Optiquest V73 and Q73

V73 & Q73

The Optiquest name, along with its sister company Viewsonic, are both very well known and respected. They are more or less the Dodge/Plymouth of monitors because their products lines are almost identical, with subtle differences. Lately, both have begun to put more effort into differentiating their products. Optiquest and Viewsonic monitors no longer share the same model numbers or physical characteristics, but they are still similar enough that you can see the relation between the two lines.

V73 Features And Specifications

17" Flat Square CRT, 16" viewable
.26 Dot Pitch
110Hz Max Refresh Rate
30 - 70Khz Horizontal Refresh Rate
1280 X 1024 (@66Hz) Max Resolution
"OnView" on screen controls, with "Viewmatch" screen to printer color matching
Invar Shadow mask with ARAG™ Screen Treatment, Tint TM=48%
RGB medium-short persistence screen phosphor
Three Year limited Warranty, 48hour Express Exchange service option Available
Average Street Price: $250 - $300

Q73 Features And Specifications

17" Flat Square CRT, 15.97" viewable
.26 Dot Pitch
110 Hz Max Refresh Rate
30 - 70Khz Horizontal Refresh Rate
1280 X 1024 (@66Hz) Max Resolution
"OnView" on screen controls, with "Viewmatch" screen to printer color matching
Invar Shadow mask with ARAG® Screen Treatment, Tint TM=52%
RGB new rare-earth (red), zinc sulfide (blue and green) screen Phosphor
Three Year limited Warranty, 48hour Express Exchange service option Available
Average Street Price: $250 - $300

So what's the difference here?

Optiquest has two distinct lines, the V Series and the Q series. The V and Q stand for Value and Quality. Frankly, there aren't any glaring differences between the V74 and Q73. In the end, price is going to be the deciding factor between the two, and in the case of these two CRTs, the price turns out to be roughly the same.

The only difference between the two monitors appears to be some minor differences in the CRT components and screen treatments. There is also a seriously small difference in viewable area, 16" for the V73 versus 15.97" for the Q73.

The Good

Optiquest is a very prestigious brand name. They build quality monitors, and offer excellent service with a "48 hour express replacement" buzz line. Most customers should find that Windows immediately identifies Optiquest monitors and installs them without a problem. The monitors don't seem to be any less deep than any of the other CRTs in the roundup, but they do take up less space due to a reduced case design, and they also seem to sit a little lower than the other monitors.

The Bad

Err… ahh… one is the "Value" line.. and the other… the "Quality" line.. That implies there is a difference between the two, but what the heck is it? It was bad enough that both the Viewsonic and Optiquest branded monitors are almost mirrors of each other. Historically, both the Q and V lines also shared the same exact physical body. Changing that confusing similarity is a step in the right direction. Still, too many consumers might be left scratching their head's trying to figure out what the difference is between the two monitors, especially considering that both models are priced and featured almost exactly alike.

Control Gripe

The button panel of the V73 sits under a small overhang from the screen, making access a bit annoying, especially if have your keyboard sitting right in front of the CRT. Also, the buttons are all shaped exactly the same. Once again, you are likely to get frustrated hitting the wrong buttons a few times until you memorize which is which. As for the Q73, the controls are less annoying since they are located right up front for easy access.