NEC MultiSync 24WMGX3 24" widescreen LCD - bit-tech.net Forums

Tim S · 23rd Oct 2008, 17:19

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...descreen-lcd/1

We've looked at a lot of TN+Film 'gaming' monitors recently, but NEC has thrown that idea out of the window and put its own spin on the 24-inch widescreen gaming monitor. Today we look at the company's all-new MultiSync 24WMGX3 to see if its MVA panel can work wonders.

Jasio · 23rd Oct 2008, 17:32

Apart from the remote, and the extra HDMI port -- this isn't all that impressive. The BenQ FP241W that Bit-Tech reviewed over a year ago had similar/better specs than this monitor and I bought it a year ago for $800 CDN. So what's so great about this monitor? Nothing really imo. It's just a "solid performer" -- but then again, there's quite a few of those out there already. This is one of those "Oh cool, that's a good quality LCD but meh" kinda deal.

The price tag is a kick in the bean-bag though. $1200? Ouch.

Tim S · 23rd Oct 2008, 17:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasio

Apart from the remote, and the extra HDMI port -- this isn't all that impressive. The BenQ FP241W that Bit-Tech reviewed over a year ago had similar/better specs than this monitor and I bought it a year ago for $800 CDN. So what's so great about this monitor? Nothing really imo. It's just a "solid performer" -- but then again, there's quite a few of those out there already. This is one of those "Oh cool, that's a good quality LCD but meh" kinda deal.

It's a good quality monitor and probably an equal to the BenQ in terms of image quality - it's a long time since we looked at that display though. We reviewed the BenQ almost 2 years ago now and I'd still recommend that above this to be honest - I'm seriously thinking of getting one for myself, frankly. Had we been scoring back in November 2006, the BenQ FP241W would have come very close to straight 10s because it was simply an amazing product at the time - well ahead of anything else out there.

Quote:

The price tag is a kick in the bean-bag though. $1200? Ouch.

The price is definitely a kicker, you're right, but I don't think it'd be as expensive as you're suggesting in North America, because the UK price quoted includes tax. I'd imagine it'd less than $900 before tax and, in Canada, it'll be around $1050 CAD.

mrb_no1 · 23rd Oct 2008, 17:49

kinda with jasio and bit tech on this one really. i like the addition of the remote though, that is a nice idea and as for looks, its the nicest lcd monitor i've seen but will not tempt me at that price. i'll wait a month, save a little extra and buy a 30" dell or something instead as for my screen estate buck the larger moniter is better money....especially seen as my cheap 2nd lcd is on the fritz, time for sell the 20.1" dell and move to something bigger, not this new nec though.

peace

fatman

Hustler · 23rd Oct 2008, 18:05

WTF!!!!!......£600+ and you dont even get a Portrait mode.

If your into 2d vertical shooters with MAME like me, Portrait mode is a must....

Jasio · 23rd Oct 2008, 18:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim S

It's a good quality monitor and probably an equal to the BenQ in terms of image quality - it's a long time since we looked at that display though. We reviewed the BenQ almost 2 years ago now and I'd still recommend that above this to be honest - I'm seriously thinking of getting one for myself, frankly. Had we been scoring back in November 2006, the BenQ FP241W would have come very close to straight 10s because it was simply an amazing product at the time - well ahead of anything else out there.

The price is definitely a kicker, you're right, but I don't think it'd be as expensive as you're suggesting in North America, because the UK price quoted includes tax. I'd imagine it'd less than $900 before tax and, in Canada, it'll be around $1050 CAD.

Yeah seriously. What's up with the LCD market lately? I bought the BenQ FP241W (with 1x1 pixel mapping fix Rev 1.1) -- and then bought a second one a few months later ($800 for the first one, $700 for the second). The FP241W is dead -- discontinued and replaced with a cheap, crappy TN+Film 24" ... no more fancy pants AU Optronics panel anymore

But what can I say? I am THRILLED with the BenQ even after over a year of ownership. I have my TV, PS3, 2 desktops and a laptop plugged in (via DVI-KVM switch).

