144Hz Performance
The distinguishing characteristic and reason why the XL2430T commands a premium over normal 1080p LED/LCD monitors is that it has a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz as opposed to the standard 60Hz. The result is MUCH smoother rendering of any sort of motion and significantly less input lag. The benefits are especially pronounced in TF2 where frequent aiming/jumping/dodging is required.
144Hz monitors are a popular topic around these parts, and for good reason: this is one of the few cases where the technology is all it's hyped up to be. The advantage they give over 60Hz screens isn't marginal; it’s massive. If you're in the market for new gaming peripherals but are still using a 60Hz monitor, a 144Hz monitor ranks as the best purchase you can make.
BenQ's have always been best-in-class in terms of 120/144Hz performance, and the XL2430T is no exception. It's hard to say much more other than that it performs flawlessly by producing the smoothest and most responsive experience that's reasonably possible right now.
Black Equalizer
The Black Equalizer is a feature unique to BenQ monitors that selectively increases the brightness levels on areas of the screen that are dark. The result is greater visibility in shadowy areas without the completely washed-out look you'd get from simply ramping up your gamma. The magnitude of its effect can be tuned between a value of 0 and 20.
Most TF2 maps are fairly well-lit, so the Black Equalizer doesn't confer any huge advantages outside of particularly dark spots such as the underside of badlands mid, but it does do a good deal to reduce eye strain and makes long playing sessions more tolerable.
However, it really shines in games where shadows are plentiful, lighting up previously-obscured objects or players hiding in the dark (H1Z1 for me).
Vibrance
The XL2430T comes with a vibrance setting (0-20) that increases the colorfulness of the image. A key distinction to note: vibrance is not the same as the saturation setting available on all monitors. Increasing vibrance will selectively increase the least saturated colors more than already saturated colors, while increasing saturation will saturate all colors evenly regardless of their previous state.
From what I can tell it behaves just like NVIDIA's digital vibrance setting, but with a big upside: it's tied to the monitor rather than the video card. There's no option to set per-game digital vibrance via the NVIDIA control panel, so if you wish to use it in-game, you're either stuck using it all the time or have to rely on third-party utilities to disable/enable it selectively. The XL2430T allows you to save your ideal vibrance setting in up to 3 profiles that can be switched to via a button on the S-switch depending on the environment (desktop browsing, gaming, etc.).
Its practical effect is to allow you to see targets more easily in-game. Some high-profile TF2 players that use digital vibrance who immediately come to mind: shrugger, Tyrone, and Seagull.
Blur Reduction
Blur Reduction is BenQ's flavor of Lightboost, which is a feature that can be enabled on some 120/144Hz monitors to reduce motion blur even further. Blur Reduction/Lightboost create an almost CRT-like experience, but at the cost of a reduction in screen brightness. You can find a good in-depth explanation of how it works here: http://www.blurbusters.com/zero-motion-blur/lightboost-faq/.
Not all 144Hz monitors are capable, but those that are usually require some fiddling to get it to work. The XL2430T has the feature built in and can be toggled via settings.
Blur Reduction isn't some gimmick; it works completely as advertised and significantly reduces blur. The downside is a drop in brightness that somewhat offsets the benefit gained. The trick is to find a happy medium where lightboost's improvement of your motion perception isn't outweighed by the decreased general visibility in a low-brightness environment.
There's again the ability to tune this setting with two options you can change: intensity (1-20) and area (0-100). Increasing intensity will simultaneously reduce motion blur and screen brightness.
I found an intensity value of 15 to be ideal; it gave me the most blur reduction at the very limit of screen dimness I could tolerate. Fiddling with the area setting didn't seem to have a noticeable effect so I left it at the default of 10. Upping the vibrance setting helps with visibility when blur reduction is enabled.
S-switch and Profiles
The XL2430T comes with an external switch that attaches to the monitor via mini-USB and can be rested in a small indent at the base of the stand. Its purpose is to allow easy configuration of the monitor and quick switching between preset profiles.
Navigating through monitor menus is usually a pain at best, but the S-switch makes it a breeze. It features a scroll wheel with distinct steps and also doubles as a click. If you need or prefer the standard configuration buttons (though I can't imagine you would), the XL2430T also has five five of them on the lower-right bezel.
The S-switch also has 3 buttons to switch between 3 programmable profiles, which are incredibly useful for alternating between desktop and gaming use. The monitor profiles eliminate the need for any software/GPU-based approaches and give much more granular control to achieve the ideal look for each environment.
Final Thoughts
The overall build quality of the XL2430T is excellent. The stand is quite hefty as far as monitor stands go and gives no hint of instability. It's fantastic for LANs because of its portability; there are no screws or shoddy plastic parts to deal with and the entire thing assembles in well under a minute.
The XL2430T is a feature loaded 144Hz monitor that's easily the best in its class. It's a bit pricier than other 144Hz monitors, but access to native features (Black Equalizer, Blur Reduction/Lightboost, and vibrance), quality construction, and configurability options easily justify the price.
I'd liken it to getting a car with all the options, except all the options are legitimately useful and aren't overpriced.
I only recommend products I actually end up using on a day-to-day basis, and have no hesitation in putting my backing behind the XL2430T. If you're in the market for a new 144Hz and have a little extra to spare, give it some serious consideration.