Replacing BenQ XL2420T - TN or IPS?

[Spaniard]

I've been rocking the BenQ XL2420T 120hz since 2012/2013, but it's time to upgrade. I mainly play fps(csgo, apex, valorant) at a fairly high level(3k elo on faceit for csgo), but I like to enjoy other games as well, like Cyberpunk, RDR2, Witcher 3, AC +++. Input lag/responsiveness is high on my priority list, but I've heard IPS panels have caught up fairly well lately. The most important thing is not "downgrading" in terms of responsiveness - I don't really care if the new TNs are 5% more responsive than new IPS' as long as new IPS is better than my old TN if that makes sense.

I'm torn between getting a new TN panel, lets say something like the XL2546K 240hz TN - or going IPS(for example VG259QM). Will the VG259QM be slower than the XL2546K by a lot, and how would the VG259QM compare to my XL2420T 120hz?

[SirensOW]

The VG259QM has lower input lag and better overall response time then the XL2546K, according to rtings.com’s review of both.

With the added benefit of the night and day image quality of the VG259QM IPS panel vs a TN, I’d say it’s a no brainer if you wanted to use it to play more casual games too.

[Ogmilkman]

The VG259QM has lower input lag and better overall response time then the XL2546K, according to rtings.com’s review of both.

With the added benefit of the night and day image quality of the VG259QM IPS panel vs a TN, I’d say it’s a no brainer if you wanted to use it to play more casual games too.

On OD modes without any ghosting this is true. At minimal ghosting with OD120 (VG259QM 280hz) and AMA High (XL2546K) the Zowie has faster G2G by ~1ms while the Asus has a faster total response time by ~1ms.

I have both of these monitors and in actual use the benefits of the IPS panel are much more noticeable than the minimally better G2G not to mention the VG259QM still has a better total response time. I also perceive the marginal difference in refresh rate (280hz vs 240hz) more than the difference in G2G. The only reason I think you should get the XL2546K over the VG259QM is if you want to use Dyac at refresh rates under 240hz or if you want to use blacklight strobing in a bright environment. 240hz and higher ELMB performs about the same as Dyac with a little crosstalk in some situations you wouldn't notice unless you were looking for it.

To state in clear terms the VG259QM is faster than the XL2546K in most cases other than G2G response times but the difference in refresh rate is more noticeable (in my opinion). Compared to your XL2420T the VG259QM will feel much faster just because of the jump in refresh rate.

[aaaaaaaanon]

I've upgraded from the XL2420T to the VG259QM. I'm also not a monitor expert or anything, I'll just talk about my experiences with it.
Also, I haven't played CSGO and Apex for a long time, I only played it a few weeks ago to test this monitor. I mostly play COD nowadays (MW19, MW3 and BO2 pluto).

The difference of input lag is quite noticeable, especially when you're able to maintain >300FPS in games. On Apex and COD I average around 180ish FPS, and there's a noticeable difference there as well. Even at "lowish" FPS (120~130) I can notice the difference of the input lag between both monitors. Not only that, but my reaction times got better as well. With the XL2420T I'd average around 180ms on humanbenchmark, with this Asus I get 165ms constantly, or even less. It really surprised me. (I'm using a Viper Mini btw, tested it on both monitors with the exact same setup)

Motion clarity wasn't THAT much better than on the BenQ, but there's noticeably less overshoot and things looks smoother. Colors were THE huge difference, IPS is just so much nicer. Apex looks great with this monitor, and if you don't care about color accuracy that much you can use digital vibrance at 100% and it'll look insanely colorful. Really, the difference is HUGE.

Overall I'd say this is a great monitor and the upgrade was worth it, but I was still expecting something closer to CRT clarity than this. I'm not saying it's bad, it's just "7/10" imho.
Unfortunately I can't use ELMB because not only I can't hit 240fps stable in the games I play, but the overdrive is locked at 80 if ELMB is on. Which means I can't even lower down the refresh rate and use it at 144Hz with ELMB on for a possibly clearer experience. I wish there was a bypass for this, but unfortunately there's not.

With that being said, if you just want to stomp people in CSGO and also get the best motion clarity as possible, get the 2546K. The only reason I haven't bought it is because it costs $1000 in my country, while I paid around $480 for the Asus. I just can't justify that price difference, and I wanted a nicer monitor as well. But as an overall monitor, this Asus is better imo. I don't think I can go back to TN anymore, even to have a better motion clarity.

[DV2FOX]

So what did you get in the end, OP?. Same boat here

[zweepz]

Why not the newer oleds? Just curious

[DV2FOX]

Maybe he works and games and doesnt wants to babysit a monitor to prevent quick burn in and replace it every few years