BenQ has in recent times become very popular for their monitors as they have a range of affordable offerings for gamers and mainstream desktop users alike. Their 2420HD models from the G and E series have been extremely popular amongst gamers in particular. They've launched their new 24-inch EW2430V model in the market and that's what we'll be reviewing today. nnFeatures For a long time now, customers have been using TN panels. They're cheaper and have a good response time, but they lack sorely in colour reproduction. The BenQ monitor uses a VA panel that's lit up using LEDs. The monitor is based on a full HD 1920x1080 resolution panel. Being a VA panel, BenQ claims that the response time is 8ms. Most TN panel displays are advertised with having a response time of under 5ms in comparison. How much it really affects the performance is something we'll look at when we get to the performance testing. USB port hub built into the display The display also comes with a pair of built-in speakers and plenty of connectivity options. The standard D-Sub, DVI and audio ports input/output are available. There are two HDMI ports, which should be handy if you have multiple sources that require HDMI such as DTH services and gaming consoles. There's also component connectors for video and audio. The display also has a built-in USB hub - there are four ports in all. The user interface on the display is similar to most of the BenQ models we've seen in the past. There are a decent number of controls, but it is no way comparable to a professional graphics monitor. Thankfully, the display performs satisfactorily out of the box, so very few changes are actually required. nnDesign and Build Quality The BenQ EW2430V is a solid monitor and it's evident from the weight of the package. The stand is solid and heavy. Attaching it to the display is very simple as well - it's just a matter of tightening a screw. The stand isn't flexible and only allows for minimal movement. A solid stand - mix of style and functionality The design of the display is great. The display has black bezel whereas the lower panel and the staff have a silver coloured finish to it. The only button visible from the front is the power button. All of the display controls are hidden at the back of the monitor with controls clearly marked at the front. This makes it a little inconvenient to use. Thankfully, you'll only have to use those controls occasionally. pagebreak nnPerformance We used DisplayMate to test the monitors. We used displays in a cloned setup to test the EW2430V. Our first observation while tweaking the display was that there were plenty of controls to calibrate the monitor. The monitor has brightness and contrast controls that react well to the controls. One thing that's clear from the very beginning is the good contrast ratios. The black levels are pretty good for an LCD panel. Once calibrated, the brightness seems a little low. Users can choose to up the brightness to their liking but we decided to use somewhat lower brightness levels during the test. Colours in general, look a little undersaturated but, closer to reality. In comparison to the more expensive ASUS PA246Q, it looks less vibrant. Through the Displaymate test, we found the various shades of grey to be normal. There was a clear difference between each of the grey clocks. There was tint of any colour and the grey looked normal. While running through tests where text is placed on bright colours, we found yellow to be not very readable against a white background. Minimal controls visible in the front Overall, contrast levels are very satisfactory. There are fine backlighting issues and viewing angles don't appear great when the lights are turned off. While viewed sideways in a dark room, the screen appears brighter and it loses detail. Otherwise, it's way better than most TN panels. Although less saturated, colours look very normal. Blues to black transition isn't as good as the colours, but only slightly. The under-emphasised colours has its upside, skin tones look more natural. Image quality in general is soft and darker scenes don't show much detail due to highlights not being seen as clearly as with brighter displays. nnVerdict We are pretty impressed by the performance of the BenQ EW2430V and also its feature set. With a whole bunch of connectivity options and a great solid design, it makes a good display for an entertainment PC. VA panels for mainstream usage Priced at Rs. 17,200, it's a good price for a VA panel monitor. It's not the cheapest LCD monitor, but at the same time, it's not as expensive, as some of the professional class of monitors. This in our opinion, is one of the better panels to buy if you have a budget for it.
