[kash]

Hi PCM,

I thought this would the best place to ask the the following as it’s regarding monitors that are good for reducing eye fatigue / strain. I’m generally in front of a monitor for about 7 – 8 hours during work, and also get headaches as well as some of the other eye issues mentioned by other posters. I write a lot of documents including using software for technical diagrams amongst many other things.

I’m looking for a monitor up to 24″ and have come across the following. I wanted to know your thoughts on them:
EIZO Foris FG2421 23.5″ 1920×1080 VA 120Hz native Turbo 240 / PWM-Free
BENQ XL2411Z* 24″ 1920×1080 TN 144Hz BENQ Blur Reduction / PWM-free
BENQ XL2420Z* 24″ 1920×1080 TN 144Hz BENQ Blur Reduction / PWM-free
ASUS VG248QE G-SYNC 24″ 1920×1080 TN 144Hz ULMB / PWM-Free

The BenQ and ASUS have better Hz then the Eizo, not sure if this is going to be a major issue or not? Additionally, what is the ideal refresh rate for that I should be looking for?

I’d be grateful for your input and any suggestions of other models other then the 3 I’ve mentioned would be most welcome.

Many thanks, and btw, this is a great forum.

[PCM2]

Hi kash and welcome!

As I posted a bit earlier in this thread I don’t think a higher refresh rate is really something I would consider particularly important – unless you happen to get eyestrain when viewing moving content such as games, specifically. Unlike on a CRT, the refresh rate of an LCD has no effect on ‘flickering’ or anything like that and is only really about increasing responsiveness.

The EIZO certainly isn’t a good option for several reasons. It has very poor quality control so the odds are greater than usual of receiving a unit that is defective in some way. It’s also very expensive and only really worth paying a premium for if you wish to use its ‘Turbo 240’ function. This strobes the backlight much like a CRT (and is similar to the ‘Blur Reduction’ feature on the BenQs) so it isn’t ‘flicker free’ when operating in this mode. Aside from this it’s a pretty decent monitor for viewing comfort really, but no better than some much cheaper models in my opinion.

The BenQ XL2420Z and XL2411Z are tricky ones. They do indeed have a flicker-free backlight, again provided the ‘Blur Reduction’ feature isn’t enabled. And they can provide very low levels of motion blur when gaming at high refresh rates (more so with ‘Blur Reduction’ on). The problem is that they are very difficult to set up in a way that gives respectable colours – garish colours, some shades being too bright and things appearing bleached are not good for viewing comfort! As noted in the review this is possible to tame to a degree by using an ICC profile, but due to variation between units you may well need to do this using your own calibration device. That’s another additional expense and really and again I wonder if the higher refresh rate is even worth the premium and potential setup woes for your uses anyway?

If you would like to stick with 24″ models (or thereabouts) then I really wouldn’t shy away from 60Hz models, unless you are specifically very sensitive to ‘motion blur’ and experience discomfort when viewing fast motion more than just static documents. Something like the Dell U2414H or Dell P2414H would be cheaper, give a better image without much setting up at all and has the same flicker-free benefits. Actually, perhaps the 1920 x 1200 resolution of the BenQ BL2411PT would be useful for your uses? Again a flicker-free model which is nicely set up and very good for comfortable viewing.

[kash]

Thanks PCM for your quick reply. I actually forgot to mention that I will be gaming a little bit, and am sensitive to motion blur, do get a bit nauseas at times as result.

[PCM2]

That could certainly make the higher refresh rate more compelling, then. What monitor are you using at the moment? It could be that the 60Hz IPS models mentioned are actually better in that regard than your current monitor and maybe that would be enough of an improvement (the P2414H and BL2411PT I tested also overclocked happily to 72Hz+ which could help a bit as well).

Alternatively the 144Hz route could be quite beneficial, with flicker-free normal operation and the option of a ‘Blur Reduction’ mode nice for you to try out as well. I’d actually recommend considering the XL2720Z as well, which is currently a recommended monitor. The colours are more pleasing on the eyes (deeper and richer, less bleaching etc.) compared to the 24″ models. Obviously you may much prefer 24″ and feel 27″ is too large which is fair enough.

[kash]

Thanks PCM2, I’m currently using an old monitor that I have, Samsung SyncMaster 151BM. Using this as the Viewsonic 201b I had broke – not had a chance to look for a new one until now. Neither are particularly great for my needs (at least now I know a bit more about monitors as a result of forums like this).

