BenQ RL2460HT Monitor Review

Overview

 

Now while G-Sync/FreeSync, 144Hz, 4K and Ultra Wide resolutions are hot topics there’e still many of us who Game, or want to Game in HD @ 19020×1080. After all while these latest technologies are great they all cost way more than your regular HD monitor. It is with this in mind that today I will be taking a look at, not the latest tech, but an affordable 1080p Gaming monitor from BenQ.

This is the BenQ RL2460HT a 24″ monitor designed for Gamers with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a Refresh Rate of 60Hz. In addition to this the monitor sports LED backlight, a TN panel and a 1ms Response Time, as well as a rather interesting HDMI output.

 

 

The BenQ RL2460HT arrived at pcG in what must be the scruffiest box that I’ve ever seen, I’m thinking that this monitor has been to every reviewer in the world before it got to me (maybe they’re trying to tell you something James!?). It is for this reason that you only get to see one side of the box, really you don’t want to see the other side…

 

 

As I already said the packing was in a poor state, although this is down to the fact that it looks like it’s just simply well travelled. Surprisingly everything within was in good condition, suggesting that the original packaging was more than adequate.

 

 

There’s not much in the box other than the monitor itself as the stand is pre attached. In addition to this we find the base, power cable, DVI cable and D-Sub cable, but no HDMI cable is supplied by default!? Please note that one was sent to us (above) for review purposes only.

At the time of writing the BenQ RL2460HT is currently retailing for approximately £170 on Amazon and comes with a 2 year (On-Site with BenQ – 0207 216 0039).

 

Specifications/Features

courtesy of BenQ

* Additional details available here

 

First Impressions

 

 

First impressions of the BenQ RL2460HT are somewhat simple, as one would really expect when looking at a 24″ 1080p monitor in 2016. The monitor is simple in its design yet elegant enough to grace most Gaming desktops. But this monitor is more about its image and speed than its aesthetics. Let’s take a quick tour though while we are here…

 

 

One of the first tasks that needs to be done is assembly, thankfully this couldn’t be easier. The circular base simply slots into position at the bottom of the pre installed stand and is secured by a simple thumb screw. The base itself also serves up a degree of swivel both left and right from its centred position.

 

 

Looking at the BenQ RL2460HT from the front there’s very little to see other than what you’s expect – a 24″ screen with a sizeable bezel (approx. 22mm) and a BenQ logo (in white) at the bottom centre. Over on the right side is where you’ll find all of the main controls (see below).

Looking at the monitor from the back, again there’s not much to see, but then what did you expect. Up top we have an embossed BenQ logo while the RL2460HT also is equipped with a standard VESA mount, which is always good to see. The base of the stand is also equipped with a simple cable tidy. At the top there’s a large ventilation section that allows warm air to escape, it’s (I guess) also for sound to escape as the RL2460HT also features two 2W speaker, somewhere… 😉

 

 

The controls are found on the right side bezel with the lower one being the main On/Off button with indicator LED. The LED is yellow when off and green when on. Above this there are a further five buttons that operate the OSD. The OSD itself was relatively quick and easy to use. The settings that I dialled in during my own calibration process can be seen below.

There’s also a decent degree of height adjustment (see images below) on offer with graduations marked on the arm itself (HAS Scale). While this is a little unnecessary it’s a feature that I rather like. The arm itself also offers a degree of tilt, both fore (-5°) and aft (15°) for that optimal viewing angle.

 

 

The images above show the BenQ RL2460HT at its lowest setting (55mm off of the surface) and its highest setting that see that height increase to 165mm off of the surface.

 

INPUTS & OUTPUTS

 

 

 

Rather unusually the BenQ RL2460HT also features an HDMI output that’s included for the purposes of video capture. Instead of adding a device between the output of the PC (or console) and the monitor and thus introducing lag BenQ have provided a dedicated output, cool! 🙂

 

Testing Methodology/Setup

 

The BenQ RL2460HT was tested using our Test Rig with a fresh installation of Windows 10 Home 64bit installed together with all the latest relevant drivers and software. No additional screen calibration software was used, all of the default modes were tested and then the screen was calibrated by hand and eye to the best of my ability. The settings that I used to get the image that I was happy with are shown below. Please note that they may not work for you (image quality is often somewhat subjective!) and are provided for reference purposes only.

 

 

During the review period I used the following Benchmarks and Games to help in the evaluation of the monitor.