If you can buy one Tim, then I wouldn't think twice: I'd pick up a third one if I could honestly (I'd find a use for it...). After using the 20.1" Dell's for 2 years I never expected the move to the 24" BenQ to be *that* dramatic. Even if the Viewsonic is around $1000 in Canada -- that's still more then I spent on the BenQ almost 2 years ago, that's what really sucks. Looking at 20"/22" panels, they are a lot cheaper the jump to 24" is still fairly drastic price wise.

I'm also a little skeptical of Viewsonic's quality at times -- I've had 2 Viewsonic LCD's in the past a 17" and a 19" and both died a long time ago (one just stopped working -- the backlight on the other one is toast). Both monitors were no more than 2.5 years old.

I've yet to be "Wow'ed" by ANY LCD after the BenQ (expect for that 30" PVA Panel NEC -- heh).

leexgx · 23rd Oct 2008, 18:33

most likey be $800-900 due to beening UK as we are

nice monitor tho

GregTheRotter · 23rd Oct 2008, 21:26

Hmm, I wouldn't mind something bigger after my 20WGX2, and this looks pretty sweet, but I guess if you can afford to pay that kind of money for a 24", you might as well go the whole hog and get the 30" NEC that was reviewed here a while back. The price of this model doesnt really surprise me. I got my 20" NEC 20WGX2 from dabs for £385 in November 2006. Not exactly cheap, but compared to the Viewsonic VX2235, it smoked the latter.

nightrhyme · 23rd Oct 2008, 22:40

Thanx for review

However I really missed a backlight bleed photo and some propper calibration results.

The two most concerning findings:

"Finally, we evaluated the display's viewing angles â€“ this was where the first 24WMGX3 we received fell flat, because our first viewing angle test looked horrendous. It was more representative of a TN+Film panel than it was of something MVA-based â€“ the red surface test shifted from pink to red with the monitor directly in front of us."

Never heard of of a panel fault like this before

"the 24WMGX3's darker ends of the eight colour scales weren't quite as dark as they were on the 2690WUXi, but they were pretty close."

Strange the MVA panel should easily be able to beat the 2690WUXi in deep blacks. The 2690WUXi is in no way especially good in this area

Amon · 24th Oct 2008, 03:57

You haven't mentioned compatibility with the VESA standard mounting system.

Kúsař · 24th Oct 2008, 09:48

Colours are 8bpc?

Xir · 24th Oct 2008, 10:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasio

The FP241W is dead -- discontinued and replaced with a cheap, crappy TN+Film 24"

? I can still buy it in Germany? Or is this the same name with a different panel?

Tim S · 24th Oct 2008, 11:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kúsař

Colours are 8bpc?

yep, it's an 8bpc panel

Hiren · 24th Oct 2008, 12:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xir

? I can still buy it in Germany? Or is this the same name with a different panel?

Benq have stopped making them. If you see them for sale they are stock that hasn't been sold. At least that's what the BenQ rep told me.

Kúsař · 24th Oct 2008, 14:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim S

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kúsař

Colours are 8bpc?

yep, it's an 8bpc panel

Good, I guess there's no dithering then. 6bpc dithering doesn't look good. Though it's not easily noticeable but somehow - colors doesn't look "allright".

Jasio · 25th Oct 2008, 07:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xir

? I can still buy it in Germany? Or is this the same name with a different panel?

Discontinued. Different model, and they use a TN+Film panel again (cheap). The FP241W had an AU Optronics PVA panel, which is why it was such an amazing performing monitor -- and a steal at the price. Unfortunately, AU Optronics doesn't offer this model of PVA panel anymore either. It didn't necessary have to be BenQ pulling the plug -- could have been AU.

Xir · 27th Oct 2008, 10:12

Still sold as "FP241W" here...doesn't say what panel though... f
Found one shop that says TN, and one that says MVA...and 5 Shops that don't say anything ;-)

Tim S · 27th Oct 2008, 10:30

I think all of the remaining MVA-based FP241Ws are in the UK

Ant1981 · 4th Dec 2008, 22:48

Got this monitor today. So far, nothing special. Image quality doesn't wow me. Not so sure I'm happy with what I spent on this. HMDI ports are good, allows me to use a FreeView Digital Set Top Box, but even then, image quality just isn't so good. Not so sharp, not so anything. Oh, and 5 dead pixels and one of them is quite a large one too, so probably 4 to 6 dead pixels grouped into one meaning I'm probably knocking on the door of 8 plus dead pixels.

