The BenQ EW2420: Too good to be true?

Barso · 30 Jul 2011 at 10:57

I appreciate the replies but shouldn't a modern monitor not have these blurring issues?
The monitor does have good points but the blurring in motion is the worst I have ever experienced.
I do hope OCUK will exchange the monitor.
I understand that you think I should have done a little research but this monitor should come with a warning about the blurring, it's that bad.

sunama · 30 Jul 2011 at 11:56

Hang on a minute, I forgot that the QC of this Benq monitor is amongst the worst on any monitor.

It is possible that this monitor is defective.

Barso, RMA it (you might have to do this direct with Benq).

Barso · 30 Jul 2011 at 12:55

Thanks Sunama, I didn't know about the QC issue.
It was purchased on the 18th July so I have set up a RMA with OCUK but I am waiting for them to issue a RMA number for me to send it back.

Barso · 31 Jul 2011 at 14:09

I have another problem with this monitor in that, when I change display drivers windows7 install the standard VGA driver and the screen shows huge black borders around the edge and the highest screen preference I have is only 1024x768.
Also when booting into windows, before the display driver boots, I have bright blue edges around the screen.
Why does it do this?

monographix · 2 Aug 2011 at 10:36

I am on the search for a "value for money" 24" upgrade to my 22" Eizo S2202W. Priority is image quality (color reproduction, RGB gamut coverage, grayscale performance, banding / degradation perfomance (6bit vs 8bit), area uniformity, viewing angle performance, etc) as it will be called from time to time to perform graphic design tasks. Secondly though it should be usable / acceptable in gaming. Not having to stay dead on center to watch movies would be a plus.

i'd normaly go for the HP ZR24W if it wasnt for the price. So i thought to check the situation with the VA panels and i stumbled on this family here of very good price VA monitors all sharing (i suppose) the same panel : BenQ VW2420H, EW2420, EW2430, BL2400PT, Asus ML249H, Liyama X2472HD (Acer B243HL COwmdr ??) (what others are there?)

Although its the same panel, i am reading contradictory reviews (one eg claiming about the Liyama that is literally unusable for movies and gaming) Are really so different all those monitors between them despite the same panel ? i cant really use the review of one regarding visuals as a reliable guide for the other ones ?

Are really those 24 VA monitors an upgrade comparing to the Eizo S2202W ? (What bothers me with the Eizo is very poor viewing angles, and obvious lack of uniformity, top area of the monitor comparing with the bottom is like half gama value difference. Plus 22" have started to seem a tad small)

Thanks

sunama · 2 Aug 2011 at 10:51

Have you thought about an IPS panel? there are 23" panel monitors around which can be had for about £150.

A lot of people prefer IPS over VA.

monographix · 2 Aug 2011 at 10:55

yes , i had an eye on the Dell U2331 but its the small size difference from my eizo combined with the 16:9 that spoils it for me

sunama · 2 Aug 2011 at 11:01

I must admit, 16:9 is poor. 16:10 is much better...however, you do pay for the privilege of 16:10.

The problem with the monitor in this thread is the quality control - it is absolutely terrible. It's almost as if the monitors are built and without testing are sent to retailers.

monographix · 2 Aug 2011 at 11:30

16:9 actually should be banned lol (or at least used only for 27"+)

I see. Thanks for the input. i might have i guess to check whats lying on my storage to get me some extra ebay money to go for a HP ZR24W

PCM2 · 2 Aug 2011 at 11:50

monographix said:
16:9 actually should be banned lol (or at least used only for 27"+)

I see. Thanks for the input. i might have i guess to check whats lying on my storage to get me some extra ebay money to go for a HP ZR24W

If you are looking to spend that kind of money I would strongly suggest waiting for the Dell U2412M which is just around the corner (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18272922). With any luck it should be released to UK retail later this month and the price should settle at a similar point to the ZR24W. Early indications suggest that the contrast is noticeably superior to the ZR24W whilst underlying colour reproduction, viewing angles etc. should be similar. It is also LED backlit making it more efficient, lighter and thinner.

Also to clear up some confusion in your previous post about VA panels (not that it matters as I think you are settling for 16:10 IPS) - even if the panel itself is the same, the driving electronics and the way it is 'set up' can be very different. The BenQ EW2430, for example, is superior to the EW2420 when it comes to default gamma settings and (subjectively speaking) responsiveness. Whether AUO/BenQ's notoriously iffy inter-unit variances have been at least partly ironed out remains to be seen.

sunama · 2 Aug 2011 at 13:36

PCM2. I hear what you are saying about the new Dell, but I would steer clear of brand new models. At least wait till some reviews are out and any problems in production, are ironed out.

