ViewSonic A90 - 19" proves bigger is better.
Written: Jul 10 '02 (Updated Jul 10 '02)
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Pros: Reasonable cost, great color, ViewSonic name. Customer service is excellent, too.
Cons: It is a big and heavy piece of equipment.
The Bottom Line: This is an impressive monitor. Don't let its size intimidate you. It is worth it.
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| rice75's Full Review: ViewSonic A90 18 inch Monitor |
I recently reviewed the ViewSonic GT775 monitor that I use at work and now that I'm home I can do my review for my other ViewSonic, the ViewSonic A90. I mentioned in my previous review that I have had a good experience with both monitors, but for different reasons. I will explain more on that at the end of the review.
I'm your typical computer user, I surf the internet, read and write email and play games. I also dabble in photo and digital image editing and a little desktop publishing. A 17" monitor would suffice for all these tasks (except maybe gaming) but I wanted a little more. My previous monitor was a CompUSA brand (need I say more?) that started to go bad on me, so it was definitely time for an upgrade. I choose the ViewSonic A90 based on the reputation of the brand and it's price (I got a 50$ rebate). I've been happy with it ever since.
Specs
Before I go any further, let me list a couple of the pertinent specs for this model. (from www.viewsonic.com)
Type: 19" (18.0" viewable) CRT
Dot Pitch: 0.23mm horizontal, 0.27mm diagonal
Glass Surface: ARAG anti-glare, anti-static screen coating
1600x1200-800x600 resolution
Invar shadow mask
and 46.2lbs (21.0kgs) (although it feels heavier than that)
Setup and Controls
I really think that the monitor is the only true plug and play component for the computer. The 15-pin D-sub connector goes into the video card and the 3-pronged plug goes into the wall. Not too hard there. One thing to keep in mind is that this monitor is big. Very big. So you'll need a fair amount of deskspace to accommodate it. It easily takes up 1/3 of my desk. You also have on-screen display of the controls that give you complete control over the brightness/contrast, the screen geometry, and even the on-screen display language. You can also store a different batch of settings and switch back between two different setups.
Color and display quality
The ViewSonic A90 uses a shadow mask instead of a grill aperture for the display. What a shadow mask does is screen out errant electrons from reaching the wrong place on the display. Not only does this prevent images from looking blurry or distorted but also "focuses" the electron beam to make smaller dots on the screen. It's what ViewSonic calls the "Invar Shadow Mask" which they say will not only sharpen the image but also extend the life of the picture tube.
ViewSonic comes with software that will allow you to calibrate your colors to be more "realistic" so you can brag about cool features like "True Internet Color" and optimal screen-to-print colors. I couldn't get mine to work like they say you can. Maybe my ambient light was poor, maybe I have bad eyes, I don't know. I do know that the factory settings are pretty good for me. Image editing on a big 19" display with bright colors is a treat. Some games I've played (Diablo II, Dungeon Siege) are a little dark and need to have the gamma turned up but I'm currently playing Warcraft III and the colors are rich and clean. I really like the color depth and clear display. Maybe that shadow mask really works!
Customer Service
This is what really sold me on ViewSonic. This monitor comes with a three year warranty and free tech support. After six months or so, my ViewSonic A90 started acting up. It would flicker, make a pop sound and then fade out completely. This would happen randomly at first, then much more frequently. I called ViewSonic's Customer Service, told them what was happening and asked what I should do. The lady at Customer Service was kind and helpful. She didn't make it out to be my fault and told me a replacement would be in order. I shipped the monitor back to them and within a week I had my replacement. They did send a refurbished model but it has worked like a champ ever since. The 30$ I spent shipping the bad monitor back to ViewSonic was money well spent. I was really impressed with ViewSonic's Customer Service.
So I would recommend the ViewSonic A90. It's got a reasonable price, exceptional performance and great customer support to back it up. I highly recommend ViewSonic entirely.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 350
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
rice75
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Member: Tony Rice
Location: Columbus, OH
Reviews written: 73
Trusted by: 66 members
About Me:
Resident Evil 4 will own your soul. Do not resist.
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