ASUS VS239H-P 23" Full HD 1920 x 1080 VGA DVI HDMI Splendid Video Intelligence Technology Backlit LED IPS Monitor

Pros: Price - Comparable e-IPS displays from other manufacturers are $200+ (see LG)

e-IPS panel - Viewable from virtually any angle

Matte display - Reflections from nearby lights do not impact the display. Great for nightime/sunlight users.

Negligible ghosting - 5ms response time combined with the built in Trace-free feature set to 60 eliminates most ghosting. This makes the monitor great for gaming and HD video watching. Only professional FPS players would need a higher response time.

Thin - Roughly the thickness of a MacBook Pro! Very slim on a desk or a mount

100mm VESA - Standard mounting holes w/ removable black rubber covers to hide the holes for users that prefer to rock the stand (blends in if not mounted)

Power efficient - 24-30 W after calibration

3 yr warranty/exchange: Asus will replace your monitor within 3 years and pay for shipping both ways. I haven't tried this myself, but I hear Asus customer service is above average for the industry.

Thinner than average bezel

Matte back - Has a carbon-fiber-like texture on the back that makes it look modern

Cons: No built in gamma correction - Must be adjusted using your video card

e-IPS - Unlike higher quality IPS panels there is a very small amount of color/gamma distortion if viewed at an angle. However it is still exponentially better than any TN panel. Higher quality panels that completely remove this effect cost $400+ currently and only graphic designers/photo editors really need that level of color accuracy.

Costs $40 more than cheaper TN panels - Extra cost for the latest generation display. Better viewing angles and colors. You be the judge.

Overall Review: First off to address the complaints of "graininess" observed by some owners due to the matte finish: Lower your brightness! The pearly shimmery effect is only noticeble at the maximum 100% brightness which is around 270 cd/m2 (~20 cd/m2 higher than advertised). However, at the max brightness level, most users would find it uncomfortable to use for more than 30 minutes anyway. The factory settings are only set to this max limit to impress buyers in stores and when they turn on the monitor for the first time! The recommended comfortable brightness level for any monitor during regular use is 120 cd/m2 which translates to a setting of 35-40% brightness on this model. The user can easily change this setting through the OSD menu using the built in buttons.

Recommended calibration settings:
Brightness: 35
Contrast: 80
Red: 100
Green: 100
Blue: 98
Trace free: 60

These are the settings I came up with after calibration. They can be used as a starting point or ballpark figures if you don't feel like spending hours reading up on monitor calibration techniques. Your actual ideal monitor values might vary slightly.

TL:DR
Best price/value monitor currently on the market <$200

Pros: High Resolution (1920x1080), 1080p display, affordable IPS, HDMI port, and monitor menu is robust and user friendly.

Cons: I bought my first VS239H-P monitor from [REDACTED] and it's gorgeous, the images and text are displayed so vibrantly on screen that it feels as if you could reach out and touch them because they are seemingly floating there.

Then there's my second monitor also an VS239H-P but purchased from newegg. For some reason this panel looks subpar by comparison. It is far dimmer, the colours are washed out, and the text isn't as sharp and images not as clear. I went ahead and tried troubleshooting it on my own, with simple steps such as: switching between HDMI and DVI input sources, and then resetting the monitor settings to factory -- even though I had not previously adjusted them in any way. I can't make heads or tails of it and I'm understandably disappointed with ASUS quality. I doubt I'll give ASUS a 3rd try or recommend them in the future.

Overall Review: None