NEC Multisync LCD 2180UX

The NEC Multisync LCD 2180UX is a professional flat-screen monitor aimed at industries such as financial, graphics and design. As you'd expect with a 21.3in monitor, it comes in a solid casing, and weighs a hefty 11kg. But the 16mm bezel is still slim enough to save space and the monitor stand can be removed for wall mounting.

It works in landscape or portrait mode, has very smooth height adjustment and can be tilted to 25 deg. The swivel, however, was so stiff that invariably the base dragged round first. If the cables are left to hang down from the back they're a bit of an eyesore, but the Multisync comes with a cable cover to hide them away.

This really is a lovely monitor to use. It is bright, with good whites and strong blacks, and is large enough to display multiple documents simultaneously. Turn it to portrait mode and it can display A3 office documents.

The display is great for pictures and for moving images, so you could happily pop a DVD into your PC and watch a feature film on this monitor, provided you had some good speakers for sound. A speaker upgrade is available, although this was not supplied with our review model.

The screen has a native resolution of 1,600 x 1,200 pixels, supports DVI-I and D as well as VGA, and comes with a range of in-built technologies which run in the background to keep images pin sharp.

The Multisync is a great monitor, but at over £1,000 it is only for the rich or businesses that have a specific need. For the average user, there's a good range of 17in and 19in monitors on the market that are far more suited to our pockets.

Contact: NEC-Mitsubishi
www.nec-mitsubishi.com

Specifications:

• 21.3in TFT screen
• 1,600 x 1,200 native resolution
• VGA, DVI-D, DVI-I
• 11kg
• 467 x 200 x 391mm (w x d x h)
• 250cd/m2 brightness
• 500:1 contrast ratio
• 176 deg viewing angle (horizontal and vertical)
• 20ms response time
• 3yr on-site warranty in EU