Right now at Best Buy, you can find the Dell S2721NX 27-inch FHD monitor for one of its lowest prices to date. This IPS display usually goes for around $159 but it's currently discounted to just $89. This deal is part of a limited offer that's scheduled to expire by the end of February 23rd, 2025 (14 hours left at the time of publishing), so you don't have too much time to mull over whether or not you want to indulge in a new monitor.

Unfortunately, we haven't had the opportunity to review the Dell S2721NX just yet, but we definitely have plenty of experience with leading brands like Dell and other monitors on the market. If you want to get a better idea of how this monitor compares to other popular displays, you should check out our list of best gaming monitors. There you can see what our favorite picks are in various categories ranging from budget displays to those with super high-quality specs.

The Dell S2721NX monitor is built around a 27-inch IPS display panel. It has an FHD resolution which measures 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The refresh rate isn't the highest on the market, reaching just 75 Hz, but for a monitor under $100, we can't complain too much. FreeSync should help smooth out stutters and tearing as long as your GPU can hold between 48 and 75 Hz, too. The S2721NX has a refresh rate of 4ms.

Adding further appeal to the S2721NX for occasional gaming is its low latency and low framerate compensation support. The brightness is capable of reaching 300 Nits which definitely isn't too bad for a monitor in this price range. An anti-glare matte 3H coating should aid visibility if there is a strong light somewhere in your work/play environment. The 1,000:1 contrast ratio is pretty typical for an IPS panel.

As far as video input goes, you get two HDMI 1.4 ports to take advantage of, no DP sadly. There's a 3.5mm headphone jack, too.

The purchase is supported by both Best Buy's return policy as well as a 1-year manufacturer's warranty from Dell.

Again, this discount is part of a limited offer that is set to expire by the end of the day. If you want to take a closer look at the deal, head over to the official Dell S2721NX 27-inch IPS FHD monitor product page at Best Buy for more information and purchase options.

If you've been in the market for a quality curved gaming display, you should look closely at this Amazon offer on the Asus TUF VG34VQ3B gaming monitor. It has a recommended price of $349, but it's currently marked down to just $279. This is the second lowest price we've seen for this monitor since it was first released, and we're not sure how long it will be available at this rate.

This monitor offers quite a bit, including a curved panel and dense resolution. Its AMD FreeSync Premium certification also backs it up. If you want to know how these specs compare to other leading gaming displays, check out our list of the best gaming monitors to see what's leading the market.

This gaming monitor is pretty big, albeit not the biggest on the market, measuring 34 inches across. It has an LED-backlit VA panel with a QHD resolution of 3440 x 1440. The panel has a curvature of 1500R and can reach a maximum refresh rate of 180 Hz, with a short response time of just 1 ms.

The Asus TUF VG34VQ3B has an AMD FreeSync Premium certification, a step up from the basic FreeSync grading. It covers 90% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and is illuminated by a maximum brightness of 400 Nits. Regarding audio support, it has two integrated 2W speakers and a 3.5mm jack for external audio peripherals. There are also two HDMI 2.0 ports and two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs.

Again, we don't know how long this monitor will be available at this rate, but you can check it out on the Asus TUF VG34VQ3B product page for more details and purchase options.

A new gaming monitor has been launched to appeal to fans of retro aesthetics. The new JAPANNEXT JN-V236G180F-RETRO is a 23.6-inch 1080p VA-panel equipped HDMI/DP monitor with up to a 180 Hz refresh rate, plus FreeSync and 120 Hz PlayStation 5 compatibility. However, the typically modern specs are wrapped up in a 1960s or 70s-era living room TV-style housing, complete with a pair of dials on the sizable right-hand slab of bezel.

JAPANNEXT says that its new gaming monitor will scratch the nostalgia itch with its styling and monochrome mode. Like some of the oldest TVs, it has two dials up front, but many functions are set and adjusted via a separate OSD menu system.

On old TV sets, there were often a pair of dials on the front for channel tuning and audio volume adjustments. Here, the top dial is used for turning on and selecting crosshairs (right) or for display brightness adjustments (left). According to the PR and manuals, the lower dial is for audio volume adjustment.

Of course, a modern monitor needs more controls than that, so the front dials are augmented by a more typical array of controls on the rear right-hand side. There, you will find buttons to power the monitor on and off and access, navigate through, and adjust all the usual settings.

We have already highlighted this retro monitor's special appeal and features, but what about its more ‘normal’ specifications? As you can see from the specs table, the JN-V236G180F-RETRO isn’t the most advanced gaming display.

Highlights above are the 180 Hz max refresh, FreeSync compatibility, 1ms response time, and perhaps the gray mode (for some). There are also a handful of game modes for genres like RTS, FPS, and so on. We are less impressed by the maximum brightness of 300 nits and the display’s sRGB gamut of 90% / DCI-P3 coverage of 80%. It probably wouldn’t make our shortlist of the best gaming monitors.

JAPANNEXT will release the new JN-V236G180F-RETRO on Friday, with a price tag expected to be a smidgeon under JPY30,000 ($200). We don’t often see JAPANNEXT products in the States, but it sells its products in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

We have you covered on every possible front, with the best 4K gaming monitors, the best ultrawide gaming monitors, and even the best portable monitors. While those guides focus on specific segments of the monitor market, we'll try to pick the best from each here. Think of it as the "best of the best."

The best thing about having numerous options for consumers is that you can choose the ideal monitor for your specific gaming needs. When seeking the best gaming monitor for your rig, different panel types are vying for your eyeballs — IPS, TN, VA, and even OLED — each with pros and cons.

Of course, you can't forget about screen size and aspect ratio, which affect your views, desk space, and, again, bank account. And we haven't even discussed bonuses, like speakers, RGB, or port selection. With so many options available to gamers, some helpful guidance is necessary to make the best possible choice.

On a positive note, the gaming monitor space is quickly becoming inundated with OLED panel technology, which is definitely encouraging. Not only do OLED panels offer the best possible color output, responsiveness, and black levels, but prices are quickly falling, making them a more attractive purchase for discerning gamers. As OLEDs become more affordable, even more people will be able ot take advantage of these benefits. If you’d like more detailed information on the panel technology, be sure to check out our best OLED gaming monitor guide.

Based on all these criteria, our top pick is the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP. This 27-inch QHD monitor offers a compelling balance of resolution, performance, and price — it's also among the best OLED gaming monitors on the market. In addition to the ROG Swift PG27AQDP, below is a list of the best gaming monitors currently available based on our in-house tests.

The Quick List

Best Gaming Monitors in 2026

Best Overall / Best OLED Gaming Monitor

The Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP is the new king of the hill when it comes to high-performance OLED gaming monitors. The ROG Swift PG27AQDP has the same 2560 x 1440 resolution as our previous favorite, the Alienware AW2725DF, but boasts a maximum refresh rate of 480 Hz (instead of 360 Hz).

Our instrumented testing showed a brightness of 400 nits in SDR content and 1,300 nits in HDR content. Calibration was also stellar straight out of the box, while contrast and overall color reproduction were excellent (as expected from a modern OLED panel). Excellent video processing and tons of gaming-centric features make the ROG Swift PG27AQDP a must-have for discerning gamers.

Among the OLED competition, the PG27AQDP was tied for first place in response time (just two milliseconds), while it registered just 15 ms for the input lag test. That put it in second place behind its larger brother, the PG32UCDP. However, it's hard to live up to the PG32UCDP's 11-millisecond showing, and 15 ms is nothing to scoff at (and the PG32UCDP also had an advantage by running the test at FHD instead of QHD).

We had no trouble playing games like Doom Eternal at 340 fps at QHD resolution with a GeForce RTX 4090 on the PG27AQDP. However, we didn't have enough computing muscle to reach the monitor's upper 480 fps limit, although perhaps a GeForce RTX 5090 could get the job done.

Just be aware that the ROG Swift PG27AQDP has an MSRP of $999, which is a few hundred bucks pricier than its closest competition, the $600 Alienware AW2524HF. However, that price premium is warranted, given its performance and features.

More: Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP Gaming Monitor Review

Best Ultra-High Refresh Rate Monitor

The Alienware AW2524HF plants its flag in the ground as the successor to the world's first 500Hz gaming monitor, the AW2524H. The AW2524HF includes most of the superlatives that made its predecessor such a standout monitor, but comes with a lower price tag due to the lack of the Nvidia G-Sync module and a backlight strobe. However, while the AW2524H hit the market with an $800+ price tag, the AW2524HF debuted at $650.

Though 360 Hz displays are commonplace today, Dell's new entry ensures no frame tears or motion blur when using flagship graphics cards capable of pushing 400+ frames per second. In addition to its outright speed, the AW2524HF commands a 2ms advantage in control lag over its 360 Hz peers. It was only surpassed by the AW2524H. While casual gamers won't notice the difference in gameplay, it immediately impacted our hands-on testing. Competitive gamers will also notice the difference when online matches become intense.

Just remember that if you want to realize the full potential of the AW2524HF, you'll need something like one of the best CPUs for gaming along with one of the best graphics cards for gaming. However, street pricing hovering around the $600 mark is a remarkable bargain for gamers with the central processing and graphics horsepower to back it up. If you want an OLED panel and don't mind spending a few dollars more, the 480 Hz Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP should also be under consideration.

Read: Alienware AW2524HF 500 Hz Gaming Monitor Review

Best Value Gaming Monitor

4K monitors were once a rarity in the gaming monitor space, but as the years have progressed, we’ve seen immense growth in the category. That growth has come not only at the high end but also at the low end, thanks in part to entries such as the Titan Army P2712V.

The P2712V is on the smaller side for a 4K monitor, measuring 27 inches. However, this results in a relatively high pixel density of 163 pixels per inch (PPI). Another perk is that the P2712V is a dual-mode monitor: at its native 4K resolution, you get a maximum refresh rate of 160 Hz. However, if you want to drop the resolution down to Full HD (1080p), that maximum refresh rate doubles to 320 Hz.

The monitor features an IPS panel that is incredibly accurate straight out of the box. In addition, video processing is exceptional, with very little motion blur. Brightness wasn't a "bright spot" of the monitor, coming in at 334 nits (the lowest among its competitive set); however, it is plenty of output if you're working in an office setting. Color gamut volume was also average, coming in at 92.98 percent of DCI-P3 and 97.47 percent of sRGB.

But where the P2712V truly shines is in value. The monitor is available for less than $300, with current street pricing around $280. That’s an incredible value for a 4K monitor, and even more so given that you can game at 320 Hz at 1080p.

“The P2712V’s biggest draw is its flexibility,” wrote our monitor reviewer, Christian Eberle. “You can have a high pixel density monitor for productivity and video, and a super-fast screen for gaming that runs at 320 Hz.”

More: Titan Army P2712V Gaming Monitor Review

Best Curved Gaming Monitor

Desktop-class OLEDs used to be a rarity in the gaming monitor segment, but over the years, prices have come down, and more entries have entered the fray. The latest comes from Alienware, the jaw-dropping AW3423DFW.

This is a 34-inch ultra-wide monitor with an 1800R curve and a resolution of 3440 x 1440. However, the most important spec is its use of a Quantum Dot OLED (QD-OLED) panel, which offers an extremely wide color gamut and the blackest blacks you’ll find in a gaming monitor.

The AW3423DFW's QD-OLED “heart” provided excellent contrast and color saturation, so we felt no need to calibrate the panel further out of the box. Throw in premium build quality—as we expect from Alienware—along with top-notch video processing, and the AW3423DFW hits all the high notes without any demerits worth mentioning for enthusiast gamers.

If you want pro-level accuracy for color-critical work, the AW3423DFW has you covered. We measured 107.94% coverage of DCI-P3. We noticed nicely balanced colors, but you can tweak the calibration if you're an absolute stickler. However, any of the adjustments we made only resulted in a minuscule improvement in accuracy and color, so you'd probably be better off sticking with the defaults.

While the AW3423DFW has an MSRP of $1,100, it can easily be found online for just $800, making it a good value for a large-ish monitor if you have the desk space to accommodate it. If you'd like an even cheaper alternative, consider something like the BenQ Mobiuz EX3410R, which retails for around $430.

Read: Alienware AW3423DW Gaming Monitor Review

Best 4K Gaming Monitor

We can’t stress this enough: OLED panels are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore in the gaming monitor space. The panels provide excellent color performance, fast response times, and infinite contrast. It’s hard to come across a bad OLED gaming monitor, but some offer more compelling features that make them stand out from the crowd. That’s where the Asus ROG Strix XG32UCWMG comes into the picture.

This is a 32-inch 4K gaming monitor with an OLED panel. However, the ROG Strix XG32UCWMG has two personalities for gaming enthusiasts. You can operate in 4K mode, which provides the full 3840 x 2160 resolution with a maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz. Or, you can switch to Full HD mode, where you can game at FHD (1920 x 1080) at up to 480 Hz.

Thanks to its infinite contrast, the ROG Strix XG32UCWMG excels in HDR content (HDR10 is supported), and it also supports DisplayHDR 400. The ROG Strix XG32UCWMG actually has a WOLED panel, which is capable of boosting ot a maximum of 1,300 nits in HDR mode. In SDR mode, the ROG Strix XG32UCWMG topped the charts among its competitors, reaching a maximum of 451 nits.

When it comes to the port allotment, you’ll find two HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4, and one USB-C port. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack and three downstream USB ports.

With a street price of $850, the Asus ROG Strix XG32UCWMG isn’t cheap, but it’s a well-rounded gaming monitor that should be on your shopping list.

More: Asus ROG Strix XG32UCWMG Gaming Monitor Review

Best 3D Gaming Monitor

There was once tremendous promise in the area of 3D TVs and monitors, but those early ambitions have not yet truly come to fruition. However, Acer has been at the forefront of keeping the 3D gaming monitor dream alive, and its latest product is the SpatialLabs View 27 PSV27-2.

At first glance, the specs for the View 27 PSV27-2 seem unassuming. It has a 27-inch 4K VA panel with a refresh rate of 160 Hz. Maximum brightness ticks in at 400 nits (447.5852 nits in our testing), and it supports AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync technologies.

However, the real intrigue comes with the eye-tracking sensors that are built into the bezel of the monitor. These sensors track your head and eye position to create a convincing, glasses-free 3D experience.

This SpatialLabs technology allows for a more immersive gaming experience, and there are even plugins to add 3D viewing to popular game engines like Unreal and Unity. There's even Steam integration, allowing you to play games like Baldur's Gate 3 in glorious 3D. Over 180 games are currently supported by the SpatialLabs View 27 PSV27-2.

While the View 27 PSV27-2 is more than capable of delivering when it comes to 3D content, it is also a solid choice for standard 2D games. We had no issue pushing up against the 160 Hz maximum for the monitor at 4K in Doom Eternal when using a GeForce RTX 4090

Acer even provides the SpatialLabs Go utility that allows you to convert 2D video into 3D. If you have concerns about headaches or potential vertigo when viewing 3D content, consider finding a demo to try before investing in this impressive piece of kit.

More: Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 PSV27-2 3D Gaming Monitor Review

Best Ultrawide Gaming Monitor

With OLED panels invading every facet of the gaming monitor sector, it should be no surprise that they proliferate in even the largest offerings. That’s definitely the case with the LG Ultra Gear 45GX950A, which features an enormous OLED panel stretching an impressive 45 inches. So what do you get with your $1,000 investment into widescreen gaming bliss?

The monitor can operate at 165 Hz at WUHD resolution (5120 x 2160) or 330 Hz at WFD resolution (2560x1080). You'll need almost 4 feet of desk width and plenty of depth to accommodate it, but if you do, you’ll enjoy an 800R curve without image distortion.

The response time is an OLED-typical 0.03 ms, and you get a maximum brightness of 275 nits in SDR mode, but a high 1,300 nits in HDR mode (we measured 475 nits in HDR mode).

Regarding connectivity, you'll find two HDMI 2.1 ports, two DisplayPort 2.1, and one USB-C. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack (DTS: Headphone X support), two 10-watt speakers, and two downstream USB ports.

The end result is a bright and colorful image with no need for calibration and excellent video processing. And of course, you'll get top-notch build quality, which is expected given its $1,500 price tag.

More: LG Ultra Gear 45GX950A Gaming Monitor Review

Best Portable Gaming Monitor

When you think of displays with a 300Hz refresh rate, you typically picture desktop monitors with a Full HD resolution. However, Nexigo offers something on a smaller scale in the form of the NG17FGQ. This is a 17.3-inch portable monitor that offers a 300Hz refresh rate and connects to a laptop or desktop via HDMI or USB-C (DisplayPort Alt-Mode).

To take advantage of that fast 300Hz refresh rate, you'll need to connect over USB-C with a computer that supports full bandwidth capabilities. If you decide to connect via HDMI, you're limited to 240Hz, which is still heady for a portable monitor. Response times were also low, coming in at just 3ms, making it competitive with desktop-class 360Hz monitors.

Gaming performance across the board is excellent with the NG17FGQ, and it can produce some amazing colors once the panel is calibrated. Its overall good build quality also means that it should stand up to the rigors of behind tossed around in a bag while traveling.

Nexigo even includes a handy remote that can be used to navigate the on-screen display (OSD). Toss in stereo speakers to blast some tunes on the go, and the NG17FGQ makes a great travel companion for gamers and productivity-minded folks alike.

More: Nexigo NG17FGQ Review

Best Console Gaming Monitor

There are plenty of gaming monitors out there that work incredibly well with desktop PCs, but Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5 consoles also need some love. The Alienware AW3225QF rings all the right bells for anyone looking for a large monitor to pair with a current-generation console. It measures 32 inches across, has a 4K resolution, and its refresh rate tops out at 240 Hz. Best of all, it uses a QD-OLED panel to give you unmatched contrast and luscious colors.

The monitor even supports Dolby Vision, which makes it a perfect fit for the Xbox Series X. What’s amazing about the AW3225QF is that it does everything remarkably well. It’s not perfect, but it is near the top of its class in most categories and does so with excellent motion resolution and low input lag. HDR brightness was also class-competitive at 453 nits.

Throw in the always-excellent quality we expect from Alienware, and you have a monitor equally adept at handling your Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 play sessions. Just be prepared to fork over $999 to purchase this gaming monitor gem. For more restrictive budgets, the Sony Inzone M9 has a street price of around $700.

Read: Alienware AW3225QF Review

FAQs for Gaming Monitors

Shopping Tips for Gaming Monitors

When trying to buy the best gaming monitor for your PC, consider the following:

Savings on Best Gaming Monitors

When shopping for any gaming monitor, including those above, you may save some money by checking out our lists of best computer monitor deals, Dell Coupon Codes, Lenovo coupon codes, LG coupon codes or Newegg coupon codes.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor

If you're in the market for a new gaming monitor, you should take a close look at this Amazon offer on the Dell S2721QS. This 27-inch gaming display has a dense 4K resolution and usually costs around $299. Today, however, it's available for just $199. So far, no expiration has been specified for the discount, so it's not clear how long it will be available at this price.

We had the opportunity to review the Dell S2721QS a few years ago and were very pleased with our experience, rating it at 4 out of 5 stars. The colors looked great, and the brightness was definitely a winning asset. Our biggest complaint was that it was lacking in HDR support. If you want to see how it stacks up against other gaming monitors on the market, check out our list of the best gaming monitors.

This Dell gaming monitor isn't the biggest on the market, but it's still pretty big, spanning 27 inches. It has a dense, 4K UHD resolution, measuring 3840 x 2160px. The response time can get as low as 4ms, while the refresh rate caps out at 60 Hz.

The Dell S2721QS is AMD FreeSync certified, which ensures dense resolution and low framerate compensation (LFC) support. It covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut and is illuminated by a maximum brightness of 350 Nits.

Visit Amazon's Dell S2721QS product page for more details and purchase options.

Working from home has become the new normal for many people, so finding the best computer monitor is more important than ever. After all, you surely want to see the best visual quality from your coworkers' best webcams. While many PC components are still enduring depressing shortages, performing a screen upgrade is one of the most accessible and impactful changes you can make to your gaming rig.

Below, we list the best computer monitors across various categories, from gaming to budget 4K and HDR.

The Quick List

The Best Computer Monitors You Can Buy Today

Best Computer Monitor

The Samsung Odyssey G9 is an absolute beast of a monitor, measuring a staggering 49 inches across. To help make viewing content more immersive, you'll find a 1000R curve, which is among the tightest currently found on a gaming monitor. You can think of the Odyssey as having two 27-inch 1440p displays melded into one sitting on your desk. Speaking of your desk, you'll need a mammoth footprint to accommodate the Odyssey G9.

Our testing showed that the Odyssey G9 delivered superior contrast (2,152.9:1 following calibration) and hit 58,881.7:1 regarding HDR testing.

However, not everything is roses with the Odyssey G9. It doesn't offer blur reduction, a framerate counter, or speakers. However, we can overlook those admissions given the excellent image quality and speed offered by this ultrawide monitor.

Read: Samsung 49-Inch Odyssey G9 Review

Best Computer Monitor for Gaming

The Dell S3222DGM is the best gaming monitor for many gamers. This follow-up to the highly-rated S3220DGF boasts a 32-inch VA panel, QHD resolution, and 165 Hz refresh rate with Adaptive-Sync support. Other perks in its favor are 85 percent coverage of DCI-P3 and a display curve with an 1800mm radius.

However, Dell knocks it out of the park with the S3222DGM's contrast ratio. VA panels are known for their excellent contrast, but the S3222DGM is rated at an impressive 3,000:1, easily blowing away IPS competitors. But our sample managed to better that figure by a third, coming in at 4,000:1 in instrumented tests.

This 32-inch monitor offers plenty of vertical screen real estate without the need for scrolling and 1440p resolution, the current sweet spot between image quality and gaming performance. And while the S3222DGM is targeted primarily at gamers, we found that it is also great for general productivity and anything in between.

While the S3222DGM lacks HDR support, its excellent contrast doesn't detract from that missing "bullet point" and its overall performance is hard to beat at this price point. Throw in Dell's usual solid build quality, and this represents a great monitor for enthusiasts looking to build out a mid to high-budget gaming PC.

More: Dell S3222DGM review

Best Ultrawide Computer Monitor

Desktop-class OLEDs are becoming more prevalent in gaming monitors, and one of the leaders in this space is the Alienware AW3423DFW.

This 34-inch ultra-wide monitor features an 1800R curve with a resolution of 3440 x 1440. The standout feature, however, is the Quantum Dot OLED (QD-OLED) panel that offers a wide color gamut and inky blacks that gamers crave.

Other plusses here include great color saturation, premium build quality, excellent video processing, and calibration that is dialed in straight out of the box.

The $1,100 price tag is not for the faint of heart, but the AW3423DFW's performance makes it well worth the price of admission.

Read: Alienware AW3423DW Gaming Monitor Review

Best Curved Computer Monitor

It’s hard to be all things to all people, but the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 tries its best. It uses a 32-inch VA panel that combines Mini LED lighting (1,196 dimming zones) and a Quantum Dot film to deliver greater contrast than what’s available on traditional VA monitors (25,000:1 in our testing compared to 3,000:1 typically found in VA panels).

Samsung also infused the Odyssey Neo G8 with a tight 1000R curve and a fast 240Hz refresh, which is a rarity at this 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. Whether looking at SDR or HDR content, the Odyssey Neo G8 impresses with accurate color, and overall gaming performance is excellent.

While we would have liked a bit more color volume from the Odyssey Neo G8, it provides a lot of bang for the buck at its $1,499 MSRP. However, the monitor is often on sale, taking its price below $1,200.

Read: Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 Review

Best Budget Gaming Monitor

4K monitors are becoming more commonplace in the gaming sector, and were seeing incredible growth in the category. That growth has come not only at the high end but also at the low end, thanks to models like the Titan Army P2712V.

The P2712V has a 27-inch panel, which results in a relatively high pixel density of 163 pixels per inch (PPI). Another perk is that the P2712V is a dual-mode monitor: at its native 4K resolution, you get a maximum refresh rate of 160 Hz. However, if you want to drop the resolution down to Full HD (1080p), that maximum refresh rate doubles to 320 Hz.

The IPS panel is incredibly accurate straight out of the box, and video processing is exceptional, with very little motion blur. Brightness wasn't a "bright spot" of the monitor, coming in at 334 nits (the lowest among its competitive set); however, it is plenty of output for an office setting. Color gamut volume was also average, coming in at 92.98 percent of DCI-P3 and 97.47 percent of sRGB.

But where the P2712V truly shines is in value. The monitor is available for less than $300, with current street pricing around $280. That’s an incredible value for a 4K monitor, and even more so given that you can game at 320 Hz at 1080p.

“The P2712V’s biggest draw is its flexibility,” wrote our monitor reviewer, Christian Eberle. “You can have a high pixel density monitor for productivity and video, and a super-fast screen for gaming that runs at 320 Hz.”

Read: Titan Army P2712V Gaming Monitor Review

Best Computer Monitor for 4K Gaming

The Alienware AW3225QF ticks all the right boxes for anyone looking for a large monitor to pair with a PC or a current-generation console. It measures 32 inches across, has a 4K resolution, and its refresh rate tops out at 240 Hz. Best of all, it uses a QD-OLED panel to give you unmatched contrast and luscious colors.

The monitor even supports Dolby Vision, which makes it a perfect fit for the Xbox Series X. The AW3225QF does so many things well, but it’s not perfect. However, it is near the top of its class in most categories and does so with excellent motion resolution and low input lag. Throw in the fabulous build quality that we expect from Alienware, and you have a monitor that is equally adept at handling any of your gaming needs; well, that is if you don't mind the $1,200 price of entry.

Read: Alienware AW3225QF Review

Best Budget 4K Computer Monitor

The Samsung UR59C is a budget champion, delivering 4K resolution from its VA panel and a contrast of 2590.5:1 after calibration). Samsung isn't positioning the UR59C as a high-end gaming monitor, so you're limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and there are no provisions for FreeSync or G-Sync.

If you frequently multitask with multiple windows open, you'll appreciate the 1500R curve that keeps content closer to your line of sight. The UR59C came out of the box with some nasty color errors, but our calibration settings managed to reduce the error from 4.3dE to 0.9dE -- so it's well worth taking a few minutes to get those settings dialed into the OSD.

For more of our picks on value-priced monitors, check out our Best Budget 4K Monitors round-up.

More: Samsung UR59C review

Best Portable Computer Monitor

The Nexigo NG17FGQ is a 17.3-inch portable monitor that packs quite a punch. Not only is the large panel size something of a rarity in this space, but it also boasts a blazing-fast refresh rate of 300Hz with a USB-C cable using DisplayPort Alt-Mode. If you opt for an HDMI cable, the maximum refresh rate drops down to a still impressive 240Hz.

Gaming performance is solid, colors are plentiful and accurate, and build quality is impressive in this category. Other niceties include a remote for navigating the OSD and integrated speakers. across the board is excellent with the NG17FGQ, and it can produce some amazing colors once the panel is calibrated. Its overall good build quality also means that it should stand up to the rigors of being tossed around in a bag while traveling.

While the 300Hz refresh rate is the headlining feature of the NG17FGQ, be sure that you have a laptop GPU that is capable of pushing that performance at 1080p.

More: Nexigo NG17FGQ Review

What to Look for in a Best Monitor

• What’s your monitor’s purpose? If it’s gaming, you’ll generally want something with a high refresh rate (ideally 100Hz or more), low response time and AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync for fighting screen tears at low framerates. For general use, look for high contrast, and for creative work prioritize color accuracy.

• What resolution do you want? More pixels means a sharper image. No one should be buying anything under 1080p/FHD (1920 x 1080) these days. But if your budget can handle it, 4K is as sharp as it gets at a reasonable price. Many gamers find 1440p/QHD (2560 x 1440) a good compromise between price and high-refresh-rate performance.

• Contrast and color. We consider contrast the most important factor in image quality, with 1,000:1 being solid. Color errors are particularly important avoid for content creators, and anything with a Delta E (dE) greater than 3 may show visible errors.

