Three-Way 23" LED LCD Roundup: Dell, HP, And Samsung

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We've spent a lot of time evaluating the performance of graphics cards and processors, but a good monitor is almost every bit as important to gamers and professionals alike. For our first look at monitors in 2011, we are starting out with three 23" LCDs.

Samsung PX2370

Samsung’s PX2370 is the most expensive 23” in our roundup. At $299, this is the high end of what you'll pay for a 23" LCD. The only options you'll find that are more expensive are the 3D monitors from Acer and Asus. The PX2370 has a transparent display trim and a monitor stand that makes it physically similar to Samsung’s LED TVs. Otherwise, the PX2370 has the same piano-black finish we see on every other display, but it has a much thinner display profile.

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Turning on the monitor is as dummy-proof as you can get. The power button is dead-center. Changing brightness, on the other hand, is less than intuitive. The buttons are placed on the back-side of the screen, along the right edge, which makes navigation feel slightly unnatural. When compared to Dell's design, the PX2370 takes a bit more time to get used to. But Samsung’s approach is part of what makes this a low-profile LCD monitor.

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The PX2370 is the second monitor in our roundup to use an external AC adapter. In practice, this design is a double-edged sword. An external power brick allows for a thinner and lighter panel because those components aren't housed internally. But while the physical profile is reduced, the addition of a power brick introduces possible cable management issues.

Andrew Ku
105 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jimslaid2
    Ummmm LG! How Could you have left out LG?
    Reply
  • taso11
    I think you mean DVI-D not DVD-D on your front page chart.
    Reply
  • pirateboy
    hey where did my comment go?

    anyway...
    please review 16:10 monitors next time
    Reply
  • sleeper52
    where's the NEC EA231wmi or EA232WMI? that's around $300 as well and it's an IPS
    Reply
  • aznshinobi
    Hmmm.... Could've added an LG, I love my LG W2286L
    Reply
  • Eggrenade
    Input lag!!

    http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/response_time.php
    Reply
  • fstrthnu
    I'd actually rather see a 24 & 25.5" monitor shootout, they tend to be the higher-end displays of the brands (like Dell's super-duper Ultrasharp U2410).
    Reply
  • Assmar
    A certain retailer has the samsung monitor listed for 280 with free shipping. If you don't live in CA, that's tax free, i'm pretty sure.
    Reply
  • sleeper52
    fstrthnuI'd actually rather see a 24 & 25.5" monitor shootout, they tend to be the higher-end displays of the brands (like Dell's super-duper Ultrasharp U2410).
    +1 I'd like to see that. HP LP2475w (rev 2.0) vs Dell U2410 (rev 2.0) vs ASUS PA246Q
    Reply
  • LuckyDucky7
    Why would you bother buying one of these monitors when you can get an IPS one for the same price?

    How about reviewing something like the ASUS ML239H and give us a useful review, rather than going over which one of these junk TN panels is the best? 100% sRGB is useless if you can't see it unless you're straight inline with the screen (any sometimes not even then).

    KTHXBAI
    Reply