**PRE-ORDER SPECIAL: BENQ XL2720T TRUE 120Hz 3D Vision 2.0 GAMING LED MONITOR!!**

WhiteHawk77 said:
Well colour me rather disappointed, mine arrived yesterday and I've been tweaking and tweaking and tweaking the settings but I can't make it look ok, it's rubbish infact, not a patch on my 8 year old dell, tried different settings and tried a few different colour profiles and calibrating in Windows, nothing will make this look ok, plus it has blacklight bleed, especially at the bottom.

I like the size, there's more immersion, the resolution is just fine for the size, no problem there, the 120Hz is nice and what I was after though it's a slightly subtle effect, just the rest of the picture looks bad.

So what do I do, do I send it back and try the Asus VG278HE and risk it being about the same, or forget about 120Hz and go for a IPS monitor instead.

:(
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which one do you have? I have some settings for the XL2420t which I really like might be worth a try before shipping it back

Picture preset: Standard
Brightness 28
Contrast 50
Sharpness: 5
Gamma Gamma 2
Color temperature: User mode
R 97
G 94
B 98
AMA On
Instant Mode On
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Well I've managed to get it a bit better, still not a patch on my 8 year old TN Dell 24 inch which makes no sense so still not sure I'm going to keep it, these are the settings I have at the moment besides the windows profile and calibration:

Brightness: 40
Contrast: 60
Sharpness 5
Black eQualizer 0
Colour Temp: User Mode
R 94
G 97
B 100
AMA: High
Instant Mode: On
Picture Mode: Standard

Doc, well not sure what else I can say, if your willing to sacrifice a lot on the image to have 120Hz and fast pixel response go for it, but I'm not happy, and it seems the those pros don't outweigh the cons for me.

If I can figure out a good IPS panel that's no more than £500 with this res and size I might be going for that instead, just don't which one yet.
 
WhiteHawk77 said:
Tried, nothing will make this monitor do an acceptable image it seems, as for the digital vibrance, I wouldn't use it, not only does it not fix the problem it will make things worse in other ways, tried that against the first test here http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

So annoyed, I've been searching for at least two years for a new monitor. :(
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Have you tried lowering the nVidia Gamma to 0.70? It helped a lot for me with my 2420t. I'm not sure if I changed the brightness and contrast in nvidia as well, getting the brightness of the screen down to a reasonable level seemed to help for me, though I'm sure the colours are still bad if I compared it to other screens.

If you haven't already, maybe have a skim over this thread; BenQ XL2420T Now available, its over 50 pages, but there are a few suggestions, but I would say if colour is a massive deal-breaker for you, you might be better off sending it back :(
 
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Adjusting the gamma or color vibrancy in Windows is a bad idea IMO its a crutch at best that can reduce image quality even when improving the colors.

If its like the 2420t you don't want to change contrast away from the default 50 as it introduces banding rather badly.
 
Well, I took the plunge and bought one. How am I adjusting coming from a U2713HM? Very difficult to give an easy answer. Using desktop there is NO comparison. The Dell absolutely owns this monitor. The colours on the Dell are tight and rich and contained where as this screens colours feel loud and artifical. Icons have no detail, pictures have a "TN Tone", I expected this though as I have switched down from 1440p to 1080p and from IPS to TN. Watching video is fine on the Benq ,still more pleasurable on the Dell but the Benq seems to handle it well. Now gaming, after all it is this monitors tagline. I have dabbled with everything from Diablo 3 to Blops 2. Not a fan in Diablo 3, I cant get the settings right to keep it dark but also keep it detailed. I have messed about with all the gamma's, tried all the XL2420T settings with no joy (remember this is just my personal taste, may be fine for others). FPS (Blops, Bioshock Infinite, BF3) I forgot about the colours, I forgot about the Gamma's and lower res, this is this monitors spinach. It just soaks it up (IMO better than my old 950D). I'm still rubbish but I feel I have a tad more style to my terrible game style due to the response time and the improved accuracy I feel 120HZ brings. Also the build quality on the Benq is superb. The Dell was built like a tank, solid and weighty. This is lighter but IMO equally as well built. The stand is nice and solid, the illumination for power is subtle, the OSD is great along with the controls. With regards to settings, out of the box is awful, am using the settings from http://pcmonitors.info/reviews/benq-xl2420t at the mo and they feel ok. The ideal situation would be to have the 2 monitors side by side but I do not have the space and I cannot afford it. So I am trying to decide what to do at the moment. I love the Dell, the picture is superb but the difference in FPS gaming is huge (once again personal opinion). I will probably keep the Benq as I can get a good price for the Dell and as this monitor is not faulty I do not feel right in sending it back just because I am not totally impressed.

