Monitors designed specifically for gamers are rare, which is
odd considering that gamers have only a few requirements: fast response times
and refresh rates, and decent contrast. BenQ's new XL2420T covers all these
bases. It has an overdrive circuit called Instant Mode that’s designed to
reduce response times, it supports 120Hz refresh rates, and it claims a
contrast ratio of up to 12 million to one.
The XL2420T's contrast is good for a TN panel, but IPS
panels have a wider color palette and can therefore display finer gradations of
color to improve contrast. The XL2420T also has a Dynamic Contrast option, but
we left it turned off because it produced distracting changes in luminosity.
Overdrive is a method of sending more voltage to each LCD
cell in order to force it to change state more quickly and therefore improve
response times. TN panels already have great response times, and the human eye
can’t detect anything
below 10ms, which makes it pointless on the XL2420T.
Its 120Hz refresh rate is impressive, however. In Crysis,
everything seemed far smoother. Unfortunately, images display a sheen that
smacks of over processing.
The XL2420T's menu system is complex, but we liked the
remote control panel for the menu, which has a scroll wheel and three buttons
to access presets quickly. This is far easier to use than the unmarked, touch-
sensitive buttons along the right of the screen.
Sadly, there are simply too many presets. In addition to the
usual Movie and Photo options, which saturate colors far too much, there are
two for FPS games, one for real-time strategy games, plus Standard, sRGB and
Eco modes. There are also three configurable presets.
BenQ XL2420T
monitor review - swivel stand
There's much more to the XL2420T, such as its adjustable
stand, the wide choice of inputs, the USB3 hub and the carrying handle built
into its stand, but our overall impression is that the image is too processed
for photo work. For a TN panel, it has great contrast and color accuracy, and
gamers will love its 120Hz support, but ViewSonic’s VX2336s-LED has impeccable
image quality and costs much less.
Technical data
Price:
$348
Verdict:
Great for gamers, but its image quality isn’t as good as some budget IPS
panels
24in
widescreen LCD: 1920x1080 native resolution, VGA, DVI, DisplayPort, 2x HDMI
inputs, three-port USB3 hub
Details: www.benq.com
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