Verdict: High-end display technology, but with a price tag to match

Okay, so it's the priciest 17in monitor on test, but the £185 price tag carried by the MultiSync 70GX2 nets you more than just a big-brand name. For a start, this is easily the best-looking 17in on test, with a cool, understated design, a thin, heavily curved silver frame and the controls all nestled beneath the screen. It also sits at a comfortable height, tilts and swivels with a luxury feel, and doesn't waste time with speakers that will only disappoint you. And while the gloss screen means that there will be a certain degree of reflection, the coating ensures this is minimal, unless the image is particularly dark.

You're also paying for technology. The 70GX2's buzzword is Opticlear DVM, denoting a high 400cd/m2 luminance level, a 700:1 contrast ratio and a range of processing technologies designed to optimise colour performance for various scenarios, including video, photos and gaming. Up to a point, this works. The 70GX2's brightness is exceptional, and for sheer clarity, it's the best in the category. However, there's something slightly off with the colour balance, and it required some fiddling with the colour settings - which wasn't helped by the monitor's fiddly joystick-controlled menus - to eliminate a nasty yellow tinge. That done, the 70GX2 cruised through our technical tests. It struggles when it comes to light tints and near-white grey tones, but its separation of the darkest tones from black pays tribute to its superb handling of low-range contrast. And despite signs of banding, it delivers an exceptional range of colour.

The real-world upshot is superb performance in movies, desktop apps and games, although our photo tests still left us wanting more natural tones. On the 70GX2, Prey packs quite a punch, with the superb organic textures covered in an almost repugnant wet sheen. Perhaps the sun glare in Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a little too strident for comfort, but you certainly couldn't call it half-assed, and while the trials in Harry Potter looked more realistic on the Asus and Acer screens, you couldn't fault the 70GX2's crisp handling of the action.

The only real issue is its price. The Asus and Acer monitors offer similarly good performance for a lower price, and while the 70GX2 throws in a four-port USB hub, it doesn't justify the added expense.

• Cases - 21st November 2008
• Motherboards - 24th October 2008
• Gaming Headsets - 26th September 2008
• Dream PCs - 24th September 2008
• Headphones - 12th September 2008
• Media PC components - 22nd August 2008
• PSUs - 14th July 2008

• OCZ Core Series 30GB - Hard disks / storage
• Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - Hard disks / storage
• Asus EAH4870 TOP - Graphics cards
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro - Sound cards
• Multiwinia - Games
• Zotac GeForce GTX 260² - Graphics cards
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 - Graphics cards