[Retired] The LCD Thread

[HardwareSearcher]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: GoofyFoot
Regarding text and eyestrain, I found the following posting on Hardforum by Snowdog. Looks like 10e is familiar with the Benq G2400, although I have no idea if it's the same panel as the current G2400WD or G2400WAD. Do Snowdog's recommendations make sense to those of you who might have a better sense of the differences in these 24" and larger displays? Thanks.

From Snowdog's posting in the "best monitor to minimize eye strain - text based work" thread on Hardforum:

...

Recommendations: (Controlled brightness, Non VA, Less sparkly, non-neon):

Dim to fairly bright environment: Benq G2400 (nice low powered back light) <$400
Fairly bright to very bright environment: NEC 2490 (more powerful back light ) >$1000

I like these recommendations as well...

Do you still consider the GD2400WD the best (or did you even back then?) when it comes to being easy on the eyes? I am not in a "very bright" environment as I either only have a window open or the ceiling light on in my dorm, but not in a super-bright office environment. Right now I am still on a 17" Gateway flat-screen CRT(possibly originally emachines but rebranded when gateway bought them...it is a "786n"). The dot pitch is 0.25 and I am running at 1024x768 and I often have to lean forward to read good (I wear glasses). So I think only a 22" or 24" would be acceptable, with their larger dot pitches. I would prefer a 22", but it seems, after reading a lot of eyestrain posts in this thread, the GD2400WD has advantages in the eyestrain area that potentially outweighs the slightly larger dot pitch of 22"s?

Any updated or confirmed thoughts on monitors for the ease-on-eyes priority?

 

[dfedders]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: dfedders

Originally posted by: xtknight
[It does depend on your use. You might be able to stomach a TN for any type of gaming. But if gradients on the screen annoy you, even basic use like browsing the web and seeing a gradient when there's supposed to be a solid color might get really annoying. Unless gaming is a huge thing for you, I'd always recommend a Dell 2408WFP or HP LP2475w before the G2400W, even though the latter is quite nice for a TN panel.

Are the gradients noticable when browsing the web or just general usage with the G2400WD? My wife has an older 19" LCD, and the gradients drive me nuts on it, so I've kept my CRT around. I was interested in the G2400WD, but not sure how bad the gradients look on it compared to an IPS or MVA. I would say that I am 50% gaming and 50% general use.

If gradients on a 19" TN drive you nuts, then you should probably avoid a 24" TN.

I haven't used a 24" TN on a daily basis but I can tell you at least one very forgiving review of the Samsung 245BW on YouTube mentioned that gradients could be quite distracting or annoying, and that this was the primary problem with the LCD.

Just to clarify, I was refering to dithering of colors instead of a smooth transition. I may have confused dithering and gradients in the context of LCDs. When I purchased a 19" LCD previously, it said it supported 16.7 million colors when it obviously didn't come close and the dithering was horrible. Does the same apply for dithering with the G2400WD?

 

[Phantomaniac]

Originally posted by: Phantomaniac
I was hoping someone could help me find a non-TN 20" wide panel to go with my Acer AL2051W. I don't think I can ever go back to a TN monitor. The colors look washed out and the viewing angles are horrible comparatively. Suggestions?

No takers? :frown: Seems like my only option is to try to find a discontinued model that's either refurbished or severely overpriced.

 

[10e]

I'd take the 2493HM over the 2693HM for one particular reason: The 24" is NOT wide gamut, and the 26" IS. The wide gamut of the 2693HM will give you over saturated colors, similar to a TV with the "color" control knob cranked all the way up.

The rest of XTKnight's assertions are 100% bang on: Too big for a TN panel. Stick with the 24" and you should be a fairly happy gamer.

Originally posted by: reiks
Hey guys,

This is my first post here, I just wanted to say thanks for putting all of this awesome info together. I also wanted to get an opinion on a monitor, I was looking at getting the 24": Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM but I saw there was a 26": Samsung SyncMaster 2693HM which appears to be the same model just 2" bigger. I'm looking for a good gaming monitor and the 26" is just a little more tempting. Is it a good choice the only reason I decide to ask is the monitor is not on your list.

Thanks for any help.

reiks

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Phantomaniac

Originally posted by: Phantomaniac
I was hoping someone could help me find a non-TN 20" wide panel to go with my Acer AL2051W. I don't think I can ever go back to a TN monitor. The colors look washed out and the viewing angles are horrible comparatively. Suggestions?

