Well I finally had an opportunity to do a side by side comparison of the 1760 and the Dell 1800fp.
First, I took a look at the 1800FP running analog and then digital. DVI is very slightly better but not enough to eliminate the use of analog. In other words it looked great under each interface.
Second, I ran the 1760 and the 1800 in a dual monitor setup using a ati 9000pro video card driving the 1800 with DVI and the 1760 using analog.
Results:
text: 1800 slightly sharper but the 1760 was also excellent.
Images: 1760 is very bright, too bright. I'm sure I can fiddle with the 1760 to bring it more in line with the 1800. The colors where more muted on the 1800, but more natural and required no fiddling. I prefered the 1800 and my wife prefered the 1760. Both are excellent.
Size: Yes, size does matter. The 1800 is a monster and the extra 1" seems more like 3". When I was comparing LCDs in the stores the difference between 15" and 17" didn't appear to be that great. However, the difference between 17" and 18" seems substantial.
DVD play: I think it was a little better on the 1760. I think the brightness was a real plus in this case. I saw no ghosting in either monitor.
Games: I don't do games
Resolution: Native resolution sucks! Text is just too darn small. Everything is too small. All test where run at 1024 x 768. The fact that both monitors performed so well at non- native resolutions is a testament to their display quality. I wear progressive lens tri-focals and find it impossible to use any monitor at high resolutions.
DVI vs VGA: I believe that in a high quality monitor VGA is perfectly fine. I also believe that brightness and a minimum 25ms response time is probably more important. I also believe that Text quality is probably a more important quality indicator then it is given credit for.
I paid $402 for the Dell 1800 and it is worth every penny. I went way over my budget to get it which is why I did not go after another one this last Dell sale. You have to draw the line somewhere. The NEC 1760 is a keeper. It really is beautiful and I saved some money too (there is also a $50 rebate on the 1760).
At the $300 price point I would be nervous buying an analog only monitor sight unseen or online where returns could be expensive or a hassle. I'm constantly tempted, but I have seen too many name brand and minor brand LCDs in the stores which exhibited poor display quality.
The NEC 1760 is a safe bet and a good buy. If I had not done the side by side comparison I'm absolutely sure I would have been blown away by the 1760.
When it comes to monitors the eyes have it.