Acer's G24 Gaming Monitor

If you are in the market for a gaming monitor, then look no further than the Acer G24. The G24 is a decent 24-inch monitor that is perfect for gaming but not really much else. It has a bright, glossy, reflective screen with a smooth bright orange bezel. It has a 25 degree backward tilt which is basically the monitor's only ergonomic perk. The monitor also doesn't include screen height adjustment, pivoting or panel swiveling. It comes with three connection options which are DVI, HDMI and VGA which all support a 16:10 aspect ratio and 1,920x1,200-pixel native resolution. All of the connections are located on the back right side of the monitor close to the neck and are easy to access although some may complain that the HDMI slot is too close to the neck.

The display comes with a 14.2 inch wide base with two 7 inch long "toes" that extend from the neck at 45 degree angles. Due to the wide base and 16 pound weight, the monitor is fairly grounded producing minimal wobble when struck. However, if you do not like the foot stand or you prefer the wall mounted approach, then you can do so by utilizing the removable foot stand and the four screw holes to be used in conjunction with a VESA wall mount. The power button is represented by a small blue LED light in the bottom right-hand corner with the button directly underneath it. There are five buttons on the left side of the monitor which represent the monitor's left arrow button, right arrow button, menu button, auto button and an "e" button. The "e" button displays the available presets when pressed which include User, Standard, Movie, Text and Graphics. The main difference between these presets is their differences in brightness and color temperatures. The rest of the OSD includes color temperature controls, brightness and contrast.

Reports have come in, however, that trying to navigate the OSD is complicated and frustrating. The different categories on the OSD are not represented by words but rather symbols. Each symbol is aligned horizontally along two rows and can be navigated to by using the arrow keys on the front of the monitor. A symbol of a sun represents the controls for brightness and contrast which you can also get to by using the arrow keys. You select each option by pressing the menu button once you have highlighted the desired symbol which brings up another menu. From this point you chose one of two different options aligned vertically. Select the bottom option via the arrow and menu key, then use the arrow key and menu button again to select the brightness option and then use the arrow key again to select adjust your brightness. Most people find this method old fashioned and ultimately frustrating.

But where this monitor really excels at is games. The display's super-high-gloss screen and high brightness make games look really impressive. The high gloss really makes the colors pop and results in vibrant images. Games also feel a bit faster an more responsive then they do on some other monitors. For the optimal viewing angle you are going to want to be directly in front of the monitor about a quarter of the screen's distance down from the top. The Acer uses a TN+Film panel, which adds extra gloss to the screen. However, this extra gloss doesn't make well for using the monitor for non-entertainment purposes. Heavy backlight bleeding and reflections in the super glossy paneling make it hard to watch movies unless directly in front of the monitor. Like mentioned before, this monitor is great for gaming but isn't recommended for much else than that. You can get this monitor for a price somewhere between $359 to $399.