjoy music while you work.

The VG2030wm sports ViewSonic's current black design with wavy silver edges, and the stand is telescopic (offering 80mm of extra height), which is an unexpected bonus. It isn't all good news, though: the OSD control buttons are minuscule and bunched together on the right-hand side. Even those with the smallest of digits will struggle not to push two at once.

Our image quality tests produced mixed results from the VG2030wm. It showed superb dynamic range in the colour ramp and pure greys with little evidence of tinting. Colours in our DVD and image tests were more realistic than average, despite a slight green tinge appearing in certain scenes. On the Desktop and in general applications, though, colours were a little undersaturated.

However, with a contrast ratio of 800:1, we expected better blacks. And our white-test screen showed up quite an uneven backlight, which also bled through at the top and bottom of the black-test screen.

The ViewSonic VG2030wm is an attractive 20in TFT with a decent set of speakers. But with a return-to-base warranty, and the fact that 22in models are available for less, the VG2030wm can't compete with the similarly priced 22in Asus.

Author: David Bayon