ViewSonic VX910 - 19in TFT Monitor review

ViewSonic has been producing some great monitors lately, with its VP range proving to be some of the best TFT screens available. But the VP range is the high-end proposition from ViewSonic, and the company knows that not everyone can afford to splash out on a top of the line screen. To cater for the more price conscious buyer, ViewSonic has recently released the new VX range of monitors, and sitting in front of me right now is the VX910.

Despite the somewhat cryptic model name, the VX910 is a 19in unit, and being that it’s a TFT screen, that means that you’ll get a full 19in of viewable screen area. Like most 19in TFT monitors, the VX910 conforms to a 1,280 x 1,024 resolution, which is the same as you’ll find on a 17in TFT screen. That said, those extra two inches of physical size, do make a big difference to your viewing, especially if, like me, you regularly spend much of your day perched in front of your monitor. That said, if I could find a reasonably priced 19in unit with a resolution of 1,600 x 1,200, I’d probably grab it – it would offer me the best balance of huge desktop real estate with a small desktop footprint. But most monitor manufacturers, ViewSonic included, will expect anyone that wants 1,600 x 1,200 to jump up to a 20 or 21in screen, thus putting less strain on the eyes.

The VX910 may not be a high-end screen in the ViewSonic range, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at it. This screen really does look great, and the designers should be congratulated for creating a product that looks far more expensive than it actually is. The screen itself is surrounded by a black bezel, which I personally prefer to silver or beige. However, there is a thin sliver of silver surrounding the black bezel, which then expands below it to house the controls. The stand continues the black and silver theme with the support being primarily black, but bordered by silver. The silver then expands out to form the rectangular base. Given that the base is made up of a hollow rectangle, it is very unobtrusive, and you could, in theory, still place things on the space inside the base.

The rear of the VX910 is solid black, except for a silver embossed ViewSonic logo – just so anyone sitting behind you can see who makes your monitor. There’s a removable rear panel that hides the cable ports along with some very impressive cable routing. The rear of the centre support has a removable panel so that the cables can be hidden behind it. But the cables aren’t just shoved inside this gully with the flap levered back on top, as with most screens. Inside the gully are two wide cable grips which lock closed – unlock these, slide the cables in, and lock them again for simple and clean cable routing. Under the port flap, you’ll find DVI and D-SUB ports, along with the power socket.

Although the design of the screen and stand are impressive from an aesthetic point of view, it’s not quite so impressive from a practical point of view. There is pretty much no adjustability on offer – the screen can’t be panned left and right, there’s no pivot option and also no height adjustment. However, it must be said that the fixed position that ViewSonic has gone for is a pretty good one, and I found it quite easy to achieve a comfortable viewing angle. Although there’s no height adjustment, the VX910 is still raised well off the desk, unlike many fixed height monitors which are generally far too low to achieve a comfortabe viewing position.