BenQ XL2420G G-SYNC Monitor Review

[AkG]

NVIDIA’s G-SYNC has made a splash in the gaming monitor market and with good reason. When it was first announced in 2013 (yes, it’s been more than a year since its introduction), it promised to eliminate screen tearing and other visual artifacts normally associated with uncapped framerates but also substantially reduce VSync-induced input lag and step-down stuttering. Initially we were extremely impressed with the technology and G-SYNC has only matured since our first look at it.

2014 marked a maturing G-SYNC’s technology backbone and a relatively quick rollout into high end gaming monitors. BenQ’s latest offering (notwithstanding the announcements made at CES) is the XL2420G, a 1080P, 144HZ TN-based monitor that has recently become more affordable and offers several features that are sure to appeal to gamers looking for a fluid experience, without many tertiary sacrifices. BenQ’s has also added an integrated IR senor, making the XL2420G natively compatible with NVIDIA’s 3D Vision.

Unlike some other monitors that narrowly target NVIDIA users with their G-SYNC panels, BenQ has designed the XL2420G so it has as wide an appeal as possible. With it, even AMD GPU owners can have a gaming experience worthy of a relatively high-end asking price. Naturally, the 144Hz refresh rate and BenQ’s non-PWM LED backlight (called FlickerFree technology) will be primary selling points for those who can’t use the closed ecosystem of G-SYNC.

There are also BenQ’s own in-house features that are supposed to enhance the overall gaming experience. For example, Low Blue Light output reduces eyestrain, Game Refresh Rate Optimization Management features customized refresh and response rates and there’s a Game Loader that allows users to download and apply custom profiles. Additionally, the UI has been designed for maximum ease of use and BenQ’s FPS Mode makes a comeback. FPS Mode is particularly interesting since it is out-of-the-box preset that automatically adjusts your monitor calibrations for optimal brightness, contrast, sharpness and color tint in gaming environments.

While there are some very interesting IPS-based offerings coming in the next few months, achieving their goals of an ultra-quick panel with G-SYNC required some sacrifices in BenQ’s part. To hit a 144Hz refresh rate meant utilizing a panel with TN technology so the XL2420G is only able to offer 16.7 million colors and a 72% NTSC coverage rating. Gamers typically aren’t overly concerned with ultra accurate color reproduction but it’s nonetheless something to take into account.

With all of the recent announcements of 4K, IPS, 27” and larger panels being available with G-SYNC, the 24” 1080P XL2420G has seen a pretty drastic reduction in its price as of late. While it started off life as a $650 high end gaming monitor, there has been a transition into the $540 price point which isn’t exactly affordable but will prove to be more palatable for gamers. BenQ expects this to become their “entry-level” G-SYNC equipped SKU in the near future.

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Much like the RL2460HT the XL2420G takes a much more conservative approach to overall aesthetics than some other so-called “gaming” monitors. Besides the few dashes of red on the stand itself the it uses a predominantly black color scheme alongside a standard width bezel.

BenQ has also added a new anti-glare coating which offers up an optimal amount of glare-reducing qualities while avoiding the washed-out look that aggressive AG applications typically feature.

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In order to cram all of the various technologies into their XL2420G, BenQ had to make it a bit thicker than many of its contemporary non-G-SYNC competitors. This is a small sacrifice to pay for the features being offered here.

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By opting for a bigger and somewhat heavier than usual panel, BenQ also had to use a very robust stand that boasts some pretty impressive abilities. Not only does it have a whopping 130mm of height adjustment, 25° of tilt (-5° to +20°), as well as excellent swivel capabilities, it also offers a portrait mode. As a bonus feature the lower portion of the arm has a cable management cutout, and the top of it has a secondary 'hook' for cables, and an integrated carry handle. The base also looks pretty good.

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Along the XL2420G’s ample bezel are capacitive sensors for the OSD buttons, an integrated IR emitter which is necessary for 3D gaming, and the power button. This is a straightforward layout but the IR emitter’s location can cause interference issues if you have desk clutter in front of it. Typically, it is located on a monitor’s upper edge rather than in a lower area.

