[PCM2]

The observations in the review were based on using ‘AMA High’, but as also noted there it’s not something that everyone would find bothersome. It’s extremely subjective and something you’d have to see for yourself – certainly got that excellent returns policy to fall back on. Same goes for the ‘overshoot’ vs. ‘trailing’ being more troublesome, it’s a very individual thing.

The AOC is a bit more responsive overall, but you may not notice it being so. It too has a similar degree of overshoot using its optimal response time setting. I reckon the BenQ would be the more compelling option for you overall, even conisdering responsiveness.

[dabozuk]

I have the EW2740L and haven’t noticed any of the things you list. For me the noticeable negatives are the slightly fuzzy text when sat @70cm away and the reflection of the wall behind me when watching something very dark like Alien Isolation. Then again, that game has to be played with the lights out anyway.

Been playing Planetside 2 on it and it works very well for that game too. Very bright and vibrant. Lovely.

[fatboyslimerr]

Thanks for the responses guys. Finding this forum very informative. I’m almost set on the EW2440L but I’d just like to throw another monitor into the mix. I posted a similar thread on notebookreview forums and the Asus MX239H has been widely recommended over there. I’m struggling to find any reviews of this monitor that are as detailed as the ones on this website. It is apparently very fast and responsive for a IPS and only £20 more expensive than the BenQ. Presumably the Asus is a whole lot better than the AOC?

[PCM2]

The ASUS certainly isn’t a whole lot better than the AOC. In fact its default colour (specifically gamma) setup is quite frankly poor in comparison. It does have slightly better motion performance with its ‘TraceFree’ 20 setting owing to lack of overshoot, but aside from that it’s all about aesthetics rather than image performance. Over-rated by people who don’t know any better.

It has never been a model I’ve recommended on here because there are much better models out there in every respect for a similar price or lower (such as the Samsung S24D390HL and Dell U2414H). Much better default colour setup, better motion performance, better brightness adjustment range and flicker-free.

All of those models are apples when compared alongside the orange that is the BenQ EW2440L, however. And the MX239H is not one of the juciest apples either 😉 .

[ufoman]

fatboyslimerr.
google translate these two:
http://www.overclockers.ru/lab/58197/Rekomendovano_k_priobreteniju_obzor_i_testirovanie_monitora_Iiyama_ProLite_X2483HSU.html
and
http://www.overclockers.ru/lab/60738/Izmenennaya_koncepciya_obzor_i_testirovanie_monitora_BenQ_EW2440L.html
X2483HSU looks like a superior product throughout. The panel in EW2440L doesn’t even seem to be manufactured by AUO…

[PCM2]

It does indeed seem that the original EW2440L as reviewed there used an inferior panel. With the constant revisional changes BenQ monitors typically undergo I wouldn’t be surprised if it now uses the same panel as the X2483HSU, however. If fatboyslimerr were to go for that he could perhaps confirm a few things about it. And hopefully he would really enjoy the overall viewing experience.

[fatboyslimerr]

Thanks ufoman for finding those reviews. I have confirmed the returns policy with my chosen retailer so I’m just waiting for payday to pull the trigger on the EW2440L. If the panel isn’t up to scratch I shall return it for a full refund. I believe so much of what makes a panel great is subjective that I just want to see it first. I’ve got Tomb Raider 2013 ready to go as it has some great dark scenes. I’d be more than happy to confirm anything for you PCM2.

[Xiphias]

Hi.

I use a ViewSonic VX2025WM since 2006 and I want to buy a new monitor with a VA panel. I will use it for all: work, internet, games, movies… Good dark scenes are important to me. BenQ EW2740L and Asus VN279QLB are candidates.

Questions:

– Are any of these monitors supports 75Hz in native resolution? My ViewSonic does it.

– I want a VA panel for contrast and blacks. EW2740L or VN279QLB? Which has better blacks? Are there any other 27″ monitor with better blacks and also good for video games?

