24-inch LCD Monitors

Budget 24-inch monitors for non-critical work

If you want a really big screen, the Samsung SyncMaster 245BW (*Est. $420) is a good value in its size class. It is the first monitor this big with a TN panel. Color accuracy and contrast are surprisingly good, according to X-bit Labs. Oleg Artamonov cautions that the limited viewing angles of a TN panel are exaggerated at this size. From a sitting position, some of your normal viewing could be off-axis.

TFT Central's Baker says the Samsung 245BW's text is "crisp and clear," but he advises that some people will be bothered by the limited viewing angles. This LCD monitor is noted as great for playing games. "The performance from the panel, despite being TN Film, is also good in many regards, with its only obvious weakness being the viewing angles," he concludes. We found more than 70 user reviews of the Samsung 245BW at Amazon.com. Owners echo the reviewer's findings -- that this is a good monitor for play but not well-suited for work.

The Samsung SyncMaster 245BW is being discontinued, however. And while it does not have a direct replacement, the newer Samsung 2443BWX is nearly identical -- it uses the same panel type. It has the same 1920-by-1200-pixel resolution, 1,000:1 contrast ratio and DVI and VGA inputs. Its bezel is super-thin and comes in a glossy black. The only real difference is in brightness: The 2443BWX has a lower brightness rating than the 245BW, which could mean it's easier on the eyes. How bright your monitor should be depends on the ambient lighting and typical viewing distance. The 2443BWX has not yet been reviewed by any professionals, and it only has a handful of user reviews on Amazon.com.

Another display that appears to strike a balance between price and entertainment performance is Acer's G24 (*Est. $400). Jeremy Laird at Bit-Tech.net says that its TN panel outperforms the competition, and that its quick response time makes it suitable for gaming. However, the G24's flashy orange casing and glossy screen narrow its appeal significantly.

MaximumPC rates the more conservative 24-inch HP w2408 (*Est. $450) fairly highly, but contradictorily. Katherine Stevenson says, "Despite all the features in its favor, the w2408's performance failed to win us over." She says that flaws revealed in DisplayMate tests weren't evident in real-world use, however.

At the website AnandTech, Jarred Walton says the HP w2408 is OK, "but it's still a TN panel" and not a good value. PC Magazine, Computer Shopper and others have generally favorable reviews; ExtremeTech.com does not. Jason Cross summarizes, "If you really need an affordable [24-inch] widescreen monitor that swivels to portrait view, this will do. For most users, you would be better off spending a little more to avoid the image-quality problems of HP's latest monitor."

The V7 D24W33 (*Est. $400) also features a swiveling display, but John Delaney of PC Magazine notes that portrait mode can be problematic because of unsatisfactory vertical viewing-angle performance, especially in portrait mode. Still, he feels that the V7 D24W33 is versatile and boasts good features for its price.