• Panel tech: When it comes to image quality, TN < IPS < VA. VA monitors generally have better contrast than even the best IPS panels (3,000:1 and higher), although IPS panels are often more colorful.

• What size do you want? These days, 24-inches is on the small side and 27 inches is mainstream, while 32-inches is a good large size for those on a budget. Anything bigger than 43 inches probably won’t fit on a regular desktop. For portable monitors, stay in the 17-inch range or under. Anything bigger isn't really all that portable.

• sRGB or DCI-P3? In most cases, you’ll either be getting a monitor made for the sRGB color space or the more colorful DCI-P3 one. Technically, Windows, the web and non-HDR games and video all use sRGB, but if you want an extra colorful screen, an accurate DCI-P3 monitor is more appropriate.

If you want sharp image quality, 4K resolution is an excellent place to be in 2025. Sure, there are 8K screens and even more modest 6K ones making the rounds these days, but they cost a pretty penny. On the other hand, lower resolutions deliver higher frame rates while using the best graphics cards. However, 3840 x 2160 sits at the head of the table regarding premium viewing experiences for what our eyes can perceive.

For years, the 4K resolution was a luxury not achievable for reasonably priced PC monitors. However, as these high-resolution screens have become more commonplace and the bleeding edge has turned to high refresh rates and full-array local dimming, a relatively large assortment of budget 4K monitors allows you to take the plunge without breaking the bank.

Below are the best budget 4K monitors we've tested. Thankfully, most of these monitors sell for under $400, allowing you to devote funds to other critical gaming components.

The Quick List

Best Budget 4K Monitors You Can Buy Today

Best Budget 4K Computing Monitor

The Samsung UR59C is the best budget 4K monitor, offering a 32-inch VA panel with accuracy and curves. Image quality is superb, with bold, accurate colors and clear text after calibration. When we tested in sRGB mode, we recorded a color error of 4.3dE with visible errors, but our calibration (see our recommended settings on page 1 of the review) got it down to 0.9dE. So your web and games should look as intended. The UR59C also offers fantastic contrast, as expected from a VA panel, hitting an impressive 2,590.5:1 after calibration.

Ultrawide screens typically offer more noticeable curves, but despite its 16:9 aspect ratio, the UR59C's1500R curve is pronounced and beneficial, allowing us to keep more windows in view.

This monitor isn't fit for serious gaming, but casual players can make it work. The UR59C has a 60 Hz refresh rate, 4ms response time, and no FreeSync or G-Sync to fight screen tears. You'd get noticeably better response times and input lag scores from a 75 Hz screen. But games didn't look bad with its high contrast and the pixel density of a 32-inch, 4K screen. So if you're games that aren't graphically intense or at lower settings and you have a speed enough graphics card that can consistently hit 60 frames per second (fps), you can enjoy blur-free gaming on the UR59C.

More: Samsung UR59C review

Best Budget 4K Gaming Monitor

You’ll have to pay a hefty price for a monitor that can push 8.3 million pixels at a 144 Hz refresh rate. The best budget 4K gaming monitor, the Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q, is a slower 60 Hz but fights screen tears with FreeSync. Yes, input lag is significantly larger than what you’ll find on a 144 Hz monitor, as is response time. But this is an excellent option if you’re working with a budget graphics card and want your games to look detailed and realistic. SDR games looked extra colorful on the VG289Q, and dynamic contrast brought subtle visual benefits, like added dimension. However, there are screens on this page with better contrast.

HDR isn’t as fantastic as you’ll find on a monitor with a full-array local dimming (FALD) backlight or an edge array backlight, but shadows and highlights looked more distinct, and we enjoyed the color boost.

For more premium high-res gaming screens, check out our Best 4K Gaming Monitors round-up.

More: Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q review

Best 32-inch Budget 4K Monitor

If the best budget 4K monitor for you is in the 32-inch range, check out the LG 32UN500-W Contrast is a top consideration for image quality, and the 32UN500-W’s VA panel didn’t disappoint in our benchmarks, hitting 2,353.9:1 out of the box. In addition, the 32UN500-W’s native color gamut is DCI-P3, and it covers that color space accurately without any visible errors.

Again, as a budget 4K monitor, the 32UN500-W isn’t winning any HDR prizes. Color lacks the expected pop, and overall the image doesn’t provide a noticeable boost over SDR.

But the 32UN500-W also thoughtfully includes two 5W speakers and even AMD FreeSync to fight screen tears during casual gaming. In general, it delivered popping colors with deep blacks, making it a great fit for your favorite 4K movie and the like.

More: LG 32UN500-W review

Best 27-inch Budget 4K Monitor

If you’re looking for high pixel density for not a lot of money, you’ve come to the right place. Take a gander at the Asus Rog Strix XG27UCS, which is a 27-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS gaming monitor with a speedy 160 Hz refresh rate.

As you would expect from a ROG Strix gaming monitor, the XG27UCS comes packed with features, including a feature-packed OSD (including GamePlus options), FreeSync and G-Sync compatibility, nearly 100 percent coverage of DCI-P3, and HDR10 support — we even managed to hit close to 500 nits of HDR brightness.

We measured near-pro-level accuracy straight out of the box, with a grayscale error of 0.58dE (although it wasn’t quite able to match the segment leader). The color error score was also impressive at 1.06dE.

If there’s one glaring flaw that we could point out with the XG27UCS, it would be with its measured contrast. We measured 900:1 (versus a rated 1,000:1), which is near the bottom of the pack in this segment.

More: Asus Rog Strix XG27UCS Gaming Monitor Review

Best Budget 4K Monitor for Creatives

You should probably opt for a professional monitor if you're doing professional work. Pro monitors are known for offering exceptional accuracy for a premium price. But with monitors continuously improving, we’re at a point where you can find monitors with pro-level accuracy in key areas, like color, just without the pro-level price tag.

The HP U28 is one such screen and the best budget 4K monitor for creatives. Of course, none of the monitors on this page are color slouches, but the U28 stands out with its ability to accurately cover both the sRGB and P3 color spaces with just a switch in the OSD and no calibration. You also get an adjustable stand that allows height and swivel adjustments and the ability to flip into portrait mode, offering plenty of flexibility for creative work.

However, HP’s U28 comes at a cost premium. While not as pricey as professional monitors, the U28 is the most expensive monitor on this list as of this writing.

Still, with a USB-C port letting you charge laptops (or other devices), you may be able to reduce cable clutter, and there are many other ports here too. With that bonus in mind and creative-level accuracy, the U28 is great for feeding your hobby or even career.

More: HP U28 review

Best Budget 4K Monitor With USB-C

The Samsung 27” S80UA is a little more expensive than the other monitors on this page, but you won’t have to worry about image quality. It’s super colorful for a budget screen, covering 95% of DCI-P3, according to our testing, and accurately. You can also opt for sRGB mode, which also offers a low color gamut error of just 2.8dE.

Great for productivity, the S80UA has a great port selection, plus a USB hub. You can add three USB-A ports to your PC by connecting the monitor via USB-C. It can also charge devices via USB-C at up to 100W, so you may be able to ditch your ultraportable laptop’s charger.

You also have DisplayPort and HDMI options, and even a headphone jack. But there are no speakers, and like many budget 4K screens, HDR is a bust. You’re better off watching your HDR movies in the monitor’s SDR modes, but color will still look great. On top of that, the stand is reliable, even in portrait mode, but is a little low, despite height adjustment.

More: Samsung 27-inch S80UA review

Quick Shopping Tips

When looking for the best budget 4K monitor, keep this in mind:

• What size do you need? For a budget monitor, 32 inches is a nice sweet spot, providing ample screen space while still fitting atop a desk. If you don't need to share the screen, consider 28-inch and 27-inch screens. They're common in this price range and generally less expensive.

• Decide the monitor’s main purpose. For gaming, higher refresh rates and Adaptive-Sync (AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync) are priorities, alongside a beefy graphics card. You should have a minimum of a GTX 1070 Ti or RX Vega 64 for medium settings at 4K or, for high or better settings, an RTX-series or Radeon VII. For general productivity or entertainment, look for high contrast for high image quality. Creatives should strive for accuracy. For more, see How to Buy a PC Monitor, plus our Best Gaming Monitors list.

• Errors under 3 Delta E (dE) are generally invisible to the naked eye. A monitor with a 5dE color error, for example, probably has colors that look visibly off. Accuracy is a bigger priority for creative work.

• Do you need HDR? A 4K monitor with the right HDR implementation makes 4K/HDR content look much better than it would on a regular, SDR monitor. While many 4K monitors support HDR, few budget ones deliver it with noticeable impact. If you want a monitor that makes the HDR upgrade worth it, consider increasing your budget or opting for a lower resolution to save money. Read How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor for more.

• Consider ports and other features. Do you need HDMI 2.1 and/or the latest DisplayPort (1.4)? How important are USB Type-A ports to you? Do you want USB-C for charging or a single-cable setup? Speakers and the stand’s ability to tilt, swivel or rise are also considerations.

Finding Discounts on the Best Budget 4K Monitors

Whether you're shopping for one of the screens that made our list of best budget 4K monitors above or something else, you may find savings by checking out our best monitor deals page, along with our lists of Dell coupon codes, Lenovo coupon codes, LG coupon codes, HP coupon codes, Monoprice coupon codes and Newegg promo codes.

As mainstream graphics cards become more powerful, it's not surprising that PC gamers are increasingly interested in 4K monitors. A panel packing 8.3 million pixels (3840 x 2160) makes your favorite games look sharp and realistic. And we can't forget that the added resolution also comes in handy for productivity tasks. However, that 4K resolution requires a graphics card capable of delivering high enough frame rates to make games playable.

In addition to being one of the most popular resolutions among the best gaming monitors, 4K also allows for larger displays while retaining sharpness. Thanks to the abundance of pixels, you can stretch your screen size well past 30 inches without making them so large they are visible.

However, that image quality can often come at a steep price. Anyone looking for a 4K monitor knows they're not cheap. Yes, 4K is about high-res gaming (and other media), but you'll still need solid gaming specs, like a 120 Hz-plus refresh rate, low response time, and your choice of Adaptive-Sync (Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync, depending on your system's graphics card). And you can't forget the cost of the powerful graphics card you'll need to game properly in 4K. See our Best Gaming Monitors page for lower-resolution recommendations if you're not ready to fully embrace 4K.

Our top overall pick is the Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM, a 27-inch monitor capable of 240 Hz at 4K resolution. However, it's not the only standout 4K monitor available today; let's look at the other contenders for the enviable crown.

The Quick List

Best 4K Gaming Monitors You Can Buy Today

Best 4K Gaming Monitor

The Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDM3 ticks all the right boxes out of the gate: it has a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel and a comfortably fast 240 Hz refresh rate. It supports both flavors of ActiveSync and ELMB and is even DisplayHDR 500-certified.

Sure, it’s fine to get the basics right, but Asus goes above and beyond with the ROG Swift PG32UCDM3. It supports DisplayPort 2.1a, giving you full compliance with the latest GeForce RTX 50 Series and Radeon RX graphics cards, and our testing showed it covers 107 percent of DCI-P3.

And although most people aren’t pawing at their gaming monitors, the ROG Swift PG32UCDM3 employs what Asus calls a BlackShield. Not only does the BlackShield offer additional scratch protection (perhaps you have a rogue cat), but it also does an even better job of dealing with ambient light and mitigating reflections. It also helps to make blacks really look black.

“While a 330 or 500 Hz OLED is cool, it won’t do much for gaming besides drop input lag by a few milliseconds,” wrote our monitors reviewer, Christian Eberle. “And the PG32UCDM3 managed 18ms in my test, making it one of the quickest 4K screens I’ve reviewed. And if you spring for one in hopes of upgrading your PC after the fact, it has ELMB for smooth operation at 120 Hz.”

The ROG Swift PG32UCDM3 doesn’t come cheap, with a street price of $1,449. However, it is loaded to the gills with features and has the performance to back up its price tag.

More: Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDM3 review

Best OLED 4K Gaming Monitor

When OLED monitors first hit the scene, pricing was exorbitant. However, over the years, pricing has become more reasonable, albeit not low enough to displace mainstream IPS and VA monitors. However, Dell is making a strong play for value in the 4K OLED gaming monitor market with the S3225QC. This 32-inch 4K monitor may not have the fastest response times or refresh rates, but it strikes a strong balance between image quality and color accuracy.

And better yet, the S3225QC carries an MSRP of $699, making it one of the cheaper 4K OLED monitor offerings out there for gamers. The 120 Hz refresh rate might seem quaint compared to some of the 160 Hz or 240 Hz offerings also on this list, but those monitors can cost an additional $200 to $500. Besides, many would love the higher density and rich color afforded by an OLED monitor, but don’t have a graphics card capable of sustained 120+ FPS at 4K resolution.

In its favor, the S3225QC brings full support for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync technologies, supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and features exceptional color accuracy straight out of the box.

We also found the build quality and ergonomics of the S3225QC to be fantastic. We've always spoken highly of the quality that Dell imparts with its monitors, and the S3225QC is no exception. The 22-pound monitor has a beefy base that firmly supports the display without wobbling. The monitor also adjusts for tilt, swivel, and height without any play between positions.

Another standout feature of the S3225QC is its integrated speaker system. We also think of speakers on a gaming monitor as being an afterthought, but Dell includes five 5-watt speakers on the S3225QC affixed behind a fabric grill.

"The spatial audio feature is a real thing, and I was immediately struck by the expansive sound stage," wrote our Christian Eberle. "Though it works best with content mastered in Dolby Atmos, it had a positive impact on the stereo feed from games and YouTube videos. The bass was so present, it seemed a little overblown at first, but within a few minutes, I realized I was hearing the full spectrum of sound, which is a rarity from a computer monitor."

With its $699 price tag, the S3225QC is an excellent bargain on this list of 4K gaming monitors. If you can make do with the 120 Hz refresh rate, you’ll be more than happy with what this monitor offers.

More: Dell S3225QC 32-inch 4K QD-OLED Monitor Review

Best Premium 4K Gaming Monitor

The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP is another dual-mode monitor on our list. However, whereas Alienware AW2725QF is smaller and more attractively priced, the PG32UCDP steps up to the larger and more popular 32-inch segment. More importantly, the PG32UCDP opts for an OLED panel, which pays dividends in overall responsiveness and color reproduction.

The PG32UCDP features a 1080p mode allowing the panel to refresh up to 480Hz. However, you can quickly switch to 4K mode, allowing refresh rates up to 240Hz. Of course, you also get AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, and we witnessed consistently high frame rates without any motion blur.

As we wrote, the PG32UCDP has a premium aesthetic, which uses a combination of metal and plastic. It's a highly ergonomic design that also comes with the usual assortment of HDMI and DisplayPort connections. You even get USB hookups along with a KVM to support multiple PCs. And, of course, we can't forget the ROG logo which projects onto your desk for some added visual flair.

We found the response and total input lag to be class-competitive with other 240Hz monitors, while its 480Hz performance was unmatched. "History is made here with the PG32UCDP’s 480 Hz scores," we said in our review. "The draw time for a full white field is 2ms, and the total lag is 11ms. These are the fastest results I’ve ever recorded for any monitor over the past 12 years. Granted, the resolution is FHD, but the smoothness here is incredible."

The PG32UCDP knocks it out of the park on so many levels, but be prepared to pay for that luxury. It currently has a street price of around $1,200.

Read: Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP Monitor Review

Best 4K Gaming Monitor Value

With the monitor industry quickly transitioning to OLED panels that offer ultra-fast response, excellent contrast, and vibrant colors, it’s often easy to lose sight of more value-conscious offerings that appeal to a larger audience.

Such is the case with the Asus ROG Strix XG27UCS, which features an IPS panel and a 4K resolution. While many 4K OLED monitors can cost upwards of $800, the XG27UCS carries a sub-$500 street price.

It's impossible to be all things to all people, but the XG27UCS comes close to hitting that mark. The XG27UCS is a 27-inch monitor, meaning that it should be small enough not to overpower smaller desks. It also features a 4K resolution, providing a dense 163 pixels per inch, compared to the 138 ppi found on 32-inch 4K panels.

With its lower price point, you can’t expect to bounce up against the 240 Hz refresh rate limit. Instead, the XG27UCS is limited to 160 Hz. But you do get excellent color accuracy without additional calibration and very sharp image quality, thanks to the high pixel density. Asus has also managed to incorporate a backlight strobe that can be enabled simultaneously with Adaptive-Sync (AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync are supported).

To reach the lower price point, you won’t find superfluous details like RGB lighting or outrageous design elements. On a more functional level, there are no speakers or USB ports, which may be something you would want in a gaming monitor.

The XG27UCS was among the best in its class in terms of response time, at 6 ms. Although 6 ms should be sufficient to quell most motion blur, the monitor also employs a comprehensive overdrive to not only tackle blur but also any stray artifacts.

Given a street price of around $470, the XG27UCS represents a remarkable bargain for gamers who don’t want to drop a few hundred bucks more on an OLED panel.

More: Asus ROG Strix XG27UCS Gaming Monitor Review

Best 4K Gaming Monitor for Consoles

For hardcore console gamers who want to have the best display performance available, there are plenty of options available. However, one that really stands out from the crowd is the Alienware AW3225QF, which is a 32-inch monitor with a 4K resolution, 240 Hz refresh rate, and a brilliant QD-OLED panel. If you own an Xbox Series S/X or PlayStation 5 console, it doesn’t get much better than this.

The monitor supports Dolby Vision on the Xbox Series X and ranks near the top of its class in most categories. Throw in excellent motion resolution and low input lag, and the Alienware AW3225QF is a boon not only to console gamers but also to those of us who prefer PC gaming.

Although you can't make full use of the 240 Hz refresh on today's Xbox and PlayStation consoles, PC gamers are in luck. "The AW3225QF has Display Stream Compression for its DisplayPort 1.4 input and in my tests, I could sustain 240fps in 4K at Doom Eternal’s max detail setting," wrote our Christian Eberle. "The difference in motion resolution between this and 120fps is visibly significant. The higher frame rate also affords lower input lag. The AW3225QF manages that feat as well."

$1,200 is not a small sum by any means for a gaming mointor, but the Alienware AW3225QF is well worth the price of entry.

Read: Alienware AW3225QF Review

Best Monitor for Gaming and TV

Samsung has a long history of delivering dual-purpose monitors that are equally adept at TV duties as they are at gaming. The latest entry in that lineage is the M9 M90SF Smart Monitor.

The M9 M90SF definitely has the gaming credentials, as this is a 32-inch monitor with a 4K resolution (3840 x 2160), a brilliant QD-OLED panel, and a 165 Hz refresh rate. You'll also find support for AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync up to that maximum refresh rate. In addition, the M9 M90SF has a typical brightness of 250 nits, but can boost to 450 nits with HDR content. You'll find a variety of video inputs, including one DisplayPort 1.4, one HDMI 2.1, and one USB-C.

In our testing, the M9 M90SF showed mid-pack performance with a 6 ms response time (full black to white), and an input lag of 26 ms. This is a strong performance for a 165 Hz monitor, and was only bested by 4K monitors with a 240 Hz refresh rate.

But there's more: the M9 M90SF also functions as a full-featured streaming TV platform, including Samsung TV Plus (with free, ad-supported content) and your favorite streaming apps (Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, YouTube, YouTube TV, Prime Video, etc.). There are also two 5-watt speakers onboard for blasting audio from your media content.

"Though the M9 has just two internal speakers, they play a wider range of frequencies than typical monitor speakers and with a wider sound stage. There isn’t a ton of bass, but there is clarity and balance," wrote our Christian Eberle. "The dialogue in TV shows like Severance was easy to understand and put just forward enough in the mix that I had no need to adjust the volume more than once."

The M9 M90SF is loaded with features and is a perfect all-in-one tool for gamers who want it all in a single monitor. However, you'll pay for that luxury with an MSRP of $1,599.

More: M9 M90SF 4K Gaming Monitor Review

Other 4K Gaming Monitors We've Tested

Not every gaming monitor we tested made our best list, but here are a few we've recently tested that are still worth a second look.

*️⃣ Acer Predator XB273K V5
The Acer Predator XB273K V5 measures 27 inches across and offers dual-mode functionality: it can run 4K resolution at 160 Hz or 1080p resolution at 320 Hz. This gives gamers the ability to pick and choose when they want to run at a crisper resolution or crank the frame rate in less demanding games. With a price tag under $400, this IPS monitor offers tremendous value for discerning gamers.

Read: Acer Predator XB273K V5 Review

*️⃣ Asus ROG Strix XG32UCWMG
The Asus ROG Strix XG32UCWMG puts its 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel front and center, and it's a real gem. You get a glossy screen coating that helps to produce even better colors and clarity (at the expense of more reflections) and offers accurate color from the factory. The monitor can also reach 480 Hz, provided you're willing to drop to 1080p.

Read: Asus ROG Strix XG32UCWMG Review

*️⃣ BenQ DesignVue PD3226G
BenQ is a well-established brand in the monitor space, consistently delivering exceptional value. That's definitely the case with the DesignVue PD3226G, a 32-inch 4K gaming monitor featuring a 144 Hz refresh rate and an IPS panel. Not only does it score top marks with its video processing and low input lag, but we also measured a maximum brightness of 458 nits in SDR mode.

Read: BenQ DesignVue PD3226G Review

Quick Shopping Tips

When seeking the best 4K gaming monitor for you, consider the following:

• 4K gaming requires a high-end graphics card. If you're not using a GeForce RTX 4090 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX, you'll want at least a GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6900 XT to game at high-quality settings. Visit our Graphics Card Buying Guide for help.
  
• G-Sync or FreeSync? A monitor's G-Sync feature will only work with PCs using an Nvidia graphics card, and FreeSync will only run with PCs carrying an AMD card. You can technically run G-Sync on a monitor that's only FreeSync-certified, but performance may vary. We've seen negligible differences in mainstream gaming capabilities for fighting screen tearing between the two. Our Nvidia G-Sync vs. AMD FreeSync article offers an in-depth performance comparison.
  
• 4K and HDR go hand-in-hand. 4K displays often support HDR content for extra bright and colorful images. But for Adaptive-Sync optimized for HDR media, you'll want a G-Sync Ultimate or FreeSync Premium Pro (formerly FreeSync 2 HDR) monitor. For a noticeable upgrade from an SDR monitor, opt for at least 600 nits brightness. You can learn more from our glossary page on HDR and our buying guide for picking the best HDR monitor.

For more guidance picking a monitor of any resolution--gaming or otherwise--check out our PC Monitor Buying Guide and list of the Best Computer Monitors.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test Monitors

MORE: All Monitor Content

MORE: HDMI vs. DisplayPort: Which Is Better For Gaming?

Right now at Amazon, you can find the Dell S2421HS 24 inch FHD monitor for one of its lowest prices to date. It usually goes for around $159 but today it's dropped all the way down to just $99. As far as monitors in its class go, this one is worth a close look especially at this price. It's AMD FreeSync certified and is plenty capable for both casual users and even gamers looking for a quality screen while shopping on a budget.

This isn't the first time the monitor has had a dramatic price drop. The S2421HS fell to $109 just a month ago so it may be on a trend. No expiration has been specified for the offer so it's not clear for how long it will be made available at this rate. If you want to see how it stacks up against other monitors on the market, check out our list of best computer monitors for 2024.

This monitor is AMD FreeSync certified which ensures a dense resolution and high refresh rate. In this case, the Dell S2421HS has an FHD resolution of 1920 x 1080px and it can reach a refresh rate as high as 75Hz. Because this is a budget screen, there are a few caveats like a brightness that caps out at 250 nits, making it more suitable for indoor, low-lit environments.

The Dell S2421HS features a 24-inch IPS panel with a minimum response time of 4ms. There are a couple of video input options to choose from including both DisplayPort and HDMI. A 3.5mm audio jack is provided for connecting external audio devices.

Visit the Dell S2421HS 24 inch FHD monitor product page at Amazon for more information and purchase options.

After nine years, AMD is increasing its variable refresh rate Freesync technology requirements to account for the significant adoption of triple-digit refresh-rate panels in the modern monitor market. The new requirements now enforce a 144Hz refresh rate or greater on all 1080p or 1440p gaming monitors.

AMD decided to update its FreeSync requirements due to the enormous shift in mainstream gaming monitor performance from 2015 to 2024. When FreeSync was first introduced in 2015, 60Hz was considered the norm for mainstream gaming, with relatively few monitors sporting triple-digit refresh rates such as 120Hz or 144Hz. But now, 144Hz is one of the most common and affordable refresh rates you can buy today.

To recap, AMD's previous FreeSync requirements did not have a refresh rate requirement for the lowest FreeSync tier. The only requirements were low-flicker and low-latency support. AMD's mid-range Premium FreeSync tier was where a refresh rate limit was enforced, that being 120Hz at 1080p.

AMD's new FreeSync requirements now incorporate a minimum refresh rate limit across all three FreeSync Tiers depending on the horizontal resolution. For AMD's baseline FreeSync tier, AMD is enforcing a 144Hz refresh rate or greater for displays that have a horizontal resolution of less than 3440 pixels. For displays that exceed that resolution limit, a refresh rate limit is not enforced. This means that 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 gaming monitors must have a 144Hz refresh rate or greater to qualify for AMD's baseline FreeSync tier. High-resolution displays, such as 3840x2160 displays, can bypass this limit entirely.

AMD's mid-range Premium FreeSync tier takes these resolution and refresh rate requirements up a notch. Displays that have a horizontal resolution of less than 3440 pixels will need a 200Hz refresh rate or greater to qualify for AMD's FreeSync Premium plan.

Alternatively, any display with a horizontal resolution of 3440 pixels or greater will need a 120Hz refresh rate or greater can qualify for AMD's Premium tier as well. This means that 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 monitors will need a 200Hz refresh rate to qualify for AMD's Premium tier. It also means that high-resolution displays such as 3440x1440 ultrawide or 4K monitors will need a 120Hz refresh rate or greater to be eligible for AMD's Premium tier.

AMD's flagship FreeSync Premium Pro tier takes on the exact same resolution and refresh rate requirements as the Premium tier but requires HDR support on top of it.

AMD's new requirements are very different from its old requirements, but it is a very appropriate change for the times that we live in. The new refresh rate requirements should prevent bottom-of-the-barrel 60-75Hz gaming monitors from getting FreeSync support, and improve the overall monitor quality users can expect out of FreeSync-certified displays going forward.

Today at Newegg, you can pick up one of the best 4K gaming monitors, the Gigabyte M28U, at its lowest price to date. This gaming monitor usually goes for around $529, but right now you can get it for $449. Using the included $20 rebate card will take the final price down to $429.

The Gigabyte M28U is AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certified, which guarantees a high refresh rate, dense resolution, and low framerate compensation (LFC) support. It also ensures low latency for HDR and SDR, along with a meticulous color and luminance certification.

The Gigabyte M28U features a 28-inch super speed IPS panel with a 4K UHD resolution that measures up to 3840 x 2160. This gaming monitor has a short response time of 1ms and can reach a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz. It also supports VESA Display HDR400.

It covers 94% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and is illuminated by a brightness of 300 nits. It has two 3W speakers integrated for audio ouput as well as a 3.5mm jack for external audio peripherals. A USB hub is included with three USB ports alongside a DisplayPort input and two HDMI ports for video input.

Visit the Gigabyte M28U gaming monitor product page at Newegg for more details and purchase options. Don’t forget to use the rebate card to redeem the offer.

LG has launched three new monitors to join the UltraGear gaming family. The new gaming screens are the LG UltraGear GR83Q-B (27-inch model) and the LG UltraGear GR93U-B (27- and 32-inch models). For a limited time, for the duration of Gamescom, these monitors are 30% off MSRP if you buy direct from LG.com with free fast shipping.

We have seen many extraordinary displays showcased at Gamescom recently, but LG is instead addressing the mass market with these new UltraGear entrants. The specs are decent rather than exceptional, with all three models supporting up to 95% DCI-P3 color and offering VESA DisplayHDR 400 support. As gaming monitors, they all have 144 Hz or better refresh rates, work with desirable technologies like AMD FreeSync Premium, and are Nvidia G-Sync Compatible.