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Much like the BenQ BL3200PT, this monitor comes with a nifty little accessory that plugs into the back of the panel. This aptly-named 'S Switch' is a wedge shape device which features three large red buttons for quickly selecting any one of the 3 preselected display modes. There’s also a small button on top for navigating backward in the OSD) and a scroll wheel which also doubles as a selector. This combination allows for quick navigation and selection in the OSD.

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XL2420G’s I/O area also has all the bases covered. Not only is there one DVI port, and two HDMI ports, but BenQ has also include the necessary DisplayPort that NIVIDA requires to make G-SYNC work. On top of this the XL2420G also includes a mini-USB port for the S-Switch as well as two USB 3.0 ports and a 3.5mm headphone port on the side bezel.

 

[AkG]

Menu Layout & Observations

Menu Layout & Observations

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BenQ talks quite a bit about the XL2420G’s OSD and with good reason. It is straightforward, well laid out and quite intuitive to use, albeit featuring outdated graphics. There are some glimpses of outright brilliance here.

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One interesting aspect is the OSD’s ability to dynamically change its options based on the connector being used. For example, if HDMI is used the options change to a more simplistic format whereas plugging in a DisplayPort connector will allow for 3DVision, G-SYNC and other features that benefit from a higher bandwidth cable format.

We did however encounter one small issue. If you use an AMD GPU with a DisplayPort cable and mistakenly enable G-SYNC (the option isn’t greyed out) the screen goes blank and the only way to reactive it is to unplug the screen’s power and then reboot the system. Novice friendly this is not.

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With that issue out of the way the OSD can be quickly navigated and the majority of its features are within one sub-level menu. There are some highlights as well such as complete control over the color controls, blur reduction algorithms, hue and saturation. These things are typically absent from most gaming-grade TN panels so their addition here is certainly noteworthy. It looks like BenQ has included enough user customization so settings can be tailor-made for an individual’s preference.

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If you are someone who just wants to play “set at and forget it”, BenQ has included a number of different presets that can be easily cycled through. For example, FPS1 and FPS2 will both modify response times, color signatures and other items to better suit the quick action in first person shooter games while RTS will enhance color aspects and deepen blacks.

When a HDMI or DVI cable is plugged in the mainmenu options are: Display, Picture, Picture Advanced, Save Settings, Audio, System. When DisplayPort is activated you will also be able to access Engine Switch which includes G-SYNC options.

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The Picture Mode is where you can adjust the color temperature, saturation, gamma, sharpness, contrast, and brightness. Another welcome addition was gamma control with a total of six settings, though six-way color control was missing. Instead of the more advanced color tuning abilities, this monitor relies upon the old standby of R,G,B. On the positive side each of the three main colors can be individually adjusted.

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The Picture Advanced submenu allows users to quickly and easily switch between eleven preconfigured modes. These modes are Standard, Movie, Photo, sRGB, Eco, FPS 1, FPS 2, RTS, Gamer 1, Gamer 2, and Gamer 3 which obviously covers the entire gamut of possibilities.

In addition to those eleven preconfigured picture modes this section is also where you would turn on/off the Dynamic Contrast (default is OFF), modify the overscan settings to stretch or shrink the image to fully fit the screen, change the Display Mode, and even change the color format from RGB to YUV and vice-versa.

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Save Settings allows you to save three custom 'Gamer' modes which can be readily accessed via the external S Switch. As an added bonus if you download and use the free BenQ software you can download pre-configured 'custom' profiles that have been created by professional gamers.

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The System section deals with the various options that do not easily fit into any of the other sections. This includes default Input setting, power off timeout setting, DDC/CI, emitter mode and other more esoteric features.

 

[AkG]

Uniformity, Panel Performance & Gamma

Image Quality (Uniformity / Panel & Gamma Performance)

Calibrated Settings

Please remember that the settings below have been calibrated for our specific environment and your viewing conditions may differ from ours.

