ViewSonic VP2130b shows us the money

There's a common misconception that all the nano-electric technology inside your PC is utterly useless without it being connected to a monitor.

Obviously, being the super-geeks that we are, we can get away with basic tasks like video editing or creating Javascript apps simply by using keyboard shortcuts and listening to hard drive clicking patterns, but this isn't an option for mere mortals.

There are some things ('cough' Internet filth 'cough') that absolutely demand a monitor, so we're thankful ViewSonic has just sent us the new VP2130b. It's an 'ultra-slim' 21.3-inch LCD panel designed for "professionals whose work demands vivid images that only a high-performance, high resolution can bring", or so ViewSonic tells us.

We're using it right now, and like most ViewSonic screens we've seen, it's very good. It isn't as bright as we'd have liked, but it runs at a native resolution of 1,600x1,200 pixels, has a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and a fast 8ms grey-to-grey response time.

Right now you can buy it from around £630, which is a little pricey considering you can buy big-brand 20-inch widescreen TFTs with higher resolutions for under £460.

Nevertheless, we'll give it the full once-over in our Monitors channel very soon. -RR