It did not take long for the Asus 17" PM17-TU LCD to become a favorite with gamers. Now the manufacturer has shifted into an even higher gear with the PW191, a wide-format 19" monitor with great looks. Unfortunately, its performance is not always on par with its design:

First the bad news. The touch-sensitive buttons are not sensitive enough, and if you change adjustments often, they are a problem. And why did Asus have to use the glare-filter technology? We know it's a general trend, but consider this: Sony, who first developed this technology, doesn't even dare offer it on its own top-of-the-line products. The same monitor without the filter would perform much better.

The selling price, around $400, is far from excessive for a monitor of this quality. The finish is exceptional. It's probably the best-looking monitor available on the market today. And beyond the good looks, the picture is very sharp and the colors are very good in video games. In itself, the PW191 is a good product, but it's obvious that the panel was poorly chosen. It's slower than its competitors, yet doesn't solve the video-noise problems that plague them. We're waiting for the 20" version in the hope that these problems will be taken care of.