One screen, hold the flicker

I have to admit, my last BenQ screen did quite well for itself since I picked it up for a song over three years ago. Surviving 4 and a bit books, Witcher 3 and countless games of Civ 6, it also worked hard putting YouTube videos together and crafting up the occasional book cover too via Photoshop.

But now it's glitching and flooding itself with a cascade of colors - basically unusable and as loathe as I am to admit it, it's time for a newer one. Somehow though, I don't think I'll be lucky enough to find a red hot bargain like it..

THERE'S BARGAINS ON FACEBOOK CLASSIFIEDS IF YOU'RE PREPARED TO WORK DRIVE FOR THEM

Originally up for $70, I originally figured this 27 Inch BenQ M2700HD would last just as long as my first coffee of the morning after a rough night of sleeping. However when I messaged the seller he told me he lived at the base of a mountain and yes it was still available as nobody seemed willing to jump in the car and drive more than 20 minutes to get it.

I had petrol, I was willing to pick it up before work and keen to part ways with it, he dropped the price down to $50 without me asking. Sold!

I got up an hour earlier than I usually did, ripped into breakfast and then fired up the wagon to cruise some lovely mountain country and before long the bargain monitor was mine! (He even found the remote that came with it. Remote? Awesome!)

BENQ M2700HD

Almost 9.5 kilos of solid monitor that once retailed for close to $600, I'd upgraded from a 21 inch AOC monitor (I forget where that one came from) and let me tell you, I loved the extra space. Games looked better, writing, Photoshop and video looked better (and even more so when I finally splashed out for a newer video card too eventually). And it survived 3 house moves successfully until the signs of age started to creep in (it is at least 11 years old by this stage). First the occasional burst of unwanted color that would disappear after a cool down and reset:

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But fast forward to this weekend and it's in it's death throes. It got a quick tribute post up on TikTok (more about my experiences with that later) before ending up on Gumtree for parts and the remote all for $10 (don't lowball me, I know what I got..)

TIME FOR A NEW SCREEN THEN

The trouble is, I don't think I can go backwards in size. 27 Inches isn't the biggest screen available obviously but I'm so used to it that I know I probably wouldn't enjoy a downsize even though there's a few 24 inch models that fit my price point. Then again if it's a decent screen at that size and makes Witcher 3 somehow look even better..

Okay, I'll put it on the consideration list for now. Also on the list of requirements:

-HDMI (Which really isn't an issue, it's 2021 and they all come with HDMI)

-Around the $200-250 price mark. Budget for sure because I have other things I need to buy, like a car battery etc

-If it came was as many inputs at the M2700HD did I'll be stoked. Short of an aerial point, you could plug a tonne of stuff into it!

-Good for decent bouts of writing. My eyes get tired when writing and editing and cheap monitors don't help things. I've got a few more books in the pipeline currently and having a monitor that doesn't give me the occasional headache would be awesome.

-Another BenQ option would be awesome. I've gone through two now and they were both brilliant. (The one before this was the E2200HD which was part of my arcade cabinet, again another classifieds bargain.)

-A brand I've at least heard something about (so nothing from AliExpress then! :D)

-Looks don't matter. Have you seen my writing desk? It looks like it's survived Armageddon and come back begging for more.

SO ON THE POSSIBILITY LIST ATM

(I've also included Amazon links when available if you're in the same market as I am and prefer to read up and buy your monitors online)

BenQ EW2780Q - $299 (SCORPTEC) (Amazon)

BenQ GW2780 - $289 (MWAVE) (Amazon)

Samsung LC27F390FHEXXY - $299 (Good Guys) Ooh, curved screen! Also it's $24 cheaper if you purchase it through Amazon.com.au

Lenovo 66B8KAC6AU D27-30 - $249 (Good Guys)

Msi MP271 FHD - $269 (Harvey Norman) (Amazon) One of the better ones for video apparently. Not that I do video stuff constantly but still..