– EW2740L has RGB range selector, but not VN279QLB. Is it right?

[PCM2]

Hi Xiphias and welcome,

I can’t really comment in any detail on the ASUS VN279QLB as I haven’t used it myself. From user feedback there are a few issues to be aware of, however:

– Uniformity is generally poorer than on the BenQ models
– The DisplayPort is ‘dodgy’ and messes up the contrast. I haven’t received confirmation that this could be corrected by ensuring the right colour signal is used, which is simple on recent graphics drivers as it happens.

I have been able to confirm that both the BenQ EW2740L and GW2760HS could run at 75Hz (well, at least 72Hz). There are no guarantees that all units would be able to do that on all systems, or that all revisions can do it. But I feel there is generally a good chance that it would comfortably run at 72-75Hz.

The GW2760HS is another model I would consider, especially for movies since it provides no visible overshoot in its optimal ‘High’ AMA setting. Some users prefer this lack of overshoot for gaming as well, although the overshoot on the EW2740L is quite minor really and not something everyone notices. Some of the pixel transitions are a little faster on the EW2740L, however. The GW2760HS now uses the same panel and feature set (including ‘Low Blue Light’) so it’s really aesthetics, ports and the response behaviour that is different now. There are no 27″ monitors currently on the market with superior contrast to those two.

[Xiphias]

Thanks.

It’s great that EW2740L work at >=70Hz. When a game doesn’t work at 60 fps on my PC, I use 70-75Hz and 1/2 vsync refresh rate to get 35-37 stable framerate, is always better than 30 fps. It is an option that I really like.

GW2760HS seems a good option too, but this model is not for sale at my favorite online stores now, so I’ll buy EW2740L. I hope to choose well and be happy with my new monitor. Thanks again. 😉

[PCM2]

Just as a quick update to this thread, as I know some people will see the last reply was back in 2015 and be put off reading… A lot of this is very much still revlevant. In particular, models with the VA panel type remain the main recommendations for users wanting good atmospheric dark scenes. Since this thread was last updated there are actually many more VA models on the market, including some with higher resolutions and refresh rates. These are exciting times for consumers wanting a good experience for their dark content and there’s plenty of choice out there. 🙂

[luisdent]

I just built a 3600x/1660-super pc that is awesome. But I was given a monitor for free and it is awful. But I’m very confused. It is an asus gaming monitor (not sure what model, a few years old) and 1080p. The smoothness of the monitor is fine, as is the clarity of the resolution. But by gosh, it looks completely washed out.

I’m a pretty knowledgeable computer technician, but I’m struggling to understand the gaming monitor industry. Is there no such thing as a 1440 monitor with, say, 144hz and good actual image quality? Specifically under $500?

For reference, I’ve owned a panasonic 50″ viera plasma tv for a years, and I absolutely love it. The black level has always disappointed me compared to my old panasonic and sony trinitron tube TVs. But at the time after tubes died off, it was only bested by the pioneer elite plasmas. And it made LCD tvs look more washed out.

Nonetheless, I’ve calibrated it and loved it for years. I currently run a ps4 on it and it is great. I’ve experienced innumerable monitors in my career as a pc tech, but not many impress me. I got a 4k samsung LCD. Led and my coworker has a 27″ samsung lcd. Bother are decent but suffer from different issues. One is completely inconsistent is color temperature at the edges. Even straight on viewing reveals yellow burnt appearance around the edges. On a $350 monitor from 2019??? The led looks more consistent by far, but suffers from some really strange artifacts when there are solid chunks of color on the screen. For instance, a windows explorer window will leave shadows running up the display that follow as you drag the window. Very annoying.

I’m considering using my pc on my tv instead, but I really wanted it on a smaller screen on my computer desk. Is there any monitor out there with 1440 resolution, 24-27″ size, 144hz at least, and quality image (just an overall good looking contrast, preferably plasma-level blacks and fairly accurate colors), for $500 or preferably less? Reponse time isn’t esports level critical, but I will be playing games like rocket league and first person shooters, so something reasonable is necessary. I just don’t know what that is. 4ms? 8ms?