So, we have three new models under two model numbers, and you might not be clear why that is. The answer is that the LG UltraGear GR83Q-B is a QHD gaming monitor with just the 27-inch option, but the LG UltraGear GR93U-B is a UHD monitor available in both 27-inch and 32-inch options. You can see an outline of the specs below, with the corresponding pricing (remember, you can get quite a discount right now).

The above gives just a rough idea of the comparative specs of these models, so let's dive a little deeper with a key specs table:

The above trio might not be the most exciting entrants to the realm of gaming monitors. LG's latest UltraGears eschew the trends of ultra-wide and/or curved displays, so it might suit some that are turned off by these design choices. However, if we get fixed lower prices, not just a short promotion, and these monitors perform well, they could win a place in our Best Budget 4K Monitors 2023 or Best Computer Monitors 2023 lists. Of course, we will only know if these LG monitors are worth recommending after we have had some of them in for review.

Samsung has announced its new 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9 (G95NC model) gaming monitor at Gamescom 2023. The curvaceous new display is heralded as the “world’s first dual UHD gaming monitor,” and being atop of the Odyssey line you can expect a compelling assortment of supporting specs. This isn’t the first we have heard about Samsung’s impressive G95NC, the monitor was first announced at CES 2023 in January.

Sitting directly in front of a 57-inch monitor of any type would already be rather immersive, but the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 claims to turn the immersion dial up to the max with its design and specs. The 57-inch diagonal spans a 32:9 aspect ratio, providing 7,680 x 2,160 pixels (140ppi). That’s physically equivalent to dual 32-inch UHD monitors seamlessly mated. Samsung has chosen a curved panel for the G95NC, and the arc of this display is quite pronounced at 1000R.

Of course, Samsung has equipped not just a large panel, but a high quality one. The display technology used here is dubbed ‘Quantum Matrix Technology’ and deeper reading reveals that it uses Mini LED backlighting technology. Users benefit from strong contrast and reduced blooming thanks to the highly granular backlighting control. Moreover, the display offers: VESA DisplayHDR 1000 with 1,000 nit peak brightness, plus imagery appearing “vivid and life-like, with accurate color and contrast reproduction,” says Samsung.

Turning our attention to the performance stats, which will be of most interest to avid PC gamers, this immense display also provides good refresh rates and response times. Samsung quotes a 240 Hz refresh rate and 1ms GTG response time, which should mean fast-paced gaming with reduced motion blur or ghosting effects. Additionally, Samsung has gained AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certification for the Odyssey Neo S9.

For connectivity, Samsung has furnished the G95NC with several choices including a DisplayPort 2.1 standard (which supports lossless Display Stream Compression) and can output at 240 Hz to match this display. There is an HDMI 2.1 port and a USB hub too, for neater cable management.

An obvious use of this dual-UHD monitor is to replace multiple monitors. Samsung makes the transition smoother with its multi-tasking, multi-input Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture modes, as well as Auto Source Switch+ to instantly connect to new devices without flipping through input sources.

Supporting the enviable display, a modern ergonomic stand is provided, as shown. Last but not least, your gaming experiences can be enhanced with Samsung Core Lighting+ and CoreSync LED ambience effects.

Samsung is showing off the 57-inch Odyssey Neo S9 dual-UHD gaming monitor at Gamescom starting from today (until 27th). It says that the monitor can now be pre-ordered globally. In the UK we see it is available direct from Samsung for £2,199 including 20% VAT. We couldn’t find a pre-order page on the Samsung US site at the time of writing, but if you take 20% VAT off the UK price and apply today’s exchange rate you get US$2,220. Overall, this new monitor is looking a very likely candidate for our Best Ultrawide Gaming Monitors of 2023 picks.

At Gamescom, Samsung was also showcasing its upgraded Odyssey Ark 55-inch (G97NC model) and the the Samsung Neo QLED 8K TV.

Whether you want to record some footage off of a games console or stream from a dedicated streaming PC the Elgato 4K60 pro could be your answer. Currently, you can save a whopping $50 off of the price of this capture card and pick up the Elgato 4K60 pro for $199 on Amazon.  This is the mark-2 variant and features a low latency 240Hz passthrough to make your streams and recordings as smooth as possible. 

A great price for a QHD 32-Inch monitor sees the LG UltraGear 32GN600-B gaming monitor on sale at Walmart for $209. A fast 165Hz refresh rate, good color representation, HDR10, and AMD FreeSync integration help this monitor to be a decent option for a well-priced main gaming monitor. 

Not too large at just 28 inches the 4K Gigabyte M28U is reduced by $100 to only $429 at Newegg. With great pixel density thanks to its size, and a speedy 144Hz refresh rate, this monitor also sports HDMI 2.1 support, and a KVM switch for easily connecting to different devices. 

Scroll down for more of today's deals.

TL;DR — Today’s Best Deals

• Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2 Internal Capture Card: now $199 at Amazon (was $249)
• LG UltraGear 32GN600-B Gaming Monitor: now $209 at Walmart (was $349)
• Gigabyte M28U 28-inch 4K Gaming Monitor: now $429 at Newegg with rebate (was $599)
• AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU: now $384 at Newegg (was $449)
• WD Black SN850X 2TB SSD: now $119 at Newegg (was $199)

Today’s best deals in detail

Looking for more deals?

You can find the AOC C27G2Z 27-inch gaming display for one of its best prices yet. This monitor has been going for around $199 lately but today it’s discounted to $179. This is a notable deal given both its price history and specifications that set it apart from other displays in its class.

We reviewed the AOC C27G2Z and appreciated its value which makes today’s discount that much more beneficial. This gaming monitor is AMD FreeSync Premium certified which gives it a little bit of a leg up over other monitors with specs like a minimum FHD resolution and high refresh rate. In this case, the AOC C27G2Z can reach up to 240Hz. It also features low latency as well as support for low framerate compensation (LFC). 

The AOC C27G2Z features a 27-inch curved VA panel with a curvature of 1500R. It has an FHD resolution which measures up to 1920 x 1080px. The refresh rate is notoriously high, reaching up to 240Hz and is accompanies by an MPRT of .5ms.

Users have a couple of input options to take advantage of including one DisplayPort input and two HDMI ports. A 3.5mm jack is included for external audio peripherals. The purchase is supported by a limited 3-year manufacturer’s warranty from AOC alongside Amazon’s 30-day return policy.

Visit the AOC C27G2Z 27-inch curved gaming monitor product page at Amazon for more details and purchase options.

Today at Amazon, users can find the Asus TUF VG279QL1A gaming monitor for one of its best prices to date. If you’ve been looking for a quality gaming monitor that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, this offer is very much worth a closer look. It’s been priced around $219 as of late, but right now is marked down to just $175.

This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the monitor since it was first released and is currently the best price for it across multiple vendors. This 27-inch gaming monitor is AMD FreeSync Premium certified and features Display HDR 400 support.

The Asus TUF VG279QL1A gaming monitor features a 27-inch IPS panel with an FHD resolution (1920 x 1080). The AMD FreeSync Premium certification guarantees things like a high refresh rate (in this case, it caps out at 165Hz) and low framerate compensation. This monitor also has a short response time of just 1 ms.

This gaming monitor supports Display HDR 400 and can reach a maximum brightness of 350 nits. Users have one Display Port to take advantage of and two HDMI ports for video input. A 3.5mm audio jack is available for external audio peripherals, but it also has two integrated 2W speakers for audio output.

Visit the Asus TUF VG279QL1A gaming monitor product page at Amazon for more details and purchase options.

Enthusiasts know that three of the most important criteria for choosing the best gaming monitors are speed, contrast and resolution. All will affect price, so how can one find the best bang for the buck? Where’s the sweet spot where performance and price are most advantageous?

Of the three major panel technologies, IPS, VA and OLED; VA offers the most contrast for the least money. IPS can provide stunning contrast when paired with a Mini LED backlight, but it is expensive. OLED has the greatest dynamic range of all with its infinite black, but it is also expensive. A VA panel can deliver a great picture for relatively little money.

AOC offers a few VA monitors in its budget line and one of the latest examples is the CQ27G3Z. It’s a 27-inch curved monitor with QHD resolution, 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR, wide gamut color and retails for less than $400.

AOC CQ27G3Z Specs

The CQ27G3Z doesn’t have much in the bells and whistles department, but like any good budget screen, it delivers it where it counts. The picture is excellent thanks to a VA panel with around 4,000:1 native contrast. It’s curved tightly at 1000R to create a more immersive effect. I put that in the realm of individual preference when talking about any 16:9 aspect curved monitor. There is some slight image distortion with a tight curve in this screen size. But for games, it delivers an enhanced experience.

Color is wide-gamut, with over 86% coverage of DCI-P3. You can find larger gamuts for a little more money, but the extra color is also an enhancement. Accuracy is decent with calibration and there is a usable sRGB mode.

The most significant value-add is the CQ27G3Z’s 240 Hz refresh rate. There aren’t a plethora of 240 Hz QHD screens out there, and most of them are premium displays. AOC is undercutting the competition with a price of $375 at this writing. You also get Adaptive-Sync with FreeSync from 48 to 240 Hz and G-Sync compatibility, as confirmed by my tests. The CQ27G3Z has not been certified by Nvidia.

Additional features are sparse. You get a frame counter and an aiming point. In addition. blur reduction via backlight strobe can be used in lieu of Adaptive-Sync. The full 240 Hz can be enjoyed over the two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs with HDR at QHD resolution, while two HDMI 2.0 ports support 120 Hz operation with VRR for consoles. There are no USB ports or speakers, nor is there LED lighting. But you get a solid package with everything needed for high-performance gaming for less than $400.

Assembly and Accessories

The CQ27G3Z comes from its crumbly foam in three parts. The panel snaps on after attaching the upright to the base with a captive bolt. The panel mount has a 100mm VESA pattern with fasteners included. The power supply is internal, so you get an IEC cord plus DisplayPort and HDMI cables.

Product 360

The CQ27G3Z is attractively styled with simple molded shapes and a smooth curve across the back. Red trim signals its gaming intent, but no additional LED lighting exists. The front bezel is nearly frameless on three sides, with 7mm borders on the top and sides and 23mm on the bottom. The red trim is also visible from the front, with accent strips and a hole in the upright for cabling.

The stand is lightweight and solid with a 5.1-inch (130mm) height adjustment, 40 degrees swivel to either side and 5/23 degrees of tilt. There is no portrait mode. Movements are firmer than the CQ27G3Z’s light weight suggests. Build quality is definitely above the price point here.

The input panel is well stocked with two HDMI 2.0 and two DisplayPort 1.4. You’ll need the latter for full 240 Hz operation with HDR and Adaptive-Sync. The HDMI ports support 120 Hz with HDR and VRR for consoles like the PS5 and Xbox One. There are no internal speakers, but you can plug headphones or powered speakers into the 3.5mm audio jack.

OSD Features

The CQ27G3Z’s OSD is controlled by four keys which you’ll find across the bottom right part of the panel. They are a bit clunky compared to the joysticks found in many of the latest displays. The ribbon-style menu is the same one I’ve used in AOC monitors for the past ten years. It’s intuitive and divided into seven sub-menus.

The Luminance menu controls brightness and contrast, offers seven picture modes, three gamma presets, a dynamic contrast option and HDR modes that appear when an HDR signal is present. I don’t recommend the dynamic contrast as it clips highlight and shadow detail. The CQ27G3Z has plenty of contrast already. The HDR modes are Display, Game, Movie and Picture. The default and best option is Display. It has the best color accuracy but also presents one downside, edge enhancement. I’ll discuss that more in the hands-on section below and in the HDR tests on page five.

In Color Setup, you can adjust the white point with presets or RGB sliders. Also here is the sRGB mode, which has a fixed grayscale. It correctly renders the sRGB gamut if you want to use it for SDR content or color-critical tasks.

Picture Boost is something unique to AOC monitors. You can create a window on the screen, size and move it, and adjust its brightness and contrast independently of the rest of the image. It’s handy for highlighting areas of the picture.

OSD Setup has the expected options but also includes the DisplayPort version and a break reminder. This is a timer that pops up on the screen when it’s time to stop fragging and get a drink or snack.

The CQ27G3Z adds a PIP option; not all AOC monitors have one. You can size and move the window and swap between two video sources.

In Game Setting, you’ll find additional game modes, which are picture presets. Hint, leave this off lest you become lost in the many possible combinations of picture and game modes. The Standard mode from the Luminance menu is all you need. Also here is a three-level overdrive, FreeSync toggle and the frame rate counter. If you’d rather use a backlight strobe for blur reduction, that’s also here with 20 intensity settings. As you increase the value, the screen gets darker, and motion becomes smoother as the pulse width changes. It works well with almost none of the phasing artifacts common to backlight strobes. It is a viable alternative to Adaptive-Sync and overdrive, especially when speeds exceed 200fps.

In the Extra menu, there is an off timer, factory reset and basic signal information. You can also change inputs here or by pressing the leftmost control key.

AOC CQ27G3Z Calibration Settings 

In the CQ27G3Z’s default Standard picture mode, grayscale is a bit green in tone, with visible errors in the brighter parts of the image. Gamma is slightly dark on its number 1 setting, which is fine for a high-contrast panel like this. I achieved much better grayscale with a few tweaks of the RGB sliders in the Color Setup menu. More importantly, color accuracy and contrast are improved as well. My recommended settings are below.

In HDR mode, the default mode, Display, offers the best color accuracy but also adds visible edge enhancement. You can avoid this by selecting the Game mode, which introduces some clipping in the red primary. I’ll explain this with charts on page five. Ultimately, I preferred the look of the Display HDR mode.

Gaming and Hands-on

When considering the CQ27G3Z for daily productivity, I had expected some image distortion given its 1000mm radius, which is tighter than most curved screens. I was pleasantly surprised that I could barely notice a difference. It helps that the screen is 16:9, so you won’t be moving document windows out to the edge of your peripheral vision. After a few hours of use, I concluded that the CQ27G3Z is as useful for work tasks as any other 27-inch flat screen. So, don’t let the curve dissuade you.

The curve is undoubtedly welcome for gaming. Though I would choose a 21:9 monitor over a 16:9 one for play, the CQ27G3Z’s curve clearly enhances the experience. I had no trouble finding a good position for the screen since the stand has plenty of height. I could keep it vertical and have my eyepoint in the center, the optimal setup for curved display gaming.

Once I had spent a few hours playing Doom Eternal and Call of Duty WWII, I found the CQ27G3Z to have excellent feel and response. 240 Hz is clearly smoother than 165 or 144. And with reasonably low input lag, I could keep my aim true and consistent. Stopping on target was easy, and I had no trouble making out fine detail in distant objects thanks to the 109ppi pixel density.

The HDR experience was average compared to all the monitors I’ve experienced, meaning that contrast and color were very good but not at the level of a premium screen. That’s no surprise given the CQ27G3Z’s $375 price tag. When that is considered, it’s a champ. The HDR image popped nicely with clear detail at all brightness levels and nicely saturated color.

During the SDR tests, I noted that calibration is required for best results. The default image is a bit flat, thanks to grayscale errors. But if you plug in the settings above, you’ll see a much better picture.

Video processing delivered an average experience with one positive exception that I’ll note in a moment. Adaptive-Sync worked perfectly on both FreeSync and G-Sync systems. The overdrive is a bit weak because it doesn’t completely remove black trail artifacts from moving objects. But in most cases, this issue did not distract from gameplay. I also noted a better-than-average use of backlight strobing when I tried the blur reduction. Like most monitors, it requires you to turn off Adaptive-Sync but at 240 Hz, but this isn’t a big deal. The CQ27G3Z’s backlight strobe is much better than average because the phasing artifact common to this feature is almost entirely invisible. AOC’s MBR option is one of the best examples of blur reduction I’ve seen.

Test Takeaway: The CQ27G3Z delivers high frame rates with solid video processing and low input lag. Its HDR image is of average quality for the price, but it’s nice that the support is there. Aside from a weak overdrive, it is a good gaming monitor and well-suited for daily tasks. 

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The QHD 240 Hz category isn’t large, so to compare the CQ27G3Z’s performance, I’ve included 165 and 170 Hz monitors. All are 27-inch QHD panels with IPS technology. The AOC is the only VA monitor here. The group is BenQ’s EX270QM, AOC’s AG274QG, HP’s HyperX Armada 27, Cooler Master’s GP27Q and Gigabyte’s M27QP. 

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

I was slightly disappointed to see the CQ27G3Z draw a full white screen in 5ms versus 4ms, but in practice, this is a minor point. The top three screens cost more and will be a touch smoother, but their advantage is small. 5ms is still a guarantee of high motion resolution. The CQ27G3Z’s only flaw here is its overdrive which doesn’t quite clean up the black trail artifacts behind moving objects.

The CQ27G3Z’s overall control lag is mid-pack and trails the 170 Hz Gigabyte by 2ms. That difference is also quite small and as you can see, the other 240 Hz screens aren’t much quicker. All the displays are speedy and will deliver a solid gaming experience, but the CQ27G3Z will do it for a lower cost.

Test Takeaway: Input lag is about average for the class, but the CQ27G3Z suffers from an overdrive with undershoot. Luckily, its backlight strobe feature is better than most, so it can help compensate for losses in motion resolution.

Viewing Angles

If off-axis image quality is crucial to you, VA is rarely the best choice. IPS will always have an advantage when viewed from off-center. The CQ27G3Z shows typical performance in this area. At 45 degrees horizontal, light output is reduced by 40% and the screen has a slight green/red tint. Gamma remains constant, so there is no loss of detail. This behavior is amplified in the vertical plane, where the picture is quite dark with the same green/red tint.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

My CQ27G3Z sample had slight hotspots in its corner zones that I could see in an all-black field displayed with room lighting off. The artifacts were invisible when the lights were on or there was content on the screen. This is slightly below-average performance but is also sample specific. Other CQ27G3Zs may do better in this test.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The CQ27G3Z falls into the “not super bright, but bright enough” category. It’s rated for 300 nits and easily surpasses that with 323. In a super bright environment, it might not excel but for a typical office or media room, there is more than enough light.

In the black level test, it is far darker than any of the IPS screens. Only OLED has more contrast than a VA monitor. Within that category, the CQ27G3Z renders higher than average contrast with nearly 3,900:1 out of the box. That is measured in the Standard mode at default settings.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration manages to increase the CQ27G3Z’s dynamic range by a nice amount. The contrast ratio rises to 4,129.2:1 after adjustments to the RGB sliders. That’s exceptional performance, even among VA panels which rarely crack 4,000:1 in my tests. Good quality control is also demonstrated in the ANSI test with a solid 3,496.2:1 score. Compared to any IPS display, the CQ27G3Z’s image has truer blacks, greater depth and realism. It also has more perceptual clarity. In other words, it looks sharper than an IPS screen of the same size and resolution.

Test Takeaway: The CQ27G3Z delivers a ton of contrast, even compared to other VA monitors. This all-important metric is the key to superior image depth and color saturation, and AOC excels for the price. 

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I tested the CQ27G3Z’s color accuracy in its default Standard picture mode. I left Game mode off as it did not improve performance in any of its presets. 

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The CQ27G3Z’s default grayscale tracking is disappointing with visible errors from 20% and higher. A purple tint can be seen in areas of gray and white which aren’t truly neutral. This makes the image somewhat flat despite solid gamma tracking and high contrast. This monitor’s full potential can only be unlocked with calibration.

Luckily, the RGB sliders offer some relief. Grayscale errors are now reduced to invisible levels and gamma rides closer to the 2.2 reference line. I had to reduce the contrast slider one click, which raised the luminance of the 90% step. This is a minor error but one that should not be there. Though calibration makes an improvement, the CQ27G3Z has some upward potential.

The sRGB preset is slightly warm in tone with red errors in the 30 to 100% steps. Gamma tracks well except for an elevated level at the 10% step. This translates to slightly grayer shadow areas in some content.

Comparisons

The CQ27G3Z is well behind the top three screens for grayscale accuracy, but the other AOC and the Cooler Master aren’t much better when out-of-box performance is compared. All three of the bottom monitors require calibration for the best possible image.

Though the CQ27G3Z is still in last place, calibration has removed any visible grayscale errors from the equation.

The gamma test is a little better. The CQ27G3Z is in the mix for a range of values that are very tight and only spoiled by the 90% error I noted earlier. And its near-perfect average value is a definite plus. I am talking about very fine differences here. Once calibrated, the CQ27G3Z holds its own with the other monitors. This speaks well to the value quotient since it’s the least expensive screen here.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The CQ27G3Z’s color gamut performance starts at a decent point with only minor errors in the out-of-box test. The grayscale errors noted above contribute to color points that are slightly off their hue targets. But saturation points are close to the mark, which is a good thing.

With the grayscale calibration complete, color errors become invisible. In fact, only green is a tad under-saturated, typical of all wide-gamut monitors, especially those at lower price points like the CQ27G3Z. This is excellent performance.

AOC usually provides a usable sRGB mode, and that statement includes the CQ27G3Z. The red primary is slightly over-saturated but well within the realm of qualification for color-critical use.

Comparisons

The CQ27G3Z’s 1.96dE color error puts it in the middle of the group. All the screens have invisible gamut errors, but the CQ27G3Z is the least expensive option. It delivers superb results for the price.

In the gamut volume test, the CQ27G3Z falls short of the others only in its green saturation. The Cooler Master is an over-achiever here with its Rec.2020 gamut but the other screens just have a bit more green. The difference is small, and users will find the CQ27G3Z very colorful for both SDR and HDR content. And its near-perfect coverage of sRGB is a nice bonus.

Test Takeaway: The CQ27G3Z is a bit disappointing out of the box, with an image that isn’t up to its full potential. A green push contributes to a flat image and off-hue color. With calibration, these issues are resolved with a significant improvement in picture quality. 

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The CQ27G3Z fully supports HDR10 signals with an automatic switchover to the appropriate mode. There, you’ll find four settings called Display, Game, Movie and Picture. Display is the most color accurate so that is what I used for testing. The caveat is that it has visible edge enhancement, which reduces motion resolution slightly for gaming. You can eliminate this artifact in the Game HDR mode, but then there is significant clipping of red detail. I’ll show you this issue in the color charts below.

HDR Brightness and Contrast 

The CQ27G3Z’s HDR luminance performance is solid. It won’t show you searingly bright highlights like the Mini LED-based GP27Q, but it beats the HyperX and Gigabyte screens for HDR contrast. At 330 nits, it’s the least bright screen of the bunch, but with deep blacks and excellent dynamic range, the HDR image is clear and vivid. You won’t find much better than this for less than $400. The only bummer is there is no dynamic field dimming in HDR mode which would broaden the dynamic range even more.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

The CQ27G3Z’s Display HDR mode has no grayscale or EOTF tracking issues. The tone is a tad warm but does not negatively impact picture quality. Luminance tracks the reference almost perfectly with a soft transition to tone-mapping at 65%. This is solid performance.

Looking at the color charts, you can see why Display HDR is the preferred mode. Color points are close to targets except for a bit of over-saturation in red. Looking at the DCI-P3 chart in HDR Game reveals a problem. The red points are so over-saturated that 60, 80 and 100% targets are all the same level. This means any red areas past a mid-tone will be lacking in detail. I highly recommend avoiding this mode even though it is the only one free of edge enhancement. For some reason, the Rec.2020 charts are a bit better, so AOC could possibly fix the color issues with DCI-P3 content in the HDR Game mode.

Test Takeaway: The CQ27G3Z doesn’t use a field dimming feature in HDR mode, so there is no more dynamic range. But its VA technology still delivers a decent HDR image that is superior to budget-oriented IPS displays. HDR color is accurate only in the Display HDR mode. The other presets should be avoided. Overall, HDR impact is just OK with an image that looks slightly different than its SDR counterpart.

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Achieving high frame rates at a low price requires some sacrifices. But leaving out the right options means you can get a great gaming monitor for little money. Do you need USB ports or speakers? Do you need perfectly accurate color? Do you need super high brightness or a ginormous color gamut? If the answer to these questions is no, AOC provides a great solution for just $375 at this writing.

The CQ27G3Z doesn’t have any of those things, but it does have a reliable 240 Hz refresh rate, perfect FreeSync and G-Sync operation, decent HDR, color accuracy with calibration, a superb backlight strobe and solid build quality. And its curved screen enhances gameplay. I noted a weak overdrive feature during testing, but in practice, it turned out to be only a minor distraction. Many hours later, after many frags, I was impressed by the performance AOC offers for less than $400.

I noted some visible grayscale errors out of the box. But with calibration, they were eliminated with an improvement in contrast, gamut accuracy and gamma tracking. If you pick up a CQ27G3Z, I recommend using the settings I posted back on page one.

Pixel density is certainly a high point with the ideal 109ppi that every 27-inch QHD panel delivers. That’s a sweet spot for both clarity and frame rates. You can hit 240fps without an expensive video card and the picture is razor-sharp with strong detail and a true three-dimensional look in HDR mode. Though you won’t get the 1000-nit highlights of a Mini LED panel, the CQ27G3Z still makes the image pop.

If you’re in the market for a solid gaming monitor that’s kind to the wallet, the AOC CQ27G3Z is hard to beat for less than $400. Fans of high frame rates and sharp pictures should definitely check it out.

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Earlier this year, at CES 2023, Acer announced two new monitors: the Predator X27U and the X45. While both feature brilliant OLED panels, the larger Predator X45 grabbed the most attention with its expansive display. Now, that monitor is available for sale in the United States as a Newegg exclusive.

The Predator X45 unsurprisingly features a large 45-inch OLED panel with a UWQHD (3440 x 1440) resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium support. That 240Hz figure is only achievable using DisplayPort or USB-C. If you opt for an HDMI connection, you’re limited to 144Hz at UWQHD resolution.

As with most of these large-format monitors, the panel is curved to help reduce eye strain and provide a more immersive gaming experience. In this case, there’s a tight 800R curvature. The panel features an 800R curvature, and peak HDR brightness tops out at 1,000 nits. Other specifications of note include a 1,500,000:1 contrast ratio, a 0.01 ms response time, and 99 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

Despite the OLED panel, Acer opted for an anti-glare coating with the Predator X45. This should reduce clarity compared to a glossy finish, but the upside is that reflections should be less prominent when you’re trying to focus on the gaming action on-screen.

The Predator X45 features two HDMI 2.0, one DisplayPort 1.4, a USB-C port (90-watt power delivery), and a two-port USB 3.2 hub. Although hardcore gamers will likely have their own dedicated sound system or a pair of the best gaming headsets, the Predator X45 does include two 5-watt speakers. The monitor is also adjustable for tilt (-5 to 15 degrees), swivel (+/- 15 degrees), and height (110mm). 

You can grab the Predator X45 from Newegg, where it carries a retail price of $1,599. To put that in perspective, the similarly spec’d 45-inch Corsair Xeneon Flex (albeit with a trick bendable OLED panel) carries the same price at Newegg. The Predator X45 looks like a serious contender to join our best curved gaming monitors list, so stay tuned for a full review of this OLED beast.

The best graphics cards don't always have to run full throttle. Sometimes, we may leave our system idling or use it to do the normal stuff, like watching YouTube videos. Some of us may ignore the graphics card's power consumption. Still, the German publication ComputerBase has inadvertently unearthed a simple option to help reduce idle power consumption on AMD Radeon graphics cards if you're running single or dual high-resolution, high-refresh-rate monitors.

ComputerBase recently upgraded its labs with Powenetics V2 measuring software and hardware to improve power metric logging and a new 4K display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and Adaptive Sync support. As a result, the news outlet had to retest all its graphics cards and stumbled upon a discovery that enabling Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) can substantially lower the graphics card's idle power draw. The VRR option is available in Windows and AMD's drivers; however, the latter cannot enable it automatically. VRR is a technology that automatically adjusts your monitor's refresh rate to match the frame rate output from your games or content so that both remain in sync. You may find the VRR term under a different name, depending on the manufacturer, like Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync, or Nvidia G-Sync.