No takers? :frown: Seems like my only option is to try to find a discontinued model that's either refurbished or severely overpriced.

More like "no units". There just aren't any non-TN 20" wide panels out there, unless you want to shell out for an Apple Cinema 20". Actually I don't even know if they sell those anymore.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Ardan
I recall posting here once and I chose a new monitor, the L227WT and it was good, but the particular one that I had also came with some amazingly bad backlight bleed (half of the screen, to be precise), so I returned it to Best Buy but didn't get another one. I decided to just hold on to my 215TW and just not play many movies on it. I do realize that it isn't indicative of the model in general, but just was one bad egg. If anyone remembers, which is unlikely, my beloved 215TW has been getting some ugly backlight bleed on all 4 corners (regardless of the brightness level) that extends in far enough to get irritating when watching a widescreen movie because it was reaching the video.

Well, my brother and his wife would like it because I am thinking of getting one (after I finish my taxes--probably will get a big return this year too!) and I was a little curious. I haven't had a chance to do very extensive searches of forums, but I've glanced at reviews of various monitors. I do like to play games (such as Team Fortress 2, played Bioshock, but also enjoy racing games) but only casually. Regardless of the input delay the 215TW had (~47ms average? I can't remember where I saw that), I actually have done extremely well in first person shooters with that monitor.

I don't think it has hampered me one bit (and nothing improved drastically when using the L227WTG in games), so I've decided to go for another non-TN monitor. I don't just game on here, but I enjoy movies and also dabble in video/graphic design. I am, like probably many others in here, in the IT field and my photo work is nowhere near color critical. So, before someone talks of the lack of color accuracy of a wide-gamut monitor to me, just know that I really do not care at all about that (the video/photo work is neither for a job nor very serious work). I really enjoyed watching movies on that Samsung and don't really like it on the TN panels I've seen at other peoples' houses or my own (though it was hampered by the backlight problem).

So, I originally was thinking of HP's 22" S-PVA monitor, but it appears that a lot of people (some that I know, as well) have had some big issues with that screen, so that is out of the question.

Hmm which big issues do you mean? I was actually considering recommending that soon, just don't know for sure. The Lenovo L220X is another option though I haven't seen it "in stock" for sure anywhere.

I was thinking of a good 24" screen like the LP2475w because of the H-IPS panel it uses, but also on my list was Dell's 2408WFP. Yes, I will be willing to pay for the LP2475w or the 2408WFP but no, I'm not going to go higher than that. Should this be a hands-down decision to go for the LP2475w if I am willing to pay for it, or is this a toss-up? I had no issues with the high input lag on the 215TW, but I was told that it is much worse on the 2408WFP so maybe I should stay away from that. Plus, there would be no color shift with the 2475W like on my 215TW, so maybe I should choose that instead. Sorry if this answer is obvious to some of you, but I just don't have the time right now to do some in depth research to break my indecision. I'm assuming, however, that it would be better to go with an H-IPS panel over an S-PVA. Is this accurate? Looks like that is probably the best deal, LP2475W. Thanks for your thoughts on this matter!

Yeah I would try the HP. The only thing is the HP's color uniformity issue but hopefully this is under control. I was wanting to keep track of this problem.....

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Ingenuitor
Now I am wondering if I should go with three NEC LCD2090UXi or just one of those for the center and two other ones for other tasks such as video and faster responses. Seems all monitors have some sort of trade off. Compared to CRT anyway. =)

Well the LCD2090UXi is actually the one with the good response so why not just get three?

Originally posted by: you2
Are there any 19 or 20 inch monitors you would recommend for the multi-media category. I checked the first page and the only monitor I saw listed was the hp l2065 (which I am going to return). My sample of this monitor was horrible due to lower right hand corner being very bright. Since I've read so many bad reviews about hp service (recent reviews) I've decided to drop this model from consideration (also a few others noted the same issue).

I'm not that picky but playing witcher (which uses dark colours and paint that corner dark) and watching movies at night in a well light room were rather unenjoyable due to this issue. I stress these points to explain the issue clearly - i.e, the normal desk top you had to look to see it. During the day it was less noticable (sun light is much brighter than my 300 watt torch lamp - which is much brighter than most lamps folks use).
--
I would prefer to stick with a 4:3 monitor though would consider 20 or 22 inch 1980x1200 (not 1080p). Since I'm dropping the ips requirement I would think I could find something less expensive than the dell 2007fp. The benq 22inch seems tempting but it is widescreen and 1080p.

