Packaging, Physical Layout And Accessories
BenQ ships the XL2430T in a lay-down style box with plenty of Styrofoam to protect the contents. The upper packing tray contains many accessories and cables to create a complete package, with just one exception – there’s no DisplayPort cable. Instead you get a heavy-gauge DVI cable that’s already attached to the panel. You can use it or your own DP connection for 144Hz operation. Also included are USB 3.0 and IEC power cables. A nice plastic dust cover comes in the box, along with a quick-start guide and CD containing drivers and the full user’s manual.
Product 360
The first thing we noticed was a large amount of polished bright-work on the panel and base. There’s so much bling that you’ll spend days finding and removing all of the protective plastic wrap. It’s not overdone though; the styling is pretty nice. The bezel is thin at less than ¾", so setting up three XL2430Ts seems like a good idea.
The screen’s anti-glare layer is much like the ones we’ve seen on every monitor of late – light rejection is decent, clarity is excellent and you’ll want to carefully place bright light sources in your workspace.
Control buttons run up the right side of the bezel. But once you connect the S Switch, you’ll rarely need to touch them. If you do, they respond with a satisfying click and a soft beep.
We first saw the S Switch on the XL2720Z and fell in love immediately. Once you adapt to its wheel and button arrangement, you’ll wonder why anyone would control an OSD any other way. It’s super-intuitive, allowing us to zip through menus and options quickly. The wheel doubles as a select button, so all you really need is that and the return key to its left. The other controls call up preset gaming modes and the Auto Game Mode.
We wondered what this little red metal bar was and finally had to look in the manual to find out – it’s a headphone hook able to hold up to 400 grams (about 14 ounces). When you’re not using it, it slides into the side of the panel and locks in place.
The XL2430T isn’t particularly slim, but it still presents a decent side profile for wall-mounting. In addition to two USB 3.0 ports, there’s a headphone output and microphone input. That’s something we haven’t seen before. You have to connect a USB cable between the monitor and your PC to make it work.
The back is mostly polished plastic with BenQ’s logo topping things off. The input jack labels are printed in red, which makes connecting cables a little easier. The upright is a thick chunk of aluminum with a handle at the top and a red-trimmed hole at the bottom for cable management. Unsnapping the base reveals a 100mm VESA mount.
A closer look at the XL2430T's back side reveals indicators for height and angle adjustments. If you're picky about screen placement and you move your monitor around, this can be real time-saver. You can also see a handle in the above photo. It's one solid piece of metal that would likely support the weight of several panels.
To run the XL2430T at 120 or 144Hz, you need to use DVI or DisplayPort; one of each connector is provided. If you have HDMI sources, there are two inputs accommodating up to 60Hz. For analog components, there’s a legacy VGA port. The micro-USB port on the left is for the S Switch. On the far left is an audio output for external powered speakers, since there are none built-in. Sound can travel over either HDMI or DisplayPort to this jack. Finally, on the far right, we have a single USB 3.0 upstream port. You'd use that to enable the side panel’s mic input.