AMD's RDNA 3 graphics cards, specifically the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, showed the most significant benefit. According to ComputerBase's results, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX drew 81% and 71% less idle power in a single-and dual-monitor configuration, respectively. Even under a more realistic test with Windows movement, the graphics card saw 36% lower power consumption. Watching YouTube at SDR and 60 FPS didn't yield significant results. With HDR enabled, however, the graphics card consumed 31% less power.

The phenomenon isn't limited to AMD's RDNA 3 graphics cards, either. ComputerBase saw similar behavior on last-generation RDNA 2 SKUs, such as the Radeon RX 6800 XT and Radeon RX 6700 XT, although to a lesser degree. For example, enabling VRR decreased the Radeon RX 6800 XT's idle power consumption by 79% and the window movement test by 17%. The option didn't substantially impact the Radeon RX 6800 XT in the other scenarios.

VRR enablement had a reversed effect on Intel and Nvidia graphics cards. ComputerBase recorded up to 11% higher idle power consumption on the Arc A770. However, Arc A770 sipped 4% less power with the YouTube HDR test at 60 FPS.

The same option negatively impacted Nvidia's latest GeForce RTX 40-series graphics cards, such as the GeForce RTX 4080. ComputerBase observed 25% higher idle power on a single monitor and up to 12% on a dual-monitor layout. The VRR option also increased power consumption between 4% to 5% when watching YouTube videos.

People had been critical of AMD's RDNA 3 graphics card's idle power consumption and high-resolution display, and with good reason. A graphics card shouldn't pull over 100W when the system is idling or even when watching a YouTube video. The VRR option is a game-changer for RDNA 3, as it brings the graphics card's idle power consumption down to Ada Lovelace levels in idle scenarios. However, Ada Lovelace is still power efficient. For example, even with VRR enabled, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX's power consumption was still higher than the GeForce RTX 4080 in the Windows movement and YouTube tests.

ComputerBase has contacted AMD to inquire about the technical details of why and how VRR can make a big difference in lowering idle power consumption on RDNA 3 graphics cards. However, the chipmaker hasn't gotten back to the German publication, but we'll keep our eyes peeled when it does and update this article with some insight from AMD.

When shopping for a gaming monitor, it’s easy to get caught up in the many specs and features used to market them. If you have the budget for a premium display, you can get everything – high resolution, high speed, high contrast, high performance, lots of color and the latest bleeding-edge tech. But if you are looking for value, it’s best to prioritize the features you desire.

The gaming experience hinges mainly on panel speed and response, so spending money on a fast refresh rate is wise before considering screen size or resolution. AOC has just the ticket with its C27G2Z. This 27-inch VA monitor has a curved screen with a 3,000:1 contrast ratio along with 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync and wide-gamut color. And it sells for $200 at this writing.

AOC C27G2Z Specs

While high pixel density adds to the sharpness and clarity of an image, you won’t be disappointed in a 27-inch FHD panel. It sports 82ppi, just enough to produce a picture without visible pixel gaps when viewed at a three-foot distance. The C27G2Z also has a 1500R curvature which is a nice value-add. The subtle curve adds a slight immersive effect without any noticeable distortion.

240 Hz and Adaptive-Sync are the specs of greatest interest. High frame rates are the surest ticket to smooth motion resolution and fast response. Now that 360 and 500 Hz monitors are available, 240 Hz should be considered a starting point for competitive gaming. The C27G2Z achieves this rate without overclocking. It also supports FreeSync and G-Sync from 48 to 240 Hz. It hasn’t been certified by Nvidia, but I can confirm that it runs G-Sync just fine.

Image quality is enhanced by a VA panel that met its claimed 3,000:1 contrast ratio in my tests. The C27G2Z does not process HDR10 signals, but it does include three HDR emulation modes that tweak gamma to produce a little more punch to the image. Either way, the deep blacks and saturated color promised by VA technology are fully present here.

The feature set is pared down, as expected at this price point. There are no integrated speakers or USB ports. And there is no LED lighting. You get an aiming point and a frame counter in the OSD, fairly accurate color, and good results from calibration. The performance needed for both gaming and image fidelity is there. The C27G2Z seems like a decent value, so let’s take a look.

Assembly and Accessories

The C27G2Z arrives packed in crumbly foam in its three components: base, upright and panel. They assemble without tools into a reasonably solid and lightweight package. The power supply is internal, so you get an IEC cord along with HDMI and DisplayPort cables.

Product 360

The C27G2Z has a bit of red trim, reminiscent of AOC’s Agon line, to offset the black panel and silver base. There isn’t any LED lighting, but the trim is bright and creates a good effect. The monitor’s design intent is clearly game-focused.

The stand features good ergonomics with 5/23 degrees tilt, 30 degrees swivel and a 130mm height adjustment. You can just get the screen to a center eyepoint in the vertical position. This is my preference for all monitors, especially curved models. Setting the panel this way gives you the full potential of the curve’s immersive effect.

The input panel has two HDMI 2.0 ports and a DisplayPort 1.2. All will run at FHD resolution at 240 Hz, but you’ll need to use DisplayPort for G-Sync. FreeSync works through all three inputs. If you’d like to use headphones or powered speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack is provided. There are no built-in speakers, nor are there any USB ports.

If you look closely at the tiny white power LED at the lower right, you’ll see molded-in symbols for the five control keys. One toggles power, and I accidentally turned the monitor off a few times when reaching for the key that activates the OSD. The first three buttons provide quick access to input selection, game mode and the aiming point.

OSD Features

The C27G2Z’s fourth control key opens the ribbon-like OSD on the bottom of the screen. It is the same menu I’ve seen from AOC for the past decade, and it is relatively intuitive though a little clunky to navigate with buttons. I would rather have a joystick.

The Luminance menu includes seven picture modes that correspond to different activities. Standard is the default and best mode as it gives users access to all other picture and gaming options. Also here are three gamma presets, dynamic contrast and the HDR emulation modes. There are three options that look similar but add different levels of edge enhancement. Their approximation of HDR is just OK, but since the C27G2Z already has excellent contrast, I didn’t find that they improved the image, only made it look different. There is no actual HDR support here.

In Color Setup, you’ll find four color temp presets plus a user mode with RGB sliders. The C27G2Z doesn’t need calibration, but a small improvement is possible with a few tweaks. This is a wide-gamut display so if you want sRGB, it’s one of the color temp options and is quite accurate.

Picture Boost is something unique to AOC monitors. It lets you create a bright section on the screen that can be sized and moved about. Within it, you can adjust brightness and contrast to set it off from the surrounding area. It’s a great way to highlight something like a graphic or part of a gaming environment.

The OSD can be moved around the screen if you don’t like its default position at the bottom center. This menu also has the DP version toggle and volume control.

In Game Setting, there are six additional picture modes for different game types. My advice, leave that off to avoid confusion. If you start combining Eco and Game modes, it’s easy to become lost in the options. Also here is a three-level overdrive which I found too coarse in operation. I couldn’t find a setting free of either black or white ghosting artifacts. This menu also has the Adaptive-Sync toggle and a frame rate counter. If you turn off Adaptive-Sync, a motion blur reduction slider becomes visible. This is a backlight strobe with 20 brightness levels. Darker settings reduce blur further, but past level 10, the phasing artifact common to this feature becomes too distracting. I recommend leaving this off and sticking with Adaptive-Sync. 

AOC C27G2Z Calibration Settings

The C27G2Z delivers decent accuracy out of the box. It benefits from calibration, but it’s not strictly necessary. The grayscale errors are barely visible in content and gamma tracks very well. The color gamut is wide, covering over 88% of DCI-P3. If you want the smaller sRGB space, that option is available in the color temp menu. For my tests, I calibrated the user color temp using the RGB sliders. Gamma was fine on its default setting of 1. If you want a lighter look, choose 2; darker, choose 3. You can also experiment with the three HDR emulation modes; the C27G2Z doesn’t support HDR10 processing. Below are the settings I used for all content.

Gaming and Hands-on

I’ll get the question of resolution answered first. 27 inches is the largest FHD monitor I would care to use, but the C27G2Z’s 82ppi is enough to get the job done for both work and play. Unless you plan to sit less than two feet away from the screen, you won’t see the pixel structure, even in finely detailed images. Clarity is aided here by the panel’s prodigious contrast which is around 3,200:1.

I spent time using the C27G2Z before and after calibration and found the small adjustments required are worth doing. Yes, the picture looks fine out of the box. But the calibrated image is a little better.

The only issue I noted with productivity is that at 100% font scaling, you’ll have to scroll a bit more to see websites or to edit long documents. But this is a minor point that only someone accustomed to large high-res screens will experience. There is enough resolution here for whatever one wishes to do.

When taken in the context of a budget gaming monitor, the C27G2Z excels. It’s snappy and responsive with the reasonably smooth motion one would expect from a 240 Hz panel. Input lag was imperceptible to me and my average skills. A more talented player might benefit from a 360 Hz display or a 240 Hz QHD model. But with the FHD resolution in use here, frame rates are easy to maintain. You won’t need a premium video card to hit 240fps.

Picture quality is top-notch thanks to the C27G2Z’s excellent contrast and wide-gamut color. Accuracy is apparent with or without calibration, as everything looked natural and correct. Shadow detail is rich with deep blacks, and I saw bright highlights that added to the sense of dimension. Doom Eternal was well-detailed with good clarity. The overdrive artifacts I observed in test patterns were less evident during actual gameplay. I recommend avoiding the HDR emulation modes. They add a distracting level of edge enhancement that only reduces clarity.

Overall, the C27G2Z is a solid value among gaming monitors and affords a bit more speed and performance than a 165 Hz display of the same resolution. Since it is priced below 27-inch QHD monitors, it will certainly fill the bill for gamers seeking value.

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To compare the C27G2Z’s performance, I’ve selected monitors ranging in speed from 165 to 360 Hz. We have Dell’s S2422HG, ViewSonic’s XG2431, the HyperX Armada from HP, NZXT’s Canvas 27F and Alienware’s AW2523HF. 

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

As you can see, 240 Hz monitors are not created equal. The C27G2Z lags a bit in panel response with a 6ms result. This means motion is a tad less smooth than the others. It is visibly better than the 165 Hz Dell though. When testing the overdrive options, I noted that no setting was free of artifacts. I could either choose black or white trails behind moving objects. The MBR option is a little better but then you have to give up Adaptive-Sync.

Overall lag is only 1ms quicker than the Dell. The takeaway here is that the C27G2Z only performs slightly better than a typical 165 Hz monitor. So, it is qualified for competitive gaming but there are faster screens available. Of the 240 Hz monitors in the group, the AOC costs the least.

Viewing Angles

The C27G2Z’s off-axis image quality is just fair. An IPS screen would fare better though these photos show typical VA performance at this price point. At 45 degrees to the side, the image loses around 30% brightness and takes on a red tint. Gamma stays consistent, so you’ll still see full detail. The monitor is almost completely dark from the top. For this reason, you’ll want to be precise in how you place it relative to your eyepoint. A perfectly vertical position is best. 

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

Even value screens show good uniformity when measuring the latest models. The C27G2Z acquits itself well, with no visible bleed or glow in my sample. The meter shows slight elevations down the center of the screen, but I could not see this with the naked eye in either test patterns or content. There are no panel quality issues here.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The C27G2Z is bright enough for any indoor environment or intended use. Only the most sunlit room will need a peak level of over 350 nits. I noted a slightly higher level when using the HDR emulation of 373 nits. That is a tiny, almost imperceptible difference.

With super low black levels, the C27G2Z cracks the 3,000:1 contrast barrier with a 3,205.6:1 score. In this group, only the Dell boasts better and only by an infinitesimal amount. You can see that the IPS screens are strong performers relative to that technology but don’t even come close to VA in contrast. This is a difference that can easily be seen in actual content.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration has little effect on the C27G2Z’s contrast, which is good. I had to lower the contrast slider three clicks to correct the 100% grayscale step, which bodes well. It is well ahead of even the very best premium IPS monitors in this test.

Again, the IPS panels here do well in the ANSI test, but the Dell and AOC are far superior. Contrast is king and unless you put an OLED on your desktop, VA is the best way to achieve maximum image depth with true black levels and saturated color.

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I tested the C27G2Z in its default Standard picture mode, which provides access to all image controls. Other modes lockout different options.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The C27G2Z shows only slight grayscale errors in the 70 to 100% brightness range. The chart indicates a purple tint, but it is tough to spot in both test patterns and actual content. The C27G2Z does not need to be calibrated. Gamma tracking is spot on with values that measure a tad light but look great in practice.

Calibration tightens up grayscale tracking to professional levels with all errors under 1dE. Gamma measures a tad lighter than before. The overall look is slightly better, so the adjustment is worth doing if you have the means or would like to try my settings from page one.

Choosing the sRGB mode from the color temp options renders that gamut but creates a light gamma value at 10% brightness. This translates to fully detailed shadow areas but a bit lighter in tone than before. This minor issue is offset by the C27G2Z’s extremely accurate sRGB color gamut.

Comparisons

The C27G2Z’s default grayscale error of 3.01dE is completely acceptable for any gaming monitor, and certainly for one at this price point. It finishes mid-pack behind three more-expensive screens. After calibration, it takes the crown in a group of very accurate displays. Once adjusted, there are no visible errors from any of them.

Gamma tracking is very tight with a small 0.11 range of values, good enough for second-best, and a 2.73% deviation from 2.2. The actual gamma average is 2.14. If you choose the gamma 3 preset, it gets darker, with an average of 2.31. You can get away with this when the panel has high contrast, like the C27G2Z. Some users will prefer this, so I suggest trying all three gamma settings to find your preference.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The C27G2Z’s color gamut accuracy eliminates any real need for calibration. With an out-of-box average of 2.16dE, color is visually flawless. Like most wide-gamut screens, green is a tad under-saturated, but all other colors are fully covered. This is impressive performance for a $200 monitor.

Calibration tightens up the cyan and yellow secondaries a bit, but visually, there is no difference. Overall, calibration has a greater impact on grayscale tracking than color. We’re talking about minute changes here. The C27G2Z looks great whether you tweak it or not.

If you need an accurate sRGB gamut for photo grading, the C27G2Z delivers with a tiny 1.47dE average error. That’s pro monitor territory. This makes it fully qualified for color-critical applications.

Comparisons

The C27G2Z finishes fifth in the color comparison, meaning this is one impressive group of monitors. None of them have visible color errors. Again, the AOC costs less than all the rest except the Dell, which is around $170 but has a smaller screen.

When you consider color volume, the C27G2Z comes out on top with just a tad more coverage than the S2422HG. Can you see the difference between 88.76% and 88.49%? Unlikely. But it’s easy to see the top two screen’s advantages over the rest. These VA screens are defeating all comers here, and they cost the least. The C27G2Z is a tad undersaturated in green but fully covers the rest of the DCI-P3 gamut.

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If one prioritizes their needs for a gaming monitor, a lot of performance can be found for relatively little money. The gaming experience is most affected by speed and response so a high refresh rate and Adaptive-Sync are a must. Even players of average skill will benefit when a game runs consistently at 240fps.

To achieve this without putting an expensive video card in your PC, FHD resolution is the smart choice. Up to 27 inches, there is enough pixel density to render a detailed image. A refresh rate of at least 240 Hz ensures smooth motion resolution and low input lag.

By using a VA panel, AOC’s C27G2Z achieves solid picture quality thanks to high contrast and saturated color. Among budget screens, it boasts one of the largest color gamuts I’ve measured. With over 3,200:1 contrast, it delivers deep blacks and bright highlights. And its 240 Hz refresh rate maintains clarity when gaming action heats up. The overdrive has room for improvement because it doesn’t have an ideal artifact-free setting. But that is a minor point when the asking price is $200. The value-adds are a 27-inch panel with a 1500R curvature. Add a flexible stand and solid build quality and you won’t miss the USB ports or internal speakers as much. Though there is no HDR support, the emulation modes exist for those who like to experiment.

If you’re on a budget but want something bigger than a 22 or 24-inch screen, AOC’s C27G2Z is a great choice. It prioritizes speed over other factors and delivers a solid gaming experience for the price. Value-conscious users should keep this monitor on their shortlist.

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Undoubtedly, we are in the midst of an invasion, and it’s a good one because it means more OLED monitors are appearing on desktops and in gaming rooms. Regarding ultimate picture quality, OLED panels deliver super-low black levels, tremendous contrast and saturated color. The self-emissive nature of OLED means there is no trickery involved, like with LCDs and their modulating backlights. While Mini LED has made significant strides with its many dimming zones, OLED remains the contrast king.

I’ve looked at a few smaller OLEDS recently, but Philips offered its 42-inch Evnia 42M2N89 for review. It’s a full-fledged gaming screen with 4K resolution, 138 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, wide-gamut color and HDR. It isn’t super bright but will top 485 nits in HDR mode. It also covers nearly all of the DCI-P3 gamut and has some of the most accurate out-of-box color I’ve ever seen. Let’s take a look.

Philips Evnia 42M2N89 Specs

The 42M2N89 is an RGB/W panel which means in addition to red, green and blue sub-pixels, there is an extra white pixel to help increase brightness. That is only somewhat effective as it is not the brightest OLED I’ve seen. The current field of 27-inch OLEDS from Corsair and Asus peak at around 1,000 nits in HDR mode, while this jumbo Philips managed 485 nits in my tests. So, it’s not super bright, but it is bright enough. With incredibly low black levels, its contrast is tremendous.

Color is the 42M2N89’s finest attribute. Philips claims 95% coverage of DCI-P3, and that’s exactly what I measured. Straight out of the box, it delivers nearly perfect numbers with only tiny and invisible errors measured during testing. This is truly a unpack and go product with no tweaking required.

Philips’ usual set of gaming and convenience features are all included. You get aiming points, a sniper mode, Adaptive-Sync and a reliable 138Hz refresh rate. The 42M2N89 is certified FreeSync Premium by AMD, but has not been certified by Nvidia. However, it runs G-Sync just fine over the DisplayPort 1.4 input. And it delivers the same smoothness I’ve observed from other OLED monitors. With no need for overdrive, it maintains high motion resolution and makes more of a given frame rate than a comparable LCD panel.

Philips’ Ambiglow lighting feature is also included. I’ve found this useful during Philips monitor reviews because I can use it as a bias light. By setting the color to white and using a low brightness level, the glow reflected from the wall behind the panel closes my pupils enough to improve the perception of sharpness and contrast. This is something no other monitor manufacturer has in their products. Of course, you can also set Ambiglow to follow the sound and/or video, which creates quite the light show.

In addition to a beefy stand, you get a handheld remote that makes control a breeze. A KVM feature uses the many USB ports to provide easy connections for multiple systems controlled by a single keyboard and mouse. The 42M2N89 delivers a full-featured and quality package for $1,400.

Assembly and Accessories

Most monitors this large are packaged like televisions and stand on non-adjustable feet. The 42M2N89 is in every way a super-sized computer monitor, including the design of the stand. After freeing the contents from the crumbly foam, I bolted the base, upright and panel together using the included hardware and miniature Phillips-head screwdriver. The cable bundle has IEC power, USB-A, B & C, HDMI and DisplayPort. They’re all finished in a light gray to compliment the white panel and base.

Product 360

The 42M2N89 is an all-screen design with a bezel so thin you barely notice it when the power is on. The panel isn’t super-thin like some OLEDs but at only three inches, it can be mounted on the wall using the included adapter bracket. The panel stands off enough to prevent blockage of the Ambiglow LEDs which are arrayed around the component bulge. In the back photo, you can see the OSD joystick and the input panel labels, which are in the traditional up-and-under location.

Inputs include a single DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.1 and a USB-C, which passes video at 3840x2160 and 138 Hz. There are four downstream and one upstream USB that are supported by KVM options in the OSD. You can bind them to different video inputs to control two systems from a single keyboard, mouse and screen.

The stand is really a jumbo version of the one found with most computer monitors. Typically, large screens like this include fixed feet or legs with perhaps a tilt adjustment. The 42M2N89 has full ergonomics, including a 120mm height adjustment, 5/15 degrees tilt, and 20 degrees swivel. There is no portrait mode.

The remote is handy and includes all necessary controls for OSD navigation, plus audio volume, input selection and picture modes. You’ll want to keep it nearby because, ideally, the seating position will be too far away from the 42M2N89 to use the joystick.

In the side view photo, the bit on top of the upright is not a handle. Try to pick up the monitor by this piece of plastic, and you’ll likely break it. It is a headphone hook. You can also see the hinged attachment point for the panel. I’ve seen this in all the Evnia series monitors and it is a weak point. Though it is metal and seems up to holding everything together, it is a little wobbly due to its relatively small size.

OSD Features

The 42M2N89’s OSD has a game-oriented look with sub-menus along the top and signal info across the bottom. It includes nearly everything needed for gaming and convenience.

The SmartImage menu has every possible image control except for RGB sliders. You can select from five gamma presets and even choose between DCI-P3 and sRGB gamuts. But the color temperature can only be changed using Kelvin value presets. Normally, I would be unhappy about this, but the 42M2N89 is so good out of the box that I can’t complain. The accuracy here is quite impressive.

In GameMode, you can toggle Adaptive-Sync and engage an aiming point. The Smart Crosshair helps change color on the fly to maintain maximum contrast with on-screen content. The change is instantaneous, so you’ll always be able to see the reticle. In this menu, you can also boost shadow detail and engage a sniper mode with three possible magnifications for the center of the screen.

The Ambiglow menu has many color and effect options for the LEDs in the back. I use this in Static Mode, color white, minimal brightness, as a bias light. But you can have the show follow audio, video or both for a super-fun light display that will impress your friends.

Philips takes audio seriously with DTS-tuned integrated 10-watt speakers and five different sound modes. Each has a distinct character achieved by variations in frequency response and phase. You can also adjust a five-band EQ if you want to tweak it manually.

The KVM feature can be used with the USB-B upstream port or the USB-C input. It’s super easy to configure this for two different video sources like a PC and a console. Then, connect your controllers using the four USB-A ports on the bottom.

The 42M2N89 includes a pixel orbiter, screen saver and refresh functions to prevent burn-in. The refreshers run when the panel is in standby. I left the orbiter on all the time and never saw it working. The screen saver blanks the screen after a time of inactivity. The screen also dims after a few minutes when you aren’t doing anything. Though OLED burn-in is possible, it is hard to achieve. I have a nearly three-year-old LG OLED TV showing no signs of image retention whatsoever.

Philips Evnia 42M2N89 Calibration Settings

If you were wondering, you can’t calibrate the 42M2N89. But it’s completely unnecessary as it hits all the marks right out of the box in the default Standard picture mode. My initial tests showed no visible grayscale, gamma or color errors. The native gamut is DCI-P3, and you can switch to sRGB with almost no effect on the other parameters. HDR is similarly precise and offers four additional picture modes. HDR Game is the default and best choice there. Below, I’ve listed the brightness settings for commonly used output level targets. Note that these were determined using 25% window patterns rather than full fields. Like all OLEDs, the 42M2N89 dims as the average picture level increases.

Gaming and Hands-on

As I review more OLED monitors, I find myself wanting one more and more. When a flat 16:9 4K example appears, I’ll likely pull the trigger. The color, contrast and high motion resolution are truly addictive, and the 42M2N89 is no exception.

Its 42-inch size demands that the user make a reality check. You can’t realistically sit two or three feet away from such a large screen. But if your space is large enough to let you sit four or five feet back, it’s perfect. As compelling as 21:9 ultra-wides are, the extra height afforded by a jumbo monitor is a real enhancement to both work and play. Even up close, the pixel structure is not an issue. The 42M2N89 sports 106ppi which is only a tad lower than the 109ppi of a 27-inch QHD panel.

I never noticed any jaggies or other artifacts. Small text was crystal clear and enhanced by the 42M2N89’s tremendous contrast. Blacks are true and deep and add to the sense of depth and dimension. Color is richly saturated and perfectly accurate. It renders a completely natural image that looks right in every respect. Based on my test results, I adjusted the brightness to its maximum and found that it was the right level for both work and entertainment.

A screen as big as the 42M2N89 needs to function as a television. You’d be missing out if you didn’t watch movies on it. I was happy that it was compatible with all video frame rates, including 24p, 50p and 60p. That means you can watch movies and other content in their intended cadences with no processing. So, there won’t be any judder or artifacts associated with frame rate conversion.

Of course, gaming is the 42M2N89’s principal design intent so I spent many hours wading through enemies in Doom Eternal and exploring the lush jungles and ruins of Tomb Raider. Rendered games look incredible with detail and realism that’s next level. Not only are highlights truly three-dimensional, but shadows are also deeply foreboding, and motion is super smooth. No matter how fast I moved the mouse, the image never broke up or became blurry. No LCD can match the gaming feel of the 42M2N89 or any other OLED I’ve tried.

Sound quality is on another level from typical integrated monitor speakers thanks to the extra space afforded by the 42M2N89’s large chassis. Though there are only two speakers, sound stretches beyond the perimeter of the image to create a realistic sense of depth. Each sound mode has its own character, and I couldn’t pick a favorite. I suggest trying them all to see which one fits your room the best.

I also enjoyed the Ambiglow feature as a bias light and its ability to follow sound and video. It would change speed and intensity as I moved through virtual environments, and it gave the impression that the screen was even larger than its physical size. This is a super-cool feature that only Philips offers.

Of special note is the 42M2N89’s stand. Unlike other jumbo screens that just offer non-adjustable feet, the one here is an up-sized version of a traditional monitor stand. That means you can raise the panel up higher to create a centered eyepoint in the vertical position. This meant my peripheral vision was completely covered both horizontally and vertically. With a typical right-on-the-desktop placement, I’d have to sit lower to accomplish the same thing. That’s another thing unique to Philips.

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 The OLED panels I’ve reviewed come in QHD and 4K resolution at refresh rates of 120 to 240 Hz. Sizes range from 27 to 48 inches. The most direct comparison is Asus’ PG42UQ which I reviewed a few months ago. I also have Corsair’s 27QHD240, Asus’ PG27AQDM, Philips’ 34M2C8600 and Aorus’ FO48U.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

Response times are roughly the same for an OLED and an LCD at a given refresh rate. But the OLED is smoother and doesn’t need to rely on overdrive to maintain motion resolution. So, the 42M2N89 is smoother at 138 Hz than even the best LCD running at 144 Hz. Relative to the other OLEDs here, it isn’t quite as smooth as the 175 and 240 Hz screens. And it is visually the same as the 120 Hz Aorus. That extra 18 Hz doesn’t make a significant difference.

When input lag is added to the equation, the 42M2N89 moves up the order. It has a low input lag mode which I switched on for all tests. It has no downside, so you can always leave it engaged. It beat the Corsair by 3ms which is impressive considering the difference in refresh rate. The 42M2N89 is more than qualified for the competition. The only caveat is that you’ll need a stout video card to keep a game running at 138fps in 4K resolution.

Viewing Angles

OLEDs have better off-axis image quality than LCDs because their polarizing layer is much thinner. You can see in the 42M2N89 photos that there is no change in luminance in the horizontal plane, but there is a slight shift to red. Gamma is unchanged so you won’t see any reduction in detail rendering. The vertical view is also good, with a slight reduction in output and a blue shift.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

My 42M2N89 sample showed some unique behavior in the black field pattern tests. Typical OLEDs have unmeasurable black levels, but the 42M2N89 doesn’t shut its pixels entirely off, so I was able to get readings when testing. The blacks are super low, but they are measurable. That is not to say they are visible. Even with all the room lights off, I couldn’t see any light coming from the screen. But this meant I could conduct the black field uniformity test with a zero percent pattern. There were no visible issues, but the meter recorded a 10.9% deviation from the center zone.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

Though it has an extra white sub-pixel, the 42M2N89 isn’t as bright as other OLEDs I’ve tested. But it is bright enough. Like every OLED, it gets brighter as the average picture level decreases. I used 25% window patterns for this test. Peak output in the default Standard picture mode is just under 200 nits for a window and 135 nits for a full white field.

