[PCM2]

The EX2780Q remains a competent monitor, if it’s available at a good price for you and is easy to get then it might be worth giving it a go. The main area of improvement you can expect from quite a few of the newer models covered in this thread (I’d expect this to apply to the GS27Q when it’s available as well) is pixel responsiveness. But whether you’d find that improvement noticeable at all is entirely subjective and in the BenQ is quite well-rounded in various other areas as well.

[vonvorter]

On my hunt for a well-rounded monitor with a 1 setting overdrive mode, I came across the Alienware AW2724DM. I’ve seen people say it has an above average for an IPS contrast, and a serviceable HDR 600 implementation. Have you heard anything on it?

[PCM2]

It has its own thread (the forum has a search facility in the footer which should point to this if you type that model number in). The user providing feedback there wasn’t able to get local dimming to work at all under HDR from what was demonstrated, so it may have some firmware issues or something else wrong with its HDR implementation.

[gizmo11x]

the AW2724DM and G2724D just became available where I live (czech rep).
like many others I am looking for a 1 setting overdrive mode monitor with decent contrast (for an IPS). Wondering if these 2 fit those criteria.

reading through the other threads it’s safe to say that neither use the LG Nano IPS panel its terrible contrast, right?
I saw the G2724D has about 1200 contrast ratio which is great. no info on the AW2724DM though, right?

didn’t find any objective info on the overdrive part for either (other than people saying the default “Fast” one seems to be good for max refresh rate).

MAG274QRF-QD was my choice for a while and was waiting for the price to maybe go down but doesn’t look like that will happen (it’s almost 500EUR here!)
The AW2724DM is 445EUR which is about 50EUR cheaper than the MAG and the G2724D is only 330EUR.

assuming both AW2724DM and G2724D had good contrast and overdrive modes is the 100eur premium worth it?

[PCM2]

Remember that the G2724D is more of a standard gamut (a bit of extension beyond sRGB) than wide gamut model, so it depends whether you like strongly saturated and vibrant colours or whether you prefer the more toned down look. I’m not sure whether it or the AW2724DM have a true “single overdrive mode experience” in the sense of a setting really well tuned for both higher and lower refresh rates. But the lowest setting (‘Fast’ on these ones) generally uses a relatively low level of acceleration on Dell monitors and these modern IPS models are natively pretty fast, so you might find simply sticking to that setting works nicely at any refresh rate. Even if ‘Faster’ might offer slightly better performance (lower perceived blur but a little added overshoot) at or near the maximum refresh rate.

[gizmo11x]

makes sense…thanks
if I knew for sure the AW2724DM had the good contrast of the G2724D I would probably pull the trigger

[maverick111x]

Does anyone know which panel the G2724D uses? I haven’t been able to find this info anywhere online.

[PCM2]

Dell hides panel information in the service menu and don’t typically state elsewhere what panels are used – they used to have publicly available service manuals with panel information, but generally no longer do that. Somebody would need to tear down the monitor to find that information (or receive confirmation from a Dell technician or similar) and I’m not aware of anybody who has done this for the G2724D so far. The closest match based on specification would be the AUO M270DAN08.C.

[savingstimes]

Any idea what panel is in the Viewsonic VX2728J-2K?

I think I’ve narrowed down to the following options in the current market (range from $270 to $300 locally) – the Dell S2724D or Viewsonic VX2728J-2K and maybe the MSI OPTIX G274QRFW, but more so the first two (warranty and support is better, also the chassis color is more neutral, both are also cheaper slightly).

Dell S2724D
99% sRGB on paper, but measured I guess to 120%?
8 bit
1200:1 roughly contrast measured
400 nits
x2 Displayport inputs (this seems somewhat unique vs. the more common x2 HDMI, somewhat useful for me as I can then get VRR and the same refresh vs. HDMI connecting two PCs, well actually the same PC, I want to use the IGP only sometimes to completely free the discrete card for compute)
no power brick
Stand is a bit preferable I feel (the relatively flat square base)
HDCP 2.2 for 4K DRM video
HDMI 2.1 (not sure if it accepts VRR?)