Acer UM.HS0SA.B01 $229 (Amazon.com.au) - Interestingly this has 5 star reviews, 2 star reviews and 1 star reviews but no 3 and 4 gradings. People either love it or hate it..

Acer QG271 - $249 (Officeworks) The handy thing is there is an Officeworks on the way to my work..

TELL ME OF YOUR EXPERIENCES!

Got any of the models above? Love it, hate it, broken it, married it, somewhere in between? Let me know! In the meantime I'll be busy scrimping money away until I can find another bargain one like my old BenQ.. 

ONE WEEK LATER

After spending a couple of weeks monitor less and looking for ways to keep me entertained (which amounted to spending a lot of time on my phone, looking at monitors and their reviews) I decided to try the old BenQ one more time. And surprise, it came good!

For all of five minutes.

I got 100 words into writing my latest book before this happened. Yeah that's not great.

(A shout out to my mate Trent who believes it may be a ribbon problem somewhere in there. Possibly but after working like a demon, I think this one's finally earned a rest.) So let's introduce its replacement!

SO WHICH ONE DID I GO WITH?

In the end I chose.. The Samsung. Only the 24 inch version instead of the 27 because of the price and the fact that writing on it now, it fits my desk space quite well.

Ignore the rubbish desk under it, the monitor is what we're getting into today. Let's unbox and make millions doing it like those unboxers on Youtube!

For a start the weight of this Samsung LC24F390 is significantly lighter than the M2700HD. The BenQ felt heavy enough to use as a weapon and as long as the soundbar on it didn't snap off, you could still plug it in after the attack and play some Borderlands with it. The Samsung doesn't have half the heft which makes it easier to position around and carry in the box when bringing home.

I remember my first ever HDMI cable set me back a stonking $80 (and I don't even have that pricey bastard around anymore.) This monitor comes with one for free! It's not very long though but still managed to reach the back of my tower okay so that's fine.

Since I haven't bought a new monitor in forever, the handle on the locking screw is probably not new at all but it is to me because I can never find a screwdriver when I need it. Putting the three bits together is painfully easy.

The problem with having anything new on this desk of doom is the fact that it will make the desk look even more rubbish than it already is. That goo that looks like a Predator just killed a Xenomorph and drenched the place in alien blood is dried woodworking glue from an unfortunate spill. I let it dry, I'm chipping away at it, it's getting there slowly. That'll teach me for doing crafty stuff at my writing desk.

My phone isn't doing this justice, it's very clear to look at.

SAMSUNG LC24F390

THE GOOD

-Paid $224 for it via Officeworks and there's plenty in stock in case this one breaks somehow. Hilariously I remember paying $219 for a pretty basic 19 inch LG Monitor over a decade ago so great to see you get some more features for the same price point all these years on.

-The curve looks good (and you get used to it pretty quick seated directly in front of it)

-Stupidly easy to put together.

-'This makes your desk look so much bigger' - Wifey

-Light

-In it's current clean condition,  this screen makes my work area seem semi professional. This look of course will not last, given how my desk attracts various crap on a daily basis.

-Games are looking great on this thing. I don't play the most graphically intense latest and greatest (so yeah, no Cyberpunk then) but Grid 2019 looks super crisp on this setup now especially the little details like the way the rain sticks to the back of your car. Amazing.

-Movies are nice and clear too

THE NOT SO GOOD

-No height adjustment. It can tilt though so I'm okay with that.

-Took me a few minutes to get it to make mates with my RX570, specifically Freesync mode. The AMD software was telling me it wasn't supported where from reading, I knew it was on board. Finally a post on Reddit solved it you need to enable it on the screen itself via the small toggle button at the back of the screen. Once that happened the screen and the software were the best of friends. Happy days.

-No speakers but that's okay, I'm still using my Logitechs from donkeys ago. (Although knowing my luck, they'll be the next to die. 

Loving it so far, top job Samsung!