 

 

Hardware Performance

 

I have to confess that I wasn’t expecting too much from the BenQ RL2460HT simply because of its inexpensive nature (well for a monitor!) and the fact that it uses a basic TN panel. But to my surprise when the monitor came to life I was pleasantly surprised. The picture offered up by the screen was both clear and sharp and colour reproduction seemed pretty much spot on! 😉

But I guessed as the monitor had already seen its fair share of reviews (and reviewers) that someone else had previously calibrated this monitor before it came to me and a dman fine job they have done too! But with that in mind I did the unthinkable and hunted down the Factory Reset function… 😮

 

 

After the reset the picture was, well awful to be honest! But this is common on monitors, that the factory settings are always too bright, too saturated and often overly sharp. This was exactly the case here with the RL2460HT. With that in mind I set to work calibrating the monitor to my liking and after some time (using the settings above) I reached an image that I was more than happy with. One of the settings that you need to watch is the Sharpness setting as I found anything much over 5 resulted in noticeable artefacting.

With the image now looking great it was time for the main event, Gaming! And I must say (again) I was impressed as not only was the image quality good there’s was no sign of any form of Input Lag or ghosting. No doubt thanks to that 1ms Response Time! In fact during Gaming with this 1920×1080 monitor I had forgot how good some of these cheaper monitors actually are. This is simply because 1080p is now so common, that panel prices (and therefore monitor prices) have tumbled. To be honest I’ve not really good a bad thing to say about the BenQ RL2460HT.

But that’s only if you accept it for what it is; what is that I here you ask? Well it’s a 24″ 1920×1080 60Hz 1ms Response Time Gaming monitor, ohh with an HDMI output for video capture purposes also, and a damn good one at that.

 

Final Thoughts

 

The BenQ RL2460HT may be a simple 24″ 1920×1080 monitor with a 60Hz Refresh Rate and a 1ms Response Time, but it’s more than just that. As not only is it a decent looking monitor with a great picture (after calibration) but also thanks to that Response Time there’s zero perceivable Lag or Ghosting also. Even the price almost seems fair…

Unfortunately our test sample of the BenQ RL2460HT had obviously travelled the world as the box was plastered in courtier labels and was in a bit if a poor state of repair (hence few photos). Surprisingly the contents within were in perfect condition suggesting the packaging is more than up to the task. Once out of the box it was apparent that there was a small amount of assembly; the arm/stand was already attached to the back of the monitor via a VESA mount but the base wasn’t. No tools are required though as the base just clips into the bottom of the stand and is secured by a simple thumb screw. There’s not much in the box though other than the monitor, a Drivers CD, D-Sub cable and DVI-D cable, apparently the HDMI cable is optional!?

Once out of the box, assembled and on the desk the sheer beauty of the RL2460HT could be admired, ok, ok I’m kidding. The BenQ RL2460HT is not a good looking monitor, but neither is it a bad looking monitor, it’s simply, well and monitor a black one with a 22mm bezel. Oh, and it’s got that HDMI out port should you wish to attach a video capture device, Lag Free! 😉

Once powered up I was shocked at how good the picture was on the RL2460HT, not that I expected it to be poor, I just wasn’t expecting it to be this good. But of course this monitor had seen a reviewer or two (or is that Twenty Two) before, therefore I guessed that it had been calibrated before arriving at pcG. With that in mind I hunted down the Factory Reset function and rather stupidly activated it! As I suspected the picture quality plummeted and I thought at this point that maybe I’d made a mistake, but at least now I know what it’s likely to be like when YOU get it!

I then set about calibrating the monitor myself, which actually turned out to be relatively easy process, thanks to a decent and quite quick OSD. The settings that I opted for can be seen above (see Testing Methodology/Setup) and with those settings dialled in I was more than happy with the picture on offer. Just be careful with that Sharpness setting as much over 5 tends to result in artefacts. Also I set Advanced Motion Accelerator (AMA) to high as there seemed to be ghosting on the higher setting. Overall though I was happy with the image offered up by this TN panel. I was even happier with its 1ms Response Time as in Game there was no sign of any form of Lag or Ghosting, when AMA was set at High.

The BenQ RL2460HT is a good example of a good all round product, there’s nothing here that really wows and there’s also no woes either. Everything the monitor does it does well, even the price seems almost reasonable. So if you’re looking for a fast 24″ 1920×1080 monitor for Console or PC Gaming then you should give the RL2460HT a look, especially if you plan on using the monitor’s HDMI output for Lag Free video capture.

 

Verdict

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Many thanks to BenQ for providing this sample for review