Viewsonic VX2728J-2K
95% DCI-P3 on paper
8bit+FRC
950:1 contrast reportedly measured but possibly under reported due to tool used
250 nits (possibly an issue during the day in the summer as the desk is next to a window)
Does seem to have a BFI mode
Mixed reports on whether or not this 165hz vs 180hz
unknown HDCP version
HDMI 2.0 only (no VRR)

MSI OPTIX G274QRFW

[PCM2]

That’s a good summary, I agree with those points. I’m not sure about the VX2728J-2K‘s panel, it’s not listed in ViewSonic’s part catalogue yet but might be when the monitor is a bit older. I’d be quite interested in reviewing that model, but unfortunately it isn’t available in the UK so ViewSonic wouldn’t be able to provide a sample and I’d have to purchase from the US. Which is possible but not ideal, especially for relatively cheap monitors where shipping costs can be disproportionately large. I don’t trust ViewSonic’s ‘overclock’ feature since I saw how limiting and frankly broken it was on the XG341C-2K. Might not be the same with the VX2728J-2K, but I think it’s best to consider this a 165Hz monitor with anything beyond that a bonus that may not even work properly.

I assume you’re referring to the G2724D (don’t worry, I’ve referred to this as S2724D myself and had to correct it). I’ve now clarified in the news piece as the manual is available and I’ve checked through it. HDMI 2.1 on this one has HDMI 2.0 bandwidth (144Hz max for 2560 x 1440) but does include HDMI 2.1 VRR.

[Jarrett84]

Hey PCMonitors, I’m new to the forum. I’ve read your site in years past. I currently own the Dell U2417H.

I’ve been through this thread a bit, and all over the net. I’ve kind of narrowed my decision to the new HP Omen 27q or the new Dell G2724D. There’s only the PC-World review of the Dell – I wish they tested its sRGB mode. I think their testing only applies to the standard mode? I would be getting it for general usage, photography/desktop publishing, and movie watching, so colour accuracy is important to me as well as good clarity / motion / ease on eyes – any technologies that help that. The HP in standard mode is supposed to be sRGB (“Recommended for general computing use, this preset has an sRGB gamut in SDR and a P3 gamut in HDR. Both modes have a D65 white point.), and it has a Cinema mode (“Use this mode for watching movies. It should be set to industry standard values for SDR content”…Rec. 709?). I, of course, don’t trust what the manual says, yet it surprised me it’s supposed to correspond to D65.

Which looks better for my use? I wish there were more reviews out there to help me decide! Thanks.

[PCM2]

Hi Jarrett84 and welcome,

They could be much of a muchness for your uses and without testing or appropriately detailed reviews it isn’t possible to assess that properly. The HP OMEN 27Q is specifically ‘Eyesafe’ certified (2.0 standard) so includes not only a shifted blue peak but reduced peak amplitude for blue relative to green and red. As I mention in this thread, it’s not clear that would be any more beneficial for most people in terms of viewing comfort than a simple shifted blue peak (which the G2724D also offers), especially if the monitor isn’t running at a high brightness anyway. It’s also noted in that thread that the HP uses 2 different panels interchangeably, which frankly completely puts me off touching it as a reviewer and muddies the water for the consumer. And indeed you can’t really trust the naming in the menu when it comes to something like ‘D65’ or even ‘6500K’, actual calibration can differ significantly from what is claimed there and can also drift over time. And it isn’t clear how tight the calibration would be in other key areas such as gamma or gamut mapping. But at least the way they’ve implemented the sRGB setting as the default preset seems to suggest it doesn’t lock any settings off and allows you full flexibility in the OSD – a nice touch for sure.

[Jarrett84]

Thanks, PCM2! It’s funny cause years ago, as you know, gaming monitors were poor for anything but responsiveness – now I’m trying to wrap my head around the new, very popular, gaming category of monitors, and how capable all-arounders they seem to be.

Btw, as aside, do you think the G series is a step above the S series? I was looking at the S series too, but I wasn’t sold on it in the testing I’ve read.

I’ve had such a great experience with this U2417H (no dead pixels) that I almost want to stick exclusively to Dell (plus frequent sales, Rakuten, Dell Rewards). PC-World recorded a colour dE of 1.21 and 6600k for the G2724D in Standard, so that’s hopeful for an improvement in sRGB mode.

