Gaming Monitor Roundup 2014

Philips 242G5DJEB Review

Manufacturer: Philips
UK price: £273.50 (inc VAT)

Specifications

• Screen size 24in
  
• Resolution 1,920 x 1,080
  
• Refresh rate 144Hz
  
• TFT-panel type TN
  
• 3D support No
  
• Overdrive Yes
  
• Inputs VGA, DVI, 2 x HDMI, DisplayPort
  
• Audio HDMI audio out, 3.5mm audio in
  
• Extras USB hub, SmartKeypad
  
• Dimensions (mm) 566 x 220 x 389 (517) (W x D x H)
  
• Portrait mode Yes
  
• Weight 6.35kg
  
• Mount VESA 100mm

These days, Philips is a brand of the same company that also manufactures AOC screens, although the business arrangements are somewhat different. AOC is the commercial brand of TPV Technology, while Philips is a brand of MMD, a wholly owned subsidiary of TPV that has a license agreement with Philips to sell monitors using the Philips brand. Confused yet? No need – the bottom line is that Philips and AOC monitors are often surprisingly similar, although the former tend to look a bit fancier and offer some upmarket options absent on the more budget oriented sister-brand.


The unlikely named 242G5DJEB is in many ways similar to AOC’s G2460Pqu, but also shows some differences. For example, it has two HDMI inputs, rather than one, including MHL support – but also has both VGA and DisplayPort, as well as dual-link DVI. It also features a USB 3.0 hub with four connectors including a rapid charging port. Also, it comes with a so-called SmartKeypad, a small keypad that allows you to quickly choose certain monitor presets – it's a handy way of avoiding the often fiddly on-screen menus.


In short, it's a very full-featured monitor and as such significantly more expensive than the simpler AOC model. Performance is different too, and more balanced, although this monitor clearly is not aimed at photo editing enthusiasts. The default colour temperature is too high, as is the minimum brightness. Thankfully, the maximum brightness is also very high, and the contrast ratio is almost spot on 1000:1 – we’ve certainly seen worse. Grayscale accuracy is pretty good, but colour rendition is not good enough. However, you buy a screen like this for its game playing prowess and that means speed above all – here the 242G5DJEB performs quite well, although the faster overdrive settings do show more artefacts than we would like. The energy consumption is somewhat lower than average, another plus for Philips.


In short, the 242G5DJEB is a very fancy, complete gaming monitor that we would be hard-pressed not to recommend, but the price is on the high side.