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Today, Benchmark Reviews has as it's subject the ASUS VW266H 16:10 Widescreen LCD Monitor. Following the LCD trend, ASUS offers an affordable, large LCD monitor that not long ago was cost prohibitive for us working class computer folks, and a stretch for even the well heeled. Well, enter the 21st century because that was then and this is now. Folks, this is a 25.5" 16:10 aspect ratio 1900x1200 native resolution LCD monitor for under 280 USD. No, that's not a typo. It's 25.5", really. Still not interested? You should be because this panel is a nice piece of hardware for business, gaming, and all around computer use with the added luxury of having 25.5" of desktop space.


The trend in LCD monitors is to follow LCD TVs in that more and more we see LCD computer monitors taking on the same 1080 resolution (a 16:9 aspect ratio) as their TV LCD counterparts. Well, if you're on to this then you are an enthusiast working in front of a monitor connected to a computer, not watching a movie on a TV LCD, and you know you want a 16:10 aspect ratio. You also know you do not want a 1080 (16:9) aspect ratio that was originally designed for watching movies. Why?

Because at 16:10 you get a 1900x1200 resolution which means you get more vertical area for documents that are vertically oriented, which means just about everything, such as the Benchmark Reviews website you're reading. Let me just say that at 1900x1200 compared to 1900x1080, you get more screen real estate. Let's not diverge into a debate about aspect ratios. If you like the 1080 16:9 ratio, then you're in luck because they are much cheaper. On the other hand, if you want the 16:10 aspect ratio, you're still in luck because this monitor delivers, and at a very good price, even though they have been hard to find online.

The good news is that even though the trend is moving to homogenize all monitors to 1080 (16:9), the good old 16:10s are available (although harder to find and more expensive). This is the case with the monitor we have today. Even almost a year ago, when I bought this monitor, I had to really look in order to find one. Today, I can't find one! Every place I've looked is out of stock. However, ASUS continues to list it on their website and they have no replacement listed. There are perhaps two things happening here: (1) They are getting ready to replace it with a newer model or (2) It's just so popular that no one can keep them in stock. The sister monitor to the VW266H (the VK266, which is the same monitor except with a built in web cam) isn't available either.

Manufacturer: ASUS
Product Name: ASUS VW266H Widescreen LCD Monitor
Model Number: VW266H
Price As Tested: $279

Labels: laptops and computers