BenQ XL2420T

While it’s a bit on the pricier side for a 24-inch monitor, the XL2420T is feature packed and offers all-around great performance, especially for those looking to do a bit of PC gaming. Its 120Hz refresh rate and Nvidia 3D Vision certification, the XL2420T is an excellent choice for a gamer. Image quality is excellent and even includes several gaming presets optimized for specific games. The only caveat to consider is the fact that people are sometimes dissatisfied with BenQ’s company policies (such as limited warranty support), but still love their products.

Asus PA Series PA238Q

When it comes to design and ergonomics, the PA238Q is quite nearly unmatched, making it an excellent display for general productivity. Color reproduction is also exceptional, and as an IPS panel, viewing angles are very good; however, refresh rates do suffer slightly, so gamers may want to pass on this one. Blacklight bleed has also been a reported issue with the PA238Q, so those looking for an immersive video experience should tread carefully.

Asus VG278H

The VG278H is another display well suited for gaming, though like the BenQ, it’s a bit pricey for a monitor of its size (27 inches in this case). It features a 120Hz refresh rate and is Nvidia 3D Vision certified as well. Color reproduction is excellent, though it too suffers from poor viewing angles. In terms of price per performance, it represents a great value, though it lacks a few popular features, such as USB ports.

Wacom Cintiq 24HD

As far as drawing tablets have been concerned, Wacom has always been the brand of choice. Wacom’s foray into the display market has been a welcomed one by those in the computer graphics profession. The Cintiq 24HD is really less about the display and more about the tablet capabilities, featuring the Cintiq Pen with 2048 levels of sensitivity. At upwards of $2000, it’s certainly expensive, but if you’re in the computer graphics business, you won’t regret it.

Dell U2412M

The Dell U2412M is about as close as you can get to professional grade color reproduction and performance without spending an awful lot of money for something like Apple’s new Thunderbolt Display. It makes an excellent display for an aspiring video or photo editor and is an all-around great choice for any multimedia work. With an astonishing 5 USB ports, it can also help clear up some of the clutter around your desk.

This, of course, is just a tiny portion of our extensive list of monitors reviewed on alaTest. While the top 5 are currently of a slightly more expensive nature, our Monitors Section has a long list of well reviewed displays of all price ranges, such as the more affordable AOC I2352VH (a very good value) and the Samsung Syncmaster S27A850D (a high-performance professional grade display).

Contrast Ratio

Manufacturers have invented the term “Dynamic Contrast Ratio.” Realistic contrast ratios are around 1,500:1, but dynamic contrasts state numbers like 1,000,000:1. The top rated PC monitor on alaTest right now, the Asus VG278H lists a 50,000,000:1 “Smart” Contrast Ratio. Samsung’s D8000 Series, the top rated HDTV lists 25,000,000:1

Ultimately, these numbers are completely meaningless. A display’s contrast ratio is a ratio between the brightest and darkest image the display can produce. Dynamic contrast cheats by turning off the display’s backlight when the screen’s image is entirely black, using that as the darkest value. In a real viewing scenario, the entire screen would never be black like that, so you would never see dynamic contrast in action.

Manufacturers have even started to omit true contrast ration specs entirely. Some don’t even use the word “Dynamic” when listing their misleading numbers.

Full backlit LED TVs that can turn off a portion of the screen’s backlight, making dynamic contrast slightly more applicable, but even that scenario rarely occurs in real life viewing. OLED displays are the only ones that can truly take advantage of this concept, but they don’t need dynamic contrast to do it. Unfortunately, OLED TVs are quite rare and expensive right now.

Refresh Rate and Response Times

Manufacturers have started advertising their TVs with “Effective Refresh Rates.” That’s to say, they’ve developed special algorithms that strobe the backlight in order to make a refresh rate of 120-240Hz (such as the Sony Bravia KDL-XBR9) look more like 960Hz – or so they claim.

A refresh rate comes from a display’s ability to refresh the image on the screen so many times per second, while the response time is how long it takes a pixel to turn from black to white and back to black again.

The above image shows a 1/160^th of a second snapshot of a display advertized as having a 120Hz refresh rate and 8ms response time. You can make out 8 distinct refresh cycles trailing behind the squares. This means that the real response time is actually about 65ms. The discrepancy is because manufacturers do not take into account gray-to-gray response times.

Color Gamut

Color Gamut has become a popular advertising term, especially for computer monitors. Manufacturers are always trying to outdo each other with higher/wider color gamut; however, a higher color gamut won’t result in more accurate color. In fact, it will only over saturate the image.

Almost all image content is created from a standard color gamut, as shown within the white triangle above (computer displays use sRGB and HDTVs use Rec.709). You can think of a standard color gamut as a set of defined colors. By widening the color gamut of a display, you’re only adding colors that are never used (ie: colors outside the triangle). At the same time, widening the gamut also reduces color precision, unless you also increase bit depth.

*Note regarding Adobe RGB color gamut: Some displays advertise Adobe RGB color gamut. This is a wider range gamut than other standards, but it is only used in specialized fields, such as professional photography. Adobe RGB is a positive feature, but only for those specific purposes.

How to Choose a Display among this Dishonesty?

No display manufacturer is innocent of playing the numbers game, but that doesn’t mean that some displays aren’t better than others. The trick is finding out their real specs, and to do this, it’s best to read expert reviews where the specs are measured by the reviewers.

Dell UltraSharp U3011
For the past few years, Dell has had some of the absolute best LCD panels available, and the UltraSharp U3011 is no exception. Its sturdy and ergonomic stand along with four USB ports, 7 in 1 media reader, and HDMI, component, dual-DVI, and Display Port connectors, make it very utilitarian. This combined with the industry’s highest color gamut makes the U3011 a favorite in the professional world.

NEC MultiSync PA271W
The NEC MultiSync PA271W is another favorite of the professional world. As a large, high resolution display, its performance is really quite impressive, with a decent color gamut, extremely quick response time, and notable brightness. If it weren’t for the lack of HDMI and Component inputs, it’s possible that the PA271W would be our top ranked monitor.

Asus MS Series
Asus’ MS Series is our top ranked mainstream monitor (as opposed to the $1000+ high-end monitors above). This ultraslim 1080p display not only brings a bit of style to your desk but also performs quite well. The LED backlight gives a vivid and even brightness, and the 2ms response time keeps moving images crisp. It also includes HDMI input for flexible connectivity.

HP 2310e
The 2310e is another affordable display with a lot to offer. It has an LED backlight for a uniform brightness, but also has a great contrast ratio for displaying almost true blacks. This, along with its 1080p resolution, makes it a great choice for HD content. It also features HDMI, DVI, and Display Port inputs, making it compatible with a wide range of devices.

Asus VG236H
The Asus VG236H is a favorite amongst gamers. This is partly due to its high screen brightness and desirable 1080p resolution, but its true appeal to gamers is the 120Hz refresh rate. This allows games to appear much smoother and also creates an ideal environment for stereoscopic 3D gameplay.

These are just the most popular monitors on alaTest, based on their current alaScore, but our Monitor Section contains many more very highly rated displays for you to choose from. If the top five don’t quite appeal to you, we’ve got plenty more to choose from.