I’d be happy if I was getting something similar to my ps4 experience but with the added framerates and smoothness of my pc capability. Any recommendations?

[PCM2]

Hi luisdent,

I’ve merged your thread with an existing topic. It isn’t particularly ‘up to date’, but the principles and discussions on this thread still stand and are worth a read. It’s also nice to refresh this with some focus on more recent VA models.

You need to focus on VA panels, but even then you’re not going to keep deep and inky looking dark scenes. It’s simply not where LCD monitor technology is at the moment. It can be enhanced with effective local dimming on the backlight, but that comes at a significant premium compared to what you’re considering and doesn’t come in 2560 x 1440 @ 144Hz flavour just at the moment. Another thread I’d recommend reading through or at least skimming through is this one, because it covers relevant models (2560 x 1440 @ 144Hz+).

Ideally I’d know the exact monitor models you’ve tried and were disappointed with as otherwise there’s no accurate frame of reference to work with. As you’ve said, you can’t remember this information. And you described an ‘old’ Full HD ASUS gaming monitor – so it’s undoubtedly a TN model of some description. Not that knowing exact models would make much difference, because the VA options are the best you’ll do and all of the 2560 x 1440 @ 144Hz+ VA options are pretty similar in terms of contrast performance. They’d also be much better in terms of colour consistency and vibrancy compared to the model you tested and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the high refresh rate.

[atomicus]

Will VA monitors EVER be able to offer “deep and inky looking blacks” though, and even if they did, what about their other flaws? OLED obviously already offers that, and MicroLED will also… the former of which is creeping slowly towards the PC space with the Nvidia backed LG 48″ being heavily touted at CES for its gaming prowess. It’s clear LG want a piece of the high end monitor market with that thing, and they’ll definitely get it! JOLED are also working on bringing OLED to the market in smaller sizes.

Meanwhile, VA is still the same old rubbish for the most part… well, that may be harsh, I know it’s seen improvements over the years, but let’s face it, the motion blur/smearing and colour shift issues it suffers from are still abundantly clear on every single VA panel out there. Seems to me that it’s pretty much hit the ceiling regards its development as a technology. IPS glow is also widespread and horrid, even on expensive models, with seemingly no desire from manufacturers to utilise the long forgotten A-TW polarizers to solve this… presumably because that would cost too much.

I don’t know what difference the upcoming MiniLED monitors might make, but they are obviously in another realm entirely with their pricing, and a £4K monitor will of course never be mainstream. That tech could trickle down to cheaper models if it works well, but how long will that take? Years obviously. Meanwhile, the imminent LG 48″, while not an actual monitor, and still too big for most people I’m sure, is likely to be priced EXTREMELY attractively when you look at any actual monitor at the £1500 price point and above.

Add to all this the fact that LG, Panasonic and Samsung have ALL said they plan to cease LCD production, plus the general sense of frustration and anger that many consumers have towards LCD monitor tech and its long list of flaws evident in every model, irrespective of price, and it’s not hard to see its demise in the very near future. Outside of MiniLED (which is as yet unproven), where’s the innovation??!! Mod note: resolutions, refresh rates, colour gamuts from relatively inexpensive LED backlighting solutions, HDR capability, screen size, variety of all of these across different panel types has all been bolstered in recent times. Don’t mistake not having your own boxes ticked with lack of innovation. Although I understand and to some extent share the frustration things haven’t gone further yet beyond LCD. I’m as good as done with it myself. I simply can’t STILL be dealing with all this bleed/glow/smearing nonsense in 2020 and beyond.

I’ll assess the 48″ OLED when it’s available, but if I can make the size work in my set-up, I’ll take the risk of burn-in over the guaranteed problems I know I’ll encounter with LCD.

