BenQ RL2240HE 60Hz 21.5-inch LED Gaming Monitor Review

Introduction

We've got another BenQ monitor passing through the lab today. This time, the monitor we have in for testing is a 21.5-inch gaming monitor aimed at those who like playing real-time strategy (RTS) games such as League of Legends or StarCraft.

In fact, the front of the box shows the Gambit team, a team of professional League of Legends players, further adding credibility to this monitor's capabilities as an RTS gaming monitor.

We're going to put it through our again updated monitor regimen. We've added more aspects to our monitor reviews, as you'll soon see when clicking through the review, so sit down, have a drink, and let's get on with it.

Specifications, General Features & Pricing

Instead of covering all of the specifications, we're going to direct you at the chart below, taken from BenQ's product page. After the image, we're going to highlight some of the more important specs before moving on to the features, pricing, and gaming specific features.

In the chart above, you can see we're dealing with a 21.5-inch panel that pumps out a resolution of 1920x1080. It has a spec'd brightness of 250cd/m^2 and a dynamic contrast ratio of 12,000,000:1.

The panel is of the TN variety, meaning color reproduction and viewing angles will be affected, but it reduces the cost of the monitor. BenQ rates the viewing angles at 170/160 horizontal/vertical. It features VGA, DVI, HDMI, and a headphone jack for connectivity.

BenQ says the monitor draws 21 watts, a spec we will put to the test later on in the review.

This is really a no-frills monitor, providing only what you need to get a great RTS gaming product. Of course, it has rapid 1ms GTG response time. It also features the ability to adjust the monitor screen size to your liking.

Gaming Specific Features

As with most, if not all, BenQ monitors, we have ZeroFlicker technology, that is designed to eliminate flickering at all brightness levels. ZeroFlicker should allow for extended gaming with reduced eye fatigue.

Next we have an important feature for the RTS game category: Black eQualizer. This is a feature that BenQ has added to brighten up dark scenes without over-exposing the white levels. The idea is that hidden details in dark parts of the scene will be brighter and easier to spot, track, and attack.

Of course, BenQ has packed in exclusive RTS modes that are tuned to bring out the details in various RTS games. Picture modes are how you access these preset settings. RTS 1 mode is for StarCraft II, and RTS 2 is for Dota II.

PRICING: You can find the BenQ RL2240HE Gaming Monitor for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The BenQ RL2240HE Gaming Monitor retails for $159.99 at Amazon.

Canada: The BenQ RL2240HE Gaming Monitor retails for CDN$179.97 at Amazon Canada.