This is the BENQ XL2411P A “gaming†monitor that costs $250. Just looking at the monitor, it doesn’t look too interesting. The design honestly looks a little boring. But this monitor hides a few big secrets that just can’t be seen at first glance. Let’s get into it.
Check it out on Amazon here:
Amazon Affiliate Link
BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P: https://amzn.to/2PaMI1a
First I want to say, BenQ sent this monitor out to me to check out. They saw that I play a decent amount of games. Well, that’s true, I used to, not since school took all my free time. Haha…. Anyway, looking straight at the monitor you wouldn’t expect this thing to be good. The design is average, nothing really stands out about it. It’s boxy and looks like the average monitor from 2010 or a budget option today. It doesn’t look like a “look at me, mr. pro gamer†but instead looks like, “Hello, I’ll be doing your taxes today.†Which isn’t a bad thing. The monitor’s aesthetic is inoffensive in every way. But it does have some nice benefits, an hdmi port, dvi port, display port and headphone jack. Sure, the body is plastic, but the build is not just any plastic, its sturdy plastic, there’s no flex, and nowhere do I feel that they cheaped out on this monitor in that department. Now, here’s the first stand out feature. This monitor can tilt up and down, can be height adjusted up and down, swiveled 180 degrees, and check this out, it can literally turn left or right. That’s right. You don’t turn the actual base of the monitor, but the display only. That’s so cool, mind blown, and it really mitigates the need for a monitor arm. Not every monitor in this price range can do that. My 4K monitor won’t even do that. If you don’t like the stand for whatever reason, the monitor is also VESA mount compatible.
Okay, so sure, you tell me, Jimmy, monitors flexing their stands are great and all but what about the performance of the display? Well, I’m glad you asked. The display is a 24in TN panel, which means, colors do shift and look a bit washed out when you view it off angle. But this does give it an inherent benefit. The response time is just 1ms allowing you fast response time compared to your typical colorful IPS panel. But that’s not what makes this monitor great, what does make it great is it’s 144Hz refresh rate. Games look smooth playing on this thing, in ways that are hard to describe. Everything flows more naturally, and fluidly. If you own a ps4 or Nintendo switch you won’t notice this benefit, because those are limited to a 60 FPS cap, but if you game on PC, you can make use of this option and go into maximum overdrive.
So yes, the monitor is great, it offers a lot for $250 but there are a few negatives. For one, based on my own experiences, this monitor can only access its 144hz mode via displayport, I couldn’t get it working with HDMI. Again, the display is TN, so color does shift, but overall the color on the thing looks okay, even with modifications to make it appear to my own preferences. Also, the menu system on this thing is little clunky and hard to navigate. It would take a bit of time to get used to.
Overall, what do I think of this monitor? It’s a good option. There’s plenty of good 144hz 1080p monitors out there ranging in price. But, if you’re looking for something that doesn’t stand out in a room, and has an amazing stand for its price, and play games that require that fast competitive edge, you might want to check out this monitor. If you’re looking for a great viewing experience for media consumption or a display for color sensitive tasks, this probably ain’t it. For $250 I think this thing is priced competitively and deserves to be checked out.
Anyway guys, what do you think? Do 144hz monitors grab your attention? Is a TN panel a deal breaker? Leave that down in the comment section below, if you enjoyed this video give it a thumbs up, and well, don’t forget to subscribe. I’ll see you guys next time.
