Best monitors under $200
For some, a monitor is a monitor and the lower the price, the better. As long as it pumps images from their PCs into their eye at a reasonable quality, they’re good. Thing is, there are cheap monitors and then there are cheap monitors. Here are some of our favorites available for less than $200.
Compare reviews: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57371544-1/best-monitors-under-$200/?tag=newspapers
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Dell S2230MX 21.5-inch Ultra-Slim monitor
Product Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/dell-s2230mx-21-5/4505-3174_7-34859197.html?tag=newspapers
CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
The good: The Dell S2330MX has a thin, aesthetically pleasing design, well-placed connections and good overall performance. The fact that this comes at such a low price is icing on the cake.
The bad: The monitor has flimsy build quality, a very unstable foot stand, and its OSD navigation isn’t as smooth as what we’ve come to expect from Dell.
The cost: $169.99
The bottom line: The Dell S2330MX is a well-designed general purpose monitor with a pleasing aesthetic at a great price.
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Samsung SyncMaster S23A550H
Product Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/samsung-syncmaster-s23a550h/4505-3174_7-34647487.html?tag=newspapers
CNET rating: 3 stars out of 5 (Good)
The good: The Samsung SyncMaster S23A550H has a visually striking footstand, a comprehensive OSD, color mostly devoid of hue problems, and good performance displaying movies and games. The monitor’s brightness is fairly high, making it good for presentation tasks. The “trees saved” feature is well-implemented.
The bad: The S23A550H has a nasty habit of washing out bright colors, and in certain tasks it pushes too much green. Also, its connection ports are a pain to access and the cable management feature is shoddily implemented. The better-performing and better-designed Samsung PX2370 is available for the same price.
The cost: $199.99 to $259.99
The bottom line: The Samsung SyncMaster S23A550H LED monitor performs well and the price is good, but it simply pales in comparison with its predecessor.
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ViewSonic VX2450wm-LED
Product Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/viewsonic-vx2450wm-led/4505-3174_7-34210825.html?tag=newspapers
CNET rating: 3 stars out of 5 (Good)
The good: The ViewSonic VX2450wm-LED has a simple, clean design, and pretty good performance at a very affordable price.
The bad: The display is low on options, including the missing HDMI connection. Its OSD offers nothing new, and getting to what few connections it has can be a pain.
The cost: $179.96 to $219.09
The bottom line: The ViewSonic VX2450wm-LED is a thin LED monitor with pretty good performance and a rock-bottom price.
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HP 2311x 23-inch LED Monitor
Product Review: http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/hp-2311x-23-inch/4505-3174_7-34481757.html?tag=newspapers
CNET rating: 3 stars out of 5 (Good)
The good: The HP 2311x includes the trifecta of connection options, all placed in an easily accessible spot. Don’t expect world-beating performance, but for $230 it’s quite good and even more impressive currently from Amazon.com for $180.
The bad: The monitor has no ergonomic support beyond tilt, its Movie and Gaming presets are too dark, and it has a plastic-feeling build quality. Some audio options would have been useful.
The cost: $164.99 to $229.98
The bottom line: The HP 2311x is a great monitor deal, with good performance and a great assortment of connections for its price.
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The following CNET staff contributed to this story: Eric Franklin, senior editor, and Laura K. Cucullu, senior editor. For more reviews of personal technology products, please visit www.cnet.com.
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(c) 2012, CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Distributed by MCT Information Services
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