BenQ G2400W vs. Samsung SM2493HM
I don't normally review products, but I thought I'd take this chance to examine both these monitors against each other, as they are similar in price, panel type, and connections.
Many are looking for decent gaming 24" monitors, and these two fit the bill nicely, with one DVI, one HDMI, and one VGA connector. This connector configuration is your best bet to use these monitors as both a solid PC gaming and console display for Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. Because of their 24" size, they are pretty good monitors to play consoles on, maybe even with a friend. Even though they are TN based panels, their horizontal viewing angles are more than enough to have two people viewing them side by side.
I'm going to categorize this review with both objective and subjective areas so that I can answer the most common questions up front. I will try and provide as accurate photos of what I've seen out of both.
Panel Quality:
- Good for TN panels, with good horizontal viewing angles, and marginal vertical viewing angles. The vertical viewing angles are good from above, not so good from below. Neither has any dead pixels and the panels have uniform color.
- Backlight Bleed: Both are good with the BenQ having the edge. The Samsung has a bit at the bottom, but nothing huge. Edge to the BenQ just barely, as shown here (BenQ at 75 brightness, Samsung at 50)
- Smoothness/Anti-glare/graininess: Good anti-glare on both, not too much, not too little. The BenQ has a bit less for a smoother panel, but the Samsung has a bit better glare resistance.
- Colors: BenQ has slightly better color accuracy, as calibration seems to change the color less than the Samsung. The 2493HM has an extended color gamut of 82% vs. 72% for the BenQ which manifests in slightly stronger reds, but a brown shift to dark grays. Samsung has slightly more vibrant colors, but BenQ wins on accuracy out of the box. Both have standard color controls for R,G,B.
- Brightness: The Samsung is a brighter panel. At 50 brightness, it's the same as the BenQ at 75. Full brightness on the BenQ is bright, but useable. With Samsung 100% brightness is too bright. Both can go down quite low, so it's easy to find good brightness levels.
- Text: Both are awesome. The text is sharper by far than MVA monitors, and nearly the same as S-IPS. Very NICE. Both have sharpness adjustments in the OSD to help find a suitable text sharpness, and neither has a lot of "edge" enhancement with the sharpness cranked up to make things look like they have "inverse" outlines. The BenQ has 5 levels of sharpness, and the Samsung has 10.
- Temporal dithering: It's really hard to see dithering on either one of these displays. I had to remove my glasses and sit about four inches from the Samsung to see any "pixel squirm", or temporal dithering. There was even less on the BenQ. Edge to the BenQ here.
- Banding: There is no banding whatsoever that I could see on the Samsung, not even a hint. The BenQ displayed a very slight banding effect on www.lagom.nl's gradient banding test, but it was also hard to see unless you are searching for it. Neither exhibited much change in this characteristic with different contrast or brightness. Edge to the Samsung.
- Viewing angles: Both panels have good horizontal viewing angles, but the BenQ has slightly better vertical viewing angles. The color shift tends to happen at slightly more extreme angles, but even then, it's really about a 5% difference with a slight edge from above to the BenQ. Both are horrible from below, but the Samsung tends to drop off a bit quicker and invert, and the BenQ just darkens.
Summary: Either way, you are getting a good TN panel here. Viewing angles at this size are always a concern, but I find if I have my eye level near the top of the screen, or slightly tilt the screen forward, color shift is minimized and the image is fairly uniform. If it's a big concern, I'd suggest looking at a newer 22" panel with slightly less vertical height.
I used the BenQ in standard or sRGB mode, and did not adjust the color levels at all, and the Samsung without any Magiccolor, Magicbright, etc... Both are capable of very strong colors if you want them to be with the various modes, so you can have some accuracy, or colors that pop for gaming. I would say the Samsung has a slightly more vibrant panel at the cost of accuracy, whereas the BenQ might like a bump in color from the video card to get colors that pop a bit more.
Quick comparison: The BenQ is better in terms of accuracy, viewing angles, BLB and temporal dithering artifacts. The Samsung 2493H is better in regards to banding, brightness level, and color saturation. Both are great for what they cost.
It's subjective, but I like the BenQ a hair better, while others may disagree. The 2493HM uses the same panel as the 245BW, so that might give some an even better idea of the panel.
