BenQ XL2420T 120hz 3D Monitor Review

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BenQ XL2420T 120hz 3D Monitor Review

The BenQ XL2420T is a matte (anti-reflective), 120hz (via display port/dual-link dvi/vga) Nvidia 3D Vision 2 capable TN panel. TFT Central has an in depth article about the different types of panels used in monitors, so click here to read it.

All testing done using an i1 Display Pro Colorimeter (a colorimeter measures the colours, contrast, brightness, gamma, ect), basICColor 5 (profiling software which creates an ICC profile to calibrate the display), HCFR (software used to measure the default colours) and i1 Profiler (profiling software which creates an ICC profile to calibrate the display).


PC build:

Motherboard: Gigabyte X58-UD9
CPU: Intel i7 930@ 3.2 ghz
Case: Lian Li PC80
GPU: Overclocked SLI GTX 480's
Ram: 6gb Patriot G Viper Xtreme DDR3 PC3-16000 2000mhz

I purchased the BenQ XL2420T for review from Amazon, they have a 30 day open box monitor return policy. I returned the BenQ XL2420T.

Product Page

Other BenQ XL2420T Reviews

PRAD |Test Monitor BenQ XL2420T
BenQ XL2420T Review
BenQ XL2420T Review | PC Monitors
BenQ XL2420T: 120Hz rychlík pro náro

Please refer to my other 120hz Display Reviews

Samsung S23A700D Review

Asus VG236H Review

Samsung S27A950D Review

Table of Contents

Ergonomics

Ghosting and Input Lag

Default Colour Presets

Calibrated Image Quality and Screen Uniformity

Nvidia 3D Vision 2

Conclusion Comparison and Settings

Ergonomics

Refer to the start of my video reivew for all the ergomic information.

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Ghosting and Input Lag

Keep in mind that all LCD's will show motion blur regardless of a perfectly implemented overdrive due to the Sample and Hold effect compared to CRT's and Plasma's.

60hz AMA OFF



60hz AMA ON

When the overdrive (AMA) is active @60hz the BenQ XL2420T shows some light (bright halo/shield forming around moving objects) and dark (blackish halo/shield forming around moving objects) overshoot during fast camera pans and when objects move across the display quickly.

When the overdrive (AMA) is off I saw some light to medium streaks and smearing during fast camera pans and when objects move across the display quickly.

In my opinion. @60hz it is better to leave the BenQ's overdrive (AMA) off. Over all the BenQ's 60hz performance is quite disappointing, especially when considering that the Asus and Samsung 120hz displays I have used are also the fastest 60hz displays I have used (the Samsungs being the fastest). In fact the BenQ XL2420T is slower than some of the 60hz IPS/PLS panels I have used.

With all these negative comments said, the BenQ XL2420T isn't necessarily slow @60hz, it still has decent motion performance which non-hardcore gamers should be happy with if/when they feel like playing a console game.

120hz AMA OFF



120hz AMA ON

@120hz with the overdrive (AMA) on, I saw some light and rarely some medium (bright halo/shield forming around moving objects) and dark (blackish halo/shield forming around moving objects) overshoot during fast camera pans and when objects move across the display quickly. With the over drive (AMA) off I saw some very minor streaking/smearing when looking for it.

Both overdrive settings work well depending on the game. Casual gamers will have no issue with the BenQ XL2420T's motion performance. Hardcore gamers and experienced LCD/CRT/Plasma users will notice the ghosting and may find it distracting. Fortunately there are alternatives like the Asus VG236H and Samsung S23A700D that offer better motion performance than the BenQ XL2420T at a lower price point.

The BenQ XL2420t is the slowest 120hz display I have used (Samsung 2233rz, Samsung S27A950D, Asus VG236H and Samsung S23A700D), but it is still a very fast display since the ghosting remains minimal (but still noticeable to an experienced eye) for the most part. Sure it has minor issues with ghosting with both the overdrive (AMA) on and off, only experienced LCD/CRT/Plasma users will likely be bothered, so the BenQ XL2420T earns itself a:

Input Lag

PRAD.de has measured the input lag properly here with an Oscilloscope which is currently the most accurate device for testing input lag.

PRAD.de measured 6.4ms delay (input lag) @60hz and a 3.4ms delay @ 120hz. They measured a 13ms delay for the Samsung S27A950D for comparison.

The number two way to test input lag, which is almost as accurate is with the SMT Tool 2.0, which I will be using.

60hz Input Lag

I measured 0 difference between the BenQ XL2420T @60hz when using the SMT Tool 2.0. The Asus VG236H has a 2-3ms delay vs. a CRT.

I measured 0 difference between the BenQ XL2420T @120hz when using the SMT Tool 2.0 which means the BenQ has a 3ms delay like the Asus VG236H.

