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Brightness and Contrast

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Viotek GFI24CBA — (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The Lenovo’s old-school TN panel wins the brightness contest, but the GFI24CBA has more than enough light output to deliver a picture that pops. It’s rated for 300 nits, so kudos to my sample for beating that number. Black levels and contrast are respectable but average for this group. The top three screens are standouts with over 1,200:1, something I don’t often see from IPS monitors. They all cost more than the Viotek.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Calibration slightly improves the GFI24CBA’s fortunes. Now, it ranks closer to 1,200:1, and with a slightly dark gamma, the picture has a lot of depth. Color is a bit oversaturated, too which adds to the image’s dimensionality.

The Viotek does even better in the ANSI test, which takes screen uniformity into account. It’s less than one point out of second place and well above average for IPS panels as a whole. Coupled with solid color, the GFI24CBA delivers a solid image for the money.

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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

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