Black levels are just within my meter’s ability to measure as the screen isn’t completely blanked like other OLEDs. Visually there is no difference, but I recorded a super-low 0.007-nit result. That resulted in a 27,726.9:1 contrast ratio. While that may sound like a negative when compared to the other OLEDs, there is actually no visible difference in practice.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Since 193 nits is the 42M2N89’s peak output level, and I couldn’t calibrate it, the second set of results is the same – 0.007 nits black and 27,726.9:1 contrast.

The ANSI result is much higher because the 100% parts of the checkerboard pattern are smaller than a 25% window. They measured around 210 nits average, so the intra-image contrast ratio is higher. Don’t be swayed by the other panel’s infinite contrast and zero black levels. In practice, they don’t look any better than the 42M2N89. It’s just that my instruments are unable to measure their black luminance.

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I was initially bummed that the 42M2N89 cannot be calibrated, but once I measured it, I came away impressed. This is a seriously accurate monitor, as in professional level.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

It is safe to say that OLED panels in general are very color accurate. None of the monitors require calibration and only benefit slightly, if at all, from adjustment. The 42M2N89 has no visible grayscale errors with all dE values under two. Three is the generally accepted level where issues become visible. Lower values are considered visually perfect. I noted two slight aberrations in gamma, slightly light shadows and slightly dark highlights. But these errors are also visually acceptable. This is excellent performance. Because I could not calibrate the 42M2N89, there is no post-calibration test result.

If you switch on the sRGB gamut, it shrinks the color space correctly and the grayscale is unchanged. But gamma becomes more skewed with a visibly lighter shadow area in the 10 and 20% steps. This is a visible error that cannot be corrected. Color-wise, sRGB mode is fine but its gamma issues mean a slightly less punchy image.

Comparisons

Since the 42M2N89 can’t be calibrated, I’ve posted the 1.34dE grayscale error result to both the before and after charts. None of the monitors here have visible grayscale errors, so this comparison is essentially a wash. They all look the same to the naked eye.

The 42M2N89 is only off the 2.2 gamma standard by 0.45%, which translates to a 2.19 actual value. The PG42UQ matches that result with the other monitors slightly more off-target. All have a tight range of values so again; the gamma comparison is largely a wash. They all look the same to the naked eye.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The 42M2N89 absolutely slayed my color gamut accuracy tests with near-perfect results. In the DCI-P3 realm, which corresponds to the Standard picture mode, only the 60 and 80% red targets aren’t perfect. None of the points are off by more than 2dE, which is astounding performance for any monitor. The 42M2N89 is better than many of the professional screens I’ve tested.

In sRGB mode, red, magenta and blue are a tad under-saturated, but the errors are barely visible. The overall average is still well below 3dE, which is excellent.

Comparisons

Like the grayscale results, all the OLEDs are supremely accurate. The 42M2N89 takes the crown in the gamut test but a visual comparison of all monitors would reveal no differences. It truly doesn’t get better than this.

Philips claims 95% coverage of DCI-P3 for the 42M2N89 and it delivers. Like nearly all wide-gamut monitors, the deficiency, however small, is in the green primary. But the error here is so minute that you won’t see it in actual content. All the displays here are fit for color-critical applications. The 42M2N89’s sRGB mode is a bit weak with just under 90% coverage so I would likely choose a different monitor if I needed an accurate sRGB or Rec.709 gamut mode.

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

With Mini LED screens hitting 2,000 nits, OLED is considered by some to be inferior for HDR content. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s about dynamic range and because OLED black levels are so low, they will always look better. The 42M2N89 is no exception to this. When an HDR signal is input, it switches modes automatically and offers four additional image presets. I use the default one, HDR Game, for these tests.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

All the OLEDs here were measured using 25% window patterns. The 27-inch models have higher output, but the 42M2N89 is the best of the jumbo screens with over 485 nits peak. I measured the black levels here as the 42M2N89 doesn’t completely shut the screen off, so I recorded an HDR contrast ratio of 20,006.4:1. This is lower than most of the Mini LED screens I’ve tested. Still, visually, their advantage is general brightness, not perceived contrast. It’s always about black levels so the OLED will always win on that score. Like the SDR test, if you lined up all the OLEDs here, they’d look the same in HDR mode.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

I tested the four HDR modes and settled on HDR Game as the most accurate. It realizes the 42M2N89’s full potential for dynamic range and color accuracy. There are no visible grayscale errors and the EOTF tracks to near perfection. Steps up to 45% are a tad dark, then the trace goes slightly light until the tone-map transition at 65%. These are minor errors and in no way detract from the stunning HDR image.

With over 95% coverage of DCI-P3, the 42M2N89 can show all the color mastered into HDR content. Generally, there is a little over-saturation typical of all the HDR monitors I’ve tested. This adds a bit of punch to the image without obscuring detail or overblowing the picture. When the reference is Rec.2020, the 42M2N89 over-saturates similarly until the panel runs out of color at around 85%. This is also typical of the best HDR monitors I’ve tested. The 42M2N89 is as good as it gets in all aspects of HDR performance.

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In the jumbo desktop genre, the two technologies with the best image quality are OLED and Mini LED. OLED is the contrast king, with Mini LED just a bit behind. The question then becomes, how much brightness do you need? Mini LED is very bright, as high as 2,000 nits, while OLED in large sizes might hit 500. But unless you are using your display in a very bright room, that high brightness is unnecessary.

It's obvious that I am partial to OLED, not only for its image quality but its super smooth motion and gaming feel. Every example I’ve reviewed has been a stunner. Philips’ contribution to the genre is no different. I’ve already covered the Evnia 34M2C8600 curved ultra-wide and the 42M2N89 impressed me just as much.

The picture is stunning in every respect. With incredibly low black levels, contrast is superb. As the most important element of image fidelity, OLED and the 42M2N89 get it right every time. Brightness is a bit low in SDR mode but for a typical indoor environment, it’s bright enough.

Color is the standout here. The 42M2N89 can’t be calibrated, which would be a bummer if it were any other monitor. But right out of the box, it delivers reference-level accuracy. Most professional screens, which cost considerably more, can’t boast this level of precision. I could ding it for its under-saturated sRGB mode, but I seriously doubt this will concern anyone looking for a gaming, entertainment and general-use display.

Philips has included every possible convenience feature here as well. You get a handy remote, aiming point and sniper mode. The Ambiglow lighting, something unique to Philips, is useful both as a bias light and as a colorful display. The audio quality is better than many televisions and the stand is just like a quality monitor stand with height, swivel and tilt adjustments.

If you’re comparing the 42M2N89 to a television, remember that as a computer monitor, you not only get the higher 138 Hz refresh rate, but you get DisplayPort which enables G-Sync operation in addition to its FreeSync Premium certification. And at $1,400, it’s a decent value.

You’ll never regret buying a jumbo monitor so if you’re in the market, the Philips Evnia 42M2N89 is a worthy option.

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One of the best gaming monitors you can get your hands on has had a substantial amount knocked off its usual retail price in the run-up to Amazon's Prime Day 2023 extravaganza. Dell is joining in on the sales event with a summer sale of their own called Black Friday in July and offering discounts across the board on many of their products, but the one we're really interested in today is the jaw-dropping Dell Alienware AW3423DWF. 

It's an expensive gaming monitor, normally retailing for $1,099, but, to be honest even at that price this QD (Quantum Dot) OLED monitor is one of the very best monitors for gaming. The Alienware AW3423DWF is currently $899 in the sale thanks to a $200 discount at Dell.  With its impressive QD OLED screen, 165Hz refresh rate, and almost non-existent response time, this monitor was an easy pick for an Editor's Choice award and scored 5 stars in our review with no discernible cons to this truly impressive gaming monitor. 

Quantum Dot technology adds a light-emitting substance printed on a layer of film that can be placed in front of an OLED array and emit its own colors when pixels are excited by light energy, producing an amazing color response and gamut to rival the greatest of displays. 

Color Gamut Accuracy

The Alienware AW3423DWF sports a ridiculously fast 0.1 ms response time and has a refresh rate of 165Hz, but, as noted in our review, when gaming on the AW3423DWF it feels as if the refresh rate is substantially higher due to the smoothness of the games when viewed on this QD OLED display and will easily have you thinking it's running at 240Hz.

With stunning performance in both SDR and HDR content, the AW3423DWF performs exceptionally out of the box without any calibration and has the added benefit of being the second iteration of the QD OLED range of monitors from Dell, with many of the small niggling issues of the original AW3423DW being rectified. You may lose out on the Nvidia G-Sync chip, but you still have AMD FreeSync and a lower input lag. 

For anyone concerned with OLED burn-in - especially when used for gaming or applications that have a static screen, the AW3423DWF uses an automated panel maintenance feature that refreshes the pixels to avoid permanent burn-in damage. 

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Gaming monitors are often talked about in extreme terms. It’s mostly a matter of speed these days with screens now hitting the 500 Hz mark. With high performance comes high prices and that is another extreme. But what about the opposite end of the spectrum? How much gaming monitor can you get for seventy bucks? Philips’ answer is, “quite a lot, actually.”

The V-Line 221V8LN is a 22-inch VA panel with FHD resolution and very high native contrast. It also has wide gamut color, 75 Hz and FreeSync. And yes, you read right, it’s just $70. Let’s take a look.

Philips 221V8LN Specs

Despite the high prices commanded by premium monitors, the one place the 221V8LN beats many of them is native contrast. Philips always manages to coax more contrast from its VA monitors than everyone else, and this one is no exception. I measured over 4,200:1 right out of the box. That handily beats any IPS panel, and nearly all the VA monitors I’ve tested. And that’s a difference you can plainly see in a side-by-side comparison.

Philips doesn’t stop there. I expected to see perhaps a bit more gamut volume, but the 221V8LN covers over 85% of DCI-P3, which is average among all the wide-gamut displays I’ve tested. There is no support for HDR, but honestly, when native contrast is over 4,200:1, how critical is that?

The 221V8LN isn’t super speedy, but it will hit 75 Hz without issue. Sporting FHD resolution means it won’t take an expensive video card to max it out. At 21.5 inches viewable, that means pixel density is 102ppi, not much less than a 27-inch QHD screen. And you get Adaptive-Sync in the form of FreeSync. The one bummer for me here is that there’s no G-Sync because there’s no DisplayPort and HDMI is version 1.4. But if you have a vintage PC or laptop in your office, there’s a VGA port, something I haven’t seen in a very long time.

Of course, the 221V8LN is relatively barebones regarding convenience features. There are no USB ports, internal speakers or RGB lighting, but you get a 3.5mm audio port. And the stand is minimalist. In fact, the whole package weighs less than a Chihuahua.

But don’t be fooled; the 221V8LN is capable of solid performance and has excellent image quality. Not only is the contrast high, but color is accurate. You can enjoy it without calibration, but it has a full set of adjustments, including color temp and gamma.

This review will have many statements like, “But it only costs $70.” And honestly, the 221V8LN delivers so much more than you’d expect it will be hard to find fault.

Assembly and Accessories 

The slim carton contains the panel, upright and base, ready for assembly. Everything snaps together and though it’s light in weight, it has a solid feel. The power supply is internal, a definite plus at this price point and size. In addition to the power cord, Philips includes an HDMI cable.

Product 360 

The 221V8LN is a simple and functional design with a thin, flush bezel, a slightly raised Philips logo at the bottom center and a set of control keys at the lower right. They are marked with small white labels, allowing access to all monitor functions. A tiny white LED indicates power status.

The upright attaches low on the panel’s backside and sits too low for me to use at a vertical position. I had to tilt it upward to meet my eye point; there is a 20-degree adjustment for this. Tilt is the only ergonomic feature; there are no swivel or height adjustments available. If you’d rather use an aftermarket solution, a 100mm VESA mount is included.

The input panel has just three ports: VGA, HDMI 1.4 and a 3.5mm audio jack which can be used with either headphones or powered speakers. There are no internal speakers, but the OSD includes a volume control. There are also no USB ports.

OSD Features 

The 221V8LN’s OSD will be familiar to any Philips user, and it has just about everything found in that company’s more expensive displays.

In the Picture menu, you’ll find an Adaptive-Sync toggle that refers only to FreeSync. G-Sync does not operate over HDMI 1.4, and there is no DisplayPort input. Philips has included a three-level overdrive that helps quell motion blur a bit. It works best in its Fast setting. Higher options cause a lot of ghosting, and turning it off means thick black trails behind moving objects. You will see occasional frame tears, even at 75fps, if you don't have an AMD video card.

On the upside, this menu has gamma presets, which are spot-on and accurate. Set 2.2 and you get 2.2. In fact, the 221V8LN has nearly perfect gamma response. If you want higher contrast, there is a SmartContrast dynamic feature, but it clipped too much shadow and highlight detail. There are five picture modes available. Standard is the default and best choice.

The Color menu has color temps by Kelvin value or a user define option with RGB sliders. They are very precise and can be used to dial in grayscale accurately. Also included is an sRGB option, but it did not reduce the color gamut by a significant amount.

Philips 221V8LN Calibration Settings

I don’t expect many buyers of a $70 monitor to perform a calibration, and the 221V8LN doesn’t strictly need one. But some improvement is possible with a few tweaks. I left it in Standard mode and adjusted the RGB sliders to achieve excellent color accuracy and nearly perfect gamma. The 221V8LN looks way better than a $70 monitor should. My recommended settings are below.

Gaming and Hands-on 

I spent a few afternoons playing games and working with the 221V8LN and could only come up with one thing I wished for, a larger screen. I’m spoiled by my 32-inch BenQ daily driver, and most monitors I review are at least 27 inches. Of course, I don’t expect to get a jumbo screen for $70, but once you get past that, the 221V8LN is a very capable display.

Image-wise, I have no complaints. The picture is superb, with deep contrast and saturated color. The wide gamut and 4,200:1 worth of dynamic range go a long way to helping you forget how little you spent to acquire the 221V8LN. It’s hard to imagine a better picture for the price. And I quickly forgot the FHD resolution as well. At 102ppi, it’s only a tad apart from a 27-inch QHD panel.

I worked with the 221V8LN for a while before calibrating it because I expect that only some users will make adjustments. And that’s fine; it’s perfectly usable in that state. You get its full contrast potential and color saturation thanks to near-perfect gamma. There is no more detail visible after calibration than before. I made the changes for testing, but the improvement was slight. If you’re reading this, just scroll back up a bit to note my RGB settings, and you’ll see the same image I did.

Gaming is a decent experience, even for someone like me who is spoiled by speedy monitors. 75fps is fast enough for smooth motion and good control response. I dialed in the overdrive using BlurBusters test patterns to the Fast setting. That quells blur so that my aim was good but not great. After a little while, I adapted to what I was seeing and improved my gameplay. The relatively high pixel density helps keep detail reasonably sharp. I saw a few frame tears when playing without FreeSync. G-Sync isn’t available on the 221V8LN if you have an Nvidia-equipped PC. For me, though, games were completely playable either way.

For workday tasks, the smaller screen took a bit of getting used to, but with font scaling at 100%, I could read small text. The 221V8LN’s high contrast helps there for sure. Photo and graphics work was easy to accomplish thanks to excellent color accuracy, providing a fatigue-free image. A low blue light mode is available for reading, but I didn’t need it. Setting output to 200 nits, along with the 22-inch screen size, was the most comfortable way to go.

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I’ve never reviewed a monitor as inexpensive as the 221V8LN, so gaming comparisons will be a bit lopsided. There are budget screens that run at faster speeds, but they cost more. The group consists of NZXT’s Canvas 27F, Gigabyte’s G27F2, Dell’s S2422HG, Viotek’s GFI24CBA and Pixio’s PX275CP.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

Obviously, a higher refresh rate means faster panel response and lower input lag. Panel response goes hand-in-hand with blur, and the 221V8LN has more blur than the rest. The overdrive helps when set to Fast. That’s the lowest setting; the two higher ones cause ghosting. Turning it off is not an option because you get distracting black trails behind moving objects.

However, looking at the overall lag numbers, the 221V8LN manages to hang with faster 100 and 144Hz screens. Control response is good enough for a gamer of moderate skill like me. The motion blur makes aiming challenging, but the overall experience is superior to a 60 Hz enterprise display. And the addition of FreeSync keeps things running smoothly on AMD-equipped systems.

Viewing Angles

It’s well worth using a VA panel for its high contrast, but viewing angles suffer. A 22-inch monitor is too small to share, so for users sitting on-center, the image is uniform in color and brightness from edge to edge. At 45 degrees off-axis, the color goes warm and light output is reduced by around 30%. A drop in gamma muddies detail a bit too. The vertical view is very washed out, with little remaining detail and a significant reduction in brightness. This is typical performance for a budget VA monitor.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

The results of the 221V8LN’s screen uniformity test garners no complaint. I couldn’t see any bleed or glow in a full black field pattern. Brighter levels were equally smooth, with no visible change in color or luminance from edge to edge. $70 doesn’t mean poor quality in this case.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. Brightness and Contrast testing is covered on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

Out of the box, the 221V8LN doesn’t quite hit its 250-nit spec, but at just over 235, it’s close. For any indoor space, this is plenty of light. The magic happens when checking out its very low black levels. They are twice as dark as the next screen, Dell’s S2422HG. That results in a superb contrast ratio of 4277:1, higher than almost every non-OLED panel I’ve tested. This is achieved with no clipping of highlight or shadow detail. Every brightness step is discernable from bottom to top, which is superlative performance.  

After Calibration to 200 nits

The 221V8LN’s contrast increased a bit with calibration. Visually, the difference is tiny, but any gain is worth the effort. Black levels are super low, which makes highlights pop and color look more saturated. Regarding LCD native contrast, it truly doesn’t get much better than this.

The 221V8LN maintains its high contrast in the ANSI test. It’s closer to its static number than almost every monitor I’ve ever tested of any type. This is simply astounding in a $70 monitor.

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The 221V8LN includes five picture modes called SmartImage. The smartest choice is to leave it set to Standard where you’ll find decent color accuracy and near-perfect gamma. With a few tweaks, a small improvement can be realized. 

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here. 

Out of the box, there are some visible errors in the brightness steps above 40%. There is a slight purple tint which can be seen in content. But gamma is already on target with no visible errors in luminance. This is very promising.

Calibration removes all visible grayscale errors and takes the 221V8LN within striking distance of the best gaming monitors for overall accuracy. This is excellent performance for any monitor and even more so for one costing just $70.

The sRGB mode in the color temp menu looks nearly identical to the default settings. Its grayscale is a tad purple, but its gamma is perfect.

Comparisons

4.35dE is on the high side of average among gaming monitors. Among budget choices, the NZXT is an outlier. OK, budget is a stretch for a monitor that costs $359. But the 221V8LN isn’t that far behind for one-fifth the price.

Though it comes last in the comparison after calibration, there is no visual difference between the six displays. They all have errors below the visible threshold of 3dE. 

I was particularly impressed with the 221V8LN’s gamma response. Very few monitors are this tight for both range of values and deviation from the 2.2 standard. This is one of the best displays I’ve tested of any type, at any price, for gamma accuracy.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here. 

I observed similarly high accuracy in the 221V8LN’s color gamut tests. The default chart shows slight undersaturation in red and green with a little extra blue and magenta. With an average error of 3.41dE, you will barely notice any problem, which is impressive for $70.

Calibration makes a slight but visible improvement with better balance in blue and magenta. Red is still a tad under-saturated, but that is a tiny error.

The sRGB mode, which I found in the color temp menu, does not reduce the color gamut. It drops color luminance a bit, making it look less vivid, but it is not a true sRGB mode.

Comparisons

Though the 221V8LN is in fifth place in the gamut test after calibration, it gets below the visible threshold of 3dE. The other screens fare better but cost more.

I was very impressed to see the results of the 221V8LN’s color volume test. That you can get a true wide gamut display for $70 is a definite breakthrough. Only two screens managed to beat it, and only by small margins. In the price versus performance metric, the 221V8LN is way beyond anything else I’ve reviewed.

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Innovation can take on many forms. For displays, things like resolution, refresh rate, color volume, size and features all combine to drive technology forward. But value is an innovation too. I’ve watched new technologies appear at the premium end of the price spectrum only to reach the budget sector a few years later.

Looking back over my entire database of display reviews, now numbering almost 400 monitors, I’ve never tested a product that cost less than $100 before this. The Philips 221V8LN, by far, delivers the most performance for the least money in my experience.

I only need to wrap this up with a simple checklist: contrast over 4,200:1, check; pixel density over 100ppi, check; refresh rate over 60 Hz, check; wide gamut color with 85% DCI-P3 coverage, check; Adaptive-Sync, half-check because it’s FreeSync only; accurate color out of the box, check; decent gaming experience, check. And the bonus – near-perfect gamma that’s better than almost every display I’ve ever tested. Yes, the overdrive could be a little better and the sRGB mode isn’t truly sRGB. But the 221V8LN only costs $70. From that perspective, I have to give it an Editor’s Choice.

If you’re looking to anchor a budget gaming system and are OK with a 22-inch screen, the Philips V-Line 221V8LN is only $70 and has no competition.

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Asus is launching a new monitor within its popular TUG Gaming range of products, and it looks to pack quite a punch for enthusiasts. The TUF Gaming VG34VQL3A features a 34-inch VA panel with a 3440 x 1440 (WQHD) resolution. And as is often the case with these widescreen monitors, the VG34VQL3A boasts a curved panel, specifically 1500R.

Other features include a 1ms GtG response time, a brightness rating of 400 nits (available in SDR or HDR mode), and Asus claims 125 percent coverage of the sRGB color gamut. The refresh rate maxes out at 180Hz, a healthy boost over standard 165Hz panels. However, we’re beginning to see more gaming monitors in the 34-inch WQHD space with 240Hz refresh rates.

One spec that definitely caught my eye was the contrast ratio. VA panels are known for having excellent contrast. While not as good as Mini LED or OLED, they fair far better than IPS panels regarding black levels. Typical VA panels have a contrast ratio of around 3,000:1, but the VG34VQL3A ups the ante to 4,000:1. 

Asus confirms that the VG34VQL3A is AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certified, but we’re almost certain that it should also work with Nvidia G-Sync on GeForce graphics cards. It’s also TÜV Flicker-free and Low Blue Light certified, supporting the VESA DisplayHDR 400 specification. Extreme Low Motion Blur is supported.

Regarding connectivity, you’ll find two HDMI 2.0 ports and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports. There’s also an onboard USB hub with three USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A) ports for connecting your peripherals. And if you don’t want to hook up a set of external speakers, the VG34VQL3A includes two 2-watt speakers onboard. We doubt that they’ll be enough to satisfy extreme audiophiles, but there’s also a 3.5mm jack for your headphones.

Unfortunately, Asus didn’t provide details on expected pricing or availability for the VG34VQL3A. We're keenly interested to see if it has what it takes to join our list of the best curved gaming monitors in a future review.

AMD has released a new graphics driver which fixes high idle power issues observed by Radeon RX 7000 users. AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 23.7.1, which supports graphics cards from the Radeon RX 400 Series and newer, addresses an unusual high-power usage case in Windows, but at this stage we aren't sure if it has covered all incidences.

We first reported on the headlining high idle power on RDNA 3 cards issue last December. In our story about a fix for RX 7900 XT(X) power consumption - particularly addressing video playback efficiency on these powerful cards - we welcomed the driver update. However, that driver release came with AMD's first admission that “high idle power has situationally been observed when using select high resolution and high refresh rate displays.” It turns out his bug affects the whole RX 7000 family, which has only recently grown beyond the high-end with the release of the Radeon RX 7600.

The release notes features a bullet point which provides the scope of the idle power fix provided by the Adrenalin Edition 23.7.1 driver. We are sure this fix will be warmly welcomed by users of AMD's newest architecture, as it should reduce the amount of wasted electricity.

Other RDNA 3 architecture bug fixes in this latest Radeon driver include one which causes suboptimal performance or occasional stuttering in VR games and applications. An RX 7900 XTX specific fix has also been implemented to eliminate intermittent corruption when playing WWE 2K23.

The last two fixes are for a wider audience. A crashing and driver timeout issue which annoyed DaVinci Resolve Studio users has been quashed. Lastly, intermittent corruption observed when switching windows while playing Nioh 2 has been fixed. AMD mentions this Nioh 2 bug affected multiple Radeon products including the RX 6800 XT.

There is only one new feature mentioned by the official Adrenalin Edition 23.7.1 release notes. AMD has implemented support for additional Vulkan extensions. If any of your favorite games / apps use the Vulkan API you may appreciate these additions.

AMD's list of remaining known issues outguns the list of fixes, but at least we know the red team developers are working on these specific annoying wrinkles.

Lastly, we must note that AMD has temporarily disabled the 'Factory Reset' driver install feature. Back in March, we reported on the bricked Windows installs that this driver install option was precipitating. There is a workaround for now; AMD recommends users run its AMD Cleanup Utility if they want / need to start afresh.

Every now and then it’s possible to come across a remarkable deal on new hardware. Today, we’re sharing an exciting discount on the HP Omen 24 gaming monitor. This gaming display usually goes for around $199 but it’s marked down to $131 right now at Amazon. As of writing, no expiration has been specified for the offer.

This gaming monitor is new, having only just been released earlier this year. This is the first and biggest price drop we’ve seen for the display since its 2023 debut. The screen spans 23.8 inches across and features an FHD IPS panel.

The HP Omen 24 is AMD FreeSync Premium certified which ensures a high refresh rate, in this case 165 Hz, low framerate compensation support and low latency in both HDR and SDR. Its IPS panel has an FHD resolution which measures 1920 x 1080 pixels. It has a short response time of just 1ms GtG and is illuminated by a maximum possible brightness of 300 nits.

Users have a couple of video inputs to take advantage of including one DisplayPort 1.4 port and two HDMI 2.0 ports. It’s supported by a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty from HP as well as Amazon’s 30-day return policy. Amazon Prime members have the option of free one-day delivery.

To get a closer look at this deal, visit the HP Omen 24 gaming monitor product page at Amazon for more details and purchase options. Also check out our list of the best monitor deals overall.

Razer often bucks the trends set by some of the best gaming laptops. As bigger has often been considered better in this space, Razer has  stuck with the 14-inch display for the Blade 14 to focus on portability. However, this smaller form factor still incorporates a potent AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS “Phoenix” processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU.

All this power resides inside a chassis that weighs just a smidge over 4 pounds. Playing up its gaming roots, the 16:10 aspect ratio QHD+ (2560 x 1600) display maxes out at 240 Hz, and there’s RGB lighting for the keyboard and the Razer logo on the lid. Throw in a massive touchpad, plentiful ports, and great battery life and you have what looks to be a winning combination for a highly portable gaming laptop.

However, a laptop can’t be everything to everybody, so some sacrifices had to be made. The Blade 14 has a few cracks in its armor, namely surrounding fan noise and price, but its performance ranks among the best in this gathered field of laptops.

Razer Blade 14 Specs

Design of the Razer Blade 14

The design of the Razer Blade 14 hasn’t changed much over the years. It’d be easy to mistake this year’s model for the one we reviewed back in 2021 regarding its exterior. The compact laptop exudes quality with tight tolerances around the chassis and zero flex.

The display hinge is particularly noteworthy for its strength, with zero “wobble.” With many laptops, the display will wobble back and forth if you move it around or type at a furious pace. With the Blade 14, the hinge is so stiff that it doesn’t move at all once you’ve adjusted the angle to your liking. That sense of quality and solidity extends to tasks as simple as opening the lid. Some laptops are so lightweight or ill-balanced that lifting the lid while the computer is sitting on a desk causes the chassis to lift slightly or requires two hands. With the Blade 14, lifting the lid requires just your thumb, and the chassis remains planted.

The design of the keyboard deck is reminiscent of Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro, complete with the tiny, precision perforations for the speakers. On the right side of the Blade 14, you’ll find one USB 3.2 (Type-A), one USB 4 (Type-C) and an HDMI 2.1 port. The left side is home to one USB 3.2 (Type-A), one USB 4 (Type-C), a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a proprietary connector for power.