The BenQ XL2420T has less input lag than the Samsung S2xA7x0D and 950D models.

[

Legend:
Blue=Suitable For ALL Enthusiast CRT & 120hz Users
Purple=Suitable For Some Enthusiast & ALL Regular Gamers
Orange=Not Suitable for Enthusiast Gamers & Some Regular Gamers
Red=Not Suitable for Enthusiast or Regular Gamers: CASUAL GAMERS ONLY

Viewsonic VP2770: 7ms signal delay measured by PRAD
Asus VG248QE: Signal Delay=1.6ms @60hz and 0.7ms @144hz measured by PRAD
Dell U2713H Game Mode: 14ms (Measured by PC Monitors Info)
Dell U2713H: 30ms signal delay measured by PRAD
ViewSonic VX2770SMH-LED: 4-5ms
Asus PB278Q: 17.8ms signal delay measured by PRAD
Dell S2740L: Negligible
Asus VG23AH: 2-5ms (recently retested)
CrossOver 2720MDP Gold: 12-14ms
Samsung S27A850D: 13.6ms signal delay measured by PRAD
Samsung S23A700D: 12-13ms @120hz
BenQ XL2420T: 3ms @120hz
Asus VG236H: 3ms @120hz
Asus PA238Q: 2.2ms signal delay measured by PRAD.de
Samsung S27A950D: 13ms @120hz

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Default Colour Presets

I measured the colour presets with basICColour 5, except for the gamma which I measured with HCFR.



The BenQ comes set to FPS Mode 1 out of the box which is too purple and the colours are washed out due to the low contrast and poor gamma settings.

Eco Mode is the most usable due to the good default lower brightness, good contrast and slightly less purple colour temperature but it still looks washed out due to the messed up gamma. Standard and sRGB also offer decent colours.

The BenQ XL2420T offers disappointingly average colour presets compared to the Samsung S23A700D, S27A950D and Asus VG236H I have tested. The colours are "almost there," in terms of quality, but the strong purple tinge and poor gamma in every single mode prevent the BenQ from looking as good as the Samsung S23A700D and Asus VG236H do out of the box.

Over all the Standard mode is the best since it offers the most changeable settings, most importantly the 5 Preset Gamma Modes which I measured:

Gamma Mode 1

Gamma Mode 2

Gamma Mode 3

Gamma Mode 4

Gamma Mode 5

The gamma curve is skewed in every mode. The yellow line is supposed to match up with the white line for an average gamma of 2.22. Gamma modes 1 and 2 offer the best results on paper. Mode 5 offers the punchiest and most saturated colours. Overall Mode 2 is the best since the dark greys are not super crushed, however some light colours end up being too dark, resulting in some weird skin tones and an ugly washed out look.

For reference here is the Gamma Chart from the Asus VG236H's out of the box Standard Preset



The gamma curve is much more neutral, compared to the best BenQ Gamma Modes. The lightest shades are washed out on the Asus while they are far to dark on the BenQ.

If you don't care about colour accuracy, even though the BenQ XL2420T's competitors offer much better colour accuracy for the same price, go for the BenQ. Having tested the similarly priced Samsung S23A700D and Asus VG236H, I found the BenQ's default colour presets to be quite disappointing. The colours are passable but leave alot to be desired, so the BenQ XL2420T earns itself a

Asus PB278Q:
Dell S2740L:
Asus VG23AH:
CrossOver 2720MDP:
Samsung S27A850D:
BenQ XL2420T:
Samsung S23A700D:
Asus VG236H:

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Calibrated Image Quality and Screen Uniformity

Unfortunately for most, the BenQ's strongest area of expertise is it's calibrated image quality. The colour preset's leave a lot to be desired, especially when compared to the Asus and Samsung 23" offerings, but when it comes to calibrated results, the BenQ XL2420T is a champion.

Why?

Because the BenQ suffers from the least amount of colour dominance. The Asus is too green, especially with some greys (Alan Wake is a green fest) while the Samsung S23A700D had a strong purple tinge after calibration. The BenQ XL2420T is not perfect as it has a slight purple dominance but it is not as strong as the colour dominances the Asus VG236H and Samsung S23A700D I reviewed suffered from.

Unfortunately the BenQ XL2420T requires calibration to achieve good image quality since regardless of the settings used it always looks washed out, or it crushes colours post-calibration due to the messed up gamma and it suffers from equal purple tinting out of the box compared to the Samsung S23A700D.

So while the BenQ XL2420T does have excellent image quality for a TN panel after calibration since it has great contrast, accurate colour, excellent gamma and normal TN panel gamma shift and viewing angles it is nothing to get too excited about since it requires calibration to compete in terms of image quality with the Asus VG236H and Samsung S23A700D.