PC Gaming:
Both rock. Ghosting is non-existent, and motion blur is as good as any of the 22" TN panels I've seen. Colors are pretty accurate, and are highly customizable so you can get superbright, saturated, accurate, etc...I didn't have any issues with either in regards to gaming. I use the nVidia control panel to scale up to full resolution, because it makes the most sense for those games like Crysis that you can't play at full resolution, and introduces no additional input lag. Additionally using this does not affect you when you are in desktop/2d and want the highest text quality possible.
- Input lag: With no scaling, you are looking at less than a frame of input lag here for each monitor. I switched ports on the video card in clone mode, and it made no difference. Using "inputlag.exe" I saw no variance at all with each. If they were a few milliseconds different, I couldn't tell. I challenge anyone to see input lag on these monitors. If they say they do, they are either lying or a robot. With the scaler involved the BenQ pulls away from the Samsung. 30% of the time it's a frame ahead at 1680x1050. 30% of the time it's 2 frames ahead at 1280x1024. 1 shot out of 20 the Samsung is a frame ahead. Bottom line: Use the video card to scale. It works better. Edge to the BenQ at non-native resolution, but tied in native.
- Resolution scaling: The Samsung only does two resolutions at 1:1> 1920x1200, 1600x1200. All other resolutions will be scaled no matter what you set in the video card. With the BenQ I set the video card not to scale, and the BenQ set at 1:1 does 100% 1:1 PIXEL MAPPED display on the PC. The BenQ will give you exactly what you ask for whether it's stretched to Aspect, full stretch, or 1:1. I still recommend using the video card here, but huge edge to the BenQ.
Summary: Edge to the BenQ, but both are very fast and capable PC gaming displays. As a PC only gamer, you will love both.
Console Gaming:
- PS3 or 360 over HDMI: The Samsung has two modes for 720p or 1080i/p> DUMB AND DUMBER which translates into AV mode off, and AV mode on. Samsung missed the boat here.
With AV OFF it does the following (stretches to 16:10) so the middle circle is oval
With AV ON it keeps the aspect ratio of 16:9 by stretching to full height, but cuts off the screen at the left and right sides by 5%, so while the middle circle is round, there is "horizontal overscan" for lack of a better term.
For consoles this is not good. 720p, 1080i/p, whatever, Samsung messes it up. Use the HDMI for a second computer not a console, unless you already bought the thing and are desperate.
The 245T and 275T handles this correctly (from what I've heard and read in the manual) so why can't the 2439HM? Add a 16:9 preset here, Samsung and you can have a winner.
This is how it should be done, and how the BenQ handles it with 1:1 or aspect:
Notice how there are black bars top and bottom, and the circle in the middle is a circle and not a taller oval like it was with the Sammy without AV mode.
To some this may not matter, but to me it's a big deal after my debacle with various monitors and their supposed full HD capabilities, overscan, cropping, incorrect aspect handling, etc...
360 over VGA: I recommend using the resolution of 1360x768 for this function, and the screen will be 99% aspect proper. 1920x1080 does not work correctly on either monitor, where they both stretch to 16:10 and "heighten" everything. Neither monitor can do 1920x1080 over VGA properly even with a PC, so that's understandable.
OSD
To be honest, both OSDs fulfill all the chosen capabilities regarding image size, setup, languages, color, etc.... I'm not going to go into this, as it's probably covered much better by the manuals which can be downloaded.
Samsung made a huge mistake by creating touch sensitive buttons that are completely flush with the bezel. You can't get used to finding them by touch, and the writing on them is a gold/beige which is tough to make out even in normal light. Big thumbs down to Samsung here.
BenQ uses a much cheaper set up with buttons under the bezel behind plastic molded/indented writing that you can only make out with a 4 billion watt bulb or if you can read braille. But at least each button is a physically separate button that can be felt, and one can get used to where they are quite quickly.
Samsung includes a fast hotkey for "image" of 4:3 or wide, source, etc... and BenQ includes one for source, brightness/contrast, picture mode, so you don't have to painfully enter the menus to change the source connection.
This is my 1.1 draft. If someone can explain why I couldn't embed flickr images here, I'd like to know, so that I could embed them in the actual post or upload them elsewhere.
Ultimately the BenQ is staying and the Samsung is leaving. Both are still returnable, but I love the BenQ, whereas I like the Samsung.
Additionally, unless you need the extra connector, or the 4:3 option in the OSD, the Samsung 245BW is the same basic panel and electronics and stand for $40 to $100 less. You will get the same panel, just no HDMI.
If you have any questions DO NOT HESITATE to post here and ask questions or make suggestions. I'm always happy to entertain critique, advice, etc...
