Samsung SyncMaster 770P

Our initial response to the SyncMaster 770P was a little unenthusiastic: not another iPod-white product. But it soon became apparent that this is one of the best monitors to pass through our labs.

The 17in panel has a native resolution of 1,280 x 1,024, while the quoted brightness of 280cd/m2 translates into a very bright image for spreadsheets and Word documents. What's more, a quick bout of Far Cry proved the SyncMaster to be exceptionally capable. A 6ms grey-to-grey response time means you should never notice lag, and no matter how frantic things got the action remained smear-free.

The SyncMaster boasts excellent vertical viewing angles. This means you can rotate the monitor through 90 degrees and work away in portrait mode. Horizontal viewing angles are excellent too. The screen is visible from very wide angles, although apparent brightness starts to drop a little past the 45-degree mark.

This is also an amazingly adjustable display. It's easy to move towards people, as the screen rotates a full 180 degrees clockwise, but it's the four-hinge mechanism at the back of the unit that's the real star. The topmost hinge allows the panel itself to be flipped almost backwards, while the other hinges allow it to be moved up and down by up to 180mm.

The rest of the display is minimalist, with no OSD at all. Instead, you must use the supplied software if you want to make any changes, including colour calibration. Both the power and DVI-I ports are on the end of a dongle on a 25cm-long cord. Although this means more cabling at the back of a computer desk, it will keep the actual desk uncluttered and the lines of the 770P unspoiled.

The Samsung offers excellent performance, design and features, but the price is just a little disappointing. The ViewSonic VP730 is less adjustable, but performance-wise both monitors are very similar. Nevertheless, the Samsung's sheer quality and flexibility - it even comes in a range of vibrant colours - means it must be recommended.

Author: Dave Stevenson