ViewSonic XG2530: 25 inch 240 Hz FreeSync monitor

Presentation

The mode is with 240 Hz tiles on the side of gaming monitors. Like the BenQ Zowie XL2540, the AOC Agon AG251FZ or even the Acer Predator XB252, the ViewSonic XG2530 operates a 25-inch Full HD TN panel (1,920 x 1,080 px) (≈63.5 cm)) supporting a refresh rate of 240 Hz. It is comparable to the Agon model by its FreeSync compatibility which avoids the problems inherent in vertical synchronization, such as tearing of the image (tearing) and micro-slowdowns, but does not offer not the same ergonomics.

The ViewSonic XG2530 retails for around € 500, slightly more expensive than its main competitor the Agon AG251FZ (€ 480).

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Ergonomics

For a monitor intended for gamers, the ViewSonic is rather sober. It is entirely black except for a red border on the foot and the XG logo on the foot. The TN panel has a mat treatment which eliminates almost all of the reflections.

The rear is of the same ilk. The red border is the only gaming key. There are no small additional accessories like a helmet holder or an external remote control.

The stand ensures good stability of the monitor and also allows rotation through ± 45 °. The amplitude of rotation is good. However, there is no marker to correctly position the screen in the center.

The monitor is adjustable in height by 12 cm and in inclination from -5 ° to + 15 °. The pivot also allows the transition to portrait orientation, which can be used to access the connectors more quickly. We note in passing the fairly basic cable management system.

The connection is quite limited, especially compared to that of the Agon AG251FZ. The ViewSonic XG2530 only has a DisplayPort input, two HDMI inputs, two USB 3.0 ports and a headphone output. For example, we would have appreciated the presence of one or more USB ports on the edge. The monitor also has two 2 W speakers, sufficient for watching videos on YouTube, but which will not replace a dedicated speaker kit. Finally, the power supply is integrated into the screen.

As usual, access to the OSD via the five buttons located at the base of the panel is not very practical. Handling errors are frequent, and the ignition button located right next to it is no stranger to this. We continue to prefer navigation using a joystick, which is much more practical and intuitive. The interface is quite clear.

With a white set at 150 cd / m² on our test pattern, the ViewSonic XG2530 consumes 16 W, ie a relative consumption of 93 W / m². A figure in line with the average consumption of the monitors tested (100 W / m²). At a minimum, the monitor consumes 14 W (80 cd / m²) and a maximum of 26 (377 cd / m²).

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Colors and contrast

Default: average temperature at 6,690 K.

Default: gamma curve at 2.1.

Default: Delta E average at 3.4.

Out of the box, the ViewSonic XG2530 is doing much better than the Agon AG251FZ. The gamma and temperature curves are fairly stable with respective averages of 6,690 K and 2.1, close to the reference values (6,500 K and 2.2). The monitor even ensures a certain fidelity in terms of colors with a delta E measured at 3.4, very slightly above the threshold of 3 beyond which the human eye perceives a difference between the shades. Only the drift of red and green is notable.

Manual setting: average temperature at 6,630 K.

Manual adjustment: gamma curve at 2.2.

Manual adjustment: average delta E at 3.3.

We lowered the brightness to 28 in order to obtain a white calibrated at 150 cd / m². The temperature curve retains the same behavior, but the average drops slightly in order to get a little closer to the 6,500 K reference. The gamma curve goes up to lock in on the reference value. The color reproduction improves a little with a delta E which drops to 3.3.

Default: average temperature at 6,750 K.

Default: gamma curve at 2.2.

Default: Delta E average at 2.4.

Starting from the previous settings, we calibrated the screen using a calibration probe and suitable software. This makes it possible to smooth the temperature and gamma curves perfectly. The colors are faithful, with a delta E of only 2.4, but the red, green and yellow still display a fairly large drift.

The contrast is good enough for a monitor. We measured it at 970: 1, a rate much higher than that measured on the Agon AG251FZ (670: 1). However, blacks still appear gray in full black. For comparison, the best models manage to exceed 4,000: 1, like the Eizo Foris FG2421 or the Philips BDM4037UW.

The average difference in white is only 4% on the whole screen, a fairly good value for a 25-inch screen. TN technology requires, the viewing angles are very reduced. Even from the front, we can observe a gradient from top to bottom on a uniform background.

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Reactivity

Like all 25 inch 240 Hz monitors, the ViewSonic XG2530 does not use Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to vary its brightness. This avoids the flicker associated with the decrease in brightness which causes headaches and eyestrain in some people. So there is no such problem with this monitor.

It manages FreeSync between 24 and 240 Hz and therefore works optimally when the graphics card sends between 24 and 240 images per second. In this case, the fluidity is there and the image does not suffer from tearing problems or jerks (micro-stuttering). This is the first FreeSync screen that we have tested to be able to go down as low (24 Hz). FreeSync compatibility is thus ensured over the full range of use of the monitor. Finally, we always note the absence of a backlight scanning system (ULM mode, Ultra Low Motion Blur, at some manufacturers or more recently DyAc at BenQ). It is therefore not possible to improve the sharpness of moving objects thanks to the scanning of the backlight.

The TN panel is very reactive (average remanence time of 4 ms), but not faster than those of the BenQ Zowie XL2540 and Acer Predator XB252Q flashed at 3.5 ms. The overdrive pushed to the maximum does not cause a reverse ghosting effect, but also does not improve the response time. With a response time of 4 ms, pixels can change state 250 times per second - enough to display the promised 240 frames per second.

Finally, the big weak point of this model remains the delay in the display. We measured it at 33 ms, twice as much as that of the Agon AG251FZ. This is all the more damaging as this screen operates at 240 Hz. It therefore displays an image every 4 ms. With 33 ms of delay, it reaches almost 8 images of delay compared to the source. This high input lag alone destroys all the interest of this 240 Hz screen for competitors and causes the loss of a star in reactivity.

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Conclusion

In line with other 240 Hz monitors, the ViewSonic is very responsive and its FreeSync compatibility over a very wide operating range ensures perfect fluidity in all situations. It does not really stand out in terms of ergonomics and above all it is handicapped by its delay in the high display, which removes the interest of having a very responsive screen. He could have claimed 4 stars, but for a screen targeting competitors, this misstep made him lose a star on the final score.

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