ASUS MK241 LCD Review

Jun 17 2008, 12:00am CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Today we are going to look at the ASUS MK241 LCD and see how well it works for PC gaming and general computer work. If you are in the market for a decently priced 24-inch LCD, the ASUS MK241 could be just what you need. Read on for all the details.

Gallery

4 images

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The ASUS MK241 has the 1920 x 1200 resolution you expect from a 24-inch LCD. Its response time is 2ms and the contrast ratio is dynamic 3000:1. The maximum brightness is 450 cd/m2. Inputs on the display include HDMI, DVI and VGA. The ASUS MK241 supports HDCP and has no USB ports—rather uncommon on a display today. Other features include a webcam and internal speakers.

Design
The first thing you notice when you pull the ASUS MK241 from its box is that it is an attractive display. It’s done in matte black—like 99% of all LCDs today—but has a brushed aluminum strip along the bottom of the display and on top of the circular stand base. The buttons to control the input, modes and options are on the lower right corner of the display.

One sore point for me with the ASUS MK241 is the lack of any real adjustment in the stand. You can adjust the tilt up and down only, there is no height adjustment or swivel built-in. the height of the screen will work fine for many users, those who are tall or short may find problems here.

Inputs & Use
Thanks to a source control and multiple inputs up to three devices can be connected to the display at once. That includes Blu-ray players, game consoles and any other device with HDMI or DVI inputs. The internal speakers can play sounds from HDMI sources and can be connected to your PC via an auxiliary jack.

Sound quality from the speakers is lacking severely in the bass department, something I have never heard internal monitor speakers excel at from any brand display. The web cam is a nice touch and rotates 30 degrees up and down to allow you to position the camera well. It has an array mic on the front and a mic on the rear to filter room sounds. Image quality from the webcam is decent and software is included to allow you to record video and add filters to video.

The display works well for normal computer use with nice color saturation and decent black levels. Skin tones looked natural and colors popped well. ASUS claims the display has a 130% color gamut, which is something you really can’t measure. Colors looked good though.

Ghosting was not an issue when playing games with fast action or on movies. I am not professional photographer or videographer so it’s hard to say if the promised color gamut would live up to the needs of those users.

The ASUS MK241 is easily as good as the Dell 2407 WFP 24-inch display that I work on every day, and offers more features. The MSRP for the ASUS MK241 is $499, making it $100 cheaper than Dells new 2408 WFP with similar specs.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

Full featured
Priced well
Great for gaming

Cons

No USB ports
Lacks stand adjustability

Verdict
If you are looking for a reasonably priced 24-inch display the ASUS MK241 is just that. It performs well for most home users and is great for small rooms where you need a LCD that can putt double or triple duty for watching movies and working on the PC.

8.5

where to buy

Buy from Amazon

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Shane McGlaun
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.