Before buying I was going by reviews, specs of what panel types to go for plus other specs to make sure I get the right one. I looked at all sorts, even in shops and all I saw was rubbish, blurry images, no crispness, nothing pure like a CRT. If you're used to LCD, you'll probably think they're good.

Took me a long time to find an LCD monitor that may have convinced me that LCD can do it over CRT. In short, they can't. I'm going to try and return this and go for an all out top notch CRT if they're still available to replace my aging 21" NEC Multisync 6FG which has been brilliant for years, just now the tube is aging leaving me with soft milky images. I have a pin sharp 19" NEC elsewhere, but need higher resolutions.

23rd Oct 2008, 17:19	#1
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	NEC MultiSync 24WMGX3 24" widescreen LCD http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...descreen-lcd/1 We've looked at a lot of TN+Film 'gaming' monitors recently, but NEC has thrown that idea out of the window and put its own spin on the 24-inch widescreen gaming monitor. Today we look at the company's all-new MultiSync 24WMGX3 to see if its MVA panel can work wonders. __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

23rd Oct 2008, 17:32	#2
Jasio Made in Canada Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: BC Posts: 450	Apart from the remote, and the extra HDMI port -- this isn't all that impressive. The BenQ FP241W that Bit-Tech reviewed over a year ago had similar/better specs than this monitor and I bought it a year ago for $800 CDN. So what's so great about this monitor? Nothing really imo. It's just a "solid performer" -- but then again, there's quite a few of those out there already. This is one of those "Oh cool, that's a good quality LCD but meh" kinda deal. The price tag is a kick in the bean-bag though. $1200? Ouch. __________________ [[Asus P6T \| Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67Ghz cooled by Noctua UH-P12 Push-Pull Config \| 6GB DDR3-1600 Patriot Viper Xtreme XMP C8 \| nVidia GeForce 280 GTX 1GB \| Corsair HX620 620 Watt PSU \| Antec P182 Case]]

23rd Oct 2008, 17:49	#4
mrb_no1 Pie Eater Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Pyrford, England Posts: 365	kinda with jasio and bit tech on this one really. i like the addition of the remote though, that is a nice idea and as for looks, its the nicest lcd monitor i've seen but will not tempt me at that price. i'll wait a month, save a little extra and buy a 30" dell or something instead as for my screen estate buck the larger moniter is better money....especially seen as my cheap 2nd lcd is on the fritz, time for sell the 20.1" dell and move to something bigger, not this new nec though. peace fatman __________________ Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 3600Mhz ¦ Asus Maximus II Formula ¦ ATI Radeon 4890 (1000Mhz Core + 1200Mhz Mem OC) ¦ 2x2G Corsair Dom. PC 8500 @ 1080Mhz ¦ Aquacomputer WC ¦ Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty ¦ 150G Raptor, 2x1500 + 1x750 + 2x500 Seagate (SATA2) ¦ Pioneer DVD burner ¦ Lian Li - PC 73SL Aluminium Silent Server Case ¦ Dell 2007WFP 20" Widescreen ¦ Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Speakers ¦ Sennheiser HD270

23rd Oct 2008, 18:33	#7
leexgx CPC hang out zone (i Fix pcs i do ) Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: uk Posts: 568	most likey be $800-900 due to beening UK as we are nice monitor tho __________________ Qx6850 (OC 3.3Ghz) <> 120 extreme<> rampage forumla <> 9800GX2 <> 8gb 4x2gb (2x gell / 2x adata)<> SSD powered Corsair S128 / WD Black 1TB <> Crative X-fi FalTy FPS <> TK 1000w Toughpower <win7 x64> Click me for folding stats greenfrog.biz / 35947

