HP f2105 review

The £529 HP f2105 will look good with any business or home PC -- especially if your system's design runs toward the chrome or brushed-steel look. With a 21-inch 1,680x1,050-resolution screen and built-in speakers, the f2105 is ideal for entertainment, while its excellent image quality and copious screen space make it a good bet for business and graphics applications as well. Although it lacks a built-in TV tuner and composite and S-video ports, it otherwise charts a middle course between business and pleasure with its combination of high image quality, adjustability and good looks.

Design
The eye-catching HP f2105's wide-screen design makes it look more like a TV than a monitor. The panel and bezel together are 343mm tall and 584mm wide, while the screen itself measures 21 inches across the diagonal. The silver bezel runs 25mm wide on the top and 38mm long on the bottom. The speakers take up 63mm on either side. The two USB outputs are located on the left side of the display and can be used for connecting peripherals such as a camera, a printer or an MP3 player. Two open loops on either side of the neck gather in the audio, signal and power cables.

The f2105 isn't very adjustable: it tilts forward 5 degrees and back 35 degrees and can be folded flat for shipping or storing; it doesn't pivot or swivel from side to side. A double-hinged neck makes adjusting the monitor up and down very easy; you can literally move it with one finger. The f2105 wobbles just slightly when it's adjusted or moved, but thanks to a big C-shaped stand, it won't tip over.

Ports include analogue (VGA), digital (DVI) and three USB 2.0 (one upstream and two downstream) along the back of the monitor, partially covered by the removable black-plastic cover. The audio inputs connect your computer's sound card to the built-in 5-watt (per channel) speakers. The audio outputs let you connect to additional speakers or a subwoofer. The stock speakers sound relatively good and powerful, but won't rattle windows. HP earns points for including cables for all of the connections.

The menu navigation buttons set into the bottom bezel are clearly labelled and easy to use. Two control the speaker volume; the others open the on-screen menu, let you browse and make selections, and launch the auto-adjust feature (on a VGA signal only).

Performance
The HP f2105 turned in a stellar performance on our DisplayMate-based tests, outscoring even top-notch LCDs such as the Eizo FlexScan L997 and the LaCie 321. Tested at its native resolution of 1,680x1,050 pixels, the f2105 performed especially well in some notoriously difficult areas: displaying greyscale and colour gradients. The f2105 created smooth, gradual progressions of grey tones from dark black to bright white and back again without compression -- the tendency to crowd sections of a gradient into one or both ends of the scale. The f2105's greyscale gradients were also free of red, green or blue colour tints -- another common pitfall for flat-panel displays.

Colour gradations were also much smoother than the norm; the f2105 displayed changes in hue cleanly, without bright or dull spots. Text was reasonably sharp and easy to read but not exceptional. The f2105 showed no signs of streaking or ghosting during our gaming tests, while DVD playback showed some slight irregularities -- but no more than on other LCDs.

Edited by Charles McLellan
Additional editing by Nick Hide