The BenQ does have the best gamma tracking out of the 23" 120hz displays I have used, excellent screen uniformity and it's viewing angles aren't any worse than most other TN panels. In terms of gamma shift the BenQ performs like most other recent TN panels unlike the Samsung S23A700D which had much more noticeable gamma shift due to the poor screen uniformity.

Still since it performs almost flawlessly for a TN after calibration, it earns itself an excellent rating. The BenQ XL2420T looses are star since it uses a TN panel (poor viewing angles and gamma shift) and 1 star for using a grainy matte coating.

Screen Uniformity

For Comparison here is the Asus's Colour Temperature and Brightness Distribution which I measured with the i1 Profiler Software:

Back-light Bleeding Lights Off

Next to the Samsung S27A850D PLS display



Black screen Lights On

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Nvidia 3D Vision 2

Nvidia 3D Vision 2 Product Page

3D Movie Collection

I compared a number of 3D movies which I previously observed cross-talk on the Samsung S23A700D and Asus VG236H, and in all of them the BenQ XL2420T was cross-talk free.



3D Colour Chart

When the 3D mode is active during games and films only the Nvidia 3D Vision 2 and contrast settings are available to tweak the settings if the image quality is off. Fortunately, the BenQ XL2420T delivers very good image quality when 3D is active and the least murky or dark image thanks to Nvidia 3D Vision 2.

The 3D colours are very good out of the box, only the black levels are a bit disapointing, but everything else is pretty much perfect. Fortunately upping the contrast from the default of 37 from around 44-55 fixes this issue. Setting the contrast above 55 results in bleaching, loss of detail and very obvious banding. Fortunately as long as the contrast is set anywhere from 44-55 the BenQ XL2420T delivers very good image quality for 3D content.

The BenQ XL2420T delivered the 2nd best 3D colour I have seen and it's miles ahead of any non-Nvidia 3D Vision 2 display since the BenQ XL2420T was essentially cross-talk free in games and completely cross-talk free in movies. Though not as bright, the Asus VG236H delivered slightly better 3D colour and the lack of anti-glare coating gave colours better vibrancy, clarity and a lack of a screen door effect like I observed on the BenQ XL2420T.

The screen door effect I'm referring too is created by the BenQ's matte coating (medium anti-glare) which reduces the vibrancy of whites+light colours, sharpness/clarity. It reminded me of looking through a screen door or dirty window due to the visible grain/haze with content that has whites and light colours. I found it to be very distracted when watching Tintin in 3D, so much so that I turned it off and started watching it on my Asus VG236H to discover better 3D colours and a grain free 3D experience. In my opinion strong matte coatings should not be used with 3D displays. Hopefully in the future we will see some 3D monitors with semi-glossy coating which is the lightest of all matte coatings.

Aside from the matte coating, the BenQ XL2420T easily delivers the best all around 3D experience thanks to the good colour and blacks (once the contrast is turned up a bit) and the Nvidia 3D Vision 2 technology which allows the XL2420T to be almost completely cross-talk free and not look as dark or murky as the Nvidia 3D Vision 2-Less displays.

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Conclusion Comparison and Settings

+Ergonomics (connections and adjust-ability) leave the competition in the dust
+Fairly priced (400$)
+Nvidia 3D Vision 2 is less murky looking than regular 3D displays
+3D games are nearly Crosstalk free
+3D Movies are Crosstalk free
+Good 3D mode colours
+Good black levels/contrast in 3D once the contrast is turned up a bit (44-55)
+Excellent black levels/contrast
+Excellent screen uniformity
+Excellent colour accuracy after calibration (250$+colorimeter required) for a TN panel
+Least amount of colour dominance after calibration compared to the VG236H and S23A700D
+Medium-low amount of ghosting @120hz
+Very low input lag
+Matte screen prevents reflections
-Colour presets are disappointing compared to the Samsung S23A700D and Asus VG236H
-Purple colour dominance out of the box, minor purple tint after calibration
-Ghosting @60hz is much more common compared to many other 60hz displays I have used
-Ghosting @120hz: the overdrive (AMA) is poorly implemented vs. the VG236H and S23A700D.
-Ghosting: The poorly implemented overdrive prevents the BenQ from being a CRT replacement
-Medium Anti-Glare coating makes whites and light colours look grainy and reduces colour vibrancy
-Medium Anti-Glare coating creates an annoying screen door effect in 3D games and movies
-Dark brightness strip near the bottom of the screen
-TN panel=Poor viewing angles and gamma shift

Over all, the BenQ XL2420T is a great, but flawed monitor. In terms of ergonomics, the BenQ XL2420T has it all and leaves the competition in the dust, yet still remains competitively priced. Fantastic ergonomics can only get one so far though, and the BenQ XL2420T falters in terms of out of the box image quality compared to the Asus VG236H and Samsung S23A700D. The XL2420T's default colours are "meh," out of the box due to the poor gamma, which makes colours look washed out, and it suffers from a strong purple dominance. The medium anti-glare coating reduces colour quality and sharpness even further, but it does do a great job of preventing reflections.

