There's still a demand for standard-aspect-ratio 4:3 LCDs.

What sets the SyncMaster 940BF apart from most displays is its MagicTune software, which you use to adjust the monitor's settings, such as brightness, contrast, color tone, gamma, and more. MagicTune works much like the built-in controls of any display, but you get to use your mouse to point and click the options - an easier and more efficient way to navigate and make adjustments, compared to using the buttons on the front bezel (which you can still opt to use instead of the software). The one caveat: For reasons known only to Samsung, MagicTune for the Mac isn't bundled with the display, and it took some poking around Samsung's Web site to find it. Fortunately, the software is worth the time spent downloading it.

Software aside, the SyncMaster 940BF has decent overall image quality, despite some slight unevenness in the brightness of the unit we looked at. Colors in the photos we displayed looked realistic and even, and the SyncMaster 940BF handled DVDs nicely - we saw no noticeable streaking and good colors when watching Lawrence of Arabia.

The SyncMaster 940BF has only one VGA and one DVI connector. It doesn't have a USB hub, which isn't a bad thing - but for the price, you can't help wanting a few niceties. You can adjust the angle of the display by tilting it forward or back, but you can't adjust the height (the SyncMaster 940BF isn't alone in not allowing height adjustment, but it would be nice if more displays had it).

The bottom line. The SyncMaster 940BF is a good display for general use.

COMPANY: Samsung
CONTACT: 800-726-7864, www.samsung.com
PRICE: $499
REQUIREMENTS: DVI video connector
Good controls. Decent image quality.
Mac software not bundled with display. No height adjustment.