[PCM2]

I wouldn’t say the the G series is “better” than the S series, just a different designation which they now focus on for their higher refresh rate models and a few added design elements and OSD features. I don’t say this very often these days but I do need to give the occasional reminder. Those sales you mentioned are nice for the consumer of course, but in no way do they support my time and expertise (or ever-increasing running costs). This is a more general reminder and not just directed at you. 🙂

[Jarrett84]

Sure, thanks though 😉

Oh another thing I was wondering. You know the monitor driver and the colour profile it installs? Does that only apply to the Standard/default preset?

If I want to run the sRGB preset, do I need to install an sRGB profile? Like one from here https://www.color.org/srgbprofiles.xalter

[PCM2]

The main purpose of the manufacturer ICC profile is to take over from any active profile (which may be for another monitor) and include gamut mapping information for the monitor using its native gamut, which can be read by colour-aware (ICC aware) applications. So it’s really based on that ‘Standard’ (or non-sRGB) preset, but be aware it’s general information that doesn’t apply to each unit, much like the EDID information used for sRGB emulation using software.

You don’t need to use any profile if you’re using an sRGB emulation mode on the monitor and certainly not a profile which is designed for a wider gamut than the sRGB setting of the monitor will use. The Windows default profile is technically an sRGB profile (‘sRGB IEC61966-2.1’) but like any non monitor specific profile it doesn’t include gamut mapping data because it is not monitor-specific. It’s just there to set a default state for everything and again deactivates other profiles which may be counterproductive in an ‘sRGB’ environment.

[vonvorter]

Just got my AW2724DM, and G2724D in the mail a few days ago. Let me know if anyone has any questions!

I don’t own a color calibrator (despite being a video editor lol), so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

First impressions:
The AW2724DM has noticeably more IPS glow, and a small amount of backlight bleed compared to the cheaper G2724D. The former also arrived with around 4 stuck pixels in the very center of the screen. The only time they’re noticeable is when the screen is completely black, and after running JSreenFix for a night, all but one has fixed themselves, and the remaining one is very dim. The IPS glow/ backlight bleed has also been reduced a fair amount after leaving it on max brightness on some moving screens overnight. Both monitors are noticeably less grainy in terms of finish than my previous monitor, the BenQ EX2510. This is somewhat due to the increase in resolution but more importantly the much thinner coatings both of these monitors have I presume. I intend on using both of these monitors in SRGB exclusively, since I’m primarily going to be editing YouTube videos, and gaming with them. Both of these monitors are a much better experience out of the box, than the last 2 monitors I tried, the MAG274QRF-QD, and the M27Q-X. The IPS glow and backlight bleed on both of those were pretty terrible to me, but I’m incredibly picky about QC in general. Judging by eye both monitors are fairly accurate in terms of color (both in SRGB mode), with the edge going to the G2724D, due to the slightly better contrast/black uniformity, and a more neutral looking white tone, as opposed to a slightly pinkish tone on the AW274DM. Both stands are fantastic, and build quality seems decent on both. No noticeable ghosting on either monitor at the default overdrive setting as far as I can tell, and the response times feel decent at 60hz to the respective max refresh rates. Both monitors are 10 bit capable, native 10 bit on the AW274DM, and 8+2 10 bit on the G2724D. I’m pretty happy with both of these monitors, and it’ll be hard deciding between the two, despite the price difference.

[PCM2]

Thanks for sharing your impressions and offering the comparison, it’s good to see you’re enjoyong both Dell models so much that it’s tough to pick one! Can you see any evidence of local dimming working under HDR on the Alienware? If you run a local dimming test on YouTube under HDR it should highlight this behaviour (the feature seemed to be ‘broken’ or absent for another forum member).

[gizmo11x]

thanks so much vonvorter!
interesting that the G2724D has better contrast…is it very noticeable?

[vonvorter]

Judging by my little experience with HDR in general, the local dimming doesn’t appear to be working but I’m not 100 percent sure. My guess is the monitor wouldn’t have too many local dimming zones, but it doesn’t appear to exhibit any blooming. compared with the HDR being on and off, the black levels are slightly improved, and the whites definitely pop more, but I don’t see any evidence of local dimming.

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