BenQ FP241W

Author's product rating:   

Picture quality	Excellent
Colour sensitivity	Excellent
Design	Excellent
Ease of use	Very easy
Value For Money	Good

Advantages:	looks amazing, dazzling clear picture quality, easy to install, bright display, huge amount of colour
Disadvantages:	price and no built in audio

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

After a recent refit of our office which included a glass front making all workers visible to people on the outside Plaza my employers ICT department undertook to replace all of our computer hardware, which in all honesty was about 2-3 years overdue. As part of my upgrade of hardware I was given 2 BenQ FP241W TFT monitors for use with my personal computers. After receiving confirmation of the order I was puzzled as to why they had made a purchase of a brand I had never heard of before so expected a pair of low-quality cheap monitors to appear.

On delivery day I had the surprise of my life as they were unpacked and attached to my new base unit. They look so sophisticated and sexy in comparison to the monitors that were being replaced. With a chrome trim and large 24 inch widescreen they ooze quality and look rather space age, especially when placed side by side. I actually feel like I should be directing take space shuttle launches for NASA.

The BenQ FP241W is an LCD monitor, which means that it uses liquid crystals to produce the picrure display. Until you have seen the quality of the picture you really will not believe it, the screen supports 16.7 million colours that exceed the quality of my LCD television at home, and I find that watching video clips is far superior on the monitor than on most HD televisions. This is partly due to the HDMI interface. What more can I say but as far as clarity and detail is concerned, I have never seen any better. I don't think they could improve the picture quality and response time if they went back to drawing board for a further 6 months.

If I could make one improvement to the monitor it would be the addition of a set of audio speakers, as these would truly make this one of, if not, the best monitors the world has ever seen. At the moment I have a dazzling picture and poor audio playback from a set pof aging speakers attached to my computer. It really isn't an issue for me as I only use the screen on weekdays and not for leisure activities, but if I had invested in a BenQ FP241W for my home I would have to buy a seriously powerful set of audio speakers to compliment the picture.

Now for the downside, and the reason why although I love the BenQ FP241W I do not have one at home. The price. My employer paid 800 Euros (approximately £575) for each BenQ FP241W monitor and this is very expensive I think for what only forms part of a home computer.

If I could afford to buy the BenQ FP241W and new audio speakers for my home computer I would without any hesitation as it is the best monitr I have ever used. I do not get eye strain from looking at the screen for long periods because it is so clear and bright, but as it is, I can only enjoy using this monitor when I go to work, but hey, at least it is spomething to look forward to in the mornings. If you can afford a BenQ FP241W I suggest you buy one. It loses one star due to cost.