Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide review

We checked out "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" on DVD and a number of 1080p movie files from Microsoft's WMV HD Showcase. During movies, we saw color, that while not as vibrant or accurate as that seen on the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370, was better than what we've seen with the average monitor.

We looked at World of Warcraft (WoW) and Unreal Tournament 3 and noticed no signs of input lag or any streaking or ghosting during fast movement. World of Warcraft had fairly vivid colors, although they were slightly drab compared to the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370. Also, since the ThinkVision L2251x Wide has a lower native resolution, we noticed more aliasing and some blurriness in the text that we don't see on monitors with higher resolutions.

The optimal viewing angle for a monitor is usually directly in front, about a quarter of the screen's distance down from the top. At this angle, you're viewing the colors and gamma correction as they were intended. Most monitors are not made to be viewed at any other angle. Depending on its panel type, picture quality at nonoptimal angles varies. Most monitors use TN panels, which get overly bright or overly dark in parts of the screen when viewed from nonoptimal angles. The Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide uses a TN panel, and when viewed from the side or bottom, we perceived the screen to darken about 6 inches off from center. Of course, when viewed from the optimal angle, we had no problems.

In our power consumption tests, the Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide had a fairly low On/Default power draw of 17.5 watts, compared to the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370's 30.09 watts. Based on our formula, the ThinkVision L2251x Wide would cost a low $5.59 per year to run, compared with the XL2370's $9.96 per year.

Juice box
Acer T230H	Average watts per hour
On (default luminance)	17.5
On (max luminance)	22.6
On (min luminance)	10.6
Sleep	0.49
Calibrated (200 cd/m2)	16.96
Annual power consumption cost	$5.59
Score	Good