Product Reviews

Playing games requires a quick monitor and Acer's AL1751 has a fast 8ms response time. This 17" display is designed for entertainment, and the screen has a reflective coating. While not ideal for offices and their harsh lighting, at home this makes a real difference. Colours look richer and deeper, while blacks appear darker.

The AL1751 flew through all our colour tests, showing excellent colour gradation and even distribution of light. The greyscale test, which is perhaps

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the hardest test to pass, was displayed with a nice even distribution and a subtle progressive change from black to white. It's only when you look really closely at the screen that you notice a very slight mottled appearance, which is likely to be caused by the reflective coating.

The fast response time means the AL1751 copes well with fast-moving images, such as those created by games and movies. We didn't detect any ghosting on any of our tests. The native resolution of 1,280x1,024 is high enough for day-to-day office tasks, too. The panel has good viewing angles, but you need to sit face-on to get the best picture.

Acer has fitted the AL1751 with a set of stereo speakers, which are hidden beneath a grille on the monitor's stand. They're typically poor and suitable only for Windows sounds, but the headphone socket on the side is useful.

With the controls neatly placed on the stand, this is a very easy monitor to configure. However, we'd have liked the stand to have more adjustment than just tilt. Still, at this price the AL1751 can't be beaten