[PCM2]

Really, it depends what you’re comparing it to and the lighting conditions under which you’re viewing the screen. In terms of good depth and atmosphere VA models have largely taken retrograde steps. The number of domains used in the panel has increased and pixel layouts have been adjusted to help optimise pixel response times and colour consistency at the expense of contrast. Note that models with more ‘traditional’ VA panels tended to offer stronger contrast, but were weaker in other areas. A good example is the AOC Q3279VWF. Sometimes different subpixel compromises are made to help achieve decent pixel responsiveness and contrast at the same time – such as the Philips 436M6VBPAB. Using its ‘Normal’ HDR setting over DP actually gives very good depth and atmosphere on that model. But this isn’t replicated more broadly and even then it’s not really comparable to OLED or anything like that. Especially not in dimmer viewing conditions or where lots of bright content is displayed at the same time.

Having a massive number of dimming zones could certainly help boost contrast. Although with a sufficient number of dimming zones the attraction of using a VA panel in the first place diminishes. With a sufficient number of dimming zones you can most likely* get away with IPS-type technologies and the superior colour consistency and responsiveness that comes with the territory. The LG 48CX is certainly interesting and I’d love to see further down-sizing of the technology. I’ve used a 15″ OLED laptop for a few years now and haven’t had any issues at all with the screen – I’ve personally been disappointed by the slow pace of OLED and other backlightless technologies in the monitor world.

* I haven’t seen them in action myself yet as such technology is still being baked in the oven and has yet to be shown off at any trade show I’ve been to. I’ve seen the ASUS PA32UCX (a mere 1152 dimming zone IPS-type) in action, briefly. As long as you view them from a normal viewing position rather than an angle they seemed quite impressive from what I saw. Still want to review that one or some of the higher refresh rate alternatives, just waiting for a sample to become available. Of course the number of dimming zones on some of the future panels is much

[atomicus]

JOLED are working on, but who knows how long it will take for any actual product to come from this venture, if at all. I’d hope that uptake for LG’s 48″ will be strong, and going by the keen interest and excitement I’m seeing across many discussion forums, that’s very much a given at this point… providing there are no glaring issues with it.

I don’t know who Asus/Acer think will be purchasing their insanely priced MiniLED monitors, but that’s going to be a niche market if ever there was one! The 32″ size is its biggest attraction, given that the 48″ OLED will be too big for most people, even those who would really want it… so I can see those monitors being very desirable for people wanting high refresh 4K. Their price will put them out of reach for most though, and given how well the price of the 27″ 4K models has held up the last couple years, I don’t see them being affordable anytime soon. On top of this, I don’t see anything else in the LCD space worth getting excited about. Meanwhile, OLED will hopefully continue to march on… 2020 could be a very significant year for LCD and OLED, but only time will tell…

[luisdent]

I will read those links and post my comparison monitors I’ve tried when I get home. As a reference, I have an hp e221 monitor at work on most of our systems, and I swear even that has better contrast than my asus. But I have never used it in a dark room.

One thing I don’t mind is adjusting the room lighting. I don’t want it fully lit. I prefer low ambient lighting. So I don’t need to be in full darkness, but close to it would be nice. I actually shine a dim light on the wall behind my plasma, as that helps increase the impression that the darks are darker. And it’s generally a bit easier on the eyes.

I definitely don’t expect CRT black levels. I think we lost something great with the change to lcd. But I guess theres just a point where it’s irritating to me when the darks are too bright.

One thing I can say is that i use a lot of apple products, and to my eyes they have some of the best color and accuracy. This seems to be reflected in display mate articles that constantly praise the measurements of their displays on the ipads and whatnot. They aren’t the blackest black either, and I’d prefer darker, but comparing my asus I’d take ipad darkness any day.

Edit: The monitor I currently have is an asus vx248h.

