BenQ G2420 - Quick Review

This one is a quick review of the newly launched [still unlisted on Benq INDIA] Benq G2420 a slight upgrade to the already existent G2412. I will try to write the review to help anyone in confusion to buy an LCD in the 24 inch segment which has recently become very affordable.

Benq-G2420HD-Black.jpg

I am sure by the end of the review you will be able to contemplate why I closed in on this specific piece , since that seems to be the major problem with so many monitors to chose from in the 11.5k – 12.5 k segment. No doubt each monitor has its pros n cons and no monitor is the best , its just a matter of convenience at the end of the day.
So without much-a-due lets get started with the UNBOXING ! :hap2:

PS : My first Review EVER !

[BREAK=Unboxing : Revealing the Package]

The basic carton , standard packing. Came neatly packed with cables tidily tucked in pockets in the packing. Whole thing weighed around 6.5 Kgs.

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Came with the following accessories :

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From Left-To-Right

1. Standard POWER Cable
2. DVI CABLE :hap2:
3. VGA Cable
4. Manual , Installation Kit

So the DVI cable is bundled along with the Monitor, seems to be a standard now with BENQ products. :cool2:

Finally ! Out with the old , In with the NEW is what I always say :ashamed:

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[BREAK=Technical Specs]

Here are the Technical specs :
benqg2420specs.jpg


Some observations straight away :

1. The Size mentioned is full 24 Inches and not 23.56 as in G2412 and alike . Which is all BULLSHIT ! OR a marketing stunt maybe. Measure the area myself. It's LOGIC : If it is 16:9 it will be 23.6 inches ONLY !
2. Marginally higher pixel pitch , some .5 more.

3. The video Bandwidth is 210Mhz Vs 205 Mhz in G2412.

4. Has an HDMI port unlike the Samsung P2350.:hap2:

Now dont exactly know how all of this would affect the performance but numbers never hurt anyone :p .Also these stats seem to vary with BenQ India and Global :S so most of these are as verified by the authorized dealer.

Comes with all 3 display options with multiple input with HDMI switching as well.
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Buttons took a bit of time , but 20 mins down i was cruising through the menu.
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Now lets hook it UP !

[BREAK=Entertainment Benchmarking]

16:9 panels are pure awesomeness for the 1080p prints and pretty decent for the 720p ones as well. I used the Default preset , as found it to be the most comfortable. However the dynamic contrast one was looking a bit better in animation movies. Brightness : 80 , Contrast : 45

Up - 720p
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Animations are made to be watched in HD ! As proven by this super 720p rip of "UP".

Tropic Thunder - BDRIP

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The Images do not do justice to the picture quality [and i ain't no photographer]. The greens in tropic thunder we uber real.

The Dark Knight - 720p
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No problems with the light/dark spots while watching as well. The colors seamlessly gel into one another. No bleeding visible.Although i am not an expert when it comes to spotting bleeding. I am from the school of thought which believes in the fact " If it looks OK, chances are IT IS :p"

- 700MB rips are shit as expected. While the 2CD ones are watchable from a distance.

The viewing angles aint bad at all :

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It can be tilted with a tolerance of 20 degrees which is pretty decent , you can always mount it on the wall for more awesomeness .

Note to self : Desi rippers dont know shit about HD encoding.

[BREAK=THE VERDICT]

At a cost of around 11.5 k it is definitely value for money. Did some research on the After sales for Benq and found it satisfactory plus the dealer was a treat to deal with. After so much of confusion I can say i am finally satisfied with what I have purchased.
Total Damages a la Pune :
- Monitor : Rs 11,700 [ Stupid Octroi ]

However , having said that I did not find conclusive evidence that would justify the price of G2420 over a G2412 , having marginal differences. Only thing is the 2420 is a newer panel and being new you expect it to be better. [ Yet , I ain't buying L4D2 :p] So , make your own call on this one. But in any case both 2412 or 2420 are EXTREME VFM !