Must decide :-)
 
Antony101 said:
Any point in getting this if I don't really get 120 FPS in all my games?
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Not sure tbh, I don't get 120 fps in every game, That said It wasn't until I put my monitor at lan next to a mates and he was spectating me (he was dead) and we looked at how Source looked on his and mine both locked at 300 FPS but the 60hz looked incrdibly jittery (something I've obviously tolerated pain free for years) but the difference is evident when you compare it like that.
 
doctorsplendid said:
Well, I took the plunge and bought one. How am I adjusting coming from a U2713HM? Very difficult to give an easy answer. Using desktop there is NO comparison. The Dell absolutely owns this monitor. The colours on the Dell are tight and rich and contained where as this screens colours feel loud and artifical. Icons have no detail, pictures have a "TN Tone", I expected this though as I have switched down from 1440p to 1080p and from IPS to TN. Watching video is fine on the Benq ,still more pleasurable on the Dell but the Benq seems to handle it well. Now gaming, after all it is this monitors tagline. I have dabbled with everything from Diablo 3 to Blops 2. Not a fan in Diablo 3, I cant get the settings right to keep it dark but also keep it detailed. I have messed about with all the gamma's, tried all the XL2420T settings with no joy (remember this is just my personal taste, may be fine for others). FPS (Blops, Bioshock Infinite, BF3) I forgot about the colours, I forgot about the Gamma's and lower res, this is this monitors spinach. It just soaks it up (IMO better than my old 950D). I'm still rubbish but I feel I have a tad more style to my terrible game style due to the response time and the improved accuracy I feel 120HZ brings. Also the build quality on the Benq is superb. The Dell was built like a tank, solid and weighty. This is lighter but IMO equally as well built. The stand is nice and solid, the illumination for power is subtle, the OSD is great along with the controls. With regards to settings, out of the box is awful, am using the settings from http://pcmonitors.info/reviews/benq-xl2420t at the mo and they feel ok. The ideal situation would be to have the 2 monitors side by side but I do not have the space and I cannot afford it. So I am trying to decide what to do at the moment. I love the Dell, the picture is superb but the difference in FPS gaming is huge (once again personal opinion). I will probably keep the Benq as I can get a good price for the Dell and as this monitor is not faulty I do not feel right in sending it back just because I am not totally impressed.

Must decide :-)
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Agreed on the FPS front it's incredibly nice and does feel "smoother"

Good luck in your decision either way.
 
TwsT said:
Not sure tbh, I don't get 120 fps in every game, That said It wasn't until I put my monitor at lan next to a mates and he was spectating me (he was dead) and we looked at how Source looked on his and mine both locked at 300 FPS but the 60hz looked incrdibly jittery (something I've obviously tolerated pain free for years) but the difference is evident when you compare it like that.
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I have a 680 so most games run over 60 FPS, Borderlands 2 and stuff like Chivalry I get near 200/300 on so they should see the difference.
 
Well, after playing several hours of all my favorite titles, playing a few HD movies and doing some desktop work I have decided to keep the Dell. They are both great monitors depending on your needs. The Benq is definitely the gamers choice, it's absolutely superb for FPS but not really great at anything else (when compared to the Dell and it doesn't need to be as it is clearly advertised as a "Gamers" monitor) but the Dell is a great all rounder. Its good for games, great for RTS etc but the res and the colour are just to good to wave goodbye to. Its been interesting to say the least and if I had deeper pockets and more space I would have the 2 on an Ergotron mount but for the sake of my marriage I have to rid myself of one. I will eBay the Benq , I should get a decent price, after all It's only 36 hours young.
 
Well, I woke this morning with every intention of boxing the Benq and going back to the Dell. Firstly though I set the Dell up alongside the Benq, turned it on and my first thought was "Aaahhhhhh, oh colours how I missed you, Good morning high resolution old friend, welcome home". (Bit dramatic). I followed this with a quick blast on Blops 2. Oh deary me, what's all this blur? Switched down from 1440 - 1080 . . still blur. Colours do look nice sure but I don't think I was appreciating the smoothness of the Benq at 120HZ. Quick blast on BF3, same story. Bioshock Inf, same again. Average colours and backlight bleed around the whole bezel (I noticed it last night and can't stop looking at it now) it may have but bloody hell it is good for gaming (no lightboost trick here just pure 120hz). So my decision has changed. The Benq stays and the Dell goes. I have taken some photo's of the bleed and I am going to email them to Benq just incase it's more than what they consider acceptable but
 
on the verge of buying either one of these (can't yet decide whether my 670 is best for a 1440p or 120hz) so watching your drama unfold with interest :D;)
 
