Dell M993 19" CRT Monitor

(4 star rating)

Dell M993 19 inch flat screen CRT monitor - big, bulky and beautiful

Background
I have used this Dell M993 monitor at work for a little more than a year now. It is used for a lot of different applications  Word, Powerpoint, Access, Excel, Visio, Internet Explorer, Rumba (mainframe access), Lotus Sametime, Toad (Database access), and various other applications. I never turn it off, even at night, as it is easier and quicker to have it in stand-by mode at all times. It usually goes in and out of stand-by mode 2-3 times per day as I go to meetings and then return to my desk.

Screen and video quality
This monitor has done a very nice job of displaying all images and videos I ve viewed over the past year. Colors are bright and crisp with no glossiness or color fade. I have not used this monitor to view any high quality video, such as DVD s, but the other videos that I ve watched look very sharp (examples would be commercials and movie trailers. Yes, I ve watched movie trailers while at work ;-) .

Text Quality
Text is displayed clearly and accurately. I read a lot of emails and other documents at work, and I don t suffer from any eyestrain. The key here is to make sure you have the monitor set at a resolution high enough to allow you to see details, but not so small that you need to strain your eyes to read the text. I find that 1024x768 @ 85 Hz is optimal for my eyes, but you should adjust the resolution and refresh rate to what feels most comfortable to you.

Onscreen menus and Setup
When I first started using this monitor, it was already setup for me in my cube at work. The only settings I ve changed are the brightness and contrast, which was easy enough to do using the onscreen setup menu accessible via the buttons on the front of the monitor. There is really nothing extraordinary about the way Dell has designed this onscreen interface. The other available settings are standard to just about every other CRT monitor, and are not any different than any other monitor I ve used.

Highlights
- Flat screen --- all of the obvious advantages of having a flat screen vs. a traditional curved CRT tube apply here
- Size --- 19 diagonal size, with 18 of viewable real estate makes it easy to take advantage of having multiple windows open at once
- .24mm dot pitch --- a low value dot pitch (.25mm or less is what I recommend) contributes to the fine level of visible detail of this display
- High max resolution --- capable of 1600x1200 @ 75 Hz
- Reliability --- in use for over a year with no issues
- Energy STAR compliant --- helps save on electricity costs

Drawbacks
- Size and weight --- this is a BIG piece of computer equipment. Tipping the scales at over 46 lbs. makes it extremely bulky if you need to move it around. It also takes up a lot of desk space with WxDxH dimensions of 17.3" x 18.3" x 17.7"
- Limited connection options --- with this CRT monitor, one regular ol 15 pin output cable is all you get
- Anti-glare coating works marginally at best --- if you are near windows or other light sources, you still have to deal with glare. You will need to purchase one of those after-market glare screens if you really want to get rid of glare completely.

Conclusion
Overall, this monitor has performed well and is definitely recommended. The 18 of viewable screen space is very useful. It does a superb job of displaying images, video and text and has not developed any problems with flicker, burn-in, etc. in over a year of heavy use.