A budget 1080p gaming panel with punch
The Dell 27 S2721HGF holds a PCMag Editors’ Choice award among gaming monitors and was only $229.99 the last time we checked Dell’s site. You wouldn’t think you could find an even better bargain, but the Dell 24 S2421HGF pulls it off: This $199.99 display, though obviously smaller (23.8 inches diagonal) and not curved, deftly balances many of the elements that gamers are looking for in a single, sturdy package. Wearing AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible badges, the 144Hz monitor puts up stellar gaming performance for the price and showed very little ghosting or screen tearing during our testing. Its content creation bona fides are close to nil, but outside of that usage scenario, we found a lot to love for the cash-strapped gaming set. The S2421HGF earns its own Editors’ Choice award as a low-cost, small-measure gaming panel. Designed to Get the Job Done Based on TN (twisted nematic) technology, the Dell 24 S2421HGF combines full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) resolution with a 144Hz refresh rate. The monitor cabinet is mounted on a stand that is impressively well-designed and sturdy considering the monitor’s low price, and it allows for just under 4 inches of height adjustment and tilting through a range of -5 to 21 degrees. The monitor is also compatible with VESA mounts and light in weight (7.44 pounds without the stand). If you’re looking for RGB mood lighting, you’ll have to turn to Dell’s more premium offerings under the Alienware brand. The front and back of this panel are strictly utilitarian. Well, almost strictly: The Dell logos on the bezel and back of the unit are rainbow fluorescent, so if you shine a light on them at just the right angle, it’s basically the same thing…right? At right rear are the screen controls, led by a five-way joystick for navigating the onscreen display (OSD) menu, with four programmable settings buttons lined up vertically underneath.