The BenQ XL2420T is a near input lag-less display and beats out the Samsung 120hz displays and ties with my Asus VGH236H when measured with the SMT Tool 2.0. The XL2420T is an extremely responsive display, I doubt even the most hard core CRT gamers will take issue with the XL2420T's very low input lag.

However, CRT gamers may take issue with the slower pixel response times. When it comes to 60hz performance, the BenQ is left in the dust by the Asus VG236H and Samsung S23A700D. There is noticeable smearing and streaking with AMA OFF @60hz and strong dark and light overshoot when AMA is ON.

@120hz The BenQ XL2420T performs quite well, however it is the slowest 120hz display I have used, those being the Samsung 2233rz, Asus VG236H, Samsung S23A700D and Samsung S27A950D. Most gamers won't see any ghosting on the BenQ XL2420T @120hz, but it is there. With the AMA OFF I observed some light smearing and streaking, and with the AMA on I saw some light-medium dark and light overshoot.

The BenQ XL2420T had excellent 3D performance, mostly thanks to the new Nvidia 3D Vision 2 technology which greatly reduces cross-talk and 3D "murkeyness." The 3D colours left little to be desired and all of the 3D movies I tried were completely cross-talk free. Games were also nearly cross-talk free.

My main issues with the BenQ XL2420T were the meh default colours and the anti-glare coating. The Samsung S23A700D and Asus VG236H offer more accurate and vibrant colours for less, however being glossy they are reflective. The BenQ's medium anti-glare coating causes whites and light colours to look quite grainy, and it created a slight screen door effect with 3D content. In my opinion matte coatings, apart from semi-glossy coating should not be used with 3D displays due to the screen door effect.

Flaws aside, the BenQ XL2420T is a great display, and is currently the only 23-24" matte Nvidia 3D Vision 2 compatible display. If you want a matte 120hz display with great 3D performance and low input lag the BenQ XL2420T for you.

If you want better response times and colours, get the Asus VG236H and Samsung S23A700D (3D only works with AMD graphics cards), however their 3D performance is not up to par with the BenQ XL2420T's and they are glossy (reflective).

Settings

Standard Mode

Brightness: 5
Contrast: 50 (Default)
Gamma: Mode 2
Red: 97
Green: 96
Blue: 94
Instant Mode: On
AMA: On or Off.....up to the user

ICC Profile

Scroll past the profile chart for ICC profile installation instructions:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/icc_profiles.htm

[fatery]

Hey what settings are you using for contrast gamma type brightness sharpness and what mode standard?

[wasabiman123]

Very informative, I've been trying to decide if there's anything besides the samsung S23A700D in the ~23 inch range that could be nice, I've been interested in 120hz monitors although for now there aren't IPS ones
I'm a gamer so I hate ghosting and for input lag I doubt I can tell honestly but the lower the better, I also want LED backlighting, any suggestions I really want the colors to be great although it's not an IPS, I really want a glossy screen (makes stuff look better/clear) so IPS is impossible lol.
If I were to consider 60hz monitors as well would this be a good?
Amazon.com: Samsung S23B550V 23" Class Widescreen LED Monitor: Computers & Accessories
I'm kind of crazy into tech so I can't bring myself to randomly get something that's good if there's a better option lol, kinda a quagmire for monitors apparently.
budget 300~ $, 23~ inch.
Please help me out

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I haven't used that Samsung or read any reviews so I have no clue if it is good....it is also uses the same matte coating as the BenQ.

LED back lit displays only advantage over displays with CCFLighting are the power savings and slimmer bezels.

Buy the 120hz Asus VG236H. It is cheaper, glossy and has better colours and less ghosting than the BenQ.

[wasabiman123]

I haven't used that Samsung or read any reviews so I have no clue if it is good....it is also uses the same matte coating as the BenQ.

LED back lit displays only advantage over displays with CCFLighting are the power savings and slimmer bezels.

Buy the 120hz Asus VG236H. It is cheaper, glossy and has better colours and less ghosting than the BenQ.

Makes sense, but the S23A700D was reviewed by you and did pretty good, also for me the samsung is like 40 bucks cheaper than the asus. Also LED is supposedly better for one's eyes so there is that to consider...
Hmmm, what's also killing me is the age difference of the two monitors, the VG236H is 2 years old compared to the 6 month old sammy. Grrr I need to order this thing tommorrow at the latest...