FAQ: Which monitors do you recommend for EyeLink systems?
#1
We have tested the timing properties of the following monitors and found that they perform admirably, with a response time of < 2 msec at native resolution and maximum refresh rate.

Make Model Panel Size Native Resolution Max Refresh Rate Connectivity
Aorus Fi25F 24.5" 1920x1080 240 DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0 (x2)
Asus VG258Q 24.5" 1920x1080 240 DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4, DVI-D
Asus VG248QG 24" 1920x1080 165 DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4, DVI-D
Asus XG17AHP* 17" 1920x1080 240 Mini HDMI 2.0, USB-C
BenQ XL2540 24.5" 1920x1080 240 DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4 (x2), DVI-D
BenQ XL2540k 24.5" 1920x1080 240 DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4 (x2), HDMI 2.0
Asus VG248QE 24" 1920x1080 144 DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4, DVI-D
BenQ XL2420TE 24" 1920x1080 144 DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4 (x2), DVI-D, VGA
BenQ XL2420Z 24" 1920x1080 144 DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4 (x2), DVI-D, VGA
BenQ XL2411Z 24" 1920x1080 144 HDMI 1.4, DVI-D, VGA
BenQ XL2430 24" 1920x1080 144 DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4, DVI-D, VGA
Dell S2421HGF 24" 1920x1080 144 DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0 (x2)
BenQ XL2420T 24" 1920x1080 120 HDMI 1.4, DVI-D, VGA
BenQ XL2420TX 24" 1920x1080 120 HDMI 1.4 (x2), DVI-D, VGA
BenQ XL2410T 24" 1920x1080 120 HDMI 1.4, DVI-D, VGA
Samsung 2233RZ 22" 1680x1050 120 DVI-D
Viewsonic VX2265wm 22" 1680x1050 120 DVI-D
Viewsonic VX2268wm 22" 1680x1050 120 DVI-D

The BenQ XL2420Z / XL2411Z / XL2430T / XL2430 / XL2540 / XL2540K and Asus VG248QE, have so far shown to be the most flexible, with < 2 ms delays at all the refresh rates we tested.

*The ASUS XG17AHP is a portable display with a built-in battery for travel setups.  This monitor performs well but can present some usability issues to get setup in certain configurations.

CRT monitors are not required in any way with any EyeLink system.

Historically, CRT monitors were valued for their timing. With CRTs, the display is drawn without buffering. Furthermore many CRTs support high refresh rates, allowing for low latency display changes. These capabilities were especially useful to researchers who need the monitor to react quickly to an experimental event (as in gaze-contingent paradigms, e.g., boundary-crossing and moving windows paradigms). LCD monitors, on the other hand, typically buffer the screen before it is displayed, adding some latency to display changes, and many only support refresh rates up to 60 Hz. However, in many cases, the latency is fairly constant, and for some monitors as low as 1-2 msec; so, depending upon what your experimental needs are, this additional latency may not be an issue. In addition, modern LCD monitors now support refresh rates up to 240 Hz.