Best for all-round performance
Dell ST2410, £160
Computers are expected to multitask these days, from emailing and internet browsing to playing games and watching TV and DVDs. That puts pressure on the monitor, because the demands of displaying small text and conveying the vivid colours of a Blu-ray film are very different. The Dell was the best all-rounder at these tasks. The 24in screen, like all on test, has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels — the Full HD specification used for Blu-ray discs, HD TV and big console games (although arguably a spot of overkill on a screen this size). When viewing stills, image quality was excellent, with bright colours and fine contrast and detail. Fast-moving games were blur-free and it was good with video too. The Dell does not have built-in speakers, but a headphone output takes the sound through from the HDMI input to give high-quality digital sound; it also has DVI and VGA inputs. Its two-lamp backlight makes it more energy efficient than most rivals.
Verdict: A great all-rounder and excellent value for money.
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Best for films
Samsung P2370HD, £259
The 23in Samsung includes a Freeview tuner and two HDMI inputs, not to mention component video, DVI, VGA and Scart connections — good if you want to use it with more than one game console, or a Blu-ray player as well as a PC. A wide horizontal viewing angle and the ability to decode the best-quality, 1080p/24-frames-per-second stream from a Blu-ray player makes for ultra-smooth film viewing. The image isn’t quite as detailed as that on the Dell or BenQ, but colours are rich and there is plenty of contrast. The built-in 3W speakers were the best on test.
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Verdict: Is it a monitor? Is it a TV? It’s very good at being both.
Best for low power
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BenQ V2400, £175
Unlike most monitors, this 24in model uses banks of LEDs as a backlight rather than fluorescent tubes. This helps it achieve such brightness and contrast that you might need to turn them down a notch, while only being half as expensive to run as most. It’s of excellent quality, particularly for games and high-def video, with natural colours and good detail. But there are flaws: it has only VGA and HDMI inputs, so many PC users will need a non-standard DVI-to-HDMI cable (not supplied), while what the base’s “multi-function holder” holds is dust.
Verdict: Design quirks aside, a bright, money-saving monitor.
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Best for gamers
LG W2363V, £177
The 23in LG’s gaming mode turns off image-processing to ensure no delay in the action, while its headphone output supports SRS virtual surround sound — useful for pinpointing enemies. Movie image quality and colour accuracy aren’t the strongest because the LG goes for punch over precision, with its high contrast and vivid colours lending games impact without smearing or blurring. DVI, HDMI, component video and VGA inputs allow it to be used with a PC, Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii. But the pulsing illuminations at the frame’s base are off-putting and the touch-sensitive controls are slow to respond.
Verdict: A killer gaming screen, but film fans should look elsewhere.
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Best for style
Asus MS246H, £214
This 24in Asus has no base but is supported by a ring jutting out of the rear. Stylish, yes, but of little benefit: it takes up as much space as a regular monitor, while leaving an external power brick and cables protruding from the back. Image quality is decent but not outstanding, with vibrant colours and strong contrast, but it can’t match the detail of the BenQ. Gaming and movie modes ramp up the contrast beyond belief, so leave them alone. It offers only HDMI and VGA inputs (a DVI-to-HDMI cable is provided). The touch-sensitive controls work well enough, but the headphone output is weedy.
Verdict: Interesting looks, only adequate performance.
The connections
Component video: The analogue video input found in most TVs — better than Scart, not as good as digital. You’ll need it to connect to a Wii and older Xbox 360 consoles.
DVI: Digital visual interface, the high-quality standard used by most computers (although being superseded by HDMI). The Asus and BenQ do not offer DVI connectivity, forcing most users either to trade down to analogue VGA, or, for the BenQ, to buy an adaptor to keep video all-digital.
HDMI: The high-quality digital standard making its way into PCs, laptops, even netbooks. It’s also used by Blu-ray players, the PS3 and more recent Xbox consoles, and HD set-top boxes. HDMI carries sound as well as video; all these monitors have a digital stereo headphone output, so you can listen to games or movies on headphones or take the signal out to a pair of PC speakers.
VGA: A basic analogue video output found in most computers and laptops. Image quality is poor compared with digital alternatives.
Prices are the best found online at time of going to press