23rd Oct 2008, 21:26	#8
GregTheRotter Do the funky chicken.. Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: currently in Athens, Greece Posts: 443	Hmm, I wouldn't mind something bigger after my 20WGX2, and this looks pretty sweet, but I guess if you can afford to pay that kind of money for a 24", you might as well go the whole hog and get the 30" NEC that was reviewed here a while back. The price of this model doesnt really surprise me. I got my 20" NEC 20WGX2 from dabs for £385 in November 2006. Not exactly cheap, but compared to the Viewsonic VX2235, it smoked the latter. __________________ Main rig: i7 920, 6gb 1600mhz ram, Asus P6T Mobo, WD Raptor 70gb as OS disk, 1tb F1 as storage, Creative X-FI Fatality pro soundcard, 8800GTX Photography gear; Nikon D700, Nikon D80, Nikon 70-300VR, Nikon 24-70 AF-S, Nikon 35mm F2 D,Nikon 50mm 1.8D, Nikon 85mm 1.8D, Micro Nikkor 55mm f2.8 AI-S, Nikon 135mm f2.8 AI-S, Nikon SB-800, SB-900

23rd Oct 2008, 18:05	#5
Hustler Multimodder Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Dark Side Posts: 115	WTF!!!!!......£600+ and you dont even get a Portrait mode. If your into 2d vertical shooters with MAME like me, Portrait mode is a must....

23rd Oct 2008, 22:40	#9
nightrhyme What's a Dremel? Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1	Thanx for review However I really missed a backlight bleed photo and some propper calibration results. The two most concerning findings: "Finally, we evaluated the display's viewing angles â€“ this was where the first 24WMGX3 we received fell flat, because our first viewing angle test looked horrendous. It was more representative of a TN+Film panel than it was of something MVA-based â€“ the red surface test shifted from pink to red with the monitor directly in front of us." Never heard of of a panel fault like this before "the 24WMGX3's darker ends of the eight colour scales weren't quite as dark as they were on the 2690WUXi, but they were pretty close." Strange the MVA panel should easily be able to beat the 2690WUXi in deep blacks. The 2690WUXi is in no way especially good in this area

24th Oct 2008, 03:57	#10
Amon inch-perfect Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: cannoning into the reds, Toronto, Canada Posts: 2,456	You haven't mentioned compatibility with the VESA standard mounting system. __________________ Defunct Socket 939 San Diego 4000+::2GB PC3200::Radeon 9600 SE 128MB::200GB HDD::24" Dell 2407WFP-HC::WinXP x64/x86 dual boot Dell Vostro 1500 laptop::Socket P Merom T7100::2GB PC5400::Go 8600m GT 256MB::660GB HDD::15.4" WXGA+, 24" Dell 2407WFP-HC::WinXP::Fanatec 911 Wheel+Pedals

24th Oct 2008, 09:48	#11
Kúsař regular bit-tech reader Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Brnicko, CZ Posts: 219	Colours are 8bpc?

27th Oct 2008, 10:12	#17
Xir Supermodder Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 529	Still sold as "FP241W" here...doesn't say what panel though... f Found one shop that says TN, and one that says MVA...and 5 Shops that don't say anything ;-) __________________ SN25P A64 3700+ (San Diego) 2 GB DDR400 OCZ Platinum EL 2-3-2-5 1T X1800XT 512mb Sapphire 200GB Samsung SP2004C

27th Oct 2008, 10:30	#18
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	I think all of the remaining MVA-based FP241Ws are in the UK __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

4th Dec 2008, 22:48	#19
Ant1981 A Dremel is DIY dentisty Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Hertfordshire Posts: 37	Got this monitor today. So far, nothing special. Image quality doesn't wow me. Not so sure I'm happy with what I spent on this. HMDI ports are good, allows me to use a FreeView Digital Set Top Box, but even then, image quality just isn't so good. Not so sharp, not so anything. Oh, and 5 dead pixels and one of them is quite a large one too, so probably 4 to 6 dead pixels grouped into one meaning I'm probably knocking on the door of 8 plus dead pixels. Before buying I was going by reviews, specs of what panel types to go for plus other specs to make sure I get the right one. I looked at all sorts, even in shops and all I saw was rubbish, blurry images, no crispness, nothing pure like a CRT. If you're used to LCD, you'll probably think they're good. Took me a long time to find an LCD monitor that may have convinced me that LCD can do it over CRT. In short, they can't. I'm going to try and return this and go for an all out top notch CRT if they're still available to replace my aging 21" NEC Multisync 6FG which has been brilliant for years, just now the tube is aging leaving me with soft milky images. I have a pin sharp 19" NEC elsewhere, but need higher resolutions.