If you have an older Macintosh, you'll likely need a graphics card to take full advantage of the monitor. In addition to boosting the video memory, these cards include graphics-acceleration chips. Apple's new Power Mac G3 systems include built-in graphics acceleration. The speed at which the electrons paint the screen is known as the refresh rate. To prevent screen flickering, you need a refresh rate of at least 66Hz.
Most monitors offer a range of refresh rates that vary depending on the screen resolution.
In our general testing, we set all the monitors at a 75Hz refresh rate, with a resolution of 1,152 by 870. All offer higher rates if necessary, although their maximum refresh rates do vary. Covering the windows in the lab to eliminate extraneous outside light, we scrutinized test images designed to showcase the monitors' color quality and ability to display sharp text and graphics. We also evaluated each monitor's brightness. Whether you're crunching numbers or laying out pages in QuarkXPress, you want text and other items to appear sharp.