Asus VG236HE, BenQ XL2420T or Samsung S23A700D

[PCM2]

haven't downloaded any movies yet but watched some SBS youtube vids. was pretty good but a bit dark but that could have been down to the low res videos i was watching.

Anyway, 2D gaming is bliss on this. was playing BF3 and it's lurvly! i do find having HDMI Black Level - set to Low a bit too dark in the buildings mind.
(don't worry I am connected by DVI-D but this setting does effect black levels).
I may need to boost brightness or just change that to normal.

HDMI black levels alter the balance of blacks and dark colours based on the image signal and are designed for when the monitor is connected to an 'AV' device (games console for example). These devices are set up to send out a 'TV' not 'Monitor' colour signal. Basically if you are using HDMI Black Level 'low' on the PC you will have no effect on the blackest blacks, you will simply darken some shades so they appear darker than they should. In effect you 'crush' blacks and dark details into one another and lose detail without gaining anything. It is best to leave this on normal, especially as the colours should look rich and vivid using the suggested settings which I think you are pleased with. Also bear in mind that the aesthetic of BF3 is designed with deep black shadows and relativley low levels of detail in dark areas in mind.

 

[Goates]

I am now in possession of the Samsung S23A700D and my god it's lovely.
Out of the box its been brilliant. I should tweak the colours and settings some more but it's an improvement over my previous monitor and that's not even mentioning the 120Hz refresh! Maybe someone could provide me with some optimal settings? cheers!

I'll admit i was a bit of a n00b at first as i couldn't figure out how to set the 120hz but managed it by fumbling around But wow, 120hz refresh is nice. desktop usage is silky now, and playing some MW3 was refreshingly smooth with 0 tearing.

The monitor itself is subtle but is thin and light. I like it
It's nicer overall than my previous monitor as the bezel around the screen is thinner.

Regarding 3D, i've only had a quick blast at the inbuild 2D --> 3D setting to watch some standard non 3D movies. looked ok but I don't have anything else to compare this too. It wasn't outstanding but i'm not sure how 3D monitors compare to the big TV/Cinema experience.

I think the best thing though was that i paid £225
It was an open box item but i took the risk as there was a massive saving to be had. Glad I did as there was nothing wrong with it and i have 0 dead/stuck pixels.
Yes you could tell the monitor had looked at, as there was some finger prints, but everything was there and all the accessories and manuals were still sealed.

Anyway I would recommend the sammy but I have no experience of the other 3D monitors out there but i'm just a regular joe that has upgraded his 5 yr old monitor and 1) TN panel tech has improved compared to my last monitor so i don't regret sticking with TN as it looks amazing.
2) 120hz is glorious.

err thats all for now. will report more later.

Thanks for your impressions. Going to grab myself one of these especially now ATI have added crossfire 3d support.

Oh and btw I was almost going to get that open box one but was little worried about any issues. Sounds okay although the finger prints may have got to me , pretty good bargain you got there.

Now just got to wait until Ive got enough pennys to buy one

 

[allday247]

I was a bit worried buying the open box too but I knew i could have always returned it with no hassle. Finger prints aren't an issue now, as they have all wiped off with the included cloths

Glad i have helped with your decison Goates and thanks for clarifying that PCM2.