After so many years of using the big, bulky, and heavy CRT (cathode-ray tube) display monitors for my home computers, I finally treated myself with this brand new ViewSonic VA2012WB 20.1” (20” viewable) Widescreen LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor.

The retail price for this LCD is about $450 plus tax, but I got is on sale at Costco Wholesale for $350 plus tax. I think I got a good deal, but some people would say that you can get a better deal if you purchase online. I do not like purchasing such big and high priced items online because of the high shipping cost and the risk of damage during shipping. I have had my eye on this monitor for some months now and I finally convinced my wife that I really needed this monitor to save space on my desk. But I purchased this monitor when my wife was at work so she only saw it the day after. So I was safe… for a little while anyways.


DESIGN :
There are a couple reasons I purchased this particular monitor; one is the huge 20.1” (20” viewable) size and the other is the fact that it is a widescreen monitor. The maximum resolution for this monitor is 1680x1050 at 60 Hz. The contrast ratio is 600:1; it is brighter than any CRT monitor I have ever used. This can be a good or a bad thing; if you like it bright then you are in luck, if you like it dim then you are in luck also as you can turn the contrast and brightness down a lot. This high resolution monitor also has a 16:10 wide aspect ratio; meaning it can display a lot more information than regular high resolution LCD monitors. The screen is wider so you can see more simultaneously.

This particular unit has a black front panel and a black rear panel. I chose black because I have a silver/gray PC case (Kingwin Inc. Mutant X) and all black keyboard and mouse (Microsoft Desktop Pro) set, so everything matches perfectly. I lot of my relatives say I have a very attractive setup.

The control buttons on the underside of the front panel will take a little while to get used to as they are a bit different they regular CRT display controls. This monitor also has built-in stereo speakers so you have three volume control buttons (mute, increase & decrease) for that. There is a 1 button, up and down arrow buttons, a 2 button, and the power button on the panel. The 1 button acts as a Menu button and the 2 button is the cancel button. If you set your screen resolution to 1680 x 1050, you should have no problems viewing anything on the screen. There is a little green LED light next to the power button that indicates if the monitor is on or off.