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As a general rule we don't put too much emphasis on raw specifications, but they're worth covering nonetheless. Obviously, being a 24 inch monitor it has a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, which is great for high-definition video, gaming and general use, too, offering plenty of desktop real-estate for running multiple applications at the same time. This makes it great for work related tasks as much as anything else and BenQ also produces an analogue only version, the G2400WA, that's available - you might like to set your face to stunned about now - for less than £200.

BenQ states 24-bit (8 bits) 16.7million colour production, but since this is a cheaper TN panel based monitor it's safe to assume this is achieved through dithering and that it's 18-bit (6 bits) natively. For most this won't matter much, but if you're in need of high colour fidelity and accuracy then you're better off shopping around - the Samsung SyncMaster 245T or XL20 would be good starting points.

A response time of 5ms grey-to-grey is pretty much par for the course nowadays, as is the stated 1,000:1 contrast ratio. A brightness rating of 250cd/m2 is a little down on usual expectations, but in practice many users won't need or use the elevated brightness levels offered by many monitors. Nice it may be, essential it isn't.

One thing that's immediately noticeable, though, is the shallowness of the viewing angles. BenQ quotes vertical and horizontal viewing angles of just 160 degrees, which is more or less accurate, and the loss of contrast and brightness in particular is very evident. Thankfully, there are no major problems with colour shift, so it remains more or less viewable from modest angles.

Setting up the G2400W proved fairly straightforward. Though it utilises a disassembled stand it's a simple case of placing the base on the desk and slotting the main unit into it. Out of the box you get all the cables you need, including D-SUB, DVI and obviously a power cable and though you don't get an HDMI cable, we wouldn't typically expect one. Moreover, we found that the unit came satisfactorily calibrated, so there was little need for adjusting brightness, contrast, or any other setting for that matter. For those who want to wall mount there's a VESA standard mounting on hand, making it compatible with nigh on 100% of monitor arms.

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