Product Reviews

Cheap LCDs don't necessarily have to come from manufacturers you've never heard of, as NEC shows with its AccuSync LCD72VM. Available for just £176, it's one of the cheapest 17" LCDs we've seen.

It certainly doesn't look cheap, though. The thin silver bezel and black stand give it the appearance of a much more expensive model. It even has a set of basic stereo speakers in the bottom of the bezel, although anyone who wants more than standard Windows sounds should invest in a separate set.

Picture quality is the most important aspect of a monitor, and the LCD72VM doesn't disappoint.

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You can adjust the monitor to get the best quality picture using the controls on the front or the provided NaViSet software on your PC. However, as the auto-adjust function got everything right, there was little need for manual tweaking.

At the screen's native resolution of 1,280x1,024 the picture was very good, especially as it has only an analogue input. Colour reproduction was faithful and evenly lit. Only our greyscale tests, which are the hardest for monitors to deal with, showed slightly darker patches on the screen. Viewing angles of 140- horizontally and 125- vertically are average and good enough for one person sitting directly in front of the display.

Cheaper monitors usually have slow response times but, at 16ms, the LCD72VM is pretty quick. It's fast enough to use for playing games and watching movies, although games enthusiasts woould be better off with a newer 8ms display.

Despite the budget price, this monitor gives anything but budget performance and actually outstrips many of the more expensive displays we've seen. It may not have the viewing angles and response times of the newest panels but as a budget screen for any PC it's a great buy.