Mode Used: Factory Default "sRGB" Picture Mode

Notes:
- All tests done at default settings at 120 cd/m2.
- Unless otherwise noted, the tests were carried out via DisplayPort or HDMI


When it comes to image quality and so-called gaming monitors we typically find ourselves wishing for a lot more. However, TN technology has been gradually improving over the last few years and while it still can't keep up with IPS in the color reproduction, contrast and black level departments, BenQ has launched what is arguably one of the best looking 144Hz monitors on the market. Even without any calibration, it is a force to be reckoned with.

Panel Uniformity

In a perfect world a screen’s brightness output would be equal throughout the entire panel. This is not a perfect world, but the lower the variation the less chances you will notice overly bright or dark sections on the screen. For the consumer LCD marketplace a variance of 10% is our gold standard but anything below 15% can be considered excellent as we doubt anyone will notice a -7.5 to +7.5 variation. A variation above 15% but below 24% can be considered adequate, but anything above this does not meet our basic minimum standards.

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A variation of 13% in this test is fairly decent for a 24" monitor, we were hoping for even better. Thankfully, we doubt many will ever notice the center 'bright spot' but if you intend to use this monitor for image manipulation you may want to take multiple readings from multiple locations on the panel, and then average these results instead of just taking a reading from the center - as it the usual procedure with a colorimeter.

Panel Performance

In a perfect world a screen’s real world response rate would be so high that motion blur, ‘ghosting’, ‘reverse-ghosting’ would be a thing of the past. No matter how fast the action on screen all images would be represented in pristine condition similar in quality to a static image. This is not a perfect world, but the less amounts of blurring which occurs the less chances you will notice the issue in real world scenarios. While the panels response rate (ms) and and frame rate (Hz) can give a fairly rough idea of how much blurring to expect it is not the end all and be all.

To this end we have taken PRAD’s Pixel Persistence Analyzer ‘Streaky Pictures’ program and using a high speed camera captured exactly how much and what kind of motion blur you can expect from a given monitor.

This right here is the raison d'etre of the XL2420G as it may not be able to create entirely blur free images but to the naked eye it will be crystal clear. Unless you routinely take a magnifier to moving images the so called 'streaky pictures' race car will appear to move from right to left in a seemingly perfect manner without any of the typical judder or ghosting. In fact it is so perfect that the car almost seems to be moving lackadaisically from one side to the other, as we all have been trained to equate blur with 'speed'.

Gamma Performance

Gamma correction is one of the hardest terms to explain. However, for our purposes the gamma correction of any electronics device is how bright or dark an image will be displayed on a screen.

All PC devices now use 2.20 gamma as the default. Any variance from this will result in an image being either underexposed which will create black crush and underexposed shadow detail or washed out with too little black level detail (aka being over-exposed).

While 2.20 is the gold standard, a minor deviation of 0.10 will in all likelihood never be noticed by anyone other than professional photographers. Higher levels of deflection however will be noticed by just about everyone.

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Quite honestly the BenQ 2420G's gamma range may not be perfect but it is close enough that few will ever be able to tell the difference between the default color gamut and the professional color calibrated results.

 

[AkG]

Colour Saturation Levels / Default RGB Levels

Colour Saturation Levels

<i>While there are numerous colors the human eye can’t “see”, the human color space confined to three primary colors and combinations thereof. To make things easier for manufactures (and not waste resources displaying colors we can’t see) a color space was mathematically described and while various models do exist, the CIE RGB color space is the de facto standard.

In the below image, the dark triangle which isn’t highlighted is the sRGB color space while the overall CIE color space is displayed as the background colors. Meanwhile, the white triangle with highlighted color represents the results of what a given monitor can display. No monitor can display the entire CIE color spectrum but a good monitor should be able to display the sRGB spectrum of possible colors as this is usually used as the standard for image encoding.