Regards,
10e
I don't normally review products, but I thought I'd take this chance to examine both these monitors against each other, as they are similar in price, panel type, and connections.
Many are looking for decent gaming 24" monitors, and these two fit the bill nicely, with one DVI, one HDMI, and one VGA connector. This connector configuration is your best bet to use these monitors as both a solid PC gaming and console display for Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. Because of their 24" size, they are pretty good monitors to play consoles on, maybe even with a friend. Even though they are TN based panels, their horizontal viewing angles are more than enough to have two people viewing them side by side.
I'm going to categorize this review with both objective and subjective areas so that I can answer the most common questions up front. I will try and provide as accurate photos of what I've seen out of both.
Panel Quality:
- Good for TN panels, with good horizontal viewing angles, and marginal vertical viewing angles. The vertical viewing angles are good from above, not so good from below. Neither has any dead pixels and the panels have uniform color.
- Backlight Bleed: Both are good with the BenQ having the edge. The Samsung has a bit at the bottom, but nothing huge. Edge to the BenQ just barely, as shown here (BenQ at 75 brightness, Samsung at 50)
- Smoothness/Anti-glare/graininess: Good anti-glare on both, not too much, not too little. The BenQ has a bit less for a smoother panel, but the Samsung has a bit better glare resistance.
- Colors: BenQ has slightly better color accuracy, as calibration seems to change the color less than the Samsung. The 2493HM has an extended color gamut of 82% vs. 72% for the BenQ which manifests in slightly stronger reds, but a brown shift to dark grays. Samsung has slightly more vibrant colors, but BenQ wins on accuracy out of the box. Both have standard color controls for R,G,B.
- Brightness: The Samsung is a brighter panel. At 50 brightness, it's the same as the BenQ at 75. Full brightness on the BenQ is bright, but useable. With Samsung 100% brightness is too bright. Both can go down quite low, so it's easy to find good brightness levels.
- Text: Both are awesome. The text is sharper by far than MVA monitors, and nearly the same as S-IPS. Very NICE. Both have sharpness adjustments in the OSD to help find a suitable text sharpness, and neither has a lot of "edge" enhancement with the sharpness cranked up to make things look like they have "inverse" outlines. The BenQ has 5 levels of sharpness, and the Samsung has 10.
- Temporal dithering: It's really hard to see dithering on either one of these displays. I had to remove my glasses and sit about four inches from the Samsung to see any "pixel squirm", or temporal dithering. There was even less on the BenQ. Edge to the BenQ here.
- Banding: There is no banding whatsoever that I could see on the Samsung, not even a hint. The BenQ displayed a very slight banding effect on www.lagom.nl's gradient banding test, but it was also hard to see unless you are searching for it. Neither exhibited much change in this characteristic with different contrast or brightness. Edge to the Samsung.
- Viewing angles: Both panels have good horizontal viewing angles, but the BenQ has slightly better vertical viewing angles. The color shift tends to happen at slightly more extreme angles, but even then, it's really about a 5% difference with a slight edge from above to the BenQ. Both are horrible from below, but the Samsung tends to drop off a bit quicker and invert, and the BenQ just darkens.
Summary: Either way, you are getting a good TN panel here. Viewing angles at this size are always a concern, but I find if I have my eye level near the top of the screen, or slightly tilt the screen forward, color shift is minimized and the image is fairly uniform. If it's a big concern, I'd suggest looking at a newer 22" panel with slightly less vertical height.
I used the BenQ in standard or sRGB mode, and did not adjust the color levels at all, and the Samsung without any Magiccolor, Magicbright, etc... Both are capable of very strong colors if you want them to be with the various modes, so you can have some accuracy, or colors that pop for gaming. I would say the Samsung has a slightly more vibrant panel at the cost of accuracy, whereas the BenQ might like a bump in color from the video card to get colors that pop a bit more.
Quick comparison: The BenQ is better in terms of accuracy, viewing angles, BLB and temporal dithering artifacts. The Samsung 2493H is better in regards to banding, brightness level, and color saturation. Both are great for what they cost.
It's subjective, but I like the BenQ a hair better, while others may disagree. The 2493HM uses the same panel as the 245BW, so that might give some an even better idea of the panel.
