The 24-inch Acer AL2416Wd LCD monitor is a bit skimpy on extras, but its budget-friendly price (relatively speaking) more than makes up for its shortcomings.

The AL2416Wd is easy to set up, as the package includes all necessary cables. The display is reasonably light for its size (about 20 pounds), and it has a sturdy, rectangular base. Built-in adjustment options are limited to tilting the display forward or backward. There are no height adjustment, swivel, or pivot options. The AL2416Wd is VESA-compatible, so you can add a wall mount if adjustability or desktop space are a problem, although this may offset the display's budget price.

Display settings are limited, but adequate. You can adjust brightness (we found the default setting to be overly bright), contrast, and RGB. The AL2416Wd also offers three color modes, with cool (the default), warm, and user-defined.

The AL2416Wd supports analog and digital inputs, but it doesn't include any USB ports, so it won't serve as a USB hub. If you have visions of using the AL2416Wd as an additional TV, you will be disappointed. It doesn't support HDTV or picture-in-picture, nor does it offer component or composite video inputs.

A picture frame-style border surrounds the 24-inch wide-format viewing area. The AL2416Wd has a native resolution of 1,900X1,200. Image quality is good to above-average, with sharp text even at smaller font sizes, good tonal range in grayscale and color images, and bright, clear color. Image quality and color fidelity won't satisfy graphics professionals, but they are in line with the display's price, if not slightly better than you might expect.

Horizontal and vertical viewing angles of 178 degrees help reduce blurring and color shift when viewing the display off-axis. The 6-millisecond response time helps reduce ghosting when watching video or playing fast-action games.

The Acer AL2416Wd doesn't include any speakers, but considering the quality of most built-in speakers, that is not much of a loss. It also lacks a headphone jack. The package includes an analog cable, DVI cable, power cable, and CD with drivers and user guide.

Pros: Affordable price, above-average image quality, stylish design
Cons: No height adjustment, swivel, or pivot options; no USB ports

Warranty
3 years parts and labor