ViewSonic VX2433wm

The ViewSonic VX2433wm is a typical Twisted Nematic monitor with DVI and HDMI connections and built-in speakers. It also has several useful color temperature options, but its performance in games and movies is marred by its relatively low brightness level. For about $200, the monitor is a good value if your needs end at productivity work, Web surfing, and occasional gaming and movie watching. But beyond those uses, don't expect too much from this ViewSonic monitor. With its built-in speakers, the VX2433m is a better value than the Dell ST2310, but the Asus VH236H is the unit we'd recommend most in this price range given its great performance.

Design and features
The 23.6-inch ViewSonic VX2433wm has a glossy, black bezel that measures 0.9 inch on the right and left sides and 1.75 inches on the bottom at its longest point. The bezel slopes inward toward the screen on all sides. The panel depth is 2.8 inches and its full width measures 22.5 inches. The bottom middle of the bezel has a raised ViewSonic logo above a blue LED and gray power button. The screen has a slightly frosty matte finish with an antiglare coating. The back of the monitor's chassis is a smooth black matte plastic with a ViewSonic logo etched into the top. Also on the back at the top of the monitor are the built-in speakers.

The monitor's oval-shaped footstand is 12 inches wide and 10 inches deep and wobbles only slightly when knocked from the sides. This stability can be attributed to not only its wide footstand, but also its solid 11.12-pound heft. Unfortunately, the screen's height is neither adjustable nor are there screen rotation or pivot options for portrait mode. The capability to tilt the screen back 20 degrees is the monitor's only ergonomic feature.

The monitor's connection options include HDMI, VGA, and DVI. Also included are audio-in and audio-out ports. All connections are on the back on the lower right-hand side of the panel and face downward. While most of the connections are easy to access, the monitor's HDMI port sits right over the display's neck and is slightly more difficult to access.

The onscreen display button array is located on the lower right-hand edge of the panel and consists of four buttons aligned vertically with enough space between each to keep your fingers comfortable while navigating it. Unfortunately, the labels on the front of the bezel that correspond to each OSD button are difficult to see, even in normal room lighting. Pressing the 1 button brings up the OSD, and the up- and down-arrow buttons let you navigate the menu. The 2 button doubles as the enter button and source select.

The OSD options include the standard brightness, contrast, and various color options. In lieu of preset options, the ViewSonic provides four color temperature selections: 5,000K; 6,500K; 7,500K; and 9,300K; as well as an sRGB option and a user color option where you can change its red, green, and blue values individually. Other OSD options include memory recall, which resets the monitor to its factory settings, a Dynamic Contrast option, and a Display mode where you can select from RGB or YUV modes. There's also an option to adjust the response time from Standard to Advanced or Ultra Fast. We didn't notice any difference in performance when switching between these options. ViewSonic also includes eco-mode on the monitor with three options: Standard, Optimize, and Conserve. Selecting each mode adjusts the brightness level, which in turn lowers the monitor's energy consumption.

Finally, there's an OSD specific option for setting the OSD to stay onscreen up to a minute (useful for anyone who will spend a good amount of time calibrating the display).

The ViewSonic VX2433wm 16:9 aspect ratio supports a "Full HD" native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels. This continues the trend of monitor vendors moving toward 16:9 from 16:10 because high-definition content--in particular, 1080p movies--can fit onto a 1,920x1,080-pixel screen in full-screen mode without stretching the image.

Manufacturer's specifications
Resolution: 1,920x1,080 pixels
Pixel-response rate: 2ms
Contrast ratio: 1,000:1
Connectivity: HDMI, DVI-D, VGA
HDCP compliant? Yes
Included video cables? VGA, DVI
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Backlight: CCFL
Panel Type: TN

Performance
We tested the ViewSonic VX2433wm with its DVI connection. The display posted a composite score of 90 on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based performance tests, coming in at just less than the 23-inch Asus VH236H's score of 93 and matching the Dell ST2310's 90 score. The VX2433wm performed decently with color accuracy, showing no signs of compression at the dark and light ends of the color scales. However, it did show some off tints in our color-tracking tests, where some of the midlevel grays had a noticeable green hue to them.

The VX2433wm achieved a brightness score of 269 candelas per square meter (cd/m2)--lower than ViewSonic's claimed 300 cd/m2 rating for the monitor. Its brightness score is also lower than the Asus VH236H's 283 cd/m2, but higher than the Dell ST2310's 203 cd/m2.

We used the VX2433wm's SRGB and user color presets to watch "Kill Bill Vol. 1" on DVD and several 1080p movie files from Microsoft's WMV HD Showcase. In both Kill Bill and the 1080p movies, we found that while the overall color of fleshtones was slightly yellowish in comparison with the ST2310, its representation of white was brighter than the ST2310. As such, things like snow and clouds didn't look quite as dark as they did on the ST2310. Also, the VX2433wm had trouble distinguishing very dark gray from black.

We looked at World of Warcraft and Unreal Tournament 3 and noticed no signs of input lag, any streaking, or ghosting during fast movement; however, with the monitor's brightness level being so low, its colors don't "pop" as they should, and the games looked dull.

The built-in speakers reached a decent volume and showed no signs of distortion, but don't go throwing out your standalone speakers just yet. Dedicated speakers are still preferred over the VX2433mw's built-in pair.

The optimal viewing angle for a monitor is usually directly in front, about a quarter of the screen's distance down from the top. At this angle, you're viewing the colors and gamma correction as they were intended. Most monitors are not made to be viewed at any other angle. Depending on its panel type, monitor picture quality at nonoptimal angles varies. Most monitors use TN panels that get overly bright or overly dark in parts of the screen when viewed from nonoptimal angles. The ViewSonic VX2433wm uses a TN panel, and when it's viewed from the sides or bottom, we perceived the screens to darken about 6 inches off of the center of the screen. Of course, when viewed from the optimal angle, we had no glaring problems.

Juice box
ViewSonic VX2433wm	Average watts per hour
On (default luminance)	39.35
On (max. luminance)	39.95
On (min. luminance)	19.84
Sleep	0.4
Calibrated (200 cd/m2)	30.72
Annual energy cost	$12.02
Score	Fair

In our power consumption tests, the VX2433wm had a fairly high Standard/Default energy consumption of 39.35 watts compared with the ST2310's low 20.57 watts. The ViewSonic's standby energy draw is a low 0.4 watts. The Asus' standby energy draw was higher at 2.7 watts with the ST2310's at 0.52 watts. In eco mode, the VX2433wm drew 27.10 watts in the Optimize/Default setting, and it drew 23.49 watts in Conserve/Default mode. Based on our formula, the VX2433wm would cost a low $12.02 per year to run, compared with the Asus' $13.68 per year and the Dell's low $6.50.

Find out more about how we test LCD monitors.

Service and support
The ViewSonic VX2433wm comes with solid coverage, including a three-year warranty that covers parts, labor, and the backlight. The company offers 24-7 toll-free technical support phone number and e-mail-based help. However, there is no Web-chat support like some other vendors offer. Navigating ViewSonic's Web site and finding drivers and the monitor's user manual was easy.

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