I guess I'm a bit odd since most folks oogle over widescreen. I noticed the westinghouse 32 inch 1080P for $269 which is oh so tempting 'cept that it is way too big for my environment. I really would prefer something in the 19/20 inch range - preferably 4:3 and solid blacks (even if it is not ips)

anyways hopefully something exist for weird people like me

Hmmm it's hard to say. I would have said the HP LP2275w, but apparently some folks don't like this screen either. Well prad gave it 'very good', and TFT Central liked it. And of course you have already had one bad experience with HP.

Getting an LCD that produces dark colors well is very difficult. Almost all of them have bleed that ruin the dark colors, even $1000 ones. So you might consider that this issue was not unique to the LP2065. Consider if LCDs are for you at all? (when LED ones with local dimming tech become more affordable, the black problem might somewhat be remedied.)

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: GZeus
Hmmm...well I guess I will give my own review after mine arrives.....patience is not one of my virtues

OK. I will be anxious to hear your thoughts about it. Since your primary use is gaming, the choice of a TN panel was not a bad idea.

 

[deathBOB]

Mwave has a debranded 22-inch HP on sale today for $149:

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/vie....asp?scriteria=AA74780

Does anyone have experience with these kind of sales?

 

[you2]

Yea -- at work we use the 24 inch dell (probably wfp) and it is actually quite good and well uniform. this is actually the second one I've used from dell and both have been quite good - unfortunately it is widescreen and 24 inch - if i simply cannot find a 19 inch or 20 inch I guess this might be my best bet.


Kind of disappointment. My old 2001 dell didn't have the bleed problem. It did not have the rich blacks my sister had (probably different panel) but it was at least uniform. My samsung tv is also quite nice with uniformity - the hp was just really bad.

if the hp had not had the problem in the lower right corner it would have been fine. The other three corners has a bit of unevenness but nothing major - just the right corner was very poor. It also had fairly good blacks.

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Ingenuitor
Now I am wondering if I should go with three NEC LCD2090UXi or just one of those for the center and two other ones for other tasks such as video and faster responses. Seems all monitors have some sort of trade off. Compared to CRT anyway. =)

Well the LCD2090UXi is actually the one with the good response so why not just get three?

Originally posted by: you2
Are there any 19 or 20 inch monitors you would recommend for the multi-media category. I checked the first page and the only monitor I saw listed was the hp l2065 (which I am going to return). My sample of this monitor was horrible due to lower right hand corner being very bright. Since I've read so many bad reviews about hp service (recent reviews) I've decided to drop this model from consideration (also a few others noted the same issue).

I'm not that picky but playing witcher (which uses dark colours and paint that corner dark) and watching movies at night in a well light room were rather unenjoyable due to this issue. I stress these points to explain the issue clearly - i.e, the normal desk top you had to look to see it. During the day it was less noticable (sun light is much brighter than my 300 watt torch lamp - which is much brighter than most lamps folks use).
--
I would prefer to stick with a 4:3 monitor though would consider 20 or 22 inch 1980x1200 (not 1080p). Since I'm dropping the ips requirement I would think I could find something less expensive than the dell 2007fp. The benq 22inch seems tempting but it is widescreen and 1080p.

I guess I'm a bit odd since most folks oogle over widescreen. I noticed the westinghouse 32 inch 1080P for $269 which is oh so tempting 'cept that it is way too big for my environment. I really would prefer something in the 19/20 inch range - preferably 4:3 and solid blacks (even if it is not ips)

anyways hopefully something exist for weird people like me

Hmmm it's hard to say. I would have said the HP LP2275w, but apparently some folks don't like this screen either. Well prad gave it 'very good', and TFT Central liked it. And of course you have already had one bad experience with HP.

Getting an LCD that produces dark colors well is very difficult. Almost all of them have bleed that ruin the dark colors, even $1000 ones. So you might consider that this issue was not unique to the LP2065. Consider if LCDs are for you at all? (when LED ones with local dimming tech become more affordable, the black problem might somewhat be remedied.)

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Exclusive
xtknight,

The Dell 2408WFP (A01 Rev) has majorly decreased the input lag from 60 ~ 70ms to 30 ~ 35ms.

