Hi, I'm looking to buy a new monitor for this Christmas and have quite a tight budget for it. I'm not looking to spend more than 120 quid and these are the two best options that I could find, but I cant quite decide which one to buy. Could anyone who has owned either of them provide an opinion? It would be much appreciated. Thanks
Don't expect amazing refresh times if playing games. You will get the ghosting effect/black flashes. Had an 'Iiyama' 22" for a while, was ok but just not very good looking and slow refresh. I then got an Acer one because of the design of it, now i use a TV from Argos £300 32@ Full HD 100Hz. If you are looking for a good monitor with tight budget then i would highly recommend Play.com Free Delivery on everything and this is a big bonus because monitors are fairly meaty. Just stay away from Hanns G monitors, or brands that you have never heard of because you will just get stung. You get what you pay for. Benq: http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/11668277/BenQ-G2220HD-22-inch-Widescreen-LCD-Monitor/Product.html?searchstring=benq&searchtype=PCSH&searchsource=0&urlrefer=search&strefer=PCSH&searchfilters=s{benq}+c{420}+
I will be using this as a gaming monitor. I do have a hanns-g right now but it does not give the ghosting effect. Did you experience ghosting with your Iiyama? And how was your Acer monitor?
Iiyama was very temperamental, but I never used to game as much as I do now, never noticed ghosting. Also it used to get very hot and smelt of electrical parts after about 8 Hours use. The Acer was the Predator/ish Styled one and the bezel was so nice, and glossy screen 22". Would highly recommend that just on the looks alone. But don't think they are available new any more http://notebookitalia.it/images/stories/acer_p221w.JPG Acers are definitely worth the money. Excellent build quality, which is strange because their laptop screen bezel designs are krap and always need repairing. I buy quite a lot of kit and sell on quite a lot, I only really keep the best of the best unless there is a new technology coming out, and i sold my acer screen for £10 less than i paid - after 18 months.
The BenQ G2222HDL has been on PC Pro's A List for ages: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/monitors/355315/benq-g2222hdl. I was going to buy one for a mate's build but ended up getting a 4 month old HP for less than half the price. £117.89 @ CCL Online (free delivery for forum members): http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=44184
+1 to the BenQ G2220HD. I got mine from CCL for £98 with free delivery. 1920 x 1080 res, and nice bright screen. 21.5"
The one I linked is the BenQ G2222HDL, the G2220HD does not have the LED backlight (the extra L on the end) so is cheaper. The one that PC Pro have been recommending is the G2222HDL. The benefit of the LED backlight is that the power consumption is much lower, 28w compared to 42w for the non-LED backlit version. Be careful of the traps of very similar product numbers. The G2222HDL has a manufacturer code of 9H.L3RLN.IBE.
@Fingers66 - Thanks for the tip Will keep it in mind. Does the LED backlit screen have any other advantages apart from power consumption?
I could be wrong but as far as I know, there isn't really a benefit of an LED backlight other than lower power consumption. There may be at a higher price point with higher quality kit but I am not sure. A reduction in consumption from 42w to 28w is not to be sneezed at though, it is a significant drop.
Weirdly enough Ive just done builds with both of these monitors. Honestly, while the Illyama one isn't too bad it does feel far more plasticky, and the contrast on the BenQ looks better. For the money they are both good, but out of the two I'd definitely go BenQ
I have noticed on my Laptop and friends desktop that the LED backlight is more uniform. With CCFL you get slightly noticeable dark areas. Only really noticable with a full screen app with white background, Photoshop or Office. Power consumption is only an issue with battery on a laptop, wouldnt worry about it on a desktop too much unless your an eco-warrior!
I think the reduced power consumption would pay itself back relatively quickly, considering there's only a 10 to 15 quid difference between the two Benq models. Thanks for the replies. I'll be buying the Benq monitor in a few days.
Cool. Make sure you come back here and share your thoughts and experiences with us. Edit: £107.70 at Yoyotech: http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/item-detail.php?products_id=4368931
I've recommended this before, but if you have the extra money to spend, TR loves this: http://www.trustedreviews.com/monitors/review/2010/10/07/BenQ-VW2420H/ Just a suggestion as the price is good, and it is a better performer than comparably priced offerings.
