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Despite a wobbly stand, the Viewsonic VX2460H-LED succeeds…
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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 eyes at a reasonable quality, they’re good. Thing is, there are cheap monitors and then there are cheap monitors.
And by cheap I mean “the last time I saw my power button was when it went flying past my face immediately after pressing it for the first time.” Yes, this actually happened to me some years ago. I pressed the power button on an older monitor, only to have it pop off and nearly take out an eye on its way to some now forgotten crevice in CNET Labs.
Luckily, I’ve not had that experience with any monitor on this list. At least not yet. The list features the best monitors priced under $200.
The only criterion for the list is that each monitor has to be available from a major retailer for $199 or less. From there, the four best monitors I’ve reviewed were chosen.
Dig in.
The HP 2311x is a well-performing 23-inch monitor with useful connections including DVI, VGA, and HDMI. It has super-deep black levels that provides movies with a particularly cinematic look. Unfortunately, the screen gets a bit too dark when in movie or game mode and some details are lost. Read the full review.
Josh Miller
It’s rare to see a 24-inch monitor at a $180 price. Well, it’s rare to see a good one at least. Sub-$200, 24-inch monitors are about as rare as 50-year-old male Twilight fans. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. I’m just saying it’s not something you see every day…what?
Anyway, the VX2450wm’s performance isn’t the best, and there’s no HDMI, but for general use, the price-to-screen-size ratio can’t be beat. Read the full review.
Josh Miller/CNET
The 24-inch ViewSonic VX2460H-LED is a good general purpose monitor that sadly suffers from poor build quality. It includes dual HDMI connections, skips a DVI connection, and features plenty of color customization options. The inexpensive monitor’s surprisingly good movie performance make it a great value for casual use.
Josh Miller
HP x2301
Like its price tag, the HP x2301 is one thin and sleek monitor. The 23-inch monitor’s well-designed features include its thin profile, easy-to-access connection options, and OSD array and menu. Its good design, combined with its good performance, and low price makes the HP x2301 monitor a great deal. Read the full review.
