Samsung SyncMaster 305T

This 30-inch display has first-rate image quality overall, though colours looked slightly dull in some photos.

The SyncMaster 305T performed well in our image quality tests, showing sharp text and nuanced colour. Jurors were impressed with the 305T's rendering of text in a Microsoft Word document, as well as in a screen of repeating E's and M's.

The 305T showed a couple of photos in which colours appeared a bit muted in comparison with the other displays in the test group, but colour representation seemed good overall.

This SyncMaster has a smooth black bezel and a circular stand. It tilts and swivels smoothly, though it is not height-adjustable, and it does not pivot. It is wall-mountable.

The only control it has to adjust the screen is one for brightness -- buttons on the front of the bezel increase and decrease the brightness of the display, and that's it. Currently no on-screen components are available to support the 305T's high resolution of 2560x1600, but Samsung states that future versions of this model should include an on-screen display for adjustments.

Two downstream USB ports reside on the back of the display. Samsung also includes a power-saver mode -- this switches the monitor to a low-power status when it has not been in use for some time.

At $2499, this SyncMaster is certainly pricey, but it falls well within the range of what other 30in LCDs cost. If you seek a monitor on which to spread out and see lots of documents at once, the 305T would be a fine choice.