Top 5 professional monitors

Eric Franklin
Senior Editor August 23, 2010

Most of the monitors we review at CNET are not intended for professional use. And by "professional use," I'm referring to graphic artist professionals. You know, people who get paid (most times) to create or edit graphics (including photos) on a computer.

Color accuracy is one of the chief attributes of a good "pro" monitor. A high brightness, a deep black-level, and a wide viewing angle are also important.

However, what may actually trump all other attributes in a pro monitor are customization options.

With deep and detailed customization options, graphics professional have the opportunity to tailor the monitor's screen to their specific needs.

I've gathered five monitors that combine top performance with detailed calibration options.

These are not cheap monitors by any stretch and three of the five cost more than $1,000; but what they do provide is world-beating performance in terms of color accuracy and calibration options that would make any graphics pro giddy as a schoolgirl.

In particular, the NEC MultiSync PA271W provides incredible color accuracy and the most-detailed calibration options we've yet seen in a display. The other four monitors have great performance and robust and useful calibration options; however, they don't come anywhere near the detailed options available with the PA271W.

Editors' note: As I said before, these monitors are not cheap. So be sure to make special note of each vendor's warranty policy. Some units of the Dell UltraSharp U2410 in particular have been known to have some color issues.