The CW-19 is the first monitor to appear under the recently-formed
AGM brand - new arm of
A G Neovo, dedicated to producing high-quality monitors on a budget.
Despite being a wide format 19in panel, it takes up remarkably little desk
space. At roughly the width of a keyboard, it looks classy without dominating
the desk.
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Using a rather ubiquitous but smart black casing with a very thin bezel, the
CW-19 has an elegantly understated appearance with none of the cheap tackiness
found on some competing products.
The five control buttons are of the membrane type and easy to operate.
There’s a separate auto-setup button as well as direct access to brightness and
contrast adjustments, while the menu itself is basic, but easy to navigate.
Being a budget monitor, the CW-19 understandably offers a modest set of
features. It sits rather low on the desk and, as is usually the case with
low-cost monitors, the stand offers only a tilt adjustment.
It only tilts back by up to 5°, which isn’t enough for comfortable viewing
from low down. This problem is compounded by the restrictive 130° vertical
viewing angle of its TN panel.
Once properly adjusted, the CW-19’s display is clear and sharp. Although the
brightness fell short of the advertised 300cd/m2, it’s perfectly bright enough
for desktop and gaming use - the 8ms response time makes it particularly suited
to the latter.
The most remarkable feature of the AGM CW-19 is the price. It’s certainly not
a luxury item and it won’t meet the exacting performance standards of
professional graphic artists, nor does it offer the ergonomic flexibility
required for prolonged office use.
However, with an RRP of just £199.74, it’s one of the cheapest 19in
widescreen models currently available. For those after a monitor for home use,
it’s an excellent buy.
Pros: Low cost; fast response time; neat design
Cons: No DVI input; poor stand adjustments
Overall: A basic, no frills monitor with a smart, compact design; solid
performance and an incredible price make this great value
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