PC Gaming:
Both rock. Ghosting is non-existent, and motion blur is as good as any of the 22" TN panels I've seen. Colors are pretty accurate, and are highly customizable so you can get superbright, saturated, accurate, etc...I didn't have any issues with either in regards to gaming. I use the nVidia control panel to scale up to full resolution, because it makes the most sense for those games like Crysis that you can't play at full resolution, and introduces no additional input lag. Additionally using this does not affect you when you are in desktop/2d and want the highest text quality possible.
- Input lag: With no scaling, you are looking at less than a frame of input lag here for each monitor. I switched ports on the video card in clone mode, and it made no difference. Using "inputlag.exe" I saw no variance at all with each. If they were a few milliseconds different, I couldn't tell. I challenge anyone to see input lag on these monitors. If they say they do, they are either lying or a robot. With the scaler involved the BenQ pulls away from the Samsung. 30% of the time it's a frame ahead at 1680x1050. 30% of the time it's 2 frames ahead at 1280x1024. 1 shot out of 20 the Samsung is a frame ahead. Bottom line: Use the video card to scale. It works better. Edge to the BenQ at non-native resolution, but tied in native.
- Resolution scaling: The Samsung only does two resolutions at 1:1> 1920x1200, 1600x1200. All other resolutions will be scaled no matter what you set in the video card. With the BenQ I set the video card not to scale, and the BenQ set at 1:1 does 100% 1:1 PIXEL MAPPED display on the PC. The BenQ will give you exactly what you ask for whether it's stretched to Aspect, full stretch, or 1:1. I still recommend using the video card here, but huge edge to the BenQ.
Summary: Edge to the BenQ, but both are very fast and capable PC gaming displays. As a PC only gamer, you will love both.
Console Gaming:
- PS3 or 360 over HDMI: The Samsung has two modes for 720p or 1080i/p> DUMB AND DUMBER which translates into AV mode off, and AV mode on. Samsung missed the boat here.
With AV OFF it does the following (stretches to 16:10) so the middle circle is oval
With AV ON it keeps the aspect ratio of 16:9 by stretching to full height, but cuts off the screen at the left and right sides by 5%, so while the middle circle is round, there is "horizontal overscan" for lack of a better term.
For consoles this is not good. 720p, 1080i/p, whatever, Samsung messes it up. Use the HDMI for a second computer not a console, unless you already bought the thing and are desperate.
The 245T and 275T handles this correctly (from what I've heard and read in the manual) so why can't the 2439HM? Add a 16:9 preset here, Samsung and you can have a winner.
This is how it should be done, and how the BenQ handles it with 1:1 or aspect:
Notice how there are black bars top and bottom, and the circle in the middle is a circle and not a taller oval like it was with the Sammy without AV mode.
To some this may not matter, but to me it's a big deal after my debacle with various monitors and their supposed full HD capabilities, overscan, cropping, incorrect aspect handling, etc...
360 over VGA: I recommend using the resolution of 1360x768 for this function, and the screen will be 99% aspect proper. 1920x1080 does not work correctly on either monitor, where they both stretch to 16:10 and "heighten" everything. Neither monitor can do 1920x1080 over VGA properly even with a PC, so that's understandable.
OSD
To be honest, both OSDs fulfill all the chosen capabilities regarding image size, setup, languages, color, etc.... I'm not going to go into this, as it's probably covered much better by the manuals which can be downloaded.
Samsung made a huge mistake by creating touch sensitive buttons that are completely flush with the bezel. You can't get used to finding them by touch, and the writing on them is a gold/beige which is tough to make out even in normal light. Big thumbs down to Samsung here.
BenQ uses a much cheaper set up with buttons under the bezel behind plastic molded/indented writing that you can only make out with a 4 billion watt bulb or if you can read braille. But at least each button is a physically separate button that can be felt, and one can get used to where they are quite quickly.
Samsung includes a fast hotkey for "image" of 4:3 or wide, source, etc... and BenQ includes one for source, brightness/contrast, picture mode, so you don't have to painfully enter the menus to change the source connection.
This is my 1.1 draft. If someone can explain why I couldn't embed flickr images here, I'd like to know, so that I could embed them in the actual post or upload them elsewhere.
Ultimately the BenQ is staying and the Samsung is leaving. Both are still returnable, but I love the BenQ, whereas I like the Samsung.
Additionally, unless you need the extra connector, or the 4:3 option in the OSD, the Samsung 245BW is the same basic panel and electronics and stand for $40 to $100 less. You will get the same panel, just no HDMI.
If you have any questions DO NOT HESITATE to post here and ask questions or make suggestions. I'm always happy to entertain critique, advice, etc...
Regards,
10e