Iiyama Prolite XU2390HS-B1 A very affordable 23in monitor

The standard monitor size these days is 24 inches, that being the diagonal measurement from the pixel at the bottom left to the one at the top right. If we quoted the dimensions the same way as any other object, we’d call it 531x299mm. You can get bigger, of course, but when you think that in 1984 the Apple Macintosh started the personal computer revolution with a screen that was only nine inches across, two feet should be enough for anyone.

The Prolite XU2390HS-B1 is a standard shape (16:9 widescreen), but at 23 inches, slightly smaller than your average. It feels even more compact, thanks to the relatively narrow bezel around the screen edges – these are still clearly visible, but attractively discreet. The base is pretty innocuous with no expanses of glossy black plastic to pick up fingerprints. Even the back panel isn’t as ugly as some.

This all means the Prolite could be a good choice if you don’t have much room to play with. You’re unlikely to miss the extra inch, while the Full HD (1920x1080-pixel) resolution looks a tiny bit sharper at the reduced size. More important is the quality of the display, which is really rather good. Our tests showed that an impressive 93 per cent of the standard SRGB colour range was covered, and this improved a fraction when we tweaked the settings. These are operated by unlabelled buttons, which makes things a little confusing at first.

There are certainly more accurate and vibrant panels around, but you won’t see much better at this price. Blacks were nice and deep, with very little leakage from the backlight. This, along with the high contrast levels, meant our photos looked great. Moving images also ran smoothly enough, except when we undertook some serious gaming. The glass has an anti-glare finish, so reflections won’t distract you when you’re working.

DVI, HDMI and VGA ports are included to cover all input bases, although there’s no USB hub, which often come with pricier monitors and let you connect peripherals to your PC via the screen. There’s also no headphone socket on the monitor, but small stereo speakers are built in. With tilt adjustment but no swivel, rotation or height controls, the Prolite XU2390HS-B1 is undeniably a basic monitor, but as an affordable way to complete a desktop system or complement a laptop, it won’t disappoint.

A compact, highquality and affordable PC monitor

A low-end laptop could work out cheaper. The HP Stream 11 (£179 from www.snipca. com/17578) has a larger screen than a full-size ipad and a decent keyboard. Its specs are adequate for using Word and email, and it comes with a year’s Office 365 subscription as well as Windows 8.1, upgradable free to Windows 10. The Asus Eeebook X205TA (£160 from www. snipca.com/17579) is similar.

You could also consider a Chromebook, which runs everything within a web

Abrowser, including text editors. The Dell Chromebook 11 (2015 model) (£237 from www.snipca.com/17581 – pictured) is a very sturdy option.

If you go for a tablet, consider a fullsize Bluetooth keyboard rather than the cramped tablet models. Today’s flat desktop keyboards may not be very tactile, but fit easily in a laptop bag.