Flat-panel LCD screens take little desk space. But TV-like CRTs cost less.

If you spend hours staring at a computer screen, it may be wise to pay more for a monitor with a flat-panel liquid-crystal display screen (LCD). In our tests, LCDs provided the clearest, sharpest images. Still, the best of the familiar, boxy cathode-ray-tube monitors (CRTs) are very good. You can buy a big-screen CRT for about the same price as a smaller LCD. In the $350 to $400 range, for example, you can get a very good 15-inch LCD or a very good 19-inch CRT. Moreover, a CRT may be preferable for some uses, such as graphics.

Prices range from $200 for a 17-inch Dell M782 CRT to $1,000 for a 17-inch Apple Studio Display LCD.

The LCD monitors excelled at image quality, with the Apple Studio Display delivering an excellent picture--the best we've seen in a monitor for the consumer market. The CRTs were a notch behind, though still very good or good overall.

The LCDs also bested the CRTs on ease of use: easily adjusted controls, onscreen menus, smooth tilt and swivel adjustments. Here's a rundown of both types:

Viewable image size. An LCD's viewable image is the size advertised: a 15-inch monitor offers a 15-inch screen, measured diagonally. But a CRT advertised as a 17-inch screen actually has a viewable image measuring 16 inches on the diagonal. Most new CRTs have a flat screen, which reduces reflections; inexpensive models continue to use a curved picture tube.

Weight and footprint. CRTs are heavy and bulky. Their front-to-back depth often tracks with screen size (17 inches for a 17-inch monitor); they weigh between 40 and 50 pounds. By contrast, LCDs are 6 to 9 inches deep, and generally weigh about 10 pounds.

Color and image. CRTs form pictures TV-style, creating picture elements (pixels) by sweeping beams of electrons across the picture tube. Graphics professionals tend to favor CRTs in part because they have a wider range of colors. But CRTs flicker, which can contribute to eyestrain. (To minimize flicker, a CRT's refresh rate, measured in hertz, should be 75 Hz or higher, 85 Hz for 19-inchers.)

LCDs don't flicker. Their picture elements, or pixels, work like shutters to block a fluorescent backlight or let it shine through layers of colored filters. This design limits the palette of colors that an LCD can produce, but most people probably won't be bothered by that limitation. However, an LCD may not always respond as well as a CRT to the fast-moving images in games or movies.

Viewing angle. CRTs offer a very wide viewing angle. An LCD image looks best overall when viewed head-on. As a rule, the picture appears to fade as you move a foot or so to the side. The Ratings note a few LCDs that have a wider viewing angle than most.

Resolution. CRTs can usually produce various pixel resolutions for displaying more detail or material. LCDs have a "native resolution"--1,024x768 pixels for a 15-inch screen, 1,280x1,024 for 17- and 18-inch models. LCD pictures look best at that setting. They can be set for a lower resolution, but image quality will suffer.

Dot pitch. This spacing on a CRT screen should be no more than 0.28 mm; lower numbers mean better detail, everything else being equal. Dot pitch is not a factor for LCDs.

OTHER FACTORS

All models are "plug and play" and work equally well with Windows or Macintosh computers. Detachable data and video cables to connect monitor to computer are a plus.

Most LCD monitors can be used in analog or digital mode. Digital demands a special video card and cable (the cable is often included). In previous tests, digital mode offered better pictures than analog; this time, we saw little difference.

Power consumption. All models meet the federal government's Energy Star criteria. The LCDs consume 25 to 40 watts, depending on screen size; the 17-inch and 19-inch CRTs average 65 and 95 watts, respectively. A special "sleep" mode cuts all to about 2 watts.

Color controls. Most LCDs and CRTs let you adjust color "temperature" warmer (more red) or cooler (more blue), to try to optimize the display for the type of material you want to view. Onscreen menus are standard, and most allow you to change settings on the fly--brightness, contrast, individual colors (red, blue, green), "geometry" (to stretch or center the image), or restore factory settings. Some hold several users' preferences.

Tilts, swings, swivels. Some monitors offer a wide range of adjustment and easy movement. The NEC MultiSync LCD 1550X and Philips 150P2E LCDs have a telescoping neck so you can raise the screens a few inches. (See the photo in the box below.) Both screens can be rotated a quarter-turn, from landscape to portrait orientation; you could display a sheet of 8 1Ú2x11 paper life-size. (A control turns the image.)

Multimedia. A few models include speakers or a microphone. A few have spare universal serial bus (USB) ports, for a digital camera, say.

RECOMMENDATIONS

An LCD monitor delivers crisp pictures and text while saving desk space. The top 15-inchers--the Philips 150P2E and the NEC MultiSync LCD 1550X, each $550--offer flexible adjustments and easy-to-use controls.

Bigger monitors show more, but cost more. The 17-inch Apple Studio Display, for example, delivers excellent image quality but costs $1,000.

Don't write off CRT monitors, especially for graphics and video: 19-inch CRTs have become as affordable as smaller LCDs and offer 44 percent more screen area. A good 19 in. CRT will cost less than $400. Good choices among 17-inch CRTs range from $200 - $250.