Time for my final update on my "Adventures with Benq" saga. I had some friends here last night, both fellow pc users. One is a keen gamer and the other a graphic designer/casual gamer. They were both keen to see the Benq and give me their honest opinion. We started with gaming and I hate to say neither were impressed. The washed out colours were the first thing both commented on. Leon (the gaming friend) currently has the Asus VG278H so he could make fair comparisons to the Benq. He was shocked at the washed out image quality and the over saturated colours. Professional friend Tony then noticed the back light bleed whilst sitting idle in the menu for Blops2 (he also commented on the colours but he wanted to judge fairly after he had calibrated the monitor).He compared the monitor to a "Hollywood Style Bulb Framed Vanity Mirror". He was right. We turned the lights off and put a movie on. The light was very distracting, top and bottom. They both thought me mad for not sending it back immediately as faulty as they had not seen bleed like it on a monitor that cost £400. Tony then calibrated the monitor for me using a tool called Spyder4 which he uses for work. It didn't make much difference. So, after a few more games, video tests etc and jibes about the amount I paid for the monitor I threw my cards down and admitted defeat. I have decided to take Overclockers up on their 14 day satisfaction guarantee for now. Back to square one for now and the Dell is back on my desk. I am going to Leons house later to see his Asus VG278H in action. At least then I can decide if his comments regarding mine are justified.
 
doctorsplendid said:
Time for my final update on my "Adventures with Benq" saga. I had some friends here last night, both fellow pc users. One is a keen gamer and the other a graphic designer/casual gamer. They were both keen to see the Benq and give me their honest opinion. We started with gaming and I hate to say neither were impressed. The washed out colours were the first thing both commented on. Leon (the gaming friend) currently has the Asus VG278H so he could make fair comparisons to the Benq. He was shocked at the washed out image quality and the over saturated colours. Professional friend Tony then noticed the back light bleed whilst sitting idle in the menu for Blops2 (he also commented on the colours but he wanted to judge fairly after he had calibrated the monitor).He compared the monitor to a "Hollywood Style Bulb Framed Vanity Mirror". He was right. We turned the lights off and put a movie on. The light was very distracting, top and bottom. They both thought me mad for not sending it back immediately as faulty as they had not seen bleed like it on a monitor that cost £400. Tony then calibrated the monitor for me using a tool called Spyder4 which he uses for work. It didn't make much difference. So, after a few more games, video tests etc and jibes about the amount I paid for the monitor I threw my cards down and admitted defeat. I have decided to take Overclockers up on their 14 day satisfaction guarantee for now. Back to square one for now and the Dell is back on my desk. I am going to Leons house later to see his Asus VG278H in action. At least then I can decide if his comments regarding mine are justified.
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If you want colour get a damn Dell Ultrasharp, 120Hz monitors are not know for there good picture quality and colours. Admittedly back light bleed is a bad thing and you probably should return it.
 
I totally appreciate what you are saying Antony101. As stated earlier in my posts I do own a Dell U2713HM so I know how good a monitor can look. I knew the Benq would not have that level of picture quality when I purchased it. I was willing to accept the drop in res and the lack of colour reproduction, I did own the SA27950D before the Dell so I am aware of the limitations of TN. I have spent several hours this afternoon playing with the Asus VG278H and I can assure you that in my opinion the Benq does not come close. I was shocked at the difference.

The first review is up:

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/monitors-and-projectors/monitors/benq-xl2720t-1141899/review


Seems I am not the only one sadly disappointed.

Pics of the bleed taken earlier today on a camera phone so not even in total darkness:

IMG_00111_zps78ac2bd3.jpg


IMG_00121_zps9004c7dc.jpg


Apart from the bleed which really is terrible, the worst I have seen in person, all other critique is just my opinion.
 
Antony101 said:
If you want colour get a damn Dell Ultrasharp, 120Hz monitors are not know for there good picture quality and colours. Admittedly back light bleed is a bad thing and you probably should return it.
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There are a lot better 120Hz panels for atleast a pleasing image even if not the most accurate other than the benq 2420/2720.

DeathofRats said:
Yeah, very harsh - can the 27" panel be THAT much worse than the 24" panel the reviewer rated so highly?
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TBH no I think the 24" panel got way over-rated in terms of image quality - its possible some of the earlier batches were better than whats come out since. Don't get me wrong as far as gaming goes theres little that can touch them but the colors and backlight hue leave a lot to desire.
 
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