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One can't help but feel slightly ambivalent about ViewSonic. In many regards its monitors have a great pedigree, but it has always suffered in the knowledge that the likes of Samsung, Dell and BenQ seem to punch just a little too high for comfort. But, that's no reason to dismiss ViewSonic out of hand and this 24in LCD has all the raw attributes to be a very good monitor.

As with all monitors of this size it has a 1,920 x 1,200 native resolution, which provides support for 1080p content and allows for two A4 pages to be set side by side at 100 per cent zoom. It uses an 8-bit P-MVA panel, sports a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, claim an 8ms grey-to-grey response time and an excellent 500cd/m2 brightness rating. Connectivity wise there's an HDCP compliant HDMI port, Component, S-Video, Composite, D-Sub and finally a 3.5mm audio jack for the internal speakers.

You'll notice one thing missing in this list, DVI. Thus, in the box the VX2435wm comes with a DVI to HDMI cable for a digital connection. In one sense it's quite a smart move, HDMI is obviously a smaller connection though the general trend recently has been for monitors of this size to have an HDMI port in addition to the usual DVI and D-Sub ports.

Given that this monitor has been marketed as an all round workhorse, providing connectivity for your PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and whatever else, then the absence of a DVI port is rather curious. How, one might ask, would one connect a PC and a PS3 at the same time? With difficulty would be the answer, or perhaps by using an HDMI switcher box such as the Belkin Pure AV HDMI 3-to-1 or the AV Tool AVT-5941 Four Port HDMI Switcher. Of course, for the extra money spent on a switcher one could just as easily spend more on a monitor with a separate HDMI port, the stupendous BenQ FP241W springs to mind.

At around £460 online, the VX2435wm is competitively priced compared to the far more expensive BenQ. Moreover, connection considerations aside on paper this a very well specified monitor. Response time is within expectations, but the 500cd/m2 brightness is excellent and while the 1,000:1 Contrast Ratio may not seem astounding it's a genuine figure and not enhanced by any "Dynamic" processing – the value of which is severely debatable. The lack of any USB hub is little disappointing, but not critically so.

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