[PCM2]

atomicus,

Agree with the JOLED ventures – interesting, but still remains to be seen what becomes of it. I’m quite hopeful we’ll see some fruits from it at some point, but when and at what price is unknown. As covered in our news pieces (example), the Mini LED panels are produced by AU Optronics.

luisdent,

The ASUS VX248H does indeed use a TN panel, as I suspected. There’s nothing particularly special about Apple displays in terms of colour accuracy. Their consumer devices are generally well-calibrated and usually use IPS-type displays which helps with colour consistency. On the monitor side there are plenty of alternatives with excellent colour accuracy and consistency plus good factory calibration. But usually users want colours to look appealing, to them, not necessarily “accurate”. For some users they’re one and the same, for others they’re colours which are somewhat lively and vibrant rather than lacklustre. And the best colour consistency and best contrast come from distinctly different LCD panel types. The only way you can get around that at the moment or near future is with some of the solutions atomicus and I are discussing with complex and expensive backlighting solutions

[luisdent]

I’m just referring to articles like these.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/13661/the-2018-apple-ipad-pro-11-inch-review/7

http://www.displaymate.com/iPad_Pro9_ShootOut_1.htm

Time and time again displaymate says the apple displays measure with record accuracy in many areas. As do the newer surfaces, which I use every day at work.

Maybe I’m unusual, but i generally prefer that sort of measured accuracy over any preferential appealingness. I have a note 9, and I can’t stand the adaptive display mode. While it is more vivid, it is far too blue in tone and just doesn’t look right. So I’m the only person I know that runs a note 9 in basic or photo mode. Most people just don’t care or want the extra pop. Not me. I want the pop if it is accurate pop ;-).

But in all seriousness, while I am picky, I’m not expecting perfection. But if, as you say, the ipads are not anything amazingly accurate, then the asus I have is horrible. The colors are noticeably worse, the contrast is disgusting, and it has an artificial sharpness sort of look compared to an ipad or samsung mobile device. And I have tried to calibrate every possible setting to no avail.

So if I set $450 as my limit, is there a monitor you think might please me available now? I have a mid 2014 macbook pro that od be happy if it were at least that level of quality, although slightly blacker blacks would be a bonus.

I played my computer on my plasma tv last night and it is infinitely superior to any monitor I’ve tried so far. And isn’t a plasma tv 60hz?
Mine is the panasonic tc-p50s1 for reference. Is there a way to use that as a reference to achieve something similar in a monitor?

[PCM2]

I’m afraid users who compare LCD technology to plasma and OLED are going to end up disappointed in some respects. Plasma was always a pretty decent technology for TVs, except it was massively power-hungry, had obvious flickering uo close (the pixels are gas-filled chambers) and was bound to large sizes with relatively low pixel densities. Hence why it was never adopted for monitors. OLED and other backlightless technology is far more flexible and a better candidate for monitor technology, eventually. And LCDs with a large number of dimming zones as a sort of interim solution, as discussed earlier in the thread.

You originally stated you’re after a 144Hz 2560 x 1440 monitor and I’ve given you some direction in that respect. You need to focus on the sort of VA models that are covered in other threads, which I’ve already linked to. These threads reinforce some points raised in our reviews – VA is not the best panel type for accurate and consistent colour output and they aren’t up to the levels of plasma or OLED in that respect (technically, no LCD technology is). But all LCD monitors are a compromise one way or another. So if you want strong contrast, you need to compromise on colour accuracy and consistency. That isn’t to say colours won’t be significantly more appealing (and accurately represented) than on your TN model, however. I’d advise reading a few of our relevant reviews as this is explored in quite some detail, or at least refer to the panel types article which summarises things.

I haven’t used all of the 2560 x 1440 144Hz VA models because it would be entirely impractical or impossible to do so. Therefore it’s difficult to give technical comparisons. But I have enough experience more broadly to say they are all characteristically very similar, especially in areas you’re particularly interested in. So you need to focus primarily on price and availability, plus additional features you might want. Given you appreciate accurately represented rather than oversaturated or overly vibrant shade representation, that means a good sRGB emulation setting will probably appeal to you. The Samsung C27HG70 is a good one to try with all of this in mind.

[Author]

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