ASUS ML248H: Thin for the Win?
by Chris Heinonen on October 27, 2011 12:00 AM ESTLag Measurements and Gaming
The lag measurements for the ASUS ML248H are pretty good overall, as that is one area where a TN panel can outperform other display types. The average result of 7ms is less than half a frame of lag when you run at the normal 60 Hz refresh rate for an LCD. Looking carefully at the data just over half of the results had no lag at all when compared to the CRT, and the other half suffered from what would be considered one frame of lag. Enabling or disabling Trace Free mode doesn’t seem to affect the results, but it does affect how the monitor looks.
During normal work, like word processing or web browsing, I found that Trace Free has a strange ghosting effect when scrolling text up or down in a window, and it’s something that I found distracting. Disabling this setting gave me more normal results and so I typically left it off. I tried both modes for gaming but I was not able to notice a particular difference. Perhaps I just don’t play games enough—or I’m not good enough—to notice the difference in response times, but in my experience there isn’t a difference. Compared to the E-IPS and *VA panels I also tested recently, I had no noticeable differences for gaming performance.
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Exodite - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link
Gladly.Point being that not everyone appreciates, or even sees, the same thing.
Displays are entering an era of holier-than-thou douchebaggery (I just made up a word!) that has long been reserved for audiophiles.
The analogy is apt, I've yet to come across a modern computer where I've considered it worth the money to upgrade from integrated audio solutions.
Same holds for TN vs. IPS, PVA/MVA etc.
Broheim - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link
lol@"TN is still the best", IPS is superior in every way except for response time, not just color reproduction... and e-IPS is damned cheap.Xajel - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link
for that price, I think it's okay, but there's better solutions...the most con. - for me - about this other than the quality of TN display is lack of VESA mount, but it's TN quality alone is a good reason to stop me from taking it !!
ProDigit - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link
I'd be glad if I won it, eventhough it's far from a winner monitor!Right now, I'm more looking into supersized monitors, that are like 38-42in in size for my PC!
rsgeiger - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link
I logged in just to say that this monitor has the ugliest bezel I have seen in my entire life! It doesn't help if it is thin if the front facing side has no redeemable qualities.I know this didn't offer much to the conversation, and I apologize for that. But i could not in good conscience let this go unchallenged.
mcturkey - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link
I have to agree with you. I don't understand the fascination with making LCDs any thinner than they already are unless you're also going to reduce the size of the bezel. Show me the 25-30" screens with 1-2MM bezels!cheinonen - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link
My issue with making these displays so thin is that it necessitates an external power brick for them, which just makes my workspace more of a cluttered mess. With TVs I understand the fascination, since they are far more likely to be wall mounted and you want them to be as unobtrusive as possible, but LED LCD TVs still have room for a regular power supply and IEC power cord instead of an external power brick. I'd rather have a larger display with no external power brick, but perhaps I am in the minority now.ProDigit - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link
I always put my bricks and cabling behind my desk. No worries, no clutter (just between the desk and the wall, where no one sees them).Exodite - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link
Word.JarredWalton - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link
The article title is a question, you'll notice, as in, "Does making this a thin monitor actually make it better?" The answer, as you can read in our conclusion, is that there's nothing particularly compelling about this particular monitor. But hey, if someone has a better article title (that isn't outright insulting to ASUS -- no reason to be rude), let's hear it.