Monitor experts please,need help today.

kmufc77 · 15 Jan 2011 at 10:00

I know PCM2/cmndr_andi in particular are very knowledgeable with monitors

Hi Guys, i have to return my 1 day old Benq G2420HDBL screen under DSR as its got a dead pixel.

Im going to be ordering a new screen today and want one for a Monday delivery preferably.

So do i simply re-order another G2420HDBL which by the way im very impressed with for the money its a superb monitor and wait till Tuesday?.

Or ive been looking at this:

Samsung B2430H http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/...al/LS24PUHKF/EN/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail

which has good reviews.

Or get something else?, my budget can stretch to £180 i was looking at this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-124-SA&groupid=17&catid=510&subcat=

But wont relieve until Tuesday so this screen needs to be better than the rest ive listed,im of course open to other suggestions

PCM2 · 15 Jan 2011 at 10:38

Have a think about what drove you to purchase the BenQ. And then think beyond the dead pixel and your experiences with the monitor. Was it what you expected? Would you have happily kept it if it didn't have a dead pixel? I know this probably isn't the answer you wanted to hear but a desireable image on a monitor is a very subjective thing. I suggest you have a good play with the G2420HDBL (you won't have to return it for a while yet and I doubt you will have ordered a courier for Monday at the earliest) and see what you make of it. How do you find the build quality? The responsiveness? Do you like the vibrancy of the colours? Do you notice any strange artifacts during normal use?

I could give a more technical opinion on those monitors as I have had experience with all of them but this counts for nothing really if you like what you have in the BenQ.

Regardless of the technicalities the BenQ is also LED backlit so it's a bit more efficient than those other two. That's a bonus for you to think about.

kmufc77 · 15 Jan 2011 at 10:40

PCM2 said:
Have a think about what drove you to purchase the BenQ. And then think beyond the dead pixel and your experiences with the monitor. Was it what you expected? Would you have happily kept it if it didn't have a dead pixel? I know this probably isn't the answer you wanted to hear but a desireable image on a monitor is a very subjective thing. I suggest you have a good play with the G2420HDBL (you won't have to return it for a while yet and I doubt you will have ordered a courier for Monday at the earliest) and see what you make of it. How do you find the build quality? The responsiveness? Do you like the vibrancy of the colours? Do you notice any strange artifacts during normal use?

I could give a more technical opinion on those monitors as I have had experience with all of them but this counts for nothing really if you like what you have in the BenQ. Regardless of the technicalities the BenQ is also LED backlit so it's a bit more efficient than those other two. That's a bonus for you to think about.

I would like people and of you in particular yourself to comment on the monitors ive listed please,yes i like the G2420HDBL but i would also like to know about the others aswell if you could be so kind please

PCM2 · 15 Jan 2011 at 10:57

I have made some comments in the past about the B2430H which, in my opinion, offered the most 'bang for buck' a few months back. On a technical level I found the image quality to be a little better than the BenQ with smoother colour and greyscale gradients. This is partly down to the 'dithering algorithm' though (how the monitor tricks you into thinking it's displaying a certain colour when it's actually dithering between them) and if you're using the monitor for gaming this is unlikely to manifest itself. I would say that once you have a fiddle about with the settings the colours are decent on both monitors although I did prefer the contrast controls on the Samsung. I found the BenQ washed the image out at some contrast levels that probably shouldn't have had this effect. The build quality of the B2430H was also a little better in my opinion, although the stand could have been more solid. Given the price this wasn't something I would really criticise it for, however.

The Samsung P2450H, to give you a bit of a back story, was due to go EOL (end of life) in late summer or early autumn last year. I contacted Samsung's PR department to see if they could supply one for review as I was getting considerable demand and question after question about this model. They had told me with confirmation from Samsung that the model was to be discontinued and 'replaced' by the B2430 et al... Then about a month later I am informed by Samsung's PR department that due to 'demand' the P2450H was being pushed out again to the retailers. Due to the very short period of time here I don't think it ever reached a cut off point for most retailers (I believe OcUK always had a constant supply) but some retailers saw demand outstrip supply with replacement stock dwindling. The reasons I can think of for this demand is the aesthetics of the P2450H and solid all-round performance. It offers similar performance to the B2430H once you've fiddled with the settings a bit although it is a little weaker out of the box. The main differences are therefore aesthetic and it's personal opinion as to whether the square look trumps the round look - it's certainly different and somewhat unique in the price range so I think this drove the demand.

The BenQ, at the same time, appeared to have an ever-increasing price tag. My opinion of this £150 LED-backlit all-rounder of a monitor started to dwindle as its price reached £170 and overtook the B2430H (which I felt offered more value for money). As it stands now, however, the BenQ is once again the cheapest option and is currently at a reasonable price from OcUK. The LED backlighting is a bonus and it is one of the few LED-backlit models of its price that doesn't suffer from horrendous colour balance problems or severe gamma issues. If you like what you see I'd keep it. You've got a good deal.

kmufc77 · 15 Jan 2011 at 11:00

Well as i suspected the Samsung B2430H is decent monitor for the money,thank you so much for the detailed post for me,its been very helpful.

Also there is no way i can keep this current screen with the stuck/dead pixel,im very senstive to things like that,so either way this screen will either be replaced by another G2420HDBL or ill get the B2430H.

Ill decide later over the weekend,im sure other people might comment in this thread on what i should do.

kmufc77 · 15 Jan 2011 at 11:54

PCM2

Did you notice any buzzing or noise from the Samsung B2430H screen as some people are reporting this,one person says if the brightness in lowered from 100 the screen will buzz?