Dell E2422H 24" Black 2021

The Dell E2422H is a basic 24-inch 1080p IPS office monitor that does the bare minimum well enough. The 250 nits brightness and 8ms response time keep it firmly in productivity territory, and the gaming score of 15.6 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know. At USD 129 from Newegg, it's a reasonable budget pick for office work. If you need anything more than email and spreadsheets, keep looking.

Let's talk about what 250 nits actually means in real life. In a typical office with fluorescent lighting, you'll be fine. Near a bright window on a sunny day, you'll be squinting. The IPS panel helps with viewing angles, so colors don't shift dramatically when you lean to the side, but the color performance itself is nothing to write home about. We're looking at 16.7 million colors, which is standard for a 6-bit panel with dithering, and the color score lands in the 16th percentile. That means most monitors in our database do better.

The 8ms response time is where the gaming score of 15.6 out of 100 comes from. For office work, you won't notice it. For fast-paced games, you'll see ghosting and motion blur. The 60Hz refresh rate is standard for productivity, but it's a generation behind what even budget gaming monitors offer now. The DisplayPort connection is a plus, since it carries both audio and video, but there's no HDMI here, which feels like an odd omission in 2024. You do get VGA, which is either a lifesaver for legacy setups or a sign of how old this design is, depending on your perspective.

The competitors in our database are mostly gaming monitors, which tells you something about where the market has moved. The LG UltraGear 27G810A-B and ASUS TUF Gaming VG34VQL1B are in a completely different league, with higher refresh rates, better color, and gaming features this Dell simply doesn't have. But they also cost significantly more. If you're comparing the E2422H to those, you're asking the wrong question.

The Acer Nitro XV272U W2bmiiprx and HP OMEN 27qs G2 are also gaming-focused, with 1440p resolution and high refresh rates. The Gigabyte M Series M27UP SA is a 4K productivity monitor that would be a better comparison for office work, but it's in a higher price bracket. The honest take is that the E2422H doesn't really compete with any of these. It competes with other budget 24-inch 1080p office monitors, and in that space, the main thing it has going for it is the Dell brand name and the IPS panel. If you can find a similar IPS monitor from a lesser-known brand for less money, that's probably the better buy.

Here's where things get interesting. The US pricing ranges from USD 129 to USD 146 across two listings, and that USD 17 spread is worth paying attention to. Newegg has the best deal at USD 129 for the refurbished unit, which is a solid price for a 24-inch IPS office monitor. At USD 146, you're getting into territory where better options start appearing.

In Canada, the spread is wider, from CAD 230 to CAD 306. That CAD 76 difference is significant, and again Newegg has the lower price. At CAD 230, this is a reasonable budget pick. At CAD 306, you're overpaying for what you get. The GBP 119 listing in the UK is about right for this class of monitor. The MXN 3,625 price in Mexico is harder to judge without local context, but it's the only listing there, so you don't have much room to shop around.

The Dell E2422H is the monitor equivalent of a reliable sedan. It's not flashy, it won't win any races, but it gets you from point A to point B without drama. This 23.8-inch IPS panel runs at 1920x1080 with a 60Hz refresh rate, and it's aimed squarely at office workers, students, and anyone who needs a second screen for spreadsheets and email. The eco-conscious design is a nice touch, though it mostly means Dell used recycled materials in the plastic housing.

What's interesting here is the positioning. Dell sells this as a budget workhorse, and the spec sheet backs that up. You get an IPS panel, which means decent viewing angles, plus a DisplayPort connection and VGA for older machines. The 250 nits of brightness is fine for indoor office lighting, but it's not going to blow you away. And at 8ms response time, this is clearly not a gaming monitor, even though the marketing copy tries to mention video games.

We're looking at a monitor that sits at the 27.2 out of 100 overall score in our database, with office use being its strongest category at 31.5. That's not a typo. This is a budget display that knows what it is, and for the right price, that's okay. The question is whether the price is right, and we'll get into that below.

If you do any kind of creative work, skip this. The color performance is in the 16th percentile of our database, which means photos and videos won't look accurate, and you'll be fighting the display the whole time. Look at something like the Gigabyte M27UP SA or a used Dell UltraSharp instead. If you're a gamer, even a casual one, the 8ms response time and 60Hz refresh rate will frustrate you. Budget gaming monitors with 144Hz panels are available for not much more money.

Also skip this if you need HDMI. It's a strange omission in 2024, and buying adapters eats into the cost savings. And if you work in a bright room or near windows, the 250 nits brightness will have you cranking the settings to max and still squinting. In that case, look for something with at least 300 nits, or consider a matte screen protector to cut glare.

For a basic office setup, the Dell E2422H is fine. If you're outfitting a call center, a reception desk, or a home office where you mostly read email and work in spreadsheets, this monitor will do the job. The IPS panel gives you better viewing angles than the TN panels you'd find in some budget alternatives, and the VESA mount support means you can put it on an arm and forget about the limited stand adjustments.

But if you're a student who occasionally games, or someone who edits photos even casually, or you just want a monitor that doesn't feel like a compromise, look elsewhere. The weak color performance and lack of HDMI are real limitations. And if you're buying for yourself rather than a company, spend a little more and get something with better brightness and connectivity. Your eyes will thank you.