I just don’t have the room to accommodate a 27″, so will stick with a 24″, though the 27″ does look good.

Apart from the BenQ monitors are there others you could recommend? Would the IPS be better then a VA monitor?. I think from reading the forum most TN monitors have higher refresh rates then IPS and VA. Can get quite confusing deciding which monitor to go for, your help is gratefully appreciated.

[PCM2]

I consider myself to be quite sensitive to motion blur (one of many sensitivities that seems to build up as a monitor reviewer) and don’t feel VA panels are as comfortable to look at during motion as other 60Hz panels such as IPS. For users such as yourself where motion blur can cause some nausea I would avoid VA panels really. The only other potential alternatives to consider with high refresh rates would be something like the AOC g2460Pqu. Whilst it isn’t technically as fast as the BenQ offerings it does still offer a 144Hz refresh rate and provides a much smoother visual experience than any 60Hz LCD out there. The image setup is much better (richer colours, certainly nicer to look at) than the other 24″ 120Hz+ options currently available. The backlight is not flicker-free, though, which is a shame.

Perhaps it would be an idea to go for the XL2411Z/20Z and see how comfortable you find it after a bit of tweaking the image. Feel free to apply the ICC profile included in our review (should work for the 11Z as well). You could then decide whether you want to return it, if it’s not comfortable or you just aren’t happy with the image or alternatively invest in a colorimeter so you can calibrate it properly. I know it’s not ideal having to stress about ICC profiles or colorimeters etc. but it’s the only way of having a flicker-free 144Hz monitor with decent colours at the moment.

[kash]

Thanks PCM2 for the advice, I’ll take a further look at the the ones you’ve suggested and decide which one to buy. Additionally, I had seen a couple more monitors which I’ll post up later to get your thoughts. Many thanks.

[kash]

Hi PCM2, the following the the other monitors I’d taken a look at. I’d be grateful for your thoughts on them:

(I realise that I’ve mentioned a number of monitors here so any input would be gratefully received)

Dell S2340T
Dell U2312
LG 24MP76HM-S
ViewSonic TD2340
HP Z24i
Iiyama X2483HSU
Samsung S24C750P
Samsung S24C770T

[PCM2]

I’ll try to give you some thoughts on some of those monitors with respect to viewing comfort and suitability for your uses. I don’t have experience with all of them nor have I received much feedback on some of them so I can’t really comment on all.

Dell S2340T – good brightness adjustment range and a flicker-free backlight. Main potential issues include the highly reflective glossy screen (not suitable for comfortable viewing unless lighting environment is tightly controlled), aggressive non-adjustable pixel overdrive (inverse ghosting issues which some users dislike) and fairly poor colour setup without full calibration. Oh and really you’re paying way over the odds if you have no interest in the touch-screen functionality.

ViewSonic TD2340 – same issue as above with glass-covered screen and price if no interest in touch functionality. The colour setup is better and the pixel overdrive is more flexible to allow a better balance to be achieved though.

Dell U2312HM – Had a full review of this one up until recently (old archived review from old site that got deleted). Simply not as good as the newer P2414H or P2314H in my view. Some inverse ghosting which some users dislike and a heavy/aggressive/grainy/high-haze matte anti-glare surface that in my view is abhorrent and not conducive to a pleasant ‘easy on the eyes’ viewing experience.

LG 24MP76HM – a lot of potential, probably a good choice for viewing comfort. Haven’t tested or received feedback on this yet.

HP Z24i – Essentially like a more expensive BL2411PT with fewer features and inferior responsiveness (pixel overdrive is either very slow or too aggressive).

Samsung S24C750P and Iiyama X2483HSU – good from a viewing comfort perspective, not good from a motion performance perspective for sensitive users (see comments above regarding VA panels).

Samsung S24C770T – again, a VA panel as above. Addition issue is that the screen is glossy so the same issues as with the S2340T.

[kash]

Great, thanks for that PCM2. I’m looking more towards the BenQ XL2411/20Z range now as you’ve suggested. However, I’ll have another look at the the LG model then take it from there. I’ll make my purchase in the next day or so and will let you know how I get on with the chosen monitor.

[kash]

I was just looking at the BenQ XL2411Z and XL2420Z over on Amazon Uk. Do you know weather the monitors are shipping with v2 firmware or not? I searched around on the site but couldn’t find a thing about it.

