BenQ GW2490 23.8" Black 2024

The BenQ GW2490 earns a 4.6/5 from over 20,000 reviews, putting it in the 95th percentile for social proof. The 100Hz refresh rate and 99% sRGB IPS panel are solid for the price, though the 250 nits brightness keeps display quality in the 22nd percentile. It's a great budget pick for office work and dual-monitor setups, especially if you find it near the USD 75 end of the range.

The 100Hz refresh rate is the headline spec here, and it's a genuine step up from the 60Hz panels most budget monitors still ship with. Scrolling feels smoother, and even casual gaming gets a little extra fluidity. The 5ms response time is about average for an IPS panel at this price, so don't expect competitive gaming chops, but it's perfectly fine for productivity and light play. Adaptive-Sync support is a nice bonus if you pair it with a compatible GPU.

Where the GW2490 falls short is raw display performance. The 250 nits brightness is underwhelming, and the 22nd percentile display ranking reflects that. Color coverage at 99% sRGB sounds impressive until you realize that's table stakes for IPS panels in 2024. The 8-bit panel handles gradients fine, but this isn't a monitor for color-critical work. It's a workhorse, not a show pony.

Against the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQL5A or the LG UltraGear 27GS75Q-B, the GW2490 gets outclassed on paper. Those are 27-inch panels with higher refresh rates and better color performance. But they also cost significantly more. The Acer Nitro XV272U W2bmiiprx and Samsung Odyssey LS27BG402ENXGO are in a similar boat, bigger and faster but pricier. The GW2490's real competition is other 24-inch budget monitors, and there it holds its own thanks to the 100Hz refresh rate and BenQ's eye-care features. If you need a second monitor or a compact desk setup, this makes more sense than stretching for a 27-inch panel you don't have room for.

Here's where things get interesting. US pricing spans USD 75 to USD 115 across 8 listings, a USD 40 spread that's worth paying attention to. At the low end, this monitor is an absolute steal. At the high end, you're creeping into territory where better panels start appearing. Canadian buyers face an even wider gap, CAD 110 to CAD 354 across 6 listings, which is a CAD 244 spread. That's wild. Shop around and don't pay anywhere near the top of that range. The value proposition holds up best when you snag it closer to the floor.

The BenQ GW2490 hits a 4.6 out of 5 across 20,403 reviews, and that social proof lands in the 95th percentile of our database. People genuinely like this thing. It's a 24-inch 1080p IPS panel with a 100Hz refresh rate, 99% sRGB coverage, and BenQ's eye-care tech baked in. For a budget monitor, that's a surprisingly coherent package.

But the numbers tell a more nuanced story. Display quality sits in the 22nd percentile, color in the 38th, and features in the 21st. This isn't a monitor that wins spec sheet battles. It wins on value, reliability, and the fact that it just works for everyday office and home use. The 250 nits brightness is fine for indoor work but won't impress anyone near a window.

Skip this if you need a bright, color-accurate display for photo or video work. The 250 nits brightness and 38th percentile color ranking won't cut it for professional creative tasks. Gamers chasing high refresh rates should also look elsewhere, the 100Hz panel and 5ms response time are fine for casual play but fall short of what competitive players need. And if USB-C connectivity is a must-have for your laptop setup, the lack of that port is a dealbreaker. The 21st percentile feature ranking means you're getting the essentials and not much else.

The BenQ GW2490 is a budget monitor that knows exactly what it is. The 4.6-star rating from 20,403 reviews isn't an accident, people buy this thing, use it daily, and recommend it to others. The 100Hz refresh rate and IPS panel deliver a genuinely pleasant experience for office work, browsing, and light gaming. The eye-care features are a real differentiator if you stare at a screen all day. Just don't expect it to punch above its weight on brightness or color accuracy. At USD 75, it's a no-brainer. At USD 115, you should think harder.