The Blade 14 measures 12.23 x 8.97 0.70 inches and weighs just 4.05 pounds. That’s ever so slightly larger and heavier than the last Blade 14 we tested in 2021. The other laptops in this field that we've tested witih similar gaming performance (Gigabyte Aorus 15X, Asus ROG Strix G16 and Razer Blade 16) all feature 15.6- or 16-inch displays and are a pound or more heavier than the Blade 14.

Gaming Performance on the Razer Blade 14

The Razer Blade 14 uses an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, which comes in an 8-core/16-thread configuration. The base clock is 4.0 GHz, while the maximum boost clock is 5.2G Hz. Coming alongside the CPU is an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU (1,410 MHz boost clock, 8GB GDDR6, 100W TDP) and 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory (2 x 8GB).

I played Cyberpunk 2077 on high settings with ray tracing enabled, DLSS Balanced, and DLSS frame generation enabled, averaging 70 frame per second at 1600p. When I dropped the resolution to 1080p with the same graphical settings, performance increased to around 110 fps. I averaged about 130 fps DLSS Quality without ray tracing at 1080p and 90 fps at 1600p. 

The Blade 14 gave us at least 70 fps across the board at 1080p, although stepping up to 1600p resulted in a significant (but expected) drop in performance. We should note that given the wide disparities in resolutions between all four laptops, we’ll note our observations on 1080p performance for all systems. However, 1600p/1440p comments will be limited to the Blade 14 and Gigabyte Aorus 15X.

In our Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest Settings) benchmark running at 1080p, the Blade 14 took second place in the rankings at 114 fps behind the Aorus ROG Strix G16 (Core i9-13980HX, RTX 4070, 1200p) at 116 fps. The Blade 16 (Core i9-13950HX, RTX 4070, 2400p) and Gigabyte Aorus 15X (Core i9-13900HX, RTX 4070, 1440p) weren’t far behind at 113 fps and 110 fps, respectively. Bumping the resolution to 1600p saw the Blade 14 fall to 67 fps, putting it on nearly even footing with the Aorus 15X (70 fps) running at 1440p.

Moving on to Grand Theft Auto V (Very High Settings), the ROG Strix G16 secured first place at 1080p with 100 fps, nudging past the ROG Strix G16 and Razer Blade 15 at 95 fps. The Aorus 15X pulled in last with a still respectable 93 fps. Switching to 1600p resolution, the Blade 14 witnessed a 45 percent drop in performance to 55 ps. As with the Shadow benchmark, the Aorus 15X running at 1440p was in the same ballpark at 56 fps.

Switching gears to Far Cry 6 (Ultra Settings), the Blade 14 faltered a little at 1080p compared to its peers. The Blade 14 took top honors this time around at 102 fps and was followed by the ROG Strix G16 at 98 fps. The Blade 14 settled for third place at 85 fps, while the Aorus 15X limped across the finish line at 75 fps. At 1600p resolution, the Blade 14 stepped down to 68 fps, mirroring the Aorus 15X’s 67 fps at 1440p.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Medium Settings) saw the laptops closely clustered around the 70 fps mark at 1080p resolution. The Blade 14 hit 74 fps and was followed by the Blade 14 at 73 fps, the ROG Strix G16 at 72 fps and the Aorus 15X at 70 fps. When we set the Blade 14’s resolution to 1600p, performance dropped to 45 fps, equaling the Aorus 15X’s performance at 1440p.

As for Borderlands 3 (Badass Settings), this was another instance where the laptops were grouped closely together at 1080p resolution. The Blade 16 hit 102 fps and was followed by the ROG Strix G16 at 100 fps. The Blade 14 and Aorus 15X tied at 98 fps. Increasing the resolution saw the Blade 14 fall to 64 fps, while the Aorus 15X squeezed in a few more frames to 67 fps at 1440p.

We ran the Metro Exodus benchmark (RTX) through 15 loops at 1600p resolution to round out our benchmarks. The benchmark ran at an average 61.44 fps (consistently ranging between 61.27 to 61.55 fps). During the run, the Ryzen 9 7940HS averaged 3.863GHz at 81.4 degrees Celsius (178.52 degrees Fahrenheit). The GeForce RTX 4070 GPU ran at an average of 2.06 GHz and measured 76 C (168.8 F).

Productivity Performance on the Razer Blade 14

The Blade 14 features a Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, 16GB DDR5-5600 memory and 1TB SSD.

In our Geekbench 5 benchmark, the Blade 14 was last for single-core performance. It lost out by a single point to the Aorus 15X (which is effectively in the margin of error). However, the Blade 14 took a severe walloping in the multi-core benchmark, where it mustered a score of 11,121, which was no match for the Raptor Lake competition. The third-place Aorus 15X scored 18,129, while the Blade 16 bested all challengers at 20,497.

The file transfer test also saw the Blade 14 come in last place by a small margin, hitting 1,230.04 MBps while transferring 25GB of files. The Blade 16 once again came in first place at 1,850.71 MBps.

In our Handbrake transcoding test, the Blade 14 slipped into second place, finishing in four minutes and 45 seconds compared to four minutes and eight seconds for the first-place Aorus 15X. The ROG Strix G16 and Blade 16 finished the test in just over five minutes.

Display on the Razer Blade 14

The Blade 14 is no slouch in the display department, as expected, with an as-tested price of $2,699. The 14-inch IPS display has a QHD+ (2560 x 1600) resolution with a maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz. AMD FreeSync Premium is supported via the Radeon 780M GPU integrated into the CPU.

Although the display is a bit on the smaller side for a gaming laptop (15.6 inches is the most popular size, and many are moving to 16 inches), I found the 1600p resolution made the text look super sharp on the display. Coupled with the matte, anti-glare coating, the display was easily readable indoors and outdoors.

Our light meter showed that the Blade 14’s display could get incredibly bright, hitting a maximum of 465 nits. This was second only to its Blade 16 sibling in this grouping, which achieved 511 nits. The superlatives didn’t end there, though; the Blade 14 covered 114.3 percent of the DCI-P3 color space and 161 percent of sRGB. The Blade 16 was the next-closest competitor, but its colorimeter results fell well short of its smaller sibling at 93.7 and 132 percent, respectively.

In real-world testing, the display looked fantastic when playing Cyberpunk 2077. I like to play with all the goodies enabled, and with details cranked to Ultra with ray tracing enabled, the richness of the gaming environment came to life. From the soft, neon glow of the lights and signs in bars to the reflections seen on vehicles passing by in the daytime and at night, Night City can truly shine on this display.

It was a similar experience with Avatar: Way of Water, which I watched on Disney Plus. The expansive aquatic backdrops' vibrant greens and cooling blues were a sight to behold. As someone who was blown away by the original Avatar when seeing it on the big screen when it debuted over a decade ago, seeing Way of Water showed just how far CGI has advanced during that time. Even on the smaller screen of the Blade 14, Pandora looked lush and teeming with life.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Razer Blade 14

The keyboard feels great under my fingers, with a nice spring-back after pressing a key (Razer says there’s 1 mm of key travel). There’s minimal noise when typing furiously on the keyboard, although the spacebar definitely makes itself audibly known.  

The 14-inch chassis leaves less room for an expansive keyboard, although I had no trouble adjusting to its size. Of course, there’s no room for a number pad off the right side of the keyboard, although folks looking for laptops in this size class likely aren’t expecting one anyway. Razer could have gotten away with including a larger keyboard by repositioning the speakers, which take up a significant amount of space.

The Microsoft Precision touchpad is made of clickable glass, and takes up roughly half of the available palm rest space below the keyboard (it measures 5.9 x 3.4 inches).

Razer's Synapse software is installed to give you complete control over the keyboard. Not only can you reprogram most individual keys, but you also have per-key control over RGB lighting. You can choose your own custom lighting scheme, or choose from several preset options. I personally settled on “Breathing” as my favorite RGB scheme.

I use keyhero.com to test my typing speed with various keyboards. With the Blade 14, I achieved 90 words per minute with 94 percent accuracy. For comparison, I hit 85 wpm with 94 percent accuracy on the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Gen 8). 

Audio on the Razer Blade 14 

The Blade 14 features stereo speakers, which are adequate in games and other multimedia content. You can manually tweak the audio settings using the THX Spatial Audio app, but there are also EQ presets for Music, Games, Cinema, and Video. You can also use the app to turn on THX Spatial Audio, which provides a virtual surround sound experience.

I tried THX Spatial Audio in Borderlands 3, Cyberpunk 2077 and Overwatch 2. However, I didn’t notice enough difference between on and off for it to matter much; I just decided to leave it off after my initial tests. The speakers got plenty loud and were powerful enough to mostly drown out the fan noise.

There isn’t a lot of bass from the speakers, and they still sound a bit tinny (which was also one of our complaints with the 2021 version of the Blade 14). Explosions fell flat in Overwatch 2 and bass-heavy tracks like Tupac and Dr. Dre’s “California Love” sounded like they were recorded in a dilapidated bathroom. However, they are serviceable for games, music and movies. But we’d suggest looking at some of the best gaming headsets if you want the best sound experience. 

Upgradeability on the Razer Blade 14

The Blade 14’s internals are accessible after removing eight Torx screws from the bottom panel. With the screws removed, you slide the panel forward to release it from the rear hinge area, and it pops off. 

Once removed, you have direct access to the battery, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo card and the SSD. The two SO-DIMM slots (both occupied with 8GB DDR5-5600 modules on our review unit) are “hidden” behind an easily-removed plastic shield. This is a big upgrade over previous Blade 14 models, which had their memory soldered onto the motherboard. 

Battery Life on the Razer Blade 14

When it comes to endurance, the Blade 14 is a strong contender. The laptop lasted eight hours and 34 minutes on a charge during our battery life test consisting of web browsing, light graphics work and video streaming while connected to Wi-Fi with display brightness set at 150 nits. This was just slightly behind the ROG Strix G16, which lasted 15 minutes longer. 

The Aorus 15X and Blade 16 weren’t in contention, as they lasted just 5:20 and 5:06, respectively. 

Heat on the Razer Blade 14

Razer packs in a Ryzen 9 7940HS and RTX 4070 into a very compact chassis. That means the dual-fan cooling system has its work cut out to keep system temperatures in check. When running any game, the fans spin up to maximum RPM, which is very loud to my ears. Wearing noise-canceling headphones was the only way to escape the constant drone of the fans in the background.

We measured 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on the touchpad and 42.22 degrees C (108 degrees F) between the G and H keys during the Metro Exodus stress test. The hottest spot on the underside of the chassis was 50.83 degrees C (123.5 degrees F). 

Webcam on the Razer Blade 14 

Like most new laptops that are hitting the market these days, Razer outfitted the Blade 14 with a 1080p webcam. Razer includes a handy, physical privacy shutter to block unwanted eyes from spying on you. And to make it completely obvious that the shutter is enabled, a little painted red circle is visible when the lens is covered.

While the image quality is a step up from the old 720p unit we reviewed in the 2021 Blade 14, it’s not quite a match for the best 1080p webcams we reviewed in recent notebooks. Images still look a tad grainy despite the sensor upgrade, and the colors look a bit “off” to my eyes. For example, my salmon-colored shirt appeared more like a pale pink.

The webcam is fine for Google Meet or Zoom meetings, but we’d suggest trying out one of the best webcams if you want better quality.

Software and Warranty on the Razer Blade 14 

Razer keeps the number of factory-installed apps to a minimum with the Blade 14. Razer Synapse is included for access lighting for the keyboard and logo on the lid as well as customizing macros. Some people find Synapse objectionable, especially when it comes to adding new peripherals to a system, but it worked without issue on our review unit. I use a Razer Atheris wireless mouse when testing laptops, and Synapse greeted the mouse with open arms when I first plugged in its USB dongle.

The only other notable additions are the Realtek Audio Console and THX Spatial Audio for fine-tuning the equalizer and overall sound output.

Given that the Blade 14 comes with Windows 11 Home installed, you’ll also have to contend with the plethora of shortcuts that come with the operating system, including Spotify, ESPN and TikTok (among others).

The Blade 14 comes with a 1-year limited warranty for the laptop and a 2-year warranty for the battery.

Razer Blade 14 Configurations 

The Razer Blade 14 comes in three primary configurations. The base Blade 14 SKU with a Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory and an RTX 4060 costs $2,399. Upgrading to the RTX 4070 takes the price to $2,699 – this is the configuration of our review unit. Finally, the flagship SKU with the RTX 4070 and 32GB of DDR5-5600 costs $2,799.

The Blade 14 is currently available to purchase directly from Razer’s website.

Bottom Line

The Razer Blade 14 represents a nice year-over-year bump compared to its predecessor. The switch from a 165Hz QHD to 240Hz QHD+ panel brings a noticeable increase in refresh rate and extra vertical real estate for productivity apps.

We should also note that while previous Blade 14 laptops didn’t allow you to upgrade the memory, the new model is expandable to 64GB of DDR5-5600 via two SO-DIMM slots. Gaming performance was strong across the board, and it was within a few percentage points of the top performers in nearly every game benchmark. Productivity performance came up a bit short in Geekbench and the file transfer test, but it offered solid numbers in our Handbrake encoding test. We also must commend Razer on the display, which not only received a bump in resolution but offers superior brightness and color performance compared to its predecessor.

However, the Blade 14 has two major points against it, one of which can be mitigated. The fans are obnoxiously loud and distracting while gaming, but you can throw on a pair of headphones to alleviate this. One thing that you can’t change, though, is the price. The Blade 14, as tested, costs $2,699. That’s a lot of money to spend for a gaming laptop, especially one that “only” has 16GB of memory and an RTX 4070. The fact that Razer was able to cram this hardware into a device this small accounts for that price premium, but if you’re willing to sacrifice an extra pound of weight, you can get a lot more bang for your buck. For example, the Gigabyte Aorus 15X largely matches the Blade 14 in performance and costs $2,099.  We saw the same kind of extreme price difference among competitors with the Razer Blade 16.

But if excellent performance in the most compact frame is your ultimate goal and you demand AMD's latest processors, there isn’t much else out there like the Razer Blade 14. You just have to be willing to pay up for the privilege.

With the introduction of a 27-inch OLED panel from LG Display, it’s clear that this technology is not just for niche products. OLED is becoming more common among the best gaming monitors with richly saturated color, infinite contrast and next-level gaming performance. Panel response times are measured in hundredths of milliseconds, and there is no need for trickery like overdrive or backlight strobing.

Recently, I reviewed the first display to use this new panel, Asus’ ROG Swift PG27AQDM. Corsair’s version is called Xeneon 27QHD240, and its model designation doesn’t hint at how special this monitor is. OLED is truly on another plane above Mini LED in picture quality and gaming performance. The 27QHD240 is a QHD panel with 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, wide gamut color and HDR peaks of 1,000 nits. It also boasts a 0.03ms gray-to-gray response and packs it all into a solidly built display that sells for $1,000 at this writing.

 Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240 Specs

Most of the 27QHD240’s specs are the same as the PG27AQDM, so let’s look at the few that are different. Corsair has included two HDMI 2.1 ports versus Asus’ use of HDMI 2.0. However, at QHD resolution, even at 240 Hz, you don’t need the extra bandwidth afforded by HDMI 2.1. Both panels have native 10-bit color and that is fully preserved as well.

The 27QHD240 has a handy KVM feature that adds many USB ports. There are five traditional 3.1 connections plus two USB-C ports, with one offering DisplayPort functionality. The actual DisplayPort input is version 1.4 and employs Display Stream Compression (DSC) to keep input lag low. The 27QHD240 is one of the quickest monitors I’ve tested, even compared to 360 and 500 Hz models.

The panel is certainly the star with its infinite contrast and wide gamut color. Corsair claims 98.5% coverage of DCI-P3, and I measured a hair more than that, 99.01% to be exact. And that color is as close to perfect as it gets. The 27QHD240 doesn’t need calibration, nor does it benefit from it. My sample was optimized to perfection right out of the box.

OLED contrast is legendary in that it cannot truly be measured. No instruments currently available can measure an OLED panel’s black levels. Corsair claims 1,500,000:1 for the 27QHD240, but I cannot measure that. When a pixel is black, it’s off, meaning it emits no light. It’s hard to describe what that means to picture quality other than it’s an image you won’t find anywhere else, even from the very best Mini LED panel. And no extra features are required, like dimming zones or dynamic contrast. This performance is available in both SDR and HDR modes natively.

The 27QHD240’s build quality befits its $1,000 price tag. While this puts it firmly in the premium category, it isn’t a prohibitive sum for what you get. 240 Hz means super smooth motion and gamers will find this monitor suitable for any type of play, from casual to pro-level competition. There are a few cool touches here, too, like an OSD that appears when you put your hand near the control buttons and inputs that face back rather than down for easier access. I love putting displays like this through the wringer, so let’s take a look without further ado.

Assembly and Accessories

Corsair delivers the 27QHD240 in a plain brown wrapper with the panel, stand and base packed in crumbly foam. You won’t know how special it is right away since there are no loud or colorful graphics on the box, nor does the model number indicate that it’s an OLED. When you see the super-thin panel, though, that’ll be the first clue. You can assemble everything without tools into a solid, almost monolithic package. The cable bundle includes USB-A/C and C/C, plus HDMI and DisplayPort. A slim brick functions as the power supply.

Product 360

The 27QHD240 has a semi-matte screen rather than the highly reflective layer on most OLED televisions. There is no downside to this approach. I saw no grain or other artifacts. The image is crystal clear in every respect. The bezel is flush and very thin at 9mm wide at the top and sides and 11mm at the bottom. Controls are underneath, just right of center. When you reach for them, a small menu pops up telling you the function of the two keys and joystick.

Being a 27-inch QHD screen with 109ppi pixel density, the dot structure is visible if you sit closer than two feet away. It’s not 4K, but the difference is slight in a side-by-side comparison, and when there’s any sort of motion, the high refresh rate and super quick panel response ensure a perfectly smooth image.

The side view shows how thin the actual panel is, just five millimeters. A component bulge takes the total depth to 47mm, just under two inches. A 100mm VESA mount hides under the stand’s attachment point with fasteners included for use with aftermarket arms and brackets.

The stand is quite substantial, with a wide upright and deep metal base. The height adjustment is 100mm (3.9 inches) and you get 7/15 degrees tilt, 30 degrees swivel and a 90-degree portrait mode. Movement and build quality are appropriate for a monitor in this price category. You’ll be using your 27QHD240 for many years.

On either side of the upright in the back are numerous connections. On the left side are two HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4 and a USB-C that functions as a DisplayPort input. The power supply connects at the bottom of this bank. On the right side is another USB-C for peripherals and charging along with four USB 3.1 downstream ports. The jack panel is finished off with a 3.5mm audio output. There is no internal audio, so use this to plug in headphones or powered speakers.

OSD Features

When you reach for the 27QHD240’s control keys, a small menu indicates the functions and locations of the two buttons and the joystick. This is something I have not seen before. Pressing the joystick brings up Corsair’s simple and intuitive text-based OSD.

The 27QHD240’s OSD is divided into six logically arranged sub-menus starting with Picture. There, you’ll find a full set of calibration options and six image modes. Standard is fully adjustable and employs the native color gamut, which covers almost 100% of DCI-P3. An sRGB mode is also tweakable and has independent color temp and gamma options. This is a rarity, even among pro monitors. I was able to calibrate both gamuts and just switch modes when necessary. HDR signals engage an additional mode that cannot be adjusted. Additional picture options include a refresh rate indicator and aiming points which can be customized for color and shape.

The 27QHD240 has PIP and PBP that let you view two video sources, either side by side or windowed. In System Setting, you can toggle Adaptive-Sync and engage panel maintenance features like a pixel refresh and an orbiter. These operate in the background or when the monitor is in standby mode, and are designed to reduce the effects of image retention. In my own experience, I have not seen any issues with my two-year-old LG television, which is used every day.

Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240 Calibration Settings 

Not only does the 27QHD240 not require calibration, but I was also unable to affect any improvement when I set up both DCI-P3 and sRGB picture modes. You can use Standard for the wider gamut in SDR mode along with the Standard color temp and 2.2 gamma for near-perfect accuracy. The User color temp has precise RGB sliders, which will improve the numbers slightly but not the visuals. If you want to use sRGB color for SDR, that mode is very accurate as well. And you can calibrate the color temp separately if you wish. I’ve provided my settings below. Note that the brightness setting of 31 is derived using a 25% window pattern. It may look too dim when showing actual content. After using the 27QHD240 for a few days, I upped the value to 80. This will depend on the ambient light levels in your particular space.

In HDR mode, there are no color options, only a Contrast slider if you want to dial down the peak brightness. As the 27QHD240 varies brightness depending on the average picture level (all OLEDs do this), I recommend leaving everything on the default values.

Gaming and Hands-on 

If you’ve read my review of the Asus PG27AQDM, you already know what I will say about the 27QHD240. They are the same monitor in every way that matters to gaming. After experiencing several OLED monitors over the past year, I have come to regard this technology as a game-changer, with an emphasis on game. As in, they got it. Quite simply, there is no better gaming experience than an OLED panel running at a high refresh rate.

I’ve said that OLEDs provide smoother motion at a given frame rate than an LCD, and the 27QHD240 holds to this axiom. There is no need for overdrive here. Blur Busters test patterns are literally perfect, with every pixel rendered fully, whether there is motion or not. Resolution is not affected no matter how quickly an object moves or the screen pans.

In shooters like Doom Eternal and Call of Duty WWII, this translates to an almost predictive feel where your control inputs are instantly translated on-screen, and movement is ultra-precise. When you stop moving the mouse, the aim point is exactly where you want it to be. I was able to get deeper into every game I played.

The image is stunning in every respect. HDR is the 27QHD240’s forte, and it proved more than bright enough to render a fully detailed and saturated image in my sunlit office. Any concerns about OLED being dimmer than Mini LED were not a factor for me. Yes, you can get more output from a bright LCD, but not enough to make me choose it over an OLED.

Color saturation was impressive in both SDR and HDR content. It’s easy to choose sRGB for SDR by changing picture modes. But I was happy to keep the larger gamut up too, and I suspect most users will do the same. Only when grading photos did I find it necessary to switch to sRGB. The 27QHD240’s accuracy makes the image very pleasing and easy to look at for hours. A low blue light mode is available, but I never found a need for it.

For both work and entertainment, the 27QHD240 is exemplary in every respect. After spending many hours with it, it is well worth the money. When compared to professional displays, it’s a bargain. You won’t find this level of image fidelity and quality in any LCD.

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Now we get to the fun part; the part where I talk about OLED monitors’ fantastic gaming performance with super low input lag and panel response so fast that there is no loss of motion resolution. I am not exaggerating. All the OLEDs in the 27QHD240’s comparison group offer a similar gaming experience and feel. You will become addicted to any of these screens. In the group are Corsair’s Xeneon Flex, Asus’ PG42UQ and PG27AQDM, Alienware’s AW3423DWF and Philips’ 34M2C8600.  

Pixel Response and Input Lag 

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures. 

My test is a full-screen black-to-white transition which is slower than the gray-to-gray measurement commonly quoted. 5ms is typical for a 240 Hz panel, whether it’s OLED or LCD. But in practice, the OLED is far smoother. No visible loss of motion resolution exists, no matter how fast objects move or the screen pans. You can see this clearly in Blur Busters test patterns and in real-world content. There is nothing that moves like an OLED.

With 26ms of total input lag, the 27QHD240 is plenty quick enough for gamers of all skill levels. While a 360 or 500 Hz panel will have lower control lag, its motion resolution will be a tad lower. I’m talking about tiny differences here but ones that can be seen with the naked eye.

Viewing Angles

OLED offers the best off-axis image quality of any flat panel technology thanks to grid polarization that is much less aggressive than LCD requires. My 27QHD240 sample showed a slightly cool tint at 45 degrees to the side with no reduction in brightness, nor is there a change in gamma. Detail is fully visible when sitting off-center. The top view is also solid with similar behavior and only a slightly lighter gamma. The 27QHD240 is completely shareable.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

No OLED I’ve yet tested has shown any visible screen uniformity issues. The 27QHD240 is one of the best panels, with just 3.55% deviation from center. This is well below the visible threshold. If the worst score is 9.24% from a jumbo 45-inch diagonal panel, that bodes well for the technology as a whole. You won’t see any bleed or glow here.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

All OLEDs, including the 27QHD240, vary brightness according to the average picture level. That means a full-field white pattern will be dimmer than the 25% window I used for testing. A full field measured 192.5 nits, but the true peak white level is over 412. You’ll have to set the brightness by eye to suit your particular environment. I set the brightness slider to 80% in my brightly lit office for a comfortable image.

No matter what, black levels are truly black. They cannot be measured because the pixels are shut off and do not emit light. This yields an infinite contrast ratio, which can be seen in a visual comparison with another monitor. Viewed side by side against a Mini LED with its zone dimming engaged, the 27QHD240, like the other OLEDs, is clearly superior. It truly doesn’t get better than this.

After Calibration to 200 nits

For testing purposes, I set a 25% window pattern to 200 nits. In practice, I would use a higher brightness setting lest the image be too dim for my room. Your mileage will vary. Try a few different settings over a week or two to find the optimal level. Whatever you do, contrast remains the same with zero value black levels. ANSI contrast is also unmeasurable because the black squares in the checkerboard pattern emit no light.

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The 27QHD240 doesn’t need to be calibrated and cannot be improved from its factory state. It arrives out of the box at a very high level of accuracy. It is better than many professional screens I’ve tested in this respect.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking 

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here. 

Though I can improve the chart when calibrating the 27QHD240’s grayscale, the picture is visually the same. The only tiny flaw here is a rise in gamma at the 90% brightness step. And no, you can’t see that error in actual content.

Since I could calibrate the sRGB mode separately, I did so. You’ll notice its default gamma is a bit askew, with too-dark values at 10% brightness and too-light results at 90%. These are minor errors, but I noticed a few highlights that looked a tad washed out. Calibration made a visible difference there, even though grayscale tracking was unchanged.

Since I could calibrate the Standard and sRGB picture modes, I’ve added both results to the comparison charts. There’s clearly no need for calibration, but in sRGB mode, gamma is improved after adjustment, so it’s worth doing if you have the means.

Clearly, gamma is not a problem for any of the panels. The 27QHD240 is last in the range test and third in the deviation test. This means none of the monitors have any gamma issues worthy of concern.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here. 

I was beyond impressed by the 27QHD240’s gamut test results. Few monitors can achieve such low color errors after calibration. These charts show out-of-box numbers that are as close to perfection as possible. Essentially, my RGB adjustments did not affect the gamut values and that is a very good thing. In sRGB mode, I noted some under-saturation in the red primary and slight hue errors in magenta. These issues are not visible to the naked eye.

Comparisons

All the OLED panels I’ve tested, including the 27QHD240, have superb color. It’s well saturated and right on the reference targets. Though these are gaming monitors, they deliver accuracy worthy of any professional display. And they do it for far less money. They’re not inexpensive, but they cost less than many pro screens.

The gamut volume test shows OLED’s capabilities to be more consistently superior to VA and IPS-based LCDs. The 27QHD240 finished fourth here, which is extraordinary considering its coverage is only a hair shy of 100% of DCI-P3. That’s pretty awesome, I’d say. You can expect any OLED monitor to be very colorful. The 27QHD240 is fully qualified for color-critical applications as well.

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors. 

HDR is what OLEDs do best. Their naturally infinite dynamic range is a real asset. The 27QHD240 delivers typical performance for the category.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

Corsair claims 1,000 nits for the 27QHD240 when measuring a 3% window pattern. I cannot replicate this, but I measured a 25% window at over 800 nits, so I have no doubt as to this monitor’s capabilities. The Flex and the 27-inch Asus are a tad brighter, but there is no discernible difference when viewing actual content. The bottom three monitors are a bit dimmer overall but still deliver tons of depth and color saturation. Of course, all the panels have infinite HDR contrast thanks to their unmeasurable black levels.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

The 27QHD240’s superb color accuracy extends to its HDR grayscale tracking, which is without visual error. There is a slight rise in blue levels as the image brightens, but this does not adversely affect the image. The EOTF tracks close to the reference line except for its slightly early transition to tone-mapping, which is a minor issue.

