A 24'' Dell monitor for under £200?

Now even Dell is marketing a 'bargain' monitor, what do you get for your money?

Dell ST2410 MARCHANDS €     Orange  1.01  Priceminister  9.90  Mypix.com  9.90  Digit-photo...  11.90  Amazon.fr  12.25  Amazon.fr m...  22.89  Compare prices

The manufacturer claims that the ST2410 is a monitor that's designed with gaming and Blu-ray video mind, providing a compromise between value, performance and style.  Behind the marketing speak, here are the important details:

• The display uses a 5 ms panel with TN technology, which will give very wide viewing angles from one side to the other, but it will look much less impressive from above and below.  There are also plenty of faster screens out there, so this isn't the best choice for gamers by any means.
• HDMI, DVI and VGA video inputs--it's great to have the choice!

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels.

• At first glance, the energy consumption seems quite reasonable, with the default settings requiring 22.5 W and a maximum of 30 W.

You can forgot about the contrast of 50 000:1, an absolutely ridiculous figure.  We'll be investigating manufacturers' claims about contrat ratios soon, but this is just one example of the problem. 

So, what do we make of it?  Is this the best screen for the money?

This is a long way from being the most impressive monitor we've seen, and it's certainly not the cheapest, but it certainly makes your money go a long way.  If you're set on a Dell monitor, then it seems like a good screen for an honest price, even if we'd prefer the HannsG HH251P--larger, at 25''--or the Samsung 2494HM, which has a height-adjustable stand.  Both are available for around the same price as the Dell ST2410.

> Products of the Year: Christmas Gift Guide 2009

> Product Survey: 23'' to 28'' LCD Monitors

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products