A monitor which uses the “wide color gamut” moniker can display more than the sRGB spectrum and is considered primarily for professional use. If a monitor cannot cover off the entire sRGB triangle, the resulting image will appear “off” to an observer. The end result is a picture displayed on the panel which won’t be as rich, vibrant or as correct as it should be. </i>

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<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Monitor/BenQ_XL2420G/cie.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div>


There is no denying the fact that this TN panel's color gamut cannot compete with IPS based units. There is also no denying that this color gamut is one of the better examples of what newer TN technology can accomplish. Unless you are a photography hobbyist who needs an extra wide color gamut the BenQ XL2420G is sure to impress.

Default RGB Levels

<i>An LCD or LCD LED backlit panel relies on accurately blending Red, Green and Blue pixel clusters to create an overall image so closer to each of these colours is to a “perfect” 100 output, the better and more accurate the default colors will be.

In this case, we have a low tolerance for anything less than perfection since any color shift can be noticeable even to untrained eyes and will require a color correction be applied at the software level to overcome a monitor’s stock output. We do however consider a minor variation of only a few points per color to be acceptable. </i>

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<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Monitor/BenQ_XL2420G/rgb.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div>

In Standard/ Classic mode which we used for testing the default RGB performance is extremely impressive. Sadly, only sRGB and Standard mode's levels are acceptable while the other more gaming-oriented presets are a dog's breakfast when it comes to color accuracy. For example the gaming modes (e.g. FPS 1) have out of the box color levels that range from 80 to 130 which is completely unacceptable for anyone who is looking for consistency.

 

[AkG]

Viewing Angles / Contrast Ratio / Power Consumption

Viewing Angles

<i>Unlike CRT displays, the manner in which LCD panels create an image can result in one large weakness: the image can lose contrast when viewed off angle. While we do not recommend watching an LCD at anything besides perfectly straight on, the reality is this cannot always be done.

To help give you a glimpse of what a panel will look like when seen from either above the horizontal or vertical plane we have taken pictures at fairly extreme angles. </i>

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<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Monitor/BenQ_XL2420G/ang_pic.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div>

This is one area TN has always lagged behind its PLS and IPS competition and the XL2420G is no exception. At even moderate viewing angles you will notice a loss in image quality. For this reason we do recommend sitting directly in front of it.

As to the specifics, at off-horizontal viewing you will quickly notice a loss in color fidelity first and then notice the loss of contrast. Whereas with off vertical viewing you will notice the loss of contrast first, and then notice a loss in color fidelity. Either way, the image does quickly degrade, but at minor angles the difference is not enough to be worrisome.

Maximum Contrast Ratio

<i> While manufactures love to throw around “maximum” contrast ratios in the millions, the fact of the matter is that to get these high numbers they have to use "dynamic contrast" which—at best—results in overly optimistic specs. With DC turned off, the number of shades between purest white and blackest black a given monitor can display is usually in the low hundreds rather than the thousands.

The higher the contrast ratio, the better the monitor will display shades of dark and light. For IPS monitors, anything below 450:1 is unacceptable, with 500:1 or above considered optimal. For TN anything above 120:1 will be considered “good enough” for most consumers.</i>

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<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Monitor/BenQ_XL2420G/contrast.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div>

This TN panel just keeps on pleasantly surprising us. Not only is the color gamut wider than expected the contrast abilities are also higher than we've seen from previous TN-based monitors.

Power Consumption

<i>To obtain the maximum number we set the monitors brightness to 100% and the contrast to 100%. The Calibrated results are taken at 120 cd/m2 with the contrast set to the default level. </i>

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<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Monitor/BenQ_XL2420G/power.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div>

Overall the power consumption of the XL2420G is very good. It certainly is not the most efficient 24" LED monitor we have seen, but given its high performance abilities a few extra watts is nothing to be concerned about.

