ViewSonic VX2479-HD-PRO Review: Best Gaming Monitor Under Rs. 10,000?

With the esports boom in the last decade, the demand for good gaming monitors has skyrocketed. Gone are the days of 60hz TN panels, and in their place are versatile high refresh rates IPS panels that have shaken up the budget gaming monitor segment. The ViewSonic VX2479-HD-PRO is a great example of prioritizing what's important to gamers while keeping costs low.

Coming in at just Rs. 9,999, the VX2479-HD-PRO provides incredible value to consumers, featuring an IPS panel, 165 Hz capabilities, and a good selection of ports. Additionally, its 1ms response time option ensures gamers aren't seeing ghosting in esports titles with fast movements. At such a low price, the question arises, what compromises have been made? 

The answer to that question is that the right tradeoffs have been made. Expensive technologies like G-Sync have been foregone to make way for more crucial features like the super-responsive IPS panel and high refresh rate. Here's a detailed look at the ViewSonic VX2479-HD-PRO and why it's a great value proposition for budget gamers.

Also read: Microsoft To Launch AI-Based "Auto Super Resolution" Feature In Upcoming Windows 11 Update
 

ViewSonic VX2479-HD-PRO: The best starting point for budding esports professionals and gamers

Specifications

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Refresh rate: 165 Hz, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) supported 
• Panel type: IPS, HDR10, LED
• Response time: 1 ms
• Color space: 8 bit (6 bit + FRC)

Specs-wise, the ViewSonic VX2479-HD-PRO ticks almost every box. To the budding esports enthusiast, three things stand above all else: Response time, refresh rate, and anti-ghosting. Thankfully, ViewSonic has listened. Less critical features like FreeSync (that add latency anyway) have been omitted, making for an extremely focused monitor that does exactly what one would expect from a budget option.

In many ways, the ViewSonic VX2479-HD-PRO outdoes its price tag. When it came to testing motion blur, the VX2479-HD-PRO posted comparable results to monitors nearly double its price bracket, featuring great picture clarity even at high movement speeds. 

However, the VX2479-HD-PRO isn't perfect. One of the biggest sacrifices made is having support for just 6-bit + FRC color spaces. While the image quality is by no means poor, the contrast offered by the monitor leaves a bit to be desired. Additionally, flipping on the 1 ms Motion Picture Response Time (MPRT) mode will drop the brightness significantly, and turn off HDR.

Design and Build Quality

• The bundled stand features no adjustability options, only offering 20 degrees of swivel 
• All-plastic monitor frame and metal stand included
• 100x100 VESA mount compatibility
• Connectivity: one 3.5 mm audio out port, two HDMI 1.4 slots, one DisplayPort 1.2 slot
• Thin bezels
• No inbuilt speakers

Coming to the design, the VX2479-HD-PRO features a clean, understated plastic frame with thin bezels and a decent stand. Unlike its more expensive counterparts, the stand for this monitor features no ergonomic features. This means that other than 20 degrees of swivel, users cannot adjust its height, tilt, or rotation. While not a huge issue, fans that require height adjustments may have to shell out a couple thousand rupees more for a stand.

Another place where ViewSonic has omitted superfluous features is the speaker. This monitor does not come with any speakers but does feature a 3.5 mm audio jack that users can directly plug into. No USB hub is present, meaning users can't directly plug a microphone into the monitor. However, considering the price point, these aren't deal-breakers.

Display Performance

• Peak brightness: 250 nits
• Contrast ratio: 1,000:1
• Viewing angles: 178º horizontal, 178º vertical
• Matte anti-glare coating
• HDR 10 support present

When it comes to display performance, the VX2479-HD-PRO requires a bit of optimization to look the best that it can. Out of the box, the default options have a few critical options set to off. First up is the overclock option present in the OSD. Without setting this to 'on,' fans won't be able to get to the advertised 165 Hz refresh rate.

HDR mode does provide a decent uplift to image clarity, provided users calibrate the HDR profile on Windows to their liking. However, turning on 1 ms Motion Picture Response Time (MPRT) mode for better response time will turn HDR off. For most users, the 104% sRGB on this panel should be sufficient for games and light media consumption. Unfortunately, the peak brightness of the monitor is fairly low, leading to visibility issues if situated in a brightly lit room.

Gaming Performance

• Response time: 1 ms
• Motion blur reduction features: 1 ms Motion Picture Response Time Setting Available (Drops peak brightness and disables HDR)
• Overdrive: 3 Overdrive options available to reduce ghosting and blurring

This is where the monitor shines. Booting into CS:GO, Valorant, or any super high frame rate boasting titles, the VX2479-HD-PRO comes alive. Ghosting and overshoot are nearly impossible to detect and are further reduced when the 1 ms MPRT mode is turned on. This comes at the cost of brightness, but not so much to be a deal breaker.

Overdrive is present under the 'Response Time' section on the OSD under the Manual Image Adjust tab. These options are split into Standard, Advanced, and Ultra Fast. Usually choosing ultra-fast in most monitors comes with the tradeoff of inverse ghosting when dealing with frame rates lower than the monitor's refresh rate. However, even after repeated testing of games and media at extremely low frame rates like 24 fps, ghosting and overshoot wasn't an issue at all.

Functionality

• OSD: 5-button menu navigation system
• No USB hub or other additional ports
• OSD crosshair supported

Helping users navigate the calibration menu are five On-Screen Display (OSD) buttons present at the bottom-right corner of the monitor. While not bad in any sense, having multiple buttons is a lot less intuitive than having one. LG pioneered the 'joystick' present under monitors that use directional inputs to navigate the OSD. Opting for this in future entrants would be a lot more intuitive.

While not the most fair in terms of competitive integrity, the monitor also has the option to add a crosshair to the center of the screen for players looking to center themselves with snipers. 

User Experience

• Easy and hassle-free setup process
• Menu navigation could be better using the joystick input method like in LG monitors
• Great response time and high refresh rate for esports titles at the cost of brightness and color accuracy

For less technically inclined users, the OSD provides a bunch of presets and color profiles that they can use as per their liking. From our testing, the sweet spot for calibration was to keep the View Mode as standard, up the brightness to max, and keep the contrast at 70. USB ports are not present on the monitor to plug peripherals into, meaning users with shorter cables may run into a few issues. Other than that, driver setup and usage were flawless, truly fitting the plug-and-play moniker.

Conclusion and Verdict

• Overall the ViewSonic VX2479-HD-PRO is incredible value for the price
• The omission of cost-additive but not-so-critical features like FreeSync is welcome, making for a great starter monitor
• Color accuracy could have been better, the addition of true 8-bit color + FRC would solve this
• Peak brightness needs to be improved in successors

All in all, the ViewSonic VX2479-HD-PRO is an extremely targeted monitor that gets straight to the point. Fast, fluid, and clear gaming at very high refresh rates. This monitor is ideal for either first-time gaming PC builders or younger gamers starting their journey with esports titles but don't want to break the bank.

While the lack of an ergonomic stand is a bit of a hindrance, the extra 3-4 thousand rupees for a stand could go to more crucial components like a better mouse, keyboard, or microphone. The super competitive price point of Rs. 9,999 makes it a great value proposition even for those just looking to get a second monitor that can game.