That's good to hear. I will try and find a source for this and fix the input lag measurement in the OP.

 

[gorobei]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Exclusive
xtknight,

The Dell 2408WFP (A01 Rev) has majorly decreased the input lag from 60 ~ 70ms to 30 ~ 35ms.

That's good to hear. I will try and find a source for this and fix the input lag measurement in the OP.

I have the A01 2408wfp. a cursory runthru of the lagom tests, shows anywhere from 25-60ms lag on the quick response times(grey tones cycling squares with squares). some are close to -10, most are around -25, and one or two in the -60 range of color shift.

i have some contract work due next week so i haven't gotten around to breaking out my digital camera or crt for the ghosting or input lag test. I'm working through the weekend and should finish up next week. i'll post some pics of the tests then.

 

[Ardan]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Hmm which big issues do you mean? I was actually considering recommending that soon, just don't know for sure. The Lenovo L220X is another option though I haven't seen it "in stock" for sure anywhere.

Well a friend of mine had one but returned it because of some green stripes when he used the DVI connection. He later pointed me to youtube, where a search reveals people showing videos of problems with their LP2275w screens, where the most commonplace issue is the interference on the screen (seems to be two green horizontal bands like in my friend's case). I did some looking around, and I saw that both prad and TFT Central mentioned buzzing caused by the backlight inverter that their review samples had. However, people in forums (like Hardforum) have said that HP reportedly fixed that problem. Also, he received a replacement monitor that has no interference on it.

I don't know if TFT Central did, but I saw that prad's review pointed out that they have also had people post in their forums of incidents involving troubles starting up the monitor from sleep mode. Someone has also posted a video demonstrating this on youtube, it appears. I lost the links, but a search of the model doesn't yield a large group of results, so it shouldn't be hard to find. In my search for a monitor, I also saw on newegg that it gets quite the mixed bag of reviews from people, too. However, one of them points out that his replacement screen has had zero problems, though still takes about 30 seconds to come back from sleep mode. A quick look at HP's support forums shows the multitude of people having the same problems with the blue or green lines on the monitor, like this thread, for example.

I also was unsure about the input lag. I noticed that prad describes it as a 'constant' 50ms, but someone in hardforum's displays section and TFT Central measured the average as being 25ms. Digitalversus gets an average of 39 as well. So, I wasn't sure if prad maybe had a bad screen or what, because their number is much higher than 3 other sources. If it really is closer to the 25ms they find, or even the 39ms that digitalversus seems to get, then I would be willing to go for it because it seems to get very good reviews in every other aspect (everyone has told me that they can't find any real backlight bleed). I thought that maybe it would be safer to just go with the H-IPS screen instead because I never heard anything major about that one (other than what you listed on here). Plus, it looks like it has quite a few more connectivity options, but do you know if it does 1:1? I wasn't sure about that one, but it looks like the 2275w does it.

I am glad to hear that people aren't having those issues with replacement models, and of HP fixing the buzzing problem (reportedly). I think it would be a very good deal if that is the case. Unless the color uniformity issue you talk of is a major issue that I'd notice immediately, I'd feel more confident buying that over the LP2275w at this time, because I haven't heard of anybody listing multiple problems like the 2275w. Still, I hope they have that issue under control at this point, but I don't know anyone with it and I haven't searched extensively on that problem to figure that out for myself. Either way, if I had to return a monitor to HP, it wouldn't leave me without a screen to use so I probably would be okay either way.

 

[Paladin]

Does anyone know if the HP 2475w comes with a DVI cable? I just ordered it from Provantage, but I can't find info anywhere on the package contents.

Thanks.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: HardwareSearcher

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: GoofyFoot
Regarding text and eyestrain, I found the following posting on Hardforum by Snowdog. Looks like 10e is familiar with the Benq G2400, although I have no idea if it's the same panel as the current G2400WD or G2400WAD. Do Snowdog's recommendations make sense to those of you who might have a better sense of the differences in these 24" and larger displays? Thanks.

From Snowdog's posting in the "best monitor to minimize eye strain - text based work" thread on Hardforum:

...

Recommendations: (Controlled brightness, Non VA, Less sparkly, non-neon):

Dim to fairly bright environment: Benq G2400 (nice low powered back light) <$400
Fairly bright to very bright environment: NEC 2490 (more powerful back light ) >$1000

I like these recommendations as well...

