17" LCD: Samsung 171N & NEC LCD1760V vs. Everyone Else

Samsung 171N

If you have been keeping up from the start, you will surely have noticed the "little" disagreement we had with Samsung last year. We're glad to say that things are sorted out and we are now the best buddies in the world. Just as well - these Korean monitors just keep on getting better looking and more intelligent. The 171N is a perfect example of this, and many readers have sent us emails asking us to test it, which is why we have. The base is height-adjustable, the housing extra-slim, the OSD menus clear, browsing intuitive and the auto-adjustment function (connection to the analog output on the video card) is efficient.

So the outcome is that the image is lovely, bright but not dazzling, and a great many colors are displayed.

Let's not beat around the bush though. The 171N has still aged somewhat these last few months. Its screen, though leaner than before, which explains the new reference, is the same as on the first version of the Hercules ProphetView 920 .

For while the 171N is physically smaller that the PV920, its performance is the same. This means that afterglow is noticeable in games, at least more so than on the current ones of 20 ms and less. Aware of this problem, Hercules dropped this screen in favor of the one on the Iiyama AS4314UTG. But Samsung hasn't. So the 171N seems a bit expensive when you compare its qualities with those of its rivals at the same price. Its destiny is in the office. For games, you should look elsewhere.