With the ZR24W, he is getting a tried and tested product which rates high amongst most users. If he gets a brand spanking new DELL, he will not only have to wait for it be released, but if he adopts early, he will most definitely pay a higher price and also, he may get a product which isn't as good as the ZR24W.

If he is in no rush to buy, then there is no harm in waiting to see how the DELL pans out and if the reviews are good...then he can buy.

PCM2 · 2 Aug 2011 at 14:56

sunama said:
PCM2. I hear what you are saying about the new Dell, but I would steer clear of brand new models. At least wait till some reviews are out and any problems in production, are ironed out.

With the ZR24W, he is getting a tried and tested product which rates high amongst most users. If he gets a brand spanking new DELL, he will not only have to wait for it be released, but if he adopts early, he will most definitely pay a higher price and also, he may get a product which isn't as good as the ZR24W.

If he is in no rush to buy, then there is no harm in waiting to see how the DELL pans out and if the reviews are good...then he can buy.

Most of Dell's recent monitor launches (the narrow gamut ones) have undergone fairly superficial changes since their introduction. Their older models, most noteably their WCG-CCFL models, were plagued with issues and were revised several times on the hardware level. There is no reason to think that the U2412M won't be a fantastic monitor straight from the off - but obviously the reviews and user experiences are worth paying attention to first. It doesn't sound as if monographix is in a massive rush as he is looking to upgrade what one would assume to be a fully functional monitor.

monographix · 2 Aug 2011 at 23:36

what you think about used Dell 2405, 2407, 2408 ?

monographix · 24 Aug 2011 at 09:54

i finally got a HP ZR24W for 274 euros. Installed on Monday. Still exploring it. i noticed annoying banding in gradations in a 3D benchmark (http://yuplay.com/story.php?title=World-Planes-DirectX-9-Benchmark-Alpha) and i am not sure if the monitor is to blame ?

PCM2 · 24 Aug 2011 at 10:29

On the sky by any chance? It's just poorly implemented DX9 'weather effects' not the monitor.

monographix · 24 Aug 2011 at 10:39

oh yes on the sky. Looks at times like 16bit colour. Either clear (blue) areas or on the grey cloud (*) areas underneath them

(* marvelously rendered otherwise)

- Any calibration guide maybe you would suggest?
- Are there any shortcomings leaving overdrive to on ?
- Is it my idea or the Dynamic Contrast Ratio function (on/off) is better left switched off ?

PCM2 · 24 Aug 2011 at 11:03

- Unless you are needing to do 'colour critical work' I would suggest using familiar desktop backgrounds, icons and perhaps the end section of the Windows 7 calibration tool to try to refine colour balance. I would also use LCD tests on the website Lagom.nl to help with optimal contrast levels. The black level test and white saturation tests are particularly good for this - really you want to set the contrast as high as you can without the image becoming bleached (whites) and get as many black squares visible as you can. If I recall correctly contrast isn't exactly the ZR24W's strong point so don't stress if the results on these 'tests' seem disappointing. The default contrast level should be pretty much optimal anyway on this model. And brightness can be set to whichever level you're comfortable with but due to the relatively high black levels the ZR24W tends to work better with relatively low brightness levels.

- The overdrive is best left off on the ZR24W. It actually still uses overdrive even if it is 'off' - this is really just an 'overdrive boost' function. Sadly this boost introduces some troublesome negative artifacts without really reducing conventional trailing.

- Dynamic contrast is a plague. Leave it off.

monographix · 24 Aug 2011 at 11:07

Thanks!

monographix · 27 Aug 2011 at 18:47

I am impressed that game & 3D benchmark testing at 1680 x 1050 look perfectly ok. I think (i cant recall) that this wasn't possible on my TN 22" Eizo S2202W ?

wpphili · 11 Dec 2011 at 23:33

I'm comming late in this thread and it's because I'm looking for the solution to a very annoying issue.

I just bought a Benq EW2730 monitor. So far, I like the monitor but anytime my monitor switch from native resolution (1920x1080) to a non native resolution I get a popup, from the monitor (not the OS) saying : "Suggested Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080"

It's been two days now that I am looking over the net to find a solution but to no avail so far. Looks like I'm the only one finding this issue really anoying to the point that I'm thinking of returning the monitor (which will happens if no solution exists).

Anyone out there having a solution to this issue?

Thanks