 

[AkG]

Gaming & Movie Perforamnce

Movie Performance

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Even though the BenQ XL2420G boasts a native 1080P resolution, movie watching is not its strong suit - PC gaming is. The fact of the matter is movies are usually recorded at 29.97 frames per second and even the 'fastest' is 60FPS. This makes the 1ms response time and 144Hz refresh rates wasted for movies and the same holds true for its vaunted G-SYNC technology.

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Instead of having most of its abilities used, in multimedia scenarios the BenQ XL242G has to rely upon its color gamut, gamma settings, and all round color reproduction abilities. As it is a TN based unit, this does put it at a distinct disadvantage against IPS and even PLS based alternatives. Colors will seem a touch muted and scenes will lack the visceral impact that only 10 bit IPS displays can provide but motion will luckily be buttery smooth.

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With that being said the experience this monitor does provide is still good and we would rate it above average for a TN monitor. From a price / value perspective though it is still a 24" 1080P TN monitor that costs more than some professional IPS alternatives. That doesn’t make it “bad” for movie viewing, there are just less expensive solutions that can do just as well or better.

Gaming Performance

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Other than the XL2420G’s G-SYNC technology and 144Hz capabilities, BenQ has implemented an excellent menu system that allows gamers to squeeze the best possible performance out of their high end panels. Exploring the various Gaming Modes should be one of the first things done since they implement a wide variety of features that will enhance a number of gaming-oriented settings. While the custom modes do allow for plenty of fine-tuning we recommend beginning with the FPS1 setting and beginning a simple trial and error process to find the preset that matches your style best. It is an intuitive and well designed solution that needs to be used.

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Gaming on the BenQ XL2420G will vary between extremely good and "oh my God, I am never getting out of this chair again" great. How good your gaming experience is really will depend on whether or not you own an NVIDIA graphics card that’s compatible with G-SYNC. Using it in any other mode would be a crying shame even though the 144Hz capability do make for an extremely adaptable and capable gaming experience in its own right.

G-SYNC really is a game changer for PC gamers and unless you have experienced it firsthand words cannot describe how big a difference it makes.

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With G-SYNC enabled 'minor' things like having enough GPU horsepower, screen tearing, and even worrying about turning the eye candy down become things of the past. Honestly, as long as you have enough horsepower to keep the frame rate above 30FPS, anything above that is simply icing on the cake rather than a game-changer. Games become smooth, crystal clear and allow for an entirely immersive experience.

Sure there there will be times when FRAPs will show your frame rate bouncing around like a tennis ball, but unlike with conventional monitors, unless you are actually using a synthetic tool to check you will never know the difference. Quite literally the only time frame rate drops will become noticeable is when it drops to slide show, sub-30 levels.

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With that being said when you do feed this monitor enough frames to hit its max refresh rate and keep it above 60FPS, an entirely new world of gaming really opens up. While G-SYNC does wonders for fluidity in lower framerate situations, it can really allow higher framerates to shine as well.

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Unfortunately, not everyone owns a NVIDIA video card or three. For consumers either hooking this up to a gaming console or AMD-equipped system, G-SYNC will not be an option. As such the 144Hz 'classic mode' abilities of this monitor will come in handy. As long as you have the video card horsepower to keep the frames high your gaming experience will be very good. In fact, up until GS-YNC came along we would have classified the XL2420G's 'classic mode' game abilities as excellent.

Unfortunately, the end result is not as good as what the G-SYNC mode can offer and you will have to deal with certain amount of image degradation as well. Honestly, unless you are a hardcore 'team red' buyer using this monitor on anything besides NVIDIA powered systems is a less than optimal solution. For less money you can find non-GSYNC enabled 144Hz monitors and they too will provide you with an equally good gaming experience for your AMD based system.

 

[AkG]

Non-Colorimeter Tweaking and Results

Non-Colorimeter Tweaking and Results

<i>In a perfect world either every monitor would come factory calibrated to perfection or every single consumer would own a decent colorimeter. We don’t live in such a world and as such most consumers simply use the old Mark 1 Mod 0 eyeball to fix any imperfections with the stock colors of their new monitor.

