Tech Review : BenQ and Samsung monitors

Recently I bought another 27inch BenQ M2700HD monitor.
Thanks to Nasrul, he agreed to exchange his Samsung SyncMaster B2230 with my old LG W2361V. Although the Samsung is about 1.5inch smaller than my LG, I did so because I need the VESA mounting holes on the back of the monitor.

So my setup for the monitors is like this.

My main monitor (BenQ) is by default put on my multimedia-desk and the 21.5inch Samsung is now hanging on the VESA arm and positioned next to my BenQ on the left side.

Side-by-side screen quality comparison:

Samsung has been known as among one of the pioneers in the LCD industry. While BenQ, a 'newbie' in this industry is probably known for its sleek design in their monitors.

-Color Quality
Looking at the color vibrance, Samsung seems better than BenQ. I had to play with several settings on the BenQ's OSD menu to get a close color saturation with Samsung. Obviously Samsung leads in terms of color management for their displays. However, when viewing texts, Samsung displays a bit of colored tinge on the edge of the text. If the sharpness and contrast are tuned properly, the tinge will disappear or become unnoticeable.

-Brightness
Samsung claimed to have a 300cd/m² (candle/m²) while BenQ is a bit higher with 400cd/m². If both monitors are put on their maximum brightness, it is true that BenQ is far brighter than Samsung. Somehow, we normally don't really need such a bright setting which will likely to cause eyestrain and at the same time it is not eco-friendly. Since both monitors have their own brightness sensor, I'm just using the automatic setting for each of the monitors.

-Contrast
Typically, both monitors have a contrast ratio of 1000:1 which is a standard for recent normal back lit LCDs. Samsung claims to have a Dynamic Contrast Ratio (DCR) of 70000:1 compared to 50000:1 for BenQ. After playing around with several settings on these monitors, I found that Samsung performs better in managing the contrast while maintaining the quality of the picture. Both monitors will perform well if high-gloss coating is used.

-Viewing Angle
When viewing at different angles, I found that Samsung displays a huge difference when viewed at different angles. Text and colors seem to be identifiable for BenQ when viewed from the side or above the monitor. BenQ imminently wins for this category.

-Overall and Personal Evaluation
BenQ fails to compete with Samsung (or maybe LG) in terms of color depth. For those who love using photography softwares like Photoshop, I wouldn't recommend BenQ as a choice. BenQ performs better for general viewing because it can maintain the detail of the picture when viewed at different angles. I can't compare the price because the sizes for both monitors are different.

-Tips and Tricks
To solve the color problem on my BenQ, I used a different color management profile in my setting. Instead of using its default color configuration, I loaded the color profile from my old LG monitor. The picture looks incredibly awesome after loading the profile but still cannot compete with Samsung. I also tuned both monitors to look their best using the wizards found in Windows Media Center and Control Panel.

For the configuration, I'm using the same 1080p 60Hz resolution on both monitors according to their native resolution settings. Both are using the same D-Sub output from my graphic card. I made my BenQ as my main display and positioned the Samsung display as how it should be. This configuration panel can be found on the Windows 7's Resolution Setting.

People may ask how can two monitors be a use to me?
The answer is multi-tasking. I extended my display to my Samsung monitor (not cloning the screen) so that I will have more space to work on. When I am working with PDFs, wordsheeets etc, I can just rotate my second display and have a complete view of my document, vertically.
Also, sometimes when my friends or seniors come here to hang out, I can just tilt my second monitor to face my bed for using the pc while the rest can enjoy watching the television,movies or play Xbox 360 on the main display.