Do you still consider the GD2400WD the best (or did you even back then?) when it comes to being easy on the eyes? I am not in a "very bright" environment as I either only have a window open or the ceiling light on in my dorm, but not in a super-bright office environment. Right now I am still on a 17" Gateway flat-screen CRT(possibly originally emachines but rebranded when gateway bought them...it is a "786n"). The dot pitch is 0.25 and I am running at 1024x768 and I often have to lean forward to read good (I wear glasses). So I think only a 22" or 24" would be acceptable, with their larger dot pitches. I would prefer a 22", but it seems, after reading a lot of eyestrain posts in this thread, the GD2400WD has advantages in the eyestrain area that potentially outweighs the slightly larger dot pitch of 22"s?

Any updated or confirmed thoughts on monitors for the ease-on-eyes priority?

Sorry for the long wait...new semester.

Ease on the eyes depends primarily on brightness, not panel type. You'll hear contradictory statements on which panel types are the best, and even I may contradict myself at times on that one. IPS may have screen door, MVA may have blurriness, TN may have bad viewing angles, and so on...

Find a lower brightness 22" TN (avoid ASUS 22", they tend to be bright), or go with the G2400WD. I think that the 22" would be more comfortable on the eyes because the text is bigger.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: dfedders

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: dfedders

Originally posted by: xtknight
[It does depend on your use. You might be able to stomach a TN for any type of gaming. But if gradients on the screen annoy you, even basic use like browsing the web and seeing a gradient when there's supposed to be a solid color might get really annoying. Unless gaming is a huge thing for you, I'd always recommend a Dell 2408WFP or HP LP2475w before the G2400W, even though the latter is quite nice for a TN panel.

Are the gradients noticable when browsing the web or just general usage with the G2400WD? My wife has an older 19" LCD, and the gradients drive me nuts on it, so I've kept my CRT around. I was interested in the G2400WD, but not sure how bad the gradients look on it compared to an IPS or MVA. I would say that I am 50% gaming and 50% general use.

If gradients on a 19" TN drive you nuts, then you should probably avoid a 24" TN.

I haven't used a 24" TN on a daily basis but I can tell you at least one very forgiving review of the Samsung 245BW on YouTube mentioned that gradients could be quite distracting or annoying, and that this was the primary problem with the LCD.

Just to clarify, I was refering to dithering of colors instead of a smooth transition. I may have confused dithering and gradients in the context of LCDs. When I purchased a 19" LCD previously, it said it supported 16.7 million colors when it obviously didn't come close and the dithering was horrible. Does the same apply for dithering with the G2400WD?

I see. Well all TNs (and many VA/IPS panels) dither.

If I had to guess, the G2400WD (a rather recent model) employs a newer and largely unobtrusive dithering method. In fact, I'm almost sure of that. But you could ask an owner, say on HardForum.

There's very few instances where I can see dithering on my TN L227WT.

 

[ryedizzel]

Hey xtknight,

Have you heard anything about the 20" Acer X203H? I searched this thread but did not find any posts. However Newegg has it on sale for $130 with free shipping (using promo code: EMCABBDDB). Here is a link with the specs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824009158

P.S. I would mostly use it for Photoshop, but also occasional gaming.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Zap
I just got the Acer Ferrari F-22 monitor, which is a 22" widescreen with X-Brite (Acer's name for glossy screen). Maybe xtknight can add it to the OP?

Ya I'll have to investigate it a bit. Can you give me some idea of how you like it though?

 

[10e]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Exclusive
xtknight,

The Dell 2408WFP (A01 Rev) has majorly decreased the input lag from 60 ~ 70ms to 30 ~ 35ms.

That's good to hear. I will try and find a source for this and fix the input lag measurement in the OP.

Here you go:

http://www.hardforum.com/showp...32973874&postcount=982

Not completely definitive, but a good guideline. Originally it was listed as being close to 4 frames (63ms avg or so), but it's down by at least a frame now, which is a little better.

