Planar may not be the very first manufacturer you think of for mainstream computer displays, but the company does make a full line of screens to suit most computing needs. And if you get a chance to see the PXL2790MW in person, you will almost surely want to own one. Its clarity and sharpness are simply unparalleled, and with no tests to back that up, we hope you’ll take our word for it. The display delivers a truly compelling image. We’ve tested a few other screens that are nearly as accurate in color, grayscale, and gamma. But none offer the crisp picture that we enjoyed from Planar's PXL2790MW.
This monitor makes style a high priority; but don’t be fooled, its performance does not compromise. Planar's design process very specifically addressed the desire for a Retina-type screen available to the rank-and-file office warrior. While pricing remains premium, this is a monitor that will improve the look and feel of any desktop.

Planar has a reputation for its high-quality displays. Not only does the company make computer monitors, but it also sells large commercial screens and video wall products. One example is the Clarity Matrix system. These monitors have a thin 1/16” bezel that minimizes the separation between them in a video wall configuration. Seeing this system in operation at the recent CEDIA Expo was quite impressive. Planar is also an early adopter of 4K. Its 84-inch UHD touchscreen display is available now. Words can barely describe how stunning that screen looks in person. And a product we're hoping to test soon is Planar's 39-inch 4K monitor.
For the time being, though, we have a 27" monitor in front of us with a native 2560x1440 resolution, and we strongly recommend you consider a display like this for your desktop workstation. Unless you need the high refresh rate of a more gaming-oriented screen, Planar's PXL2790MW checks off all of our boxes for productivity and media. Its contrast is not the highest we’ve seen, but it is above-average. Top-tier gamma results elevate the image’s perceived contrast to a high level. For color and grayscale accuracy, it’s also one of the best. Those are all criteria that any discerning computer user should take seriously. This display has superb out-of-box accuracy, and if you want a great picture, simply replicate the settings we just published.
Anyone concerned about the readability of text at high resolutions has their solution in the PXL2790MW. We've been using this monitor for several weeks now, and not once have we messed with DPI scaling options in Windows or any other application. The output is just that sharp. Moreover, once you have the extra desktop real estate of a QHD screen, it's really hard to settle for FHD again, or any monitor smaller than 27" for that matter. With brightness to spare, you'll be hard-pressed to find a situation where the PXL2790MW doesn't look amazing.
Though Planar markets this display as a business-class product, we believe enthusiasts should take a serious look at the PXL2790MW as well.
- Planar PXL2790MW: Clarity, Performance, And Accuracy In QHD
- Packaging, Physical Layout, And Accessories
- OSD Setup And Calibration
- Measurement And Calibration Methodology: How We Test
- Results: Brightness And Contrast
- Results: Grayscale Tracking And Gamma Response
- Results: Color Gamut And Performance
- Results: Viewing Angle And Uniformity
- Results: Pixel Response And Input Lag
- Planar's PXL2790MW Gets Top Marks For Clarity And Performance
What do you seriously think that another 27" 2560x1440 60Hz monitor that is already in class with a dozen other models identical to it, deserves an award?
As for those overlord monitors, I wasn't impressed by them, mostly because I had it sitting next to a lightboost 2 120hz TN panel. Yes, the overclocked IPS panel has better colour (though that's largely negated by using it on minimal brightness in a dark room, like we've already been talking about), and it's certainly pretty and gives a lot of screen real estate... but it can't compare to a real 120Hz monitor, especially not one with a strobing backlight.
Now this sort of monitor clarity plus an OS that supports decent enlarged fonts would be really nice. Apps that scale well over a range of sizes would be even nicer. A 1000 pixel wide frame may be good for some people no matter how small it is; others of us would like at least a certain number of inches. Support all of us.
(Yes, I know that this isn't the monitor's fault. It's a poor convention in many parts of the software industry.)
QHD is not ready for gaming prime time yet, sorry folks.
Cheers!
As for those overlord monitors, I wasn't impressed by them, mostly because I had it sitting next to a lightboost 2 120hz TN panel. Yes, the overclocked IPS panel has better colour (though that's largely negated by using it on minimal brightness in a dark room, like we've already been talking about), and it's certainly pretty and gives a lot of screen real estate... but it can't compare to a real 120Hz monitor, especially not one with a strobing backlight.
When you say a real 120Hz - I don't get that. I have both 248s and Tempests and I prefer the Tempest all day every day. Monitors are clearly very subjective. Some people complain about strobing, PWm, etc. but it doesn't affect me at all. I prefer an IPS panel over a TN panel. The Tempest is a real 120hz monitor once OC'd so your comment makes little sense to me. Gaming on an IPS 1440 is much preferred and the added Hz makes the overlord the best gaming display for me.
QHD is not ready for gaming prime time yet, sorry folks.
Cheers!
Herpa Durp? QHD has been ready for "gaming prime time" for years now. Fortunately, panels are coming down in price and adoption is increasing as a result.
Your argument would be totally valid for 4K displays right now...excessively expensive, complicated input requirements, killer HW requirements. Very much a niche market.
1440p is **like** totally the new 1080p. Psshhya
It's not a real 120hz display i.e. designed for it. It has significantly more latency, and serious issues with motion blur... where a monitor designed for high refresh rates has virtually no input lag, and (if using lightboost technology set up to strobe), zero motion blur. An overclocked ips panel is still better than a non-overclocked ips panel, but I'll take a TN panel any day. The very high end TN panels look nearly as good as lower-end IPS panels, yet perform way better... and IPS panels don't handle being set to low brightness very well. I agree that IPS is superior for certain things; most notably tasks that require color accuracy. But for a gaming setup, I disagree. (Though a 1440p monitor, you're right, is a wonderful thing.)
That... is absolutely not true. Have you set your monitor up with lightboost, if you aren't using it? Have you gone into windows and your video drivers and told them to run the monitor at 120hz? Most of the time, when people say they can't see the difference between 120hz and 60hz, it's because they didn't set it up and never actually saw 120hz.
If you have it set up right, there is a VERY noticeable difference between 120hz and 60hz. Yes, 1440p is nice too, but you can't just say that one is worthless and the other isn't; I personally bought and returned a VERY nice iiyama recently, because even though it was basically the best on the market, there were notable issues with it while gaming - if there were a 1440p TN panel that didn't have all the issues that IPS panels have (yes, I know TN panels have issues of their own, but those are unimportant for gaming), then I would buy it on day one, and use it for MMOs and, say, racing games, for which a 120Hz monitor isn't as helpful, but which you still want a decent response and minimal ghosting.
For me, this is just another overpriced piece of equipment. Next.
Your argument would be totally valid for 4K displays right now...excessively expensive, complicated input requirements, killer HW requirements. Very much a niche market.
1440p is **like** totally the new 1080p. Psshhya
Well, I know there have been QHD monitors for quite some time, but they're still expensive as hell and don't offer a better "gaming experience" IMO to justify them over FHD@120/144Hz. Until QHD comes in 120/144 Hz, they won't be on my "must have" list at all. Specially with the crappy as hell colors.
Cheers!
Happy Thanks Giving!