Gaming monitors that promise high refresh rates are not new to the market, but finding one that actually delivers good visuals as well can be quite a task. Especially if you’re not looking to spend a fortune over the same. One monitor I recently reviewed, however, manages to do both and pack some neat extra features as well. Here’s my full review of the ViewSonic XG2431 gaming monitor. Let’s start with the specifications on offer here.
ViewSonic XG2431 specs: 24-inch, 16:9 FHD, IPS panel | 240Hz refresh rate | AMD FreeSync | 0.5Hz response time | 2x HDMI + DP input, 2 x USB 3.0 Type A, 3.5mm audio port |
ViewSonic XG2431: What’s good?
Design and build
The 24-inch monitor comes with a solid build quality, something evident from the moment you pull it out of the packaging. There are pretty much no bendy areas and no creaky edges. You get a near-frameless design which looks great on every setup, while all the controls are found on the right-bottom of the chin. These are easy to press and find without looking after the first few times. If you’ve used ViewSonic monitors before, you will find a familiar user interface by pressing any of these buttons, after which you can then cycle through all the settings and preset modes.
The ViewSonic XG2431 features a bezel-less design on the top and sides. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ The Indian Express)
There’s also support for VESA mounts, which is great if you have a single-monitor or dual-monitor VESA stand. However, the monitor’s own stand is very capable as well.
Monitor stand
The ViewSonic XG2431 comes with a monitor stand that looks pretty basic but is capable of adjusting height, and both vertical and horizontal tilt on the fly, without you needing to find the screwdriver.
Changing the height or tilt is as easy as pushing the monitor with two fingers and you’re good to go. With height, the monitor will not automatically slide down on its own due to its own weight, even after extended usage.
Display quality
You get a bright display with the XG2431 and since this is an IPS panel, you also get good colours, not the muted, washed colours you see on non-IPS panels, often used on other gaming monitors. This is great for games like Spider-Man Remastered, Forza Horizon 5 or any of the Tomb Raider games, where you want to enjoy the visuals as much as the game.
You get good colours on the ViewSonc XG2431 along with HDR support. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ The Indian Express)
There’s HDR support on the monitor, which you must first enable via Window’s ‘Display Settings’ page, allowing you to get even better visuals with darker media/games. Also bundled is support for FreeSync, which will help your graphics card deliver framerates according to the game for best performance, negating any tearing or stuttering. This works well when I tested the monitor with both my Nvidia RTX 2060 and older GTX 1050 Ti.
AMD FreeSync support is also present here, helping you get a stutter-free experience in games. (Image Source: Chetan, Nayak/ The Indian Express)
The response time here is also pretty low at 0.5ms which is great if you’re into fast-paced competitive gaming with titles like CS:GO, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Valorant or other similar games.
Input modes, other features
The ViewSonic XG2431 supports inputs via both HDMI and DisplayPort (DP). You additionally get two USB 3.0 Type A ports which you can use as an extension for USB-powered accessories like controllers, headphone stands, etc. There’s also a 3.5mm audio output port that you can plug your gaming headphones into, or a speaker, reducing the mess of cables behind your CPU cabinet. However, these ports are along with the other input ports, so they’re harder to reach compared to something like the ViewSonic TD2455.
Here are the various input ports you get with the monitor. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ The Indian Express)
The monitor also comes with a built-in speaker and two mouse anchors on either side of the bottom, which can be folded when not in use. These function as tension stabilisers for wired mice and prevents any unwanted tug on the mouse due to its cable, ideal for competitive gaming.
ViewSonic XG2431: What’s not good?
While the monitor doesn’t get much wrong at its price, there is one small aspect where it could have been better, although this isn’t really a deal-breaker at all.
The built-in speaker could have had a little more volume. In its current state, the speaker is barely audible at max volume and if you have noise outdoors or a ceiling fan running at max speed, you can forget the speaker is even on. While this isn’t an issue if you’re going to be using speakers or headphones (which most gamers will) it would have been great to see a better implementation of the in-built speakers since they’re already included.
Verdict: Should you buy the ViewSonic XG2431 monitor?
The ViewSonic XG2431 is one of the better gaming monitors out there in its segment and is a great addition to any gaming setup if you’re looking for a feature-rich 24-inch gaming monitor that does colours as well as it does refresh rates.
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