 

[Xed]

Another thumbs up for the Planar px2611w. Good colors out of the box, no dead or stuck pixels, uniform backlight, great for gaming. The only cons imo are the limited height adjustment and the 4x1 osd controls (which aren't completely awful just takes some getting used to)

 

[Ingenuitor]

Ok now to add more confusion to the choices. Why not just this one Samsung LN52A850 52-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV. since I would have a 60" span anyways, why not just one unit. Would this work for my needs. May even save me some money from the way it looks. =)

 

[Stg-Flame]

Since I am having so much trouble with my 22" Hanns G monitor, I was wondering if anyone here could recommend a good quality gaming monitor. Glossy LCD preferably and no smaller than 22". Only five months I have had this and it is already dieing on me (massive color fluxuations/vertical lines). I am willing to spend upwards of $400 on it. Also, the monitor will dual-purpose as my TV for video games (X360 as of now, but would prefer if I could play all consoles on it).

The thing I hate most is that when it comes to building a PC, I can pick out the parts off the top of my head for almost any given budget; but when it comes to monitors, I am clueless.

 

[palladium]

I was thinking of a good 24" screen like the LP2475w because of the H-IPS panel it uses, but also on my list was Dell's 2408WFP. Yes, I will be willing to pay for the LP2475w or the 2408WFP but no, I'm not going to go higher than that. Should this be a hands-down decision to go for the LP2475w if I am willing to pay for it, or is this a toss-up? I had no issues with the high input lag on the 215TW, but I was told that it is much worse on the 2408WFP so maybe I should stay away from that. Plus, there would be no color shift with the 2475W like on my 215TW, so maybe I should choose that instead. Sorry if this answer is obvious to some of you, but I just don't have the time right now to do some in depth research to break my indecision. I'm assuming, however, that it would be better to go with an H-IPS panel over an S-PVA. Is this accurate? Looks like that is probably the best deal, LP2475W. Thanks for your thoughts on this matter!

Yeah I would try the HP. The only thing is the HP's color uniformity issue but hopefully this is under control. I was wanting to keep track of this problem.....

I just bought a LP2475w about a week ago ( in New Zealand) and I didn't notice any discoloration on the sides . Having said that, I do notice some green/yellow 'smear' while viewing black text on a white background ( such as this page) or white text on a black background ( sorry can't describe it well). My 4 year old 15" Dell ( presumably a TN) does not have this. Don't know if this is a QC issue....

Also, HDCP isn't really mentioned in the specs, but I think it's safe to assume that all monitors with HDMI should be HDCP capable. Don't have a blu-ray drive to test this out.

 

[var89]

Hello Everyone,

I'm looking to get a LCD TV. I have options of S-PVA panel with around 2000:1 contrast ration. The other option is IPS panel based Hitachi/Panasonic panel with contrast 1000:1.
I don't understand which one will be better. Some say contrast ratio is very important, some say panel is important.
I'm looking for good color accuracy and vivid colors.
Can anyone guide me on this.

var

 

[brencat]

Well, my BenQ V2400W finally arrived today. As some of you know, this is my first LCD -- and I am thrilled -- what a beautiful monitor for a TN! No dead or stuck pixels, and only some very modest backlight bleed along the bottom edge heading toward the right corner. Only noticeable with lights in room off and screen saver running.

This monitor has really great blacks for a TN. For something I bought sight unseen, I have to say I am very impressed! After messing around with several different settings I picked up around the web, here is what I've settled on (for now):

Picture Mode: Standard
Brightness: 55
Contrast: 48
Red: 98
Green: 93
Blue: 82
Gamma lowered in NV control panel to 43% (default is 50%)

I also tried sRGB picture mode with the same Brightness, Contrast, and Gamma settings as above, and while the image was slightly easier on my eyes, it was also less accurate IMO b/c that mode introduced more yellow into the picture than I care for, making greys look more taupe/olive color. In addition, banding was more noticeable in sRGB mode than with the above custom settings. However, I may go back again for further tweaking.

Played Left for Dead @ 1920 x 1200 with 4xAA/4xAF and everything else maxed with the card in my sig and it ran smooth as butter. Note that I had to turn AMA on while gaming. There is a BIG difference and some very noticeable lag with it off (at least to me, coming from a CRT). Will try COD4 and some other shooters tomorrow.

A special thanks goes to xtknight for his advice and selection of the V2400W/G2400WD as the #1 gaming pick in 24" . IMO, it's well deserved since this monitor easily outclasses the Samsung T240, LG 2452T-TF, HP 2408h, and Gateway FHD2401 -- all of which I got to see and use before deciding on this BenQ. However, I'll note that the LG 2452T-TF does have better viewing angles than the BenQ.

Lastly, thanks to 10e for the base color profile (which I tweaked to get the settings I'm using at the moment).