LaCie 324

Special monitors are easy to spot in the PC Pro Labs: they're generally the ones with the crowds cooing over them. Monitors from LaCie almost always produces this response, and this 324 is no exception - its panel comes alive in a way non-professional TFTs just can't emulate.

The 24in S-PVA panel sports the usual 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, with a 400cd/m2 backlight that by default is set nowhere near maximum - yet still manages to dazzle.

The 1,000:1 contrast again sounds standard, but straight out of the box we could discern minor variations at both the top and bottom ends of the spectrum; we raised the brightness a little to bring out the detail in shadows but needed to tweak no further.

You can professionally calibrate the 324 - LaCie offers a bundle with a hood and a blue eye pro calibrator for nearly £300 more - but for all but the most high-end users that shouldn't be necessary.

Gradients in our tests were flawless and evenly distributed, tinting tests showed perfectly neutral greys while our real-world photos matched up to our expectations of colours beautifully; this was to be expected as the 324 displays 92% of the NTSC colour gamut.

The only real flaw we could spot was one that almost certainly won't matter - in fast-moving videos and games the S-PVA panel at times struggled to keep up. It's unlikely you'll be buying an expensive professional monitor like this for playing games, but if you like a bit of entertainment on the side it's worth bearing in mind.

Strangely, the 324 does have two HDMI ports and audio throughputs should you want to hook up consumer devices to it.

The monitor itself certainly won't win any awards for style, but the chunky stand and bezel make the 324 a durable device.

It lifts through 7cm and swivels widely, although its combination of touch-sensitive controls and a very comprehensive menu make it a little confusing to adjust. True, pretty much everything is covered, including eco mode and Picture-in-Picture, but there's so much on display at once that it becomes a bit of a maze to navigate. Again this isn't a major issue, particularly if you use a calibrator to adjust your picture.

The rest of the Lacie 324 is simply a joy to work with and, as several Labs visitors have noted, it's in a different league to monitors at half its price. At £674 it's outside the realm of most consumers, but professionals won't find better at this budget.

Author: David Bayon