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post #11 of 19
6/14/12 at 12:29am
  • PCM2
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What GPU do you have and how do you have the BenQ connected up?
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post #12 of 19
6/14/12 at 1:04am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PCM2 View Post

What GPU do you have and how do you have the BenQ connected up?

I have a GTX 680 and the Benq is connected via DVI-D cable for 120hz
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post #13 of 19
6/14/12 at 1:37am
Hey I have basically the same setup. GTX 670 + BenQ XL2420t.

I messed with my settings a ton when I first got the monitor and was pretty disappointed I couldn't get the colors right. I finally fixed it and it's quite beautiful in comparison to anything I tried before.

There are two things you need to change. First, I think this monitor really struggles at low brightness. Set brightness at 85-100. Secondly, go into your Nvidia Control Panel and set digital vibrance to 55 (default = 50). In BF3 I often use 65 but 55 is great for the desktop.

I can get the rest of my settings to you tomorrow after work. If I forget, just PM me and ask.

Enjoy! thumb.gif
Edited by BDillon - 6/14/12 at 1:39am
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post #14 of 19
6/14/12 at 1:42am
You have tried TFTCentral's settings right?

Picture Mode: Standard
Gamma: 1
Brightness: 5
Contrast: 50
Colour Temperature: User Mode
RGB: 96, 99, 95
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post #15 of 19
6/14/12 at 1:45am
  • PCM2
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That could have something to do with the discrepancy between what you are seeing and what was observed on our review sample. For this review we were using an AMD setup. Colours appear slightly richer and more vivid on modern AMD GPUs (all else being equal) and this certainly reflects feedback we have received from Nvidia users who have ventured into things like 'Digital Vibrancy Control' (DVC) settings to try to add a bit more 'pop' to the XL2420T's image. That could certainly be worth a shot if all else fails, but don't overdo it as all you do is stretch out and oversaturate colours and reduce shade variety by going too heavy on the DVC.

Before going there it is worth bearing in mind that Gamma Modes '4' and '5' produce an average gamma of around 2.4-2.6. This means dark shades appear darker, richer and more saturated than they should whilst light shades appear lighter (and more washed out you might say). In addition to this the BenQ XL2420T adjusts the tone response at the low end even in standard mode. In other words it effectively applies the 'Black eQualizer' to some degree even in modes where it appears greyed out (including Standard Mode). This lightens dark areas - coupled with the gamma settings this could be causing quite some reduction in shade distinction. These concepts are explored in the review and so is the idea that the monitor has a lot of settings to play with and you shouldn't be afraid to experiment.

TLDR; don't take the settings as gospel. Nvidia and AMD GPUs output the image slightly differently and each individual BenQ is different. Experiment with different gamma modes, keep the colour balance at default and reduce the channels individually if you feel the need and perhaps even experiment with Digital Vibrancy Control.
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post #16 of 19
6/14/12 at 1:50am
  • B!0HaZard
  • HaZardously high overclocks are what I do
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carnaged View Post

After trying this some more today I am becoming much more used to it and liking what it can do alot more. I play mostly in a dark room so I am noticing that on games that I am testing like Darksiders for example my brightness setting in game is set as low as it can go. However I am seeing in games that have a brightness slider that no matter how low I go I can always still see the object that I am calibrating against. Just seems a little odd that I am turning everything down so low, I know I am playing in a dark room but still.

The XL2420T has excellent black levels and you'll be able to distinguish black/shades of dark gray extremely well. You shouldn't expect to make any calibration image go completely black. For example in Diablo 3, the grey Diablo head will always be visible and in CSS the "barely visible" will always be readable. This is because the XL2420T is an FPS gaming monitor, it needs good black levels to ensure that you can always see your opponent.

Also, when you're changing "brightness" in a game, you're actually changing gamma, so you're royally messing up your colors when doing that.
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post #17 of 19
6/14/12 at 2:20am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the responses everyone really appreciate it, I have tried the TFTCentral settings and I use the colour profile as well and it makes a difference on desktop it makes it look much better. However I hear what people are saying that it has to have good black levels as a fps monitor but there must be something wrong. Take darksiders for example and Max Payne 3 I have to turn the brightness totally down otherwise it's washed out and although there are shadows it's so bright sill that you can't even tell its dark. I put the same game on my Asus IPS and without any adjustments it looks fine and the dark detail is there as I said before. I have my brightness set to around 30 as below that you do lose some colour depth but it doesn't improve the washed out look to black level. I would seem no matter what I do the brightness of the image is too high.
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post #18 of 19
6/14/12 at 5:00am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PCM2 View Post

That could have something to do with the discrepancy between what you are seeing and what was observed on our review sample. For this review we were using an AMD setup. Colours appear slightly richer and more vivid on modern AMD GPUs (all else being equal) and this certainly reflects feedback we have received from Nvidia users who have ventured into things like 'Digital Vibrancy Control' (DVC) settings to try to add a bit more 'pop' to the XL2420T's image. That could certainly be worth a shot if all else fails, but don't overdo it as all you do is stretch out and oversaturate colours and reduce shade variety by going too heavy on the DVC.
Before going there it is worth bearing in mind that Gamma Modes '4' and '5' produce an average gamma of around 2.4-2.6. This means dark shades appear darker, richer and more saturated than they should whilst light shades appear lighter (and more washed out you might say). In addition to this the BenQ XL2420T adjusts the tone response at the low end even in standard mode. In other words it effectively applies the 'Black eQualizer' to some degree even in modes where it appears greyed out (including Standard Mode). This lightens dark areas - coupled with the gamma settings this could be causing quite some reduction in shade distinction. These concepts are explored in the review and so is the idea that the monitor has a lot of settings to play with and you shouldn't be afraid to experiment.
TLDR; don't take the settings as gospel. Nvidia and AMD GPUs output the image slightly differently and each individual BenQ is different. Experiment with different gamma modes, keep the colour balance at default and reduce the channels individually if you feel the need and perhaps even experiment with Digital Vibrancy Control.

I did ask on another forum about black equalizer as I feared that may have been playing a role, I really like the feel of 120hz but not when I have to lower in game brightness so much. If its a shadow I want it to look like a shadow I don't want to lighten it in standard mode. Just can't see myself gaming on this which is a shame to much of a compromise currently.

I have switched to Gamma mode 4 and the shadows are much better than 1, I think 1 is washing out too much by looking too bright.
Edited by Carnaged - 6/14/12 at 2:03pm
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post #19 of 19
6/14/12 at 2:53pm
My settings are below and it makes BF3 look beautiful. As I said above, this monitor really struggles at low brightness settings. You'll have to deal with the high brightness if you want the colors to be anywhere close to "true".

Monitor Settings:
Picture Mode: Standard
Brightness 85 or 90
Contrast 50
Sharpness 5
Gamma 4
Color Temp ---> user mode 98 98 100

Nvidia Control Panel Settings:
Desktop Use:
check the "Other application control color settings" option
Digital Vibrance = 56% (default = 50%)

Gaming Use:
For lighter maps, I check the "Other application control color settings" option
For darker maps, I check the "Use Nvidia Settings" option and use the following:
All Channels
Brightness = 37%
Contrast = 60%
Gamma = 1.28
Digital Vibrance =66% (default = 50%)

See how that works for you and report back.
-Dillon
Edited by BDillon - 6/20/12 at 6:30am
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