Compaq W17Q Monitor: Window to the World! (Wide Web)

Review of Compaq W17Q Computer Monitor (January 11, 2008)

We have a family computer in our den, primarily used by my wife and children since I prefer to use my laptop. Being in a remote area that is not served by cable and nor do we have DSL service; we rely on dial-up. One day in mid November, I sat down at the family computer to discover the dial-up service was not working. Then, within days my wife complained that the computer monitor (my trusty Nokia monitor) took up too much desk space and she wanted one of those new, flat screened computer monitors. I figured it would cost about $200 for a new monitor and about $50 for a new modem. This cost, along with the fact that the existing computer runs on Windows ME led to the conclusion it was time to upgrade to a new PC!

As I thumbed through a Walmart advertisement that came in the mail, I noticed they had a Black Friday special for a new Compaq desktop PC that comes with a new Compaq W17Q monitor – all for only $350 while supplies last. This would be perfect for our family needs! So, this is yet another item I purchased on that wonderful Black Friday of 2007 (see some of my other recent reviews for other items I purchased).

I’ve never really been too impressed by Compaq computers in the past. However, several years ago they were taken over by Hewlett Packard, whose products seem to be a bit better, in my opinion. Right out of the box, I was very impressed with the computer and the monitor.

The monitor has a 17 inch screen, as measured diagonally. It has a black finish on the frame, stand and screen. It looks great sitting on the desk in my den! When I hooked it up and turned on the screen, it fired up almost immediately and it gives a beautiful, crisp clean picture.

Another nice feature about this monitor is the built in speakers. I typically do not use monitor speakers, since I prefer my computer stereo speakers. However, to get things setup quickly, I plugged the monitor speakers in. They did not sound bad for their size! A bit tinny, but not distorted or fuzzy. The monitor also has a volume control button to adjust these speakers volume. You can also use your computers Windows software to adjust tone, balance, base,treble, etc. For basic use these speakers are just fine!

As mentioned earlier, my monitor was purchased as part of a bundled package with a computer. It came in the same box as the computer; however, it was securely packaged in yet another separate box, within the main box. It came with all the wires needed to make the final connection. As I recall with my old monitor, I had to purchase a monitor cable independently (very frustrating!).

It does indeed save a lot of desk space, if you position the monitor parallel with the wall. It also does not have any glare, due to the LCD display. What I really appreciate about the monitor is that it only 37 Watts of power when on – a little more than a compact fluorescent light bulb – compared to the 130 Watts used by the older CRT monitor. What does this add up to in savings? Well, suppose you use the monitor constantly for 8 hours each day. The savings would add up like this:
130 Watts - 37 Watts = 93 Watts. 1000 Watts = 1 KW, so: 93Watts/1000Watts = 0.093KW. My electric companies roughly charges $0.15 per KWH. So, 0.093KW X 8Hours X $0.15 per KWH = $0.11 savings per day!

And even better yet, if you should walk away from the computer for a while, the computer and monitor will switch to standby mode and power down temporarily, thus reducing power consumption even more. To start back up again, simply shake the mouse a bit and it powers right back up in seconds. You can also manually power down the monitor using the power switch located on the panel beneath the screen. It has a small LED indicator that shines yellow when the power is off, but turns green when the power is on.

On the first day I setup the computer, my young children came into the room. For some reason, my young 4 year old son decided to put his dirty peanut butter and jelly covered hand on the monitor screen! Ugh! What is wrong with kids these days? After sending him to his room to think about what he did, I went to the kitchen and wet soft, clean, lint free kitchen towel with tap water, then returned and wiped the screen down. It turned out as clean as new! By the way, these are the recommended procedures to clean LCD screens, as I was instructed when I purchased my LCD screen TV.

The monitor has standard controls to adjust brightness, color, contrast as well as language, OSD, and screen position. It is easy to view the screen at all angels while sitting at the desk (in case you are showing someone something on the screen). The papers that came with the monitor tout 1440 x 900 optimal resolution which is pretty sharp!

I am very satisfied with this monitor. I am happy to be able to use less electricity and have a better quality monitor in our den for my family to use. There really are no downsides to purchasing one of these monitors, except maybe for price. They currently sell for about $200 on many chain stores and on the internet. However, the prices are dropping all of the time. Interesting to note, a buddy of mine has a similar style monitor made by Sony for his PC. He paid over $400 for it earlier last year. The image on his screen does not appear any better than the one on the Compaq screen I bought. Also, the 17” size seems perfect to meet our needs. Anything smaller would be too small, and anything larger would be glaring.

I would highly recommend this monitor for anyone who owns a PC. It does not seem any different than the one in my laptop, albeit it is a bit bigger in size, so it might not make a difference there. I would suggest considering purchasing one along with the PC, if you are considering getting a new PC soon. The one nice thing about have a PC for family use versus a laptop is that it stays put and family members can not tote it from room to room. I bought my monitor along with the PC at Walmart, but I see it being sold in many stores and on the internet. Thank you for reading my review and best wishes for a nice day!

Mike