23" Monitors: Comparison and Review

23" monitors offer many advantages over smaller screens; most notably, this class almost always boasts resolutions of at least 1920x1080. If you need a monitor with plenty of screen space, or the capability to play 1080p movies, 23" monitors are a great choice.

Introduction to Our Selection

For this round up, we selected 3 23'' monitors to compare, based on certain criteria: price, features, and quality. Our source for these monitors was Newegg.com, though you can most likely find any of them at other online stores, or even a brick and mortar electronics retailer, such as Best Buy. Here are the monitors, in no particular order:

Acer X233Hbd

Samsung 2343BWX

LG M237WD-PM

Acer X233Hbd ($170)

The Acer X233Hbd is the least expensive LCD in our roundup, and it's actually the cheapest 23" we've seen. Acer is one of the most prolific manufacturers of computer monitors around the world. Generally, they're known as a buget brand, but Acer monitors are as solid as any high-quality part, without the accompanying price tag.

This Acer model has a resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p) so it's sufficient for watching full HD movies. A 5ms response time means this monitor is good for gaming as well. Unfortunately, the only connection options on this monitor are DVI and VGA; we'd have liked to see at least 1 HDMI input. The stand seems to be one of Acer's largest cost saving measures as the adjustment options are very limited, and the stand is somewhat flimsy.

The Good:

+Price

+Screen Quality

The Bad:

-Lack of HDMI Inputs

-Low Quality Stand

Samsung 2343BWX ($230)

Samsung makes some very nice HDTVs, and this expertise tends to show through in their monitors as well. Their quality and brand recognition seems to command a bit of a price premium, however, as the cheapest Samsung 23" monitor costs $60 more than the Acer model we reviewed.

We didn't choose the Samsung 2343BWX for it's price, though, there is something that makes this monitor special. Most 23" monitors, like the Acer, come with a resolution of 1920x1080. The Samsung has packed a resolution of 2048x1152 in to the same screen space, which means the pixels will be smaller and closer together, and the resulting image will be much sharper. The rest of this monitor is not as remarkable, and the features are similar to the Acer's: 5ms response time, DVI and VGA inputs, and still no HDMI.

The Good:

+Very High Resolution

+Screen Quality

The Bad:

-Lack of HDMI Input

LG M237WD-PM ($300)

The most expensive monitor in this roundup comes from LG, who, like Samsung, are known for making HDTVs. Also like Samsung, the price on LG monitors are higher than equivalent monitors from brands like Acer.

The LG M237WD-PM comes with some features that set it apart from the rest, most notably this monitor includes a TV tuner, so you can watch HDTV without the need to install anything in your PC. It also has great connection options: besides a DVI and VGA input, it also includes 2 HDMI inputs. Otherwise, this monitor has the standard resolution of 1920x1080 and a 5ms response time.

The Good:

+TV Tuner

+Plenty of Connection Options

The Bad:

-Price

Conclusion

Each of the monitors in this roundup have their own advantages and disadvantages. The Acer's main advantage is price, but otherwise is relatively plain. Samsung's monitor has a high density screen, which produces excellent picture clarity, though it's hampered by the lack of an HDMI input. The LG model includes the most connection options and has a built-in TV tuner, but also comes with the highest price tag.

23" Monitors: Comparison and Review

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