Color tracking is slightly off the mark at the inner saturation points though it gets closer to targets as saturation increases. Secondary colors are off hue as well. Magenta and cyan are a bit cooler than they should be and yellows have a slight green tint. In content, it’s at the level where the viewer can sense that something’s not quite perfect but can’t tell exactly what. Some tweaking of the 27QHD240’s firmware could resolve this though I cannot call myself dissatisfied, and I doubt any users will complain. Contrast and color saturation are so good that they mitigate these measured errors.

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It’s now possible to buy a 27-inch OLED desktop computer monitor from three different manufacturers: LG, Asus and Corsair. They are the same LG panel at the core but have slightly different feature sets. One thing is certain; their image quality with regard to color and contrast is unmatched. And their gaming performance is on another level from any LCD I’ve experienced, including panels running at 360 and 500 Hz.

The Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240 delivers a gaming experience that non-OLED monitors cannot equal. This is thanks to two major factors, image depth and motion processing. OLED promises and delivers infinite contrast thanks to its true black levels. When a pixel is black, it’s off and emits no light. That is something that must be seen to be fully appreciated. Contrast is king, always, and OLED has more of it than any other technology.

Motion processing is the other element that makes or breaks gaming feel. Much has been done to mitigate motion blur in LCDs, but OLED needs none of those enhancements. At the 27QHD240’s max refresh rate of 240 Hz, it moves objects and pans the camera with no loss of resolution. One can see this clearly in both test patterns and actual content. Precision aiming and movement almost become child’s play.

The 27QHD240’s superb color accuracy is a nice bonus here. With no adjustments whatsoever, it delivered near-perfect color, grayscale and gamma. I saw a few flaws in the HDR gamut test, but honestly, the image is so good I had difficulty spotting any problems. With the ability to choose between DCI-P3 and sRGB modes that are equally accurate, it rivals any professional screen for far less money.

The Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240 is a premium purchase for sure. $1,000 for a 27-inch monitor is not a small sum. But for what you get, it’s a bargain. It blows away any LCD gaming or pro monitor I’ve experienced. If you have the budget and are seeking ultimate image quality, definitely check it out.

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Razer today announced a new version of its Razer Blade 14 laptop, and it’s quite an intriguing ultraportable. Whereas the current generation is powered by a Ryzen 6900HX processor (8 cores, 16 threads) and your choice of up to a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU, the new 2023 edition of the Razer Blade 14 brings the latest mobile hardware from AMD and Nvidia.

To be more specific, Razer opted for AMD’s Ryzen 7940HS “Phoenix” processor, which AMD bills as the first x86 processor with a dedicated, onboard AI engine. This processor also features an 8-core/16-thread configuration but with a base clock of 4 GHz and a turbo clock of 5 GHz. Razer also upgraded the discrete graphics across-the-board to Nvidia Ada Lovelace architecture. Base configurations get a GeForce RTX 4060 (8GB, 2370MHz boost, 140-watt), but you can step up to the optional RTX 4070 (8GB, 2175MHz boost, 140-watt) if you need more performance.

All systems have a 1TB SSD (upgradable to 4TB), while 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory is standard. If you opt for the RTX 4070, you can upgrade to 32GB of DDR5-5600. The maximum installable memory on the Razer Blade 14 is 64GB using the two onboard SO-DIMM slots.

All that hardware pushes pixels to a 14-inch, QHD+ (2560 x 1600) 16:10 display with a 240Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium support. In addition to its anti-glare finish to cut down on reflections, Razer says that it’s spec’d for 500 nits typical brightness and covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color space.

Fueling this mobile powerhouse is a 68.1 WHr lithium-ion polymer battery, which powers the Blade 14 for up to 10 hours. On the connectivity front, you’ll find the requisite HDMI 2.1 port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A) ports, two USB 4 (Type-C) ports (up to 100-watt Power Delivery supported) and a 3.5mm combo jack. For your wireless needs, Razer opted for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 (Qualcomm WCN6856).

1080p webcams are becoming more commonplace on laptops, and Razer is no exception with the Blade 14. However, the company goes one step further by including a privacy shutter for those concerned about nefarious parties spying on you without permission. For your audio needs, you’ll find dual speakers with THX Spatial Audio support. Other features include a Razer Chroma RGB keyboard and a Windows Precision Trackpad.

The Blade 14 is constructed of anodized aluminum that is resistant to your greasy fingerprints and is available in Matte Black or Mercury White (exclusive to the 32GB/RTX 4070 SKU). The laptop measures 12.23 x 8.97 x 0.70 inches and weighs just 4.05 pounds.

The base Blade 14 SKU with 16GB of RAM and an RTX 4060 costs $2,399. Upgrading to the RTX 4070 takes the price to $2,699. Finally, the flagship SKU with the RTX 4070 and 32GB of RAM costs $2,799. The Blade 14 is up for preorder today and will begin shipping on June 20th.

The ultrawide gaming monitor market has exploded in popularity in recent years, and Samsung is taking full advantage with the release of the 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9. Not only is Samsung using OLED technology, which is lauded for its inky blacks and rich colors, but it uses the uncommon Dual Quad HD resolution (5120 x 1440). That works out to an aspect ratio of 32:9 and offers a lot of horizontal real estate to view multiple documents side-by-side. 

But the Odyssey OLED G9 is mostly about gaming, which is confirmed by its 0.03ms response time (gray-to-gray) and 240Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support. As you might expect, the Odyssey OLED G9 employs Samsung’s Quantum Dot technology, which results in a richer color palette and improved brightness over what’s already possible with traditional OLED panels. 

Samsung also claims that the Odyssey OLED G9 is DisplayHDR True Black 400 certified; however, the typical brightness is 250 nits. As is typically the case with these massive ultrawide monitors, this is a curved panel to help slightly wrap the content around your periphery. In this case, it’s a 1800R curve.

Regarding connectivity, Samsung equips the Odyssey OLED G9 with two HDMI 2.1 ports (one full size, one micro) and a single DisplayPort 1.4 connection. There’s also a USB hub for managing your peripherals. Other features include dual 5-watt speakers along with CoreSync and Core Lightning+ for you RGB aficionados out there. 

One other key feature included with the monitor is the Samsung Gaming Hub, which gives direct access from the monitor to game streaming services like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass, thanks to integrated Wi-Fi.

Samsung has opened up preorders for the Odyssey OLED G9 today, with Best Buy offering it for $2,199. According to Best Buy, preorders will arrive on June 26th. Of course, Samsung is also offering the monitor directly, and from today through June 25th it is offering a $250 electronic gift card with each preorder purchase.

Users in the market for a curved gaming display should take a look at this deal on the LG UltraGear 34GP63A-B QHD 34-inch monitor. This monitor has been going for around $399 lately but today is discounted to just $299 in time for Memorial Day.

The LG 34GP63A-B features a 34-inch VA panel with a curvature of 1800R. It has a QHD resolution which measures up to 3440 x 1440. You can also check out our list of best gaming monitors to see what else is available on the market if you’re looking for something with more specific specs to suit your needs.

The LG UltraGear 34GP63A-B is AMD FreeSync Premium certified which ensures a dense resolution, high refresh rate, low latency, as well as low framerate compensation (LFC) support. It has a refresh rate that can reach up to 160Hz and a gtg response time of 5ms. It covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut, illuminated with a maximum brightness of 300 nits.

There are two HDMI ports available for video input and one DisplayPort input. It has two 7W speakers for integrated audio support but a 3.5mm jack is available for external audio peripherals, as well. The purchase is supported by Amazon’s 30-day return policy as well as a limited 1-year manufacturer’s warranty from LG.

Visit the LG UltraGear 34GP63A-B QHD 34-inch monitor product page at Amazon for more details and purchase options. As of writing, we’re not sure for how long this discount will be offered.

Mini LED, like any bleeding-edge display technology, is part of the premium backlight category. And as such, it commands a higher cost of admission, but that is starting to change. With more and more panels including this high-performance backlight, prices are creeping downwards.

Mini LED is the next step in full-array local dimming where, rather than having a bank of LEDs arrayed at one or two sides of the screen, they are arranged behind the TFT layer in a grid. First, there were 384-zone monitors like Asus’ PG27UQ, and they were awesome. But today, one can spend less money and get a Philips Evnia 34M2C7600. It’s a 34-inch ultra-wide curved VA panel with 1,152 dimming zones. Let’s take a look at this new contender among the best gaming monitors. 

Philips Evnia 34M2C7600 Specs

The name of the game is contrast, and since LCDs have their backlights on all the time, dimming zones are the key to dynamic range. IPS natively delivers around 1,000:1, and VA can muster 3,000:1. But contrast can be theoretically infinite when you selectively dim or shut off individual bits of the screen.

The 34M2C7600 is a curved ultra-wide VA panel with all the features needed in a good gaming monitor. 1,152 dimming zones and a 1,400-nit full-array backlight mean killer HDR. Add an extended color gamut covering almost 97% of DCI-P3, and you have a superlative image for both SDR and HDR content. Accuracy is included, with multiple picture presets that come very close to the mark with no calibration required.

Even without Mini LED trickery, contrast is high at nearly 4,000:1 in my tests. Resolution is WQHD (3440x1440), so pixel density is a tight 109ppi. The curve is 1500R which strikes a nice balance between immersion and image distortion at this size and shape. In other words, there is none of the latter and plenty of the former.

Gaming feel is enhanced by Adaptive-Sync, which works on both FreeSync and G-Sync platforms. The 34M2C7600 has not yet been certified by Nvidia, but AS works over a 48 to 165 Hz range. There is no blur reduction via backlight strobe, but you get a three-level overdrive and reasonably low input lag. In my tests, panel response was on par with other 165 Hz screens. You also get a set of aiming points to help novice players in their favorite shooters.

A feature unique to Philips monitors is Ambiglow. On the surface, it might seem like just an LED lighting effect, but it is so much more. Rather than focus on graphics or projected patterns, Ambiglow throws light onto the surface behind the 34M2C7600 to enhance what’s happening on the screen. You can have several preset effects and colors or let the light shift along with content in real-time. My favorite use of Ambiglow is as a bias light. That’s when you project a white glow behind the monitor that’s around 10% as bright as the set peak white level. There is science behind this which makes a perceptual difference in image quality. More on that later.

The 34M2C7600 is an attractive package, physically and feature-wise, priced around $1,300 at this writing. That’s still premium, but as I indicated earlier, it’s the beginning of a downward creep in cost. Compared to other Mini LED screens, it’s competitive on multiple levels.

Assembly and Accessories

The 34M2C7600’s carton stands out for its lavender color and attractive white graphics. That’s a preview of what’s to come because the monitor is also white. Once the parts are extracted from the crumbly foam, the base bolts onto the upright, then snaps onto the panel. The attachment point is a bit wobbly, but it is robust enough to hold things together securely. The included cables and external power supply are all white. You get USB-A/B, USB-C, HDMI and DisplayPort, one of each. A stamped steel adapter with fasteners is also included for use with aftermarket monitor arms or brackets.

Product 360

Admittedly, I’m a sucker for a white monitor. It’s a nice change from black, and it stands out in a good way. The 34M2C7600 adds silver accents on the panel’s bottom trim and the stand. The base has a flecked finish on its plastic cover, which hides a metal core. The upright exposes its aluminum construction and is very solid. The only weak point is how the panel attaches. Rather than a snap-on plate, it uses a plastic tongue that engages the stand. As a result, it’s a little wobbly though I had no problems with ergonomic adjustments. There’s 150mm (5.9 inches) of height plus 20 degrees swivel each way and 5/20 degrees tilt.

The panel cover in the back has a sculpted grid, which I haven’t seen before, dotted by the Ambiglow LEDs. The only style to the lighting comes in a thin vertical strip down the center. The other LEDs are purely there to cast light onto whatever surface is behind the monitor. If you want to use the bias light as I do, the monitor should be within a foot or two of a neutrally colored wall. Choose a white static light that’s around 10% as bright as the monitor’s peak output level. This will close your eyes’ pupils slightly and increase the perception of both sharpness and contrast. It sounds hard to believe. Give it a week, and you will likely be converted. I use bias lights for my television and projection screen at home.

The 34M2C7600’s bottom face includes more Ambiglow LEDs along with a stocked input panel and two grills for the five-watt speakers. They include eq, sound modes and better-than-average audio quality. Inputs are all the latest: two HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4 and USB-C. A KVM feature is supported by five USB 3.2 ports, one upstream and four down.

OSD Features

The OSD is accessed by the 34M2C7600’s single control, a tiny joystick/button that also toggles the power. The menu is well stocked, but as you’ll see in a moment, there is one surprising omission.

The OSD has a gaming look with its polygonal shape and status information across the bottom. It’s divided into seven sub-menus, starting with SmartImage. This is Philips’ name for the 11 picture modes. The default is SmartUniformity and it does indeed apply uniformity compensation to the image. My sample was fine without it, and I recommend selecting any other picture mode because SmartUniformity reduces contrast by raising the black level and lowering the white level. In Game 1, the mode I used for testing, contrast is nearly 4,000:1, and the peak white level is nearly 750 nits.

Each mode includes calibration options like color temps and gamma presets, but there is one thing missing – RGB controls. You can specify the white point by Kelvin value or choose options called Preset and Native. Luckily, grayscale tracking is pretty good out of the box, although I would have liked the ability to tweak it. You’ll also notice an sRGB option in this menu. It does not reduce the color gamut size. It’s DCI-P3 for all content, like it or not.

Game Mode features an aiming crosshair with a super cool feature. Turning Smart Crosshair on changes the reticle’s color to ensure it stays in contrast with the background. The transition is instantaneous, so you’ll always be able to see it no matter what. This menu also has a three-level overdrive, which is one of the 34M2C7600’s weaknesses. Every setting causes some ghosting. Too slow, and you get black trails; too fast and they’re white. I found myself using different settings for different games. Your mileage may vary.

SmartFrame creates a window on the screen where you can change its brightness and contrast independently from the rest of the image. In addition, it can be sized and positioned anywhere you wish.

The Ambiglow menu is extensive and has options for color and effect, plus the ability of the LEDs to follow on-screen content in real-time. The possibilities are infinite, or you can turn it off.

Philips has paid attention to audio quality with two five-watt internal speakers. They sound better than average and include five modes and a multi-band equalizer. The modes alter frequency response and phase to create various effects. I could clearly hear the differences, and it was fun to experiment with them.

In the System menu, you can set the HDMI ports to 120 or 165 Hz. 120 is the right choice for consoles. USB Setting includes the KVM options to bind video inputs to USB outputs. You’ll also notice the Local Dimming option. Unfortunately, it is only available in HDR mode where it is very effective. It’s a bummer you can’t also use it for SDR content. At least there’s 4,000:1 native contrast to compensate partially.

Philips Evnia 34M2C7600 Calibration Settings

The 34M2C7600 ships in its SmartUniformity picture mode. It’s fairly accurate, but peak white and contrast are both limited. The panel is perfectly uniform without compensation, so I used Game 1 for my testing and gameplay. It delivers around 4,000:1 contrast for SDR content and peaks at almost 750 nits. The default gamma setting is 2.2, but that proved a tad light. 2.4 is the better choice. For color temp, the Native, Preset and 6500K options are functionally identical. Preset has slightly better gamma so I chose that. Below are my SDR settings derived from instrumented tests.

HDR signals reveal five more picture modes. HDR Game is the default, and it is quite far off the mark for color and grayscale. DisplayHDR 1400 is the better choice. If you want control of peak brightness, there’s an option called Personal that lets you dial down the white level.

The other missing item here is an sRGB mode. There’s an sRGB option in the SmartImage menu, but it doesn’t reduce the gamut volume.

Gaming and Hands-on 

I’ve already talked about the 34M2C7600’s overdrive feature. I use Blur Busters test patterns to find the right video processing settings for all gaming monitor reviews and, in this case, I couldn’t arrive at an ideal configuration. There is no backlight strobe option available, which isn’t a big deal, but it might be a better alternative here. There are three OD (SmartResponse) levels, and the right setting is in the virtual space between Fast and Faster. I used both in different games. Fast creates faint black trails behind moving objects and Faster makes white ones. For dark titles like Tomb Raider, Fast works better to hide the artifact. In the brightly lit arenas of Doom Eternal’s Horde mode, Faster is the right choice. It also depends on how bright you run the monitor.

Ultimately, the 34M2C7600’s stunning image took over my perceptions, and after my initial tweaks, I settled in for many hours of fun. There is more than enough pixel density to produce a sharp image viewed from two to three feet back. The panel’s curve is right in the sweet spot where you can keep everything in focus from edge to edge without any barrel distortion to spoil the suspension of disbelief.

Input lag is low enough that I could not perceive any delay, regardless of how fast the action was. I turned on the smart crosshair for a while and though the color changes ensured I could always see it; it was extremely bright in HDR mode. In fact, I focused on it too much at the expense of situational awareness to the sides. Admittedly, I’m not a frequent user of aiming points.

I set up the Ambiglow feature to deliver a neutral white light on the wall behind the 34M2C7600. There are three intensity settings, so you can tailor it to your room. The middle option worked best in my sunlit office. As a bias light user, I am used to its effect. It makes the image appear sharper and deeper, especially when playing HDR material. I also tried the follow mode, which changes the color and effect to match what’s happening on the screen. It’s a cool gadget, but I found it a little distracting. It will certainly impress your friends.

I was impressed by the image quality throughout my gaming sessions, especially in HDR mode. A 1400-nit peak coupled with 1,152 dimming zones delivers a wide dynamic range. Only an OLED can truly compete with the 34M2C7600’s picture. Color saturation was excellent, bold and rich but never overblown. For SDR content, color is more saturated than the standard, but it was only an issue when editing photos. There, a usable sRGB mode would be welcome but the sRGB option in the OSD doesn’t reduce the gamut size.

For work tasks, the 34M2C7600 is very useful. With 109ppi pixel density, it’s like having two 27-inch QHD screens without the dividing line. Opening multiple documents is what 21:9 screens are made for and it’s easy to work on something while running video or leaving a message window open on the side. It’s super handy in Photoshop to have more toolbars on the screen while working.

There is nothing the 34M2C7600 isn’t good at. Though I noted a few flaws, it proved to be a very flexible and capable display for both gaming and productivity. With an sRGB mode and a better overdrive, it would be a homerun.

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MORE: How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor

To compare the 34M2C7600, I’ve rounded up a selection of 34-inch ultra-wide VA panels. Not all are Mini LED, but they are all speedy with refresh rates between 144 and 200 Hz. There’s BenQ’s EX3410R, AOC’s CU34G3S, ViewSonic’s XG341C-2K, ASRock’s PG34WQ and the Monoprice 42772.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

The 34M2C7600 delivers typical performance for the category. Its overdrive isn’t the best, with no ideal setting. Set it too weak, and you get black trails behind moving objects. Too fast, and the trails turn white. I used different settings for different games to mitigate the artifact.

The Philips has reasonably low input lag, again at an average level for the category. 31ms is fast enough for all but the most skilled gamers. It worked fine for me as I mowed through monsters in Doom Eternal. If you want the quickest possible experience, the ViewSonic delivers it at 200 Hz, but without Adaptive-Sync.

Viewing Angles

No VA panel has great off-axis image quality, and the 34M2C7600 is similar to its competition. At 45 degrees, the picture gets hazy with a slight green shift and a reduction in gamma. All steps remain visible, but the image is less sharp. The top view is similar, with a 40% reduction in brightness and poor gamma.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

With the 34M2C7600’s uniformity compensation turned on, I measured 4.03%, but in a better picture mode like Game 1, it’s still well within the realm of visual perfection at 8.51%. It’s not worth the reduction in contrast to fix an invisible issue. This is excellent performance.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

I modified my test procedure in the 34M2C7600’s case to show its full potential. Out of the box in SmartImage mode, it peaks at just under 500 nits with a respectable 2,727.5:1 contrast. But in Game 1 mode, with the brightness maxed and no other adjustments, the peak is much higher at 740 nits with contrast at nearly 4,000:1. This is a much better state of affairs thanks to the lower black level.

After Calibration to 200 nits

I couldn’t calibrate the RGB sliders because there aren’t any. But I changed the gamma to 2.4 and chose the Preset color temp to get a slightly higher contrast. You can see that all the panels have excellent native contrast. It’s a bummer you can’t use the 34M2C7600’s local dimming because it would add a lot of punch to SDR content.

Quality control is excellent, which is indicated by the Philips’ high ANSI contrast value of 3,315.9:1. Despite the lack of an SDR zone dimming option, the monitor looks fantastic with deep blacks, bright whites and plenty of color.

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I’ve already mentioned the 34M2C7600’s lack of RGB sliders. Luckily, three of the color temp presets are close to the mark. There is a little upward potential, but by and large, this is an accurate monitor.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The RGB level chart shows only slight errors at 70% brightness and higher. Since it’s my business to nitpick monitors, I would like to adjust this issue away, but I can’t. However, for most users, there is no visual problem. The grayscale looks neutral, with only a slight warmth. Gamma is a tad light, but it is close enough to the mark for most users’ satisfaction.

Raising the setting to 2.4 improves the gamma and raises the blue levels a tad. Visually, the difference is tiny. It may seem that I’ve taken a step backward with a higher grayscale error, but in practice, anyone, including myself, would be hard-pressed to see a color shift in a side-by-side comparison of actual content. The better gamma is worth a slight compromise in grayscale accuracy.

Comparisons

The 34M2C7600 starts in third place before calibration but slips to last after adjustment, thanks to the lack of RGB controls. This is unusual for Philips; I’ve always found adjustments in their other displays that delivered an improvement. But in the end, I was satisfied with the image. High color saturation and deep contrast more than account for a slight weakness in grayscale accuracy. Gamma performance is very good, with a slight advantage in image quality when the preset is on 2.4. So it compares well with the competition in that test.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

Color is an area where I have no complaints about the 34M2C7600’s performance. It covers a huge gamut with bonus red and almost the entire green primary, which is a rarity among wide gamut displays. Accuracy is high, with an average error of just 2.50dE. Calibration changes that to 2.66dE, which is an invisible difference. But I could just see the slight increase in red saturation, definitely a good thing.

As stated earlier, though the OSD has an sRGB option, it doesn’t render that gamut. You’ll be viewing the 34M2C7600’s full native color space for all content, SDR and HDR.

Comparisons

The 34M2C7600’s color accuracy is comparable to the other monitors. There is no visual difference in color accuracy, but you will notice the Philips’ extra color when compared to the AOC, BenQ and ASRock screens. Kudos to Monoprice for delivering high saturation without a premium backlight, but there’s no denying the advantage of the Mini LEDs in the Philips and ViewSonic panels. There is color aplenty here.

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The one place where the 34M2C7600, and its Mini LED counterparts, runs away from the competition is peak brightness. DisplayHDR 1400 is the order of the day and that, along with 1,152 dimming zones, makes a huge difference in image quality.

HDR Brightness annd Contrast

When measuring a full field, the 34M2C7600 renders around 1,100 nits, so I reduced the pattern to 25% coverage and got almost 1,500 nits. Small highlights are extremely bright and really help the image pop. Philips has engineered its local dimming very well here. I couldn’t measure the black levels as all unused LEDs are shut off, so the contrast is also unmeasurable. Though the ASRock effectively extends its dynamic range to an excellent 16,907:1, it doesn’t hold a candle, or a diode, to the Mini LED screens. Only a good OLED like Asus’ PG27AQDM can deliver a deeper image than this.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

There are five HDR picture modes, but the only one remotely close to color accurate is DisplayHDR 1400. The default one, Game HDR is extremely red in tone, and the others don’t deliver the proper luminance tracking for optimal performance. You can see visually perfect grayscale tracking from bottom to top and an EOTF that is flawed only in its darkest steps. The 34M2C7600 rises too slowly from black, which means some shadow detail may be hard to see in some games. It’s too bad you can’t use the Shadow Boost feature to fix this, but it is grayed out. Most HDR games have luminance tweaks in their menus, so I turned to dial in the image on a per-title basis.

HDR color is rich and vibrant with excellent saturation tracking. Most points are on target or a little over-saturated which is forgivable. Hues are spot-on, which means the image is always natural and pleasing. The DCI-P3 and Rec.2020 charts exhibit the same performance, which is a good thing. Most HDR content is mastered in the Rec.2020 gamut and the 34M2C7600 comes close to covering it. Thanks to accurate grayscale, luminance tracking and a very wide color gamut, the 34M2C7600 is one of the better HDR monitors out there. It truly does justice to the format.

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Though the idea, and execution of desktop OLED monitors is a good one, we will likely be using LCD panels for the foreseeable future. With their greater brightness and better resistance to image retention, they are a more suitable tool for both productivity and desktop entertainment.

The best way to coax more contrast and better imagery from them is with a full-array backlight with as many dimming zones as possible. Once, 384 was a lot. Today, Mini LED gives us over 1,000. And yes, it’s a lot better. As a premium technology, it’s still costly, but that is changing. Philips looks pretty good with its Evnia 34M2C7600.

If you’re in the market for a 21:9 screen, the 34M2C7600 checks all the right boxes. It’s the right size and curve at 34 inches and 1500R. It’s the right resolution at WQHD, AKA 3440x1440, with 109ppi density. While some users may wish for Ultra HD, there are frame rates to consider. Many affordable video cards can run at 165fps. The only flaw in the 34M2C7600’s video processing is an imprecise overdrive. I wished for a setting between Fast and Fastest to try and mitigate the ghosting artifacts I saw. However, by changing the setting per game, I was able to largely ignore it.

The star is, of course, image quality. With an easily exceeded DisplayHDR 1400 certification, the 34M2C7600 has a stunning HDR image. Its local dimming feature delivered infinite HDR contrast with deep blacks and whites that popped. That kind of dynamic range made the picture look very sharp and detailed. I only wish the local dimming were available for SDR content. The lack of a usable sRGB mode wasn’t a huge problem for gaming but I’d have liked to use it for photo editing.

I also have to mention sound quality one more time. Few monitors’ built-in speakers are more than an afterthought, but the 34M2C7600 delivers leveled-up audio with multiple modes, decent frequency response and a wide soundstage.

Lastly, there is value in Philips’ Ambiglow feature. It’s a beneficial lighting enhancement that goes far beyond the light show included with most gaming monitors. Used as a bias light, it makes the picture look sharper and deeper. And you won’t find it anywhere else.

The Philips Evnia 34M2C7600 brings Mini LED to a slightly better price point and delivers a stunning image with solid gaming performance. It’s built well and attractively styled and includes truly useful LED lighting. If you’re shopping for a 21:9 curved screen and your budget can accommodate a $1,300 monitor, it should be on your radar.

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Undoubtedly, style is a consideration when shopping for a gaming monitor. Though I focus on performance and image quality, styling and design often affect how the user interacts with a display. Most gaming screens have some cues that signal their intent, along with LED lighting to go with the plethora of PC hardware that glows, flashes and shines in every color of the spectrum.

AOC is a significant player in this area, having partnered with the legendary design house Porsche Design. Its influence can be seen in many products like sportswear, sunglasses, golf bags and other lifestyle products. I’ve reviewed two other AOC Porsche Design monitors: the PDS271 and another, more recently, the PD27.

The latest offering is the Agon PD32M which boasts an impressive spec list packed into a very sexy 32-inch IPS Mini LED panel with DisplayHDR 1400, 144 Hz, Adaptive-Sync and a huge color gamut. It is premium in every way, including the price, delivering performance and image quality on par with the best. Let’s take a look.

AOC Porsche Design Agon Pro PD32M Specs

If you’re looking for the brightest and most colorful monitor technology, Mini LED is the current holder of the crown. The PD32M is VESA certified for DisplayHDR 1400, and in testing, I exceeded 1,600 nits when measuring a full white field. That’s seriously bright, especially for such a large monitor. In addition, thanks to 1,152 dimming zones, contrast is tremendous, with nearly unmeasurable black levels in both SDR and HDR modes.

Color is beyond what most screens are capable of producing. The gamut covers over 110% of DCI-P3 and makes a solid attempt at Rec.2020. This is thanks to a Quantum Dot layer that extends the color space. Accuracy also proved high in my tests, with only tiny adjustments needed to achieve a high-fidelity picture.