On the site, for the 2420z, one company is selling for £334 and another is selling for £301, makes me wonder whether one is selling the item with v2 firmware (more expensive option) and the other isn’t.

[PCM2]

I really wouldn’t worry about the firmware revision of the monitor. As mentioned in the section of the review entitled ‘A note about strobe crosstalk’:

“Some users will find ‘strobe crosstalk’ to be an issue, just like some don’t like the inverse ghosting. But many users should find things absolutely fine as they are and will really enjoy the benefits that the ‘blur reduction’ mode brings to games.”

As far as I’m aware no UK retailers at all are stocking ‘v2’ firmware revisions of the monitor, only BenQ America are currently. The BenQ service centers here do have access to the firmware and could upgrade your monitor if you send it to them and are prepared to pay the shipping costs. Not ideal I know but it’s the only option in the UK at the moment. The most likely scenario is that you’ll find the monitor absolutely fine using the default settings – remember the firmware upgrade doesn’t actually ‘fix’ the issue it simply migrates it. I really think that too many users are being unnecessarily put off buying this monitor for something that probably won’t matter to them anyway.

P.S. If buying from Amazon don’t forget to use the link in our review or post.

[KarM]

Let me start by pointing out the great work you doing here helping people all over the world to make the right choices regarding Monitor purchasing.

My problem: My monitor is a 5 year old Samsung XL2370 and I have been working behind a desk almost 14 hours everyday in past 5 years.

Everything was going normal until past 8 months were I have been experiencing very odd sympthoms:

I can go 14 hours straight without any problem if I would be watching videos or seeing images, but if I surf the web, especially pages with large blocks of text it becomes almost impossible for me to keep staring and read the text.

Text seems to be pulsing, jumping/ghosting and if I close my eyes or look into the wall i can still see the block of text in the next 3 seconds. This is giving me mental confusing and I cant perform my work as it envolves writting and coding. Don’t have any headaches or hurting eyes though.

My eye doctor says my eyes are fine, and this only happens when I m reading on a LCD. This is a very common problem as I see across the web people talking about it, and I have found here in this forum a very reasonable explanation for this.

I m talking about PWM and how text behaves while the eyes are moving horizontally (reading) under different backlights. With further research I read in a tfcentral article that:

“LED backlights have been reported typically running from 180 – 420Hz, with those at the lower end flickering much more visibly.”

“Under constant illumination with no flickering (e.g. sunlight) the image is smoothly blurred and is how we normally perceive motion. However, when combined with a light source using PWM several discrete afterimages of the screen may be perceived simultaneously and reduce readability and the ability of the eyes to lock onto objects.”

“The flicker itself in display backlights may be subtle and not easily perceptible for some people, but the natural variation in human vision seems to make it clearly visible to others.“

Could this be the answer? Can I be one of those humans that notes and is bothered with this pulsing effect like the screen is blinking very very fast similar to a strobelight and somehow this is affecting my nervous system to the point i can’t take it anymore?

I have tried everything with this monitor high/low contrast/brightness, dark text on light background/light text on dark background but I just can’t stand reading on it anymore.

Do you think a flicker-free monitor could aliviate this problem? Which monitor/panel do you think can give the most “natural” kind of image like you weren’t staring to a light source? I don’t like vivid colors, high contrats and brightness, I just want a monitor thats easy to spend hours on like you were reading a book.

Thank you and excuse me for any grammar mistakes!

[PCM2]

Hi KarM,

I’ve added your post to this thread as it assesses the best options for somebody in your position (sensitivity to PWM) as well as other factors which can affect viewing comfort when using a monitor. I have no doubt from what you are describing that your eyes have developed a sensitivity to Pulse Width Modulation – the ‘afterimage’ of text and text appearing to move (difficulty focusing when reading) are key signs of sensitivity to this. There are of course other signs of sensitivity to PWM, it’s something that manifests itself slightly differently depending on the individual. There are a good number of ‘flicker-free’ models to choose from and the choice is growing all the time.

[KarM]

Thank you for your insight. I have read all this thread and regarding that flicker-free list and some monitors you recommended here can you please tell me if the Samsung S24C750P would be a good chioce. I’m a little bit afraid that it will be very similar to my Samsung xl2370 that is to bright at low levels and hurts the eyes. You recommend very often the Dell P2414H, can you please make a short comparison with the Samsung S24C750P regarding which one would give the most natural kind of image at low brightness levels. Also, whats the difference between the Dell P2414H and U2414H? Thank you very much!

