Viewsonic XG2401 – Image Quality

The single best thing about this display is that right out of the box it has great image quality for a TN-LCD gaming monitor. By almost every measure, it’s spot on. Colour temperature is 6531K – just 31K off the ideal of 6500K – meaning the image doesn’t look redder or bluer than it should.

Contrast is also a decent 955:1. Anything around 1000:1 and above is good for an LCD monitor, and some gaming displays can be as low as 600:1 in their default modes.

A gamma score of 2.0 is a smidge off the ideal of 2.2 but it’s still close enough that the image doesn’t look obviously too light or too dark.

Meanwhile sRGB colour space coverage of 99.2% and a Delta E average of just 1.06 shows this monitor does a good job of displaying nearly every possible colour.

The display is also reasonably uniform with an average brightness deviation of just 4% from the centre to the edges.

All these figures are good, though it’s still the case that this won’t be a monitor that’s ideal for content creation. As with all TN monitors, it suffers from relatively poor viewing angles and colour accuracy can’t match similarly priced IPS LCD display. Something like the Dell U2417H blows it out the water. But, that’s just the compromise of buying a gaming monitor.

Nonetheless, overall this is a great gaming display that you hardly need to adjust at all to get it looking good. Just drop the brightness down and away you go. To get the very best from it I did switch to the user colour mode and adjust the RGB channels to 100-100-93 but otherwise it was left as is.

Viewsonic XG2401 – Gaming Performance

The Viewsonic XG2401 provides a fantastic overall gaming experience. Crank it up to 144Hz and turn on FreeSync and you’ve got a rock-solid, great-looking image. Its 1ms response time and low input lag means it feels as snappy and responsive as you’d expect, with only 240Hz displays such as the AOC AG251FZ or those with backlight-strobing blur reduction (BenQ XL2735) offering better performance.

Also, there’s something to be said for using a native 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution on a 24-inch display that’s ideal for competitive gaming. Higher resolutions are great for immersing yourself in single-player experiences but for that competitive edge, a fast-responding, relatively low-resolution display such as this is ideal.

Not that this display is any better for gaming than most other similarly priced 144Hz, 1ms display, but neither is it let down in any way.

Should I buy the Viewsonic XG2401?

The Viewsonic XG2401 is an ideal monitor for those seeking great gaming performance and a good all-round feature set without the frills. It provides the sort of solid 144Hz, 1ms performance you’d expect and adds the smooth-look of Freesync and overall image quality that’s better than most of its price-competitors.

Add in useful features like a fully adjustable stand, USB hub, speakers and a headphone jack and it has everything a competitive gamer on a budget should need.

Related: Best gaming monitor

Its only real stumbling block is its lacklustre design. For its price you don’t get much better but there’s no getting round the fact that it’s not a looker. Even just sticking with the more simple design of its business monitors would’ve been a better bet for Viewsonic, in my opinion.

Nonetheless, overall this monitor is a good buy for any gamer on a budget, and particularly those with AMD graphics cards that can take advantage of Freesync.

Verdict

Far from a fashion statement, but the Viewsonic XG2401 is a good value gaming monitor with class-leading image quality right out the box.

Trusted Score