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The holy grail of PC paneldom is a screen that marries the best attributes of all available monitors, ditches the bad bits and does it all at price you can afford. That the ViewSonic VP2365-LED doesn't pull that off is no surprise. But it comes awfully, awfully close - much closer than any screen that's even in the same postcode or price.
The 24-inch proportions and 1920 x 1080 resolution are nothing special. In truth we prefer the slightly less widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio and more vertical pixels in the form of a 1920 x 1200 grid. But the panel itself is really something special.
The sparkle-free anti glare coating gives the sort of clarity that's usually reserved for PVA screens. Meanwhile, rich colours and deep blacks smack of PVA, too.
But this is in fact an IPS screen, so you get all that and all the good stuff that comes with IPS, too. That means excellent colour accuracy and outstanding viewing angles. The only thing missing from the mix is pixel response to match the best TN screens. That's not to say the response is poor, it's just not the best available.
Strictly speaking, we'd like a little more oomph from the backlight, too. While we're being picky, there are a couple of other items on the wish list. Support for 120Hz refresh would be nice, both for those who fancy some stereoscopic 3D action and because 120Hz makes for buttery smooth visuals on the desktop and in games.
Despite the 1080p hype and the fact that it's become the de facto standard for desktop computing, we don't think the 1920 x 1080 native resolution is ideal. 1920 x 1200 is certainly preferable. Some would prefer even more pixels. We wouldn't argue.
Elsewhere there's little bad news to report. The ViewSonic VP2365-LED's chassis won't turn any heads courtesy of sheer panache. But it does deliver a sturdy base to work from and adjusts every which way - and that's what really counts.
The same goes for the ostensibly limited DVI and VGA video ports. Sure, it wouldn't hurt to have HDMI and DisplayPort as options. But if what you want is a serious PC display, DVI does what it says on the tin.
We liked
The ViewSonic VP2365-LED offers terrific image quality, a great stand and all the input options you need. For £200/$350, what more do you want?
We disliked
ViewSonic has put together such a strong package, picking holes is an exercise in pedantry. Nonetheless, the list of minor complaints includes good rather than great pixel response, less than stellar backlight strength and a dreary appearance.
Final verdict
After a long wait, the flood gates have finally opened on affordable screens based on non-TN panel technologies. The new ViewSonic VP2365-LED is one of, if not the, best of this new breed of PC monitors.
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