Acer 77e and NEC Accusync 70

Acer 77e

Features and Specifications

17" Flat Square CRT, 15.9" Viewable
.27 Dot Pitch
120 Hz Max Refresh
30 - 72Khz Horizontal Refresh Rate
1280 X 1024 (@67Hz) Max Resolution
AR,AG,AS coatings
"iScreen" On Screen controls with "iKey" auto setting feature
3 Year Limited Warranty on parts, 1 Year Labor and CRT
Average Street Price: $220-$260

The Good

This Acer offers a nice rounded feature set at a very accessible price point. The CRT features the standard on screen display with a little twist in the form of the "iKey". This is a nifty little feature for folks that hate twiddling with a whole bunch of settings trying to get the picture "just right". You just press the button, the monitor spits up an "Auto-Calibrating" message, and sets everything to preprogrammed parameters based on your current resolution and refresh rate. All of the buttons are right up front for easy access, so you'll never had to lean down to try and figure out which control key you are hitting. The buttons are all shaped a little differently from each other, which means you'll find what key you want easier without having to examine the control panel every time you want to change a setting.

The Bad

The Acer's CRT isn't quite as flat as it looks, but some might consider the fact that the monitor seems to be flat as a good thing™. Also, the bank-end of this monitor is rather large. Feel free to pull your desk away from the wall to make a little room for the Acer's big neck.

While the iKey is a great feature, it's close proximity to the "exit" key will frustrate the tweakers of the world that like to constantly play with the monitor's settings. I can't even tell you how many times I have screamed because I accidentally hit the "iKey" instead of "Exit" after tediously adjusting the monitor to get it oh so right. With a single clumsy hit, you can lose all your hard work. Luckily, there is a "recall" function that will restore your last saved settings.

NEC Accusync 70

NEC Spec Sheet

Features and Specifications

17" Flat Square CRT, 16" Viewable
.27 Dot Pitch
1280 X 1024 (@66Hz) Max Resolution
31 - 70Khz Horizontal Refresh Rate
OSM On Screen Menu
3 Year Warranty on CRT, parts and labor
Average Street Price: $220-$260

The Good

The Accusync provides a very nice, low cost monitor solution, which shares a good deal of technology with the famous Multisync brand of monitors. It contains all of the amenities you would expect. The on-screen controls (these are getting mandatory), and overall resolution is completely right on the mark for what you should expect out of a good 17" monitor. Name brand again is also a good point for this CRT. NEC is a very large, and well-established company which has an excellent reputation for making high quality products.

The neck of the Accusync is notably shorter than average, which means you won't have to worry too much about not having any desktop space in front of it. It also seems to have a smaller body size, which makes you feel as if the screen is actually bigger than it is because there isn't a lot of plastic frame staring at you.

The Bad

The Accusync is meant to be a lower cost alternative to the Multisync line. It uses a standard CRT, and as such, its screen isn't quite as super flat, or bright and vibrant as the Multisync 70. Overall, the Accusync is a very nice monitor with a very excellent image quality so should still be very eye pleasing to look at. However again, the average price of the Multisync 70 is roughly $270-$330, as compared to the Accusync being around $220-$260.

If you put both the Accusync 70 and Multisync 70 in front of me, I would toss the extra salad for the Multisync. You would probably have to see a Multisync to really appreciate the difference as compared to a standard tube, but when I say the Multisync's are flat, I mean they are drop dead straight as an arrow flat!! Once you see a Multisync's super vibrant, super flat screen, you find yourself wanting forever over it, a regular CRT just won't cut it after that. A bargain hunter would still most likely grab the Accusync however and live with the quality reduction.