Shopping around for a monitor means considering several aspects, such as size, resolution and aspect ratio. Another very important element is refresh rate. The term refers to the maximum number of times per second that an image displayed on the screen is refreshed, which is measured in hertz. You have monitors with all kinds of refresh rates — 60Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz, 360Hz. Obviously, cost of the monitor changes significantly.
For a few days, we tried the Lenovo G24-20, which comes with 165Hz refresh rate (overclock). It’s a very interesting monitor, which is good for both content consumption as well as gaming.
Perfect for FPS titles
It’s a monitor that will suit anyone interested in first-person shooting games. You may say 360Hz is available, so why not? Of course, it’s there but not everyone is willing to splurge. It’s purely situational. If you are the kind of gamer who likes PGA Golf, then 360Hz or even 165Hz won’t make any difference to the experience. But if you are someone who, for some reason, may not be willing to pay 30-40K for a monitor but wants something that actually makes a difference to the overall experience, minus bells and whistles, then this is it.
It’s a 1920x1080p full HD IPS screen that’s ideal for FPS titles. It helps if you have a powerful machine to support the monitor. Playing something like Valorant on this monitor offers quite a thrill because of all the movements.
There are also those who may not be in a position to upgrade the CPU or GPU at the moment but may look at improving other components, like memory, SSD and the monitor. It will make things appear smoother in way of responsiveness. You can shoot more accurately while changing frames. Having a higher refresh rate translates into more information reaching the eyes. Video is basically a series of images that are being shown in quick succession to offer the effect of motion.
Great for multimedia consumption
Setting up the monitor takes hardly five minutes and don’t get bogged down by the big box. First you put the monitor down on a soft surface with the screen facing down. Then attach the stand using the four screws in the box. Finally, attach the base. There are two movements you get with the monitor — up and down hydraulic as well as tilt. You cannot pan sideways, which is a drawback for those who may use the monitor for some productivity apps. The stand is quite sturdy with a wide base, so having a biggish table helps.
The full HD 23.8-inch IPS panel needs to also be seen from the perspective of someone who consumes content. There is good viewing angle and colour reproduction is respectable, ensuring you can watch movies for long hours. There is 99 per cent of sRGB colour gamut coverage and if the sRGB mode is activated, you get a high level of accuracy. You can adjust the white balance with custom levels for RGB channels, so in addition to being a gaming monitor, it’s for multimedia consumption.
In case you plan to use the monitor for productivity-oriented apps, then remember you don’t need 165Hz refresh rate. Working on Photoshop or Microsoft Office suite is making poor use of such a monitor.
One aspect we didn’t touch on while installing the monitor is on-screen menu, which can be controlled using the buttons at the back. It involves combinations you can quickly get used to but the process should be streamlined in the future.
Should you buy it?
For gamers interested in FPS titles it makes a lot of sense, also for anyone who watches a lot of video. Further, Lenovo is known for offering prolonged brand support. What Lenovo has done is address a niche customer category. Many potential customers of this monitor may not even want 360Hz refresh rate because the difference is not always perceivable. Between 60Hz and 165Hz, yes, there’s a huge difference. Lenovo G24-20 is a good all-round monitor that’s certain to thrill first-person shooter title fans.
At a glance
Device: Lenovo G24-20
Price: Rs 19,940
High notes
• 165Hz display refresh rate is excellent for those who wouldn’t like to splurge on a flagship monitor.
• Good colour reproduction
• Enough input ports
• Easy to set up
Muffled notes
• You cannot pan left or right
• The menu options are slightly difficult to operate