In order to gauge how easy this is to do for a given monitor we have included a new set of tests. These tests will be carried out before any of our standard tests and will consist of us using a combination of the free online LCD Monitor Test Images (found here LCD monitor test images) and then if necessary the free Hex2Bit Monitor Calibration Wizard (found here Hex2Bit - Software by Mike Walters). The goal of these tests is to not only gauge how easy it is to accurately calibrate a given monitor using only the onboard monitor tools, but to see how closely we can come to what a Spyder3 Elite can do. </i>


To obtain these results we did the following
- used “sRGB” picture mode
- ensured dynamic contrast was off
- adjusted the brightness to 18 (which resulted in a 121.4 cd/m2)
- left Red to 100
- adjusted Green to 99
- adjusted Blue to 99
- All other settings left to default levels


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<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Monitor/BenQ_XL2420G/man_gamma.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Monitor/BenQ_XL2420G/man_rgb.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div>


Honestly, trying to make the default FPS/RTS gaming modes color accurate will be beyond most peoples' abilities. The defaults are just so far from accurate doing so is nearly impossible. Thankfully adjusting the standard non-gaming orientated mode is child's play and will take you mere moments while retaining the capabilities introduced by the gaming modes.

If your are concerned about color accuracy and want to actually use this gaming monitor for gaming, you will either want to get it professionally calibrated, or purchase an entry level colorimeter. We say this because the default red, green, and blue levels are all well over 25% off baseline, and even the gamma is so far off, eyeballing is nearly impossible. At this price point BenQ needs to take the time to factory calibrate the gaming modes and the default modes.

 

[AkG]

Conclusion

Conclusion

BenQ’s XL2420G is everything we could possibly want from a gaming monitor: it boasts a 144Hz refresh rate, NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology and is obviously designed from the ground up with gamers in mind. However, with the long list of better, higher-end competitors announced at CES, does this first generation model still stand a chance? Absolutely.

Color reproduction quality and gamma performance have never been features normally associated with gaming monitors simply because older generation TN panels failed to deliver in both categories. This latest generation on the other hand has some skills up its proverbial sleeves which allows for substantially better image quality alongside some very impressive response times. While no one will mistake the XL2420G for an IPS-equipped monitor, it can put down some respectable results that will allow gamers to experience a very good color pallet without sacrificing in other critical areas.

Unfortunately, none of the so-called “game” presets allow for anything approaching an acceptable color pallet or contrast settings. This is a slight miss on BenQ’s part since a combination of awesome responsiveness and fluidity with accurate colors is possible via the responsive, albeit slightly antiquated OSD. They just haven’t taken the time to properly calibrate their presets’ settings to achieve optimal results.

Gaming on this monitor is a revelation with G-SYNC enabled. As we’ve come to expect from similarly equipped panels, the experience is one that has to be experienced to be believed. The complete elimination of tearing without any perceptible input lag will be a dream come true for gamers and BenQ actually backs those capabilities up with some excellent (for a TN panel) color reproduction, black levels and contrast.

If anything, this year’s CES has shown us that gaming-centric technologies are the next frontier for monitors. Be it G-SYNC, Adaptive Sync or fast native response rates, panel manufacturers are looking for premium features to distinguish their flagship products. With the XL2420G, BenQ has taken a slightly different approach by repositioning it within a slightly more affordable price bracket in preparation for their higher end offerings. This has led to it being one of the more accessible 144Hz G-SYNC monitors around.

BenQ has done something special with the XL2420G. They have effectively combined 144Hz, G-SYNC and 3D Vision compatibility with a TN panel that doesn’t exhibit horrible color reproduction or gamma levels. While there will never be any mistaking the XL2420G for an IPS-based display and there may be some latent worries about overshadowing by upcoming products, its new price and wide ranging capabilities make it one of the most accomplished all-round monitors current available.

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