[PCM2]

The S24C750P performs fairly similarly to the S27C750P that we’ve reviewed. It uses a flicker-free backlight and offers a respectable image setup. I’m not sure exactly how dim you could make it go (although it’s definitely under 100 cd/m2) but it shouldn’t give you the same issues as the XL2370. Some people find the strong contrast of VA panels like the S24C750P aid visual comfort as text is bold, black, inky and very distinct from the background. Others find this distinction makes the monitor slightly less comfortable (the opposite) and some users actually find the way that the pixels are aligned in a VA panel, which gives a very slight 3D effect if you look closely, to be less visually appealing than how IPS panels display things. Another issue to be aware with on the Samsung is the fixed stand design with the screen mounted high up, supporting pivoting the screen into portrait without any sort of height adjustment. This issue is raised in the review of the 27″ version, but the 24″ screen is at least mounted a little lower because it’s a smaller monitor.

Personally I find IPS/PLS and VA equally comfortable, except that I am quite sensitive to motion and find viewing moving content such as games more comfortable on IPS models. As for the P2414H and U2414H they’re essentially very similar from a visual comfort perspective. The P2414H is cheaper, has thicker bezels and offers a different selection of ports – notably DVI but no USB or HDMI. The U2414H has some issues with its DisplayPort on Nvidia and Intel graphics solutions but aside from that has a tighter calibration in its ‘sRGB’ picture mode than anything on the P2414H and goes just slightly dimmer (39 cd/m2 vs 62 cd/m2). You should find both are very comfortable monitors to use.

[KarM]

Thanks! From what I understood, the Samsung MVA panel has much less glow than other IPS panels and thats why I m considering it before the Dell IPS. I think in the long term less glow could be a very positive thing as the image tends to be more natural in comparison with the glow effect that tends to give a more artificial look, would you agree?

In the S27C750P review you say it has a semi-glossy screen surface, is it the same in the S24C750P? I have read some costumer reviews were they say they didn’t like the surface because it was to hard/grainy and it forced the eyes focusing between pixels and the coating itself. The P2414H surface is light mate which would be better.

So last considerations:

Flicker Free – Both Samsung and Dell are flicker free.
Glow: Samsung has less glow than Dell.
Surface: Dell surface could be lighter? Not very sure if Samsung S24 has the same light surface like S27.

After reading alot I think this would be the 3 major points that would make a monitor easier to stare at for long periods. Guess pixel pitch size and other factors like how dim it can go could have some weight in this decision to, but we can’t get them all in the same monitor hehe.

In the price range of the above 2 monitors would you consider any other monitor that could be better than those regarding those 3 points?

Thank You!

[PCM2]

I haven’t actually seen the S24C750P myself but I believe from user reports and various reviews that the screen surface is light matte anti-glare rather than semi-glossy. This is typically used on VA panels that lack the ‘semi glossy’ surface and it’s similar to that of the Dell P2414H and U2414H.

‘IPS glow’ isn’t something you’d notice during general use, it’s only something that you’d see when viewing dark content in a dim room. Of course even if you can’t see the glow itself it does still eat away at some dark details but for general desktop usage I really don’t consider it to be a problem. I accept that it’s nicer not to have it and indeed to have low backlight bleed in general, which is something that VA panels tend to be very good for.

And I think that unless you’re interested in a larger screen the models you’re looking at are really the best out there for viewing comfort. I’m currently reviewing the Samsung S24D390HL which is on par with the Dells for viewing comfort but can actually go down below 30 cd/m2 without losing contrast which is exceptional. I don’t think you’d have a problem with the brightness of the Dell models though, but the flexibility of this monitor to go that dim has impressed me.

[KarM]

Don’t think a larger screen would be good for me as I find 24′ ones quite big already, not to say it would be a little out of budget (I guess?) as they are more expensive.

It’s a bit hard to follow this market as new models are always being introduced, like in this case with the Samsungs, is that S24D390HL like a new model to replace the S24C750P? Is it better or worth to wait for as it is a new model? Then you have the S24D590PL to give another twist in my brain hehe.

[PCM2]

The S24D590PL and S24D390HL (similar panel, different chassis) are PLS models designed to compete with IPS models like those Dells. They are not replacements for the S24C750P which uses a VA panel 🙂 .

[Author]

Posts