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| CTX EX950F |
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Hardware Reviews June 2001 • Vol.4 Issue 6 |
CTX EX950F | ||
 The EX950F 19-inch display is the latest in CTX International's Executive Flat Series of CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors. While the monitor displays colors nicely, it's a little rough around the edges in terms of imaging capabilities. Having said that, we need to mention CTX did a great service to its EX950F monitor by lowering the price to $379 MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). Before the price drop, it was an average monitor for an unreasonable price; now it's a pretty good bargain, especially since you can probably get it from a computer superstore for less than $320. The EX950F is easy to install; it uses Plug-and-Play technology and a standard 15-pin VGA (Video Graphics Array) D-sub connector, and it comes with a users manual that's easy to follow. The monitor weighs 48.3 pounds, about average for its size, and has 18 inches of viewable screen. We evaluated the monitor on an IBM running Microsoft's Windows 98 operating system and employing a 450Hz Pentium III with 128MB of RAM and a powerful ASUS v7700 GeForce2 video card. We tested at the recommended 1,024- x 768-pixels resolution with a 75Hz refresh rate and 32-bit color depth. We also tried out the monitor's maximum resolution of 1,600 x 1,200 pixels with a 75Hz refresh rate and experienced similar detail but with a slight flicker. The EX950F has a 0.25mm dot pitch, and because of that we expected pretty good imaging. So we were a little disappointed when the images and text we looked at were a bit fuzzy. The monitor handled our diagnostic tests very well overall, especially tests for color, but along the way we noticed some blooming, which translates into fuzziness during ordinary use. We also noticed some small ripples on the screen during some of our tests, but these moiré effects weren't noticeable when we ran common real-world applications. Tests for different fonts and sizes yielded sub-par results, again due to fuzziness, primarily in font sizes of 10 points or less. In our tests for video bandwidth brightness, which compares white lines of varying thickness against a black background, the thinnest white lines lacked brilliance and tended to look gray. The EX950F provided above average performance when displaying colors. Tests for color registration, grayscale, and color scale were all quite good. When we looked at images using Adobe Photoshop, the range and brilliance of colors were fantastic, marred only by a slight lack of definition and focus when looking at the tiniest details. The users manual suggested we adjust the brightness and contrast to correct a fuzzy image, but making these adjustments didn't make the images clearer. The EX950F has some nice amenities, such as a hard-coated, antiglare, antistatic screen and a comprehensive, easy-to-use OSD (on-screen display). The EX950F isn't a bad monitor, especially with a bargain price tag; however, because you can find other 19-inch CRTs today priced at less than $300, you should do some comparison-shopping based on your needs. by Cal Clinchard
$379 CTX International (800) 266-1491 (626) 709-1000 http://www.ctxintl.com
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