First Look Review: ViewSonic VP231WB 23 LCD Monitor

ViewSonic’s latest LCD monitor combines good image quality with a large screen.

The Viewsonic VP231WB LCD display is impressive in size, design and overall quality. This 23" monitor, with a native resolution of 1920X1200, is housed in a thin-edge (0.85") cabinet.

For testing purposes, the VP231wb monitor was attached to an NVIDIA Quadro FX4000 graphics card with 256MB of onboard RAM on an AMD-based PC running Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 and the latest patches installed. The video driver used was the latest available for this graphics card at the time of testing, in this case v7.7.1.8 (WHQL certified). The monitor was tested at our standard 1280X1024 resolution settings. We use DisplayMate Technology's DisplayMate software (www.displaymate.com) to run through a range of LCD and standard video tests for brightness, contrast, focus, convergence, purity, geometric distortion and raster rotation. During the course of testing, the on-screen menu, the general functionality and accessibility of the controls, and the connectivity options are evaluated.

The tests showed that both brightness and contrast were excellent, with particularly deep blacks. Reds were slightly weak and slightly orange, but grays were clear and clean, without any noticeable color tinge. Some very slight flicker was visible on high-density parallel lines.

ViewSonic VP231wb

Controls for the ViewSonic VP231wb consist of five buttons that reside on the center of the lower bezel. The buttons are a bit difficult to see—small matte black buttons on a matte black housing. The left button brings up the menu system, which is very well designed and easy to use. The second and third buttons control brightness and contrast and also serve as navigation buttons for the menu system. The fourth button controls the video source, and the fifth and final button is a power toggle with a small LED power indicator.

The monitor's stand is very stable, allowing it to swing, tilt and pivot to provide portrait (vertical) mode. The stability is particularly remarkable for a panel of this size. It's feasible to use the display in portrait mode without it jiggling from environmental vibrations. PerfectPortrait Display Pivot software is included with the monitor to control the orientation of the display.

The relatively large external power transformer might present some problems in the physical positioning of the display, though not in normal orientation.

The estimated street price for the ViewSonic VP231wb display is $1,449, and it's covered by a standard 3-year warranty. Both D-sub and DVI-I connectors are vertically mounted on the rear, and a USB 2.x hub with one upstream and four downstream connectors is integrated. With the stand, the ViewSonic VP231wb weighs 19.8lb and measures 21.3" X 19.1" X 10.5" (wXhXd). Typical power consumption is 80W.

The ViewSonic VP231wb proved remarkably stable for a 23" LCD monitor.

Typical response time for the VP231wb display is 12ms gray-to-gray and 16ms black-white-black—fairly average for a display of this size. If your work involves video editing and the rotation of large, complex CAD models, you may experience some visual stutter during use.

Ron LaFon, a contributing editor for Cadalyst, is a writer, editor and computer graphics and electronic publishing specialist from Atlanta, Georgia. He is a principal at 3Bear Productions in Atlanta.