G2400W

It has a simple design, but BenQ's G2400W is nonetheless a fairly impressive LCD monitor. It has a few cool presets, good image quality with only a few minor glitches, and a built-in speaker running along the base.

This is a 24in panel, which means it has a massive resolution of 1920x1200. This allows it to playback Full HD content with no downscaling, making it ideal to pair with a high-definition PC optical drive or media device. It has an HDMI port to facilitate just that kind of connectivity, so next generation console owners and Blu-ray aficionados are well catered for.

The image produced by the G2400W was quite impressive, although it seems more suited to a business and general all-purpose role, rather than as a media and gaming display. This is largely due to the more subdued colour balance. Additionally, its response time is 5ms, which is relatively slow compared to newer gaming-focused monitors but is decent for a 24in display.

During our motion tests there was a little ghosting evident, but it wasn't too problematic in our film and gaming trials.

Colours were impressively accurate while using the default setting. Many monitors have a fairly vivid, oversaturated balance that is enjoyable for films but less desirable for other purposes, particularly design and photo or video work. The G2400W, on the other hand, presented more in-check colours, while still retaining a rich, vibrant look. Accuracy in our Displaymate Video Edition tests was extremely good, with the possible exception of greens which were a touch pale.

This unit also has an sRGB mode for image quality purists, but we found it made a pretty minimal difference when compared to the standard setting. Still, it is a nice touch and is complemented by an array of other options, including colour, contrast, brightness and sharpness.

The G2400W's image was sharp and crisp. Text was well-rendered and detail in video footage was impressive. Contrast was also pretty good, although the last two blocks on our colour intensity ramps did blur together a little. It will certainly be fine for the occasional film or gaming session. There was a touch more noise than we're used to seeing but it wasn't very problematic.

Blacks were rich and there was no backlight bleeding to speak of. The viewing angles are rated at 160 degrees — which isn't outstanding by modern standards — and there was some noticeable colour shift and detail loss when viewing from off-centre.

Aside from its HDMI port, the G2400W comes with the standard pairing of DVI and D-Sub. It also has a USB connection for the speakers, which are decent but nothing to write home about.

Aesthetically it is fairly plain, with a matte black bezel. Its minimalist design is well suited to an office environment. Unlike many of its competitors, it can't be rotated or moved up and down; the only thing users can alter about the screen position is the angle.