Pros :
1. 16:9 res is pure awesomeness for 1080 p movies.
2. Nice clean display with no apparent ghosting
3. Vibrant colors , perfect VFM for a TN panel
4. Blacks and Greys were seamless with no pixelation n bleeding.
Cons :
1. Buttons do take time to get used to.
2. Cost cutting in the ergonomics make the adjustment in position a bit tricky but is a one time process.
3. GAMING : You do feel bad when you have to step down on the settings to increase the FPS in games, but with better cards getting cheaper that is a temporary roadblock. However my HD4850 was able to handle most of the things that I threw at it at MED - High settings @ playable FPS :hap2:

DID not attach gaming screens as no point in doing that


I would like to give a BIG thanks to the TE community for stepping up as usual to help a fellow TEite decide on a good purchase. Thank you all for your feedback n responses to my numerous threads. I have tried to help other members as well during the course of my search for my LCD through all the knowledge that I had gained through TE and dealing with almost every respectable dealer in Pune :p , hope the review helps as well. My first one at that so wouldn't mind the criticism :p.
 
Dont know much about calibration. . just lowered the brightness a bit cause it was hurting my eyes.

Which ever manual setting i found comfortable was my setting :p
 
Just bought this 2 days back...n completely loving it:)
Tried my best @ calibrating it (idk much about it though)...but it was worth the effort, looks much better then the company settings:D.
 
! 0 t A said:
Dont know much about calibration. . just lowered the brightness a bit cause it was hurting my eyes.

Which ever manual setting i found comfortable was my setting :p

Personally I hate that over brightness thing in this LCD causing pure black areas to grey in full screen mode:mad: even lowering brightness to 10-15 range could not have positive effects on pure black.
 
I am using the photo mode, kept the brightness at 5 & contrast at 50. I haven't yet noticed that problem of pure black, maybe i will pay more attention to it now:)
 
If any users out there have bought a G2420, please help me out..

I recently bought one and I need the drivers provided within the CD. My dvd drive is not functional and I just cant find drivers on benq website for the same. Please create an ISO and post a download link. I dont think it should be more than 5-10 mb

Also, I need to activate the audio jack on the left side of the panel, please tell me how to go about it. I am using a HDMI cable, fyi

Thanks
 
^Why do you need to install drivers for an LCD? The system should detect the settings and optimise it accordingly.

What system do you use?
 
^+1 you do not need to install drivers

for audio in the realtek utility i had there was an option of getting sound through the rear HDMI output
 
The display is working fine, I thought there might be extra drivers for the audio jack on the panel.

The audio jack is not functioning, I have installed ATI HDMI audio drivers.. but its not working. My motherboard does not have a HDMI, except for my graphics card

EDIT: Also, windows 'sound and audio devices' does not list the any alternatives to the onboard audio(Ac'97)
 
Can the OT post some pics of the rear of the display? I want to see if the monitor can be mounted on the mulit monitor desk stand? What is the full width of the screen including the bezel?
 
Hi Does this have audio in/out for HDMI?

Is the stand fully detachable, if one wants to replace it with a custom stand which gives your more adjustment options.

Also can you post a few pics of the OSD of this panel, thanks.

I'm currently looking for a 24" monitor. I have a few in mind but can't seem to decide on one.....Check my thread here and help me :)
 
bond_212 said:
yes it has a headphone jack for audio out while using HDMI

Yes, that's right, HDMI is capable of delivering both audio and video. However, can someone please tell me how to activate the headphone jack on this monitor?

L33TWiZaRd said:
Hi Does this have audio in/out for HDMI?
Is the stand fully detachable, if one wants to replace it with a custom stand which gives your more adjustment options.

Also can you post a few pics of the OSD of this panel, thanks.

I'm currently looking for a 24" monitor. I have a few in mind but can't seem to decide on one.....Check my thread here and help me :)

HDMI can deliver both audio and video, It does not have a separate port for audio, which I don't believe exists separately just for audio in any monitor.

It does have a detachable stand although I am not aware if it can be used with a multi stand

I have bought this monitor recently and very impressed by its performance. I am yet to tweak the factory settings, I don't get enough time for tweaking, maybe this weekend. If someone can post links for tweaking the text on this particular model, it will be great

Thanks
 
HDMi carries bot audio and video, that I'm aware of.

What I was wondering about is if I connect say a PS3 to the HDMi port....how would i get the sound, when this doesn't have any speakers...hoping that it has audio out then.

I'm looking at 3 monitors presently including this one:

Dell SP2309W

BenQ G2420

Dell ST2410

@the reviewer: What are your views on the above mentioned Dell monitors.
 
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