Gaming performance has not been overlooked here. The PD32M is both FreeSync and G-Sync compatible with certifications from AMD and Nvidia. The max refresh rate is 144 Hz like most 4K screens. With Samsung’s G8 hitting 240 Hz and a few others running at 160 Hz, that might be a stumbling block. But consider that to even achieve 144fps in a game running max detail, you’ll need a GeForce RTX 4090. Consoles can run VRR at 120 Hz through the two HDMI 2.1 ports and the DisplayPort 1.4 input includes Display Stream Compression (DSC) to accommodate 10-bit signals.

To put things in perspective, you can get similar performance from a few other displays, which I’ll discuss in the comparison tests. But you won’t get the PD32M’s high style. The Porsche Design influence is clear, with lots of heavy metal parts and a clean look that sets it apart from other gaming monitors. Even the LED lighting is special, with large panels on either side of the back. Little touches like dual headphone hooks and a wireless remote that feels machined from billet round out a package that costs around $1,800 at this writing.

Assembly and Accessories

The base and upright are a single piece, so all you need to do is snap it onto the panel, and you’re ready to rock. The remote gets two AAA batteries (included) and a tiny dongle goes into one of the USB ports. It pairs automatically the first time you use it. High-quality cables are bundled for HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C/A and audio. The external power brick is enormous, one of the largest I’ve seen yet and plugs in with a heavy-duty IEC cord. The packaging is spongy foam, not crumbly; so you won’t be vacuuming up those little white bits after installation.

Product 360

The PD32M truly looks good from any angle. No surface or feature has been left unattended. The panel is relatively plain in front with a narrow flush bezel and only the words Porsche Design molded in with a polished finish. The anti-glare layer is effective at its task and free of grain. The image is super sharp and clean.

The stand is aluminum with a matte gray finish. It looks thin from some angles, but it could support many times the weight of the PD32M. An integrated projector shines down on the center point with a Porsche Design logo or the word Agon accessed from a small dial. You can change the color of the projection if you wish. Ergonomics include a 130mm height adjustment, 15 degrees left or right swivel, 5/23 degrees tilt and a 90-degree portrait mode. Movements are firm and sure, the quality one expects in a premium display.

In the back, you’ll find large LED arrays across the top and down the side. The side panels are unique, in my experience. You can create a light show of any color with multiple effects and control the intensity, all from the OSD. A headphone hook pops out from either side. If you unsnap the stand, there’s a 100m VESA mount with fasteners included. Audio has also been given the premium treatment with two eight-watt speakers and DTS tuning. There are multiple sound modes and a multi-band equalizer.

A small wireless remote comes with the PD32M made from a substantial chunk of aluminum finished in matte black. It pairs automatically once you install the included batteries. It can control the OSD without a line of sight and is beautifully constructed.

There are two input panels up and underneath either side of center. One has two HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4, and a microphone input. The other features a USB-C, which can act as a DisplayPort and support peripherals. There are also traditional USB ports, one upstream and four down. There is no KVM switch, unfortunately. A tiny dongle plugs into one of the USB ports to support the wireless remote. This panel also has a headphone output and a second mic input.

OSD Features

The PD32M has a tiny joystick on its back right side which toggles power and navigates the OSD. But it’s much easier to use the remote.

The PD32M’s OSD is laid out much like any AOC monitor, but instead of a band across the bottom of the screen, the sub-menus are arranged like cascading windows on the right side.

Game Setting offers six game modes which are picture modes that include different combinations of video processing options. Hint: leave this off and make your own tweaks for the best picture. Shadow Control can be adjusted to bring out shadow detail. You can also change color saturation. Again, leave these settings alone for the best image. There are three overdrive settings; Weak is the only one that doesn’t cause ghosting. You can turn on a frame rate indicator and set the HDMI ports to 120 Hz for consoles or 144 Hz for PCs.

The Luminance menu has contrast and brightness plus more picture modes. Leave that on Standard for the best picture. There are three gamma presets, of which 3 is the most accurate. DCR is a dynamic contrast feature that should be left off in favor of local dimming, which I’ll discuss in a moment.

In Image Setup, you can choose between five HDR picture modes. Luminous Max sets HDR brightness to one of three levels. You may find the full 1,600 nits too bright (I did), and since the brightness control is unavailable, this is the only way to take the edge off. You can also toggle local dimming for both SDR and HDR signals. It should definitely be engaged for HDR. This menu also has PBP, which lets you view two video sources side by side.

Color Setup includes a low blue light function, four color temp presets and a dynamic color feature that emphasizes shades like blue sky or green grass. Leave that one off if you want an accurate and natural image. A user color temp option includes precise RGB controls to dial in grayscale tracking.

The Audio menu includes five DTS sound modes that change the phase and frequency response coming from the two eight-watt internal speakers. As a result, they sound better than most with good bass presence and clarity. If you like to tweak, a five-band equalizer is there as well.

The light show has lots of options for effect, color and intensity. You can call up a predetermined routine or create your own. This menu controls the LED strip across the back and the two large side panels. The Extra menu is where you’ll find the color and intensity settings for the logo projector. It also includes an input selector, a factory reset option, and signal information.

AOC Porsche Design Agon Pro PD32M Calibration Settings

The PD32M is close to the mark out of the box, but a few minor tweaks will take it to a higher standard of accuracy. Whether you calibrate or not, stick with the Standard picture mode, Game Mode off. In the color temp menu, you’ll find a user mode unlocking the RGB controls I used to dial in a more precise white point. I also changed the gamma preset from 1 to 3 for better luminance tracking. The color gamut is large at over 110% of DCI-P3 and is used for all content, including SDR and HDR. If you want sRGB, that option is one of the color temp choices. It grays out the luminance controls but is at the right brightness for a well-lit indoor space and has good gamma and grayscale accuracy. My recommended SDR settings are below.

There are five presets in HDR mode, of which DisplayHDR is the best. There are three brightness presets too. By default, the HDR image is extremely bright and might be too much for darker environments. The HDR Color+ mode should be avoided as it makes the picture look very cartoonish with some detail clipping. I’ll show you more about that on page five.

Gaming and Hands-on

The PD32M looks good no matter what it’s doing: playing games, writing copy, editing photos, or just sitting there with the power off. If you like a well-appointed work-and-play space, it is a perfect example of the modern aesthetic with its clean lines and premium finish.

A 32-inch 16:9 screen is my preference for all-around use because it’s big enough to put two documents side by side, or to have app and video windows up simultaneously. Though there is a PBP function, I didn’t find much use for it. That feature is better suited for 21:9 monitors.

For photo work, one must be aware of the color space in use. The PD32M uses its full gamut for all content which covers over 110% of DCI-P3. That means the graphics you create on it won’t look the same when shown on an sRGB monitor. I reached for the sRGB setting in the color temp menu more than once to verify color for use on the web. It would be better to have an sRGB with SDR setting so you could switch automatically.

HDR is useful in Windows if you want to watch a movie or other video content shot in HDR. The PD32M rivals premium televisions in every way but size. This is a great monitor for those who enjoy the desktop theater experience. Its HDR image is stunning. I liked having three brightness level choices; most monitors don’t have that. But just leaving the brightness slider operational would be even better.

Gaming was fun in every respect. Though I’m a bit spoiled by faster refresh screens – 240 Hz has become my starting point – the PD32M is on par with the best 4K monitors I’ve used. My current test system is equipped with a GeForce RTX 4090, and it had no problem keeping frame rates at 144 with max detail in Doom Eternal and Call of Duty WWII. But, of course, this is what the PD32M is built for. It offers comparable response and input lag to any other premium 4K screen, so the extra money you’re paying for it won’t buy you extra performance. But it doesn’t lag behind in any way.

If I were to nitpick, a more precise overdrive would be a good addition. I couldn’t go past the Weak setting to avoid ghosting. But a bit more overshoot would create a better balance between blur reduction and artifacts. And there is no backlight strobe available. That’s rarely an issue, but some users may prefer the option for monitors with refresh rates under 200 Hz.

The picture, in every instance, is stunning. Using the local dimming for SDR effectively increases dynamic range with no visible downside. In addition, the brightness control remains available, so you can always tweak the output comfortably. Color is the star attraction of the PD32M. Not only is it one of the most colorful monitors I’ve reviewed, but its accuracy is also very high.

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The PD32M’s gaming performance is on par with the better 4K screens I’ve tested. To compare it, I’ve lined up the Gigabyte M32UC and Philips 279M1RV, which refreshes at 144 Hz like the AOC. At 160 Hz is Acer’s X32 and Cooler Master’s GP27U. Sitting alone on the throne is Samsung’s Neo G8 which still has no speed equal at this resolution.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

Panel response goes hand in hand with refresh rate as the PD32M, and the other two 144 Hz screens all draw a full white field in 7ms. These three panels will all deliver the same motion resolution and the same level of blur, which is minimal but less smooth than the 160 and 240 Hz models. The AOC’s overdrive is good but not great. On its Weak setting, there is a tiny bit of ghosting, which is hard to spot in game content.

The PD32M is at the back of the pack in the input lag test. This is not a negative, 29ms is pretty quick for all but the most skilled players. Gamers of average ability will have no complaints about control response. If you’re looking for a competition monitor in 4K resolution, the Acer X32 is the fastest I’ve tested, beating even the Samsung G8 for overall responsiveness.

Viewing Angles

The PD32M is an average IPS panel in the viewing angle test where you’ll see a slight red/green shift at 45 degrees off axis. Light falloff is minimal though and there is no significant change in gamma or detail visibility. The top view is good too with clear detail, almost no change in color, and a slight brightness reduction.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

The PD32M slayed my uniformity test, scoring one of the lowest results I’ve ever recorded. 3.62% is way below the visible threshold. Though a uniform compensation feature is hiding in the OSD, it’s completely unnecessary.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

Luckily, the PD32M doesn’t bring its full 1,600-nit capability to bear in SDR mode. But you still get a lot of headroom with 537 nits peak. That is more than enough output for any indoor or outdoor scenario. In addition, you can dial it down to a minimum of 52 nits for dark room play, so there’s plenty of range there.

Though the black level puts the AOC last, it has solid native contrast, 1,041.5:1 which is on par with most IPS monitors. However, the VA panels are on another level and the Samsung employs local dimming, which can’t be defeated to achieve a super high contrast ratio.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration makes little difference to the PD32M’s SDR contrast, which is good. It’s only a bit behind the X32, which looks the same in a side-by-side comparison when showing real-world content. If you want higher native contrast, a VA or OLED panel are your only options.

The PD32M shows its high level of quality control in the ANSI test where contrast is still over 1,000:1. That tracks with the Acer X32, the closest competitor. Considering the dynamic range, the Acer is around $600 cheaper but has fewer dimming zones, 576, versus the AOC’s 1,152. When showing actual content, the PD32M has a slightly deeper and more three-dimensional picture.

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The PD32M has multiple game and picture modes. Combining them can get confusing if you’re not careful. My suggestion: leave the Eco mode on Standard and turn the Game Mode off. Then calibrate from there.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

Most users will have no complaints about the PD32M’s default image. Grayscale is a tad warm, but that is an excusable error. Gamma is a little skewed with light shadows and slightly muted highlights. This disappears if you turn on the local dimming for SDR content. Though it’s on the edge, the PD32M doesn’t need to be calibrated.

But adjusting the RGB controls in the User color temp, and changing the gamma preset from 1 to 3, will make a visible improvement, albeit a small one. Perceived contrast is greater with gamma skewed in the other direction, darker shadows and brighter highlights. And grayscale is now visually perfect.

If you choose the smaller sRGB color gamut, it tracks well with a slight purple tint in the brighter steps. Gamma is right on the 2.2 reference line except for the 10 and 20% steps, which are too light. This makes shadow detail easier to see but makes blacks less dramatic.

Comparisons

The PD32M is mid-pack both before and after calibration. This is not a slight when the calibrated grayscale error is only 0.96dE. However, that’s well below the visible threshold, so when showing actual content, all the monitors look the same.

Gamma tracking could use some improvement but by changing the preset from 1 to 3, I’ve flipped the error to make shadows deeper and highlights brighter. It’s a compromise, but one that improves picture quality. As always, I would prefer to see straight gamma tracking that rides the 2.2 line from bottom to top. Unfortunately, the PD32M is slightly off the mark.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The PD32M has a tremendously large color gamut, and after a few initial tests, I determined that it is going for the Rec.2020 specification. You can see this by looking at the green primary. A DCI-P3 monitor will track green towards yellow, as illustrated in the second chart above. The PD32M does not do that.

Calibration barely makes a difference in color; the improvement comes mainly in grayscale and gamma tracking. But the color error is now a tad lower, which is always good. The takeaway is that the PD32M is a little under-saturated when measured against Rec.2020 and a little over-saturated when compared to DCI-P3.

The PD32M tracks the sRGB gamut very well, with only a tiny error and nearly full coverage. All measurement points are on their targets. There are no calibration options in this mode.

Comparisons

All the monitors here are premium displays, so it’s no wonder that the PD32M’s excellent color accuracy puts it in the middle. A 2.35dE average color error is excellent in any category. And the sRGB error is even lower at 1.72dE. 

The PD32M is in an elite group of monitors that cover more than 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. While the top two screens cover even more, the visual difference is small. You will see a difference when viewing the smaller-gamut screens. The PD32M covers nearly 80% of Rec.2020 which is a lot of color. It only comes up a tad short in the red and green primaries and is one of the most colorful monitors I’ve yet tested.

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

Mini LED displays like the PD32M deliver superb HDR. Not only do they offer tremendous dynamic range, but their full-array local-dimming backlights also allow far greater control of picture depth than backlights with only edge or field dimming. It doesn’t get better than this unless you’re an OLED.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

The Samsung Neo G8 is still the output king at over 2,000 nits, but the PD32M is a close second at over 1,650. It’s a good thing there’s a way to dial it down in HDR mode because that is seriously bright. It more than delivers on its promise. Black levels are barely measurable and only when displaying a small info bug at the bottom of the screen. When the screen is fully black, the backlight is turned off. I recorded 216,784.8:1, which is tremendous contrast. Though an OLED panel has the deepest HDR contrast possible from current display technologies, the PD32M and its Mini LED counterparts are very close behind. There is almost no visual difference in a room with some ambient light. And the pictures are stunning in every respect.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

The PD32M has five HDR picture modes, but the best one is the default, DisplayHDR. It conforms more closely to HDR10 standards than the others. Grayscale tracking is a tad purple, but the error is slight. Light output is so high that the tone-map transition point references to 80%. That means more of the content metadata will conform to the PD32M’s capability, allowing for better HDR. The measurement run makes a soft transition but is still within the realm of visual accuracy. Shadow detail is a tad dark but remains visible.

Color tracking is on-point for both DCI-P3 and Rec.2020. Saturation points are very close to target, meaning you’ll see maximum detail in all parts of the image. I included a chart for the HDR Color+ mode to show that it is not a good choice. It is extremely over-saturated at all the inner points, where most content lies. This gives the picture a cartoonish appearance and is very unrealistic. Bright areas devolve into featureless blobs that are not attractive. Stick with DisplayHDR and you’ll be happy. The PD32M delivers some of the best HDR quality I’ve seen.

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4K gaming monitors are still something of an enigma. They offer the highest pixel density and sharpest images but simultaneously deliver the lowest frame rates of any resolution category. If you can drive one to 144fps, it’s a great experience. And everything else you do with your computer or gaming console will be enhanced by a super sharp picture. Mini LED technology delivers the highest contrast short of an OLED and tremendous light output.

The AOC Porsche Design Agon Pro PD32M is a premium among premiums. Image quality and performance are on par with other high-end 4K monitors, but the PD32M has a look and feel that puts it on a different level. Not only is it built like a tank, it’s beautiful to look at whether there’s a picture on the screen or not. And a remote that feels like it's carved from billet aluminum is just icing on the cake.

Any concern that the PD32M places style over substance is unfounded. Performance is as good as it gets for a 144 Hz 4K gaming monitor. Though I would have liked a more precise overdrive, that is a minor point. Gaming is a pleasure, especially when the connected PC can keep the action flowing at 144fps.

The PD32M’s real strengths are revealed when the action is a little slower. It ultimately delivers on its promise of 1,600 nits in HDR mode and the 1,152-zone Mini LED backlight provides dramatically deep black levels. Flat panel imagery doesn’t get much better than this. Even an OLED will only be a tiny bit better.

$1,800 is a big ask for a 32-inch 4K gaming monitor. But if you want the high style that comes with the Porsche Design moniker, it’s the only game in town. At least there is no compromise in image quality or gaming performance. As a result, the PD32M is genuinely one of the very best.

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Now, this is interesting. I recently reviewed the new Philips Evnia 34M2C7600, a 34-inch curved VA Mini LED gaming monitor. And this is a review of the Evnia 34M2C8600. Only one number is different, so why are we here? Because the monitors are so incredibly different. They may look identical on the outside, but the 8600 has a slightly shinier screen coating because it features a QD-OLED panel. OLED gaming monitors can look good with their infinite blacks and bright colors. In addition, their smooth gaming performance delivers superb motion quality without the need for super high frame rates.

Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 Specs

The Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 brings the best technologies from OLED and LCD to bear. It is an OLED in that its pixels, 3440x1440 (WQHD), are self-emissive. And they can be turned off individually to produce perfect, as in unmeasurable, black levels, and therefore, infinite contrast.

Philips adds a quantum dot layer from the LCD world that accomplishes two things. It boosts light output and widens the color gamut. With VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, the 34M2C8600 isn’t exactly a light cannon, but small highlights can be as bright as 1,000 nits. The bigger enhancement, though, is color. I’ve reviewed QD-OLEDs from Alienware, and though they boast large gamuts, the Philips covers over 108% of DCI-P3. Only a few monitors have broken the 100% barrier in my tests. With these technologies in play, you can expect a superlative image.

I’ve been impressed with the gaming prowess of every OLED monitor that’s crossed my test bench, and the 34M2C8600 is no different. OLEDs deliver smoother motion from lower framerates than LCDs, and they don’t need overdrive or strobing to achieve it. The 34M2C8600 runs at 175 Hz but looks as good as a 240 Hz screen in practice. Of course, Adaptive-Sync is included for FreeSync and G-Sync platforms and VRR-capable consoles. HDMI inputs are limited to 100 Hz, but you can run the full 175 Hz through DisplayPort or USB-C. The 32M2C8600 has not been certified by Nvidia, but it runs G-Sync without restriction.

Besides the OLED panel, this monitor is identical in appearance and features to the 34M2C7600 I recently reviewed. It includes Philips’ Ambiglow lighting, which is useful because it can function as a bias light rather than just being there for show. And it’s distinctively styled in white, cables and all, to set it apart from the sea of black displays we’re so accustomed to. At $1,299, it’s priced competitively. Let’s take a look.

Assembly and Accessories

The 34M2C8600 comes out of its crumbly foam packing in three pieces. The panel is heavy, so take care when removing it; you don’t want to mar that shiny screen coating. It doesn’t come with a peel-off film like most OLEDs, so be wary of fingerprints. The base bolts onto the upright then the stand snaps into a slim socket-like fitting. It’s the only weak point here, as it allows a bit of wobble. But it seems sturdy enough for the long haul, and the rest of the chassis is stout. The included cables are all white, and the power supply is internal, so, no brick to find a spot for.

Product 360

If you put the 34M2C8600 and the 34M2C7600 side-by-side, the only hint that something’s different is the 34M2C8600’s shinier screen coating. It isn’t as glossy as a typical OLED TV but will pick up more reflections than an LCD. Nevertheless, it isn’t too hard to find a good spot for the monitor unless you have it near a sunlit window.

The bezel is flush and relatively narrow, with the white plastic backing just visible in front. A silver trim strip on the bottom is faceted to create a chiseled look. If you turn on the Ambiglow lights underneath, they cast a soft glow on the desktop. More lights are in the back, where a multitude of effects and colors are possible. I like to use Ambiglow as a bias light by shining a white light on the wall behind the monitor. The glow around the screen increases the perception of sharpness and contrast. There is science behind this, and it truly does work. I use bias lights with a projection screen and the OLED TV in my living room.

The stand is very solid and made from cast aluminum. The base is also metal with a plastic covering. The package is well built except for the panel’s attachment point, which is a bit narrow for the weight it carries. That allows for some wobble when making adjustments. You get a 150mm (5.9 inches) height range plus 20 degrees swivel and 5/20 degrees tilt.

Philips hasn’t skimped on the 34M2C8600’s sound quality. A pair of five-watt speakers are integrated along with DTS sound modes. They alter phase and frequency response to create different effects. You can also adjust a five-band eq if you like. In practice, they sounded much larger than the confines of the screen, which almost suggest a surround feel. There isn’t a ton of bass, but they play loud without audible distortion.

Underneath, you’ll find two HDMI 2.0 inputs and one DisplayPort 1.4. A USB-C port supports peripherals, charging and provides an additional DisplayPort 1.4. One upstream and four downstream USB 3.2 ports enhance a KVM feature where you can bind USB and video ports together. That lets you control multiple sources with a single keyboard and mouse. It’s all programmable in the OSD. Finally, if you’d rather plug in headphones, there’s a 3.5mm jack.

OSD Features

The 34M2C8600’s OSD is summoned by clicking a tiny joystick, the only control, on the back right corner. The menu is graphically styled for gaming with seven sub-menus and status info across the bottom.

The 34M2C8600 has 10 picture modes suited to different game types, but the best choice is the default, Standard. It comes close to the mark for grayscale, gamma and color. You can dial down the gamut by turning on the sRGB option. It’s reasonably accurate if you want the correct color values for SDR content. There are five gamma presets and eight color temp presets. Unusually, there are no RGB sliders for fine tweaking. But the Native, Preset and 6500K options are close to D65.

Gaming options include an Adaptive-Sync toggle, DarkBoost for shadow detail, a zoom window for sniping, and a cool adaptive crosshair feature. You can have a colored crosshair if you want, or turn on Smart Crosshair and watch it change color to keep it in contrast with the background. It is always visible, no matter what’s happening in the game. Dynamic DarkBoost will vary low-end gamma to help shadow detail remain visible. Since the 34M2C8600 has such deep black levels, some users may want to turn this on to avoid being surprised by enemies in dark places. Sharp Shooter creates a window in the center of the screen with extra magnification, like a sniper scope.

Ambiglow has enough options to keep one busy for hours. You can run the lights in every spectrum color and turn on different effects. Or run the show in concert with your on-screen content. It creates an extension of the image that is great for impressing your friends. You can also turn on a fixed white light at a low intensity to act as a bias light. This will improve the perception of sharpness and contrast if you have a neutral-colored wall about two or three feet behind the 34M2C8600.

The DTS-tuned audio plays from two five-watt internal speakers that are better than those typically integrated into gaming monitors. The sound modes vary phase and frequency response to create sound stages of varying size. For example, Shooting & Action creates a believable surround effect. If you’d rather tweak it yourself, a five-band eq is provided.

The USB ports can be bound to video inputs using the 34M2C8600’s KVM feature. That lets the monitor operate as a hub for a single set of peripherals.

OLED Panel Care has several options to keep burn-in at bay. All OLEDs are susceptible to it though not as acutely as the plasma TVs of old. The orbiter is invisible in operation and shifts the image minutely to prevent static pictures from using the same pixels for too long. Screen Saver dims the picture after a few minutes of inactivity. Pixel Refresh can be run in the 34M2C8600’s standby mode every few hours to condition the panel further. I use similar features with a two-and-a-half-year-old LG OLED TV and it shows no image retention artifacts.

Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 Calibration Settings

Like the 34M2C7600 VA monitor, the 34M2C8600 cannot be calibrated in the traditional manner. There are no RGB sliders, only fixed color temps and gamma presets. Fortunately, the monitor is accurate enough not to require fine adjustment. Three of the color temp options, 6500K, Preset and Native, all match the D65 standard. And the 2.2 gamma preset is indeed 2.2 with only slight variation. The native color gamut is large, over 105% of DCI-P3, and remains in play for both SDR and HDR content unless you use the sRGB option. It reduces saturation appropriately and is useful for photo editing or any other application that requires sRGB or Rec.709.

HDR signals unlock four additional picture modes. The default is HDR Game, but I found better quality using True Black. It also delivers the highest output and the most accurate color & luminance tracking. It is not adjustable but proved accurate in testing. My recommended settings are below.

Gaming and Hands-on

There are some monitors that just spoil you, 360 Hz for sure; even many 240 Hz screens make it hard to go back below 200 fps. But an OLED, even running at just 175 Hz, is a serious spoiler.

Of course, the benefits of infinite contrast to image quality cannot be overstated. Yes, Mini LED comes close. But OLED is the best, and the 34M2C8600 is a shining example. SDR games like Tomb Raider could almost pass for HDR. In fact, it looks better played here than HDR games played on an LCD with an edge backlight. I went back and forth with the sRGB option to give it due diligence. The extra color, though not strictly accurate, is a good thing for gaming. The 34M2C8600 doesn’t overblow its hues when using the full gamut for SDR content. And this remained true when watching a video. sRGB is there if you need it for photo editing or color grading tasks.

HDR is where the real fun begins. I spent hours playing Doom Eternal because the 34M2C8600 does everything well. It looks stunning, enough so that you’d swear it’s Ultra HD. The pixel density is 110ppi, the same as a 27-inch 16:9 QHD screen. Ultra HD is in the 130s for most desktop monitors, so yes, it is potentially sharper. But the 34M2C8600’s OLED contrast more than makes up for it.

Gaming feel is off-the-charts fun as well. 175 Hz won’t deliver this level of smoothness from any LCD panel. But OLED keeps the fastest motion tack-sharp at 175 fps. You won’t need a GeForce RTX 4090 here, as you would with an Ultra HD monitor. There’s no overdrive in play, so ghosting is absent. And you won’t have to give up Adaptive-Sync to turn on a backlight strobe either. The 34M2C8600 does its thing perfectly with no enhancements required.

I used Ambiglow as a bias light and tried the follow video/audio feature. Bias lighting is something I use in other viewing scenarios, so it is a familiar effect. The follow option varies the light and color according to what’s happening on the screen. I’ve used it with other Philips displays, and it seems to work better in the 16:9 aspect ratio. The ultra-wide format fills more of my peripheral vision, so I didn’t notice the LEDs as much unless I turned off all the room lights. It’s fun to play around with and you won’t find it on any other brand.

Productivity is entirely natural with the 34M2C8600. The panel curve is benign in that it neither enhances nor detracts from document editing. There is no image distortion in text-based apps like Word or Excel. Photos and videos look the same as they do on a flat screen. Except, of course, there’s that OLED contrast. It makes text pop and dials up the sharpness to where, again, you’d swear it’s 4K.

If you’re concerned about image retention, Philips has provided a complete kit of panel maintenance options in the OSD. I can’t speak to the 34M2C8600 long-term prospects as it would likely take many months of abuse to cause a problem. My LG OLED TV is about two-and-a-half years old and used for several hours daily. It has no burn-in of any kind.

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To compare the 34M2C8600’s performance, I’ve lined up an almost-all-OLED group that consists of Corsair’s Xeneon Flex, Asus’ PG27AQDM, Alienware’s AW3423DW and AW3423DWF, and as a control, the Philips 34M2C7600 which is a VA Mini LED with similar specs.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

Higher refresh rates mean higher frame rates and smoother motion. But when comparing OLEDs, there is little difference between 175 Hz and 240 Hz. Two LCDs running at those speeds are more obviously different. This is because OLED processes motion better and keeps objects sharp at lower speeds. I have observed this to be true of all the OLEDs I’ve tested.

If input lag is your most important metric, the PG27AQDM is the current king, but the 34M2C8600 isn’t far behind at 27ms total. This difference might be too much for professional gamers, but most players won’t be disappointed at the Philips’ feel or performance. It is very responsive and smooth in all types of gameplay. However, you’ll notice the other Philips is a bit lower in the ranking thanks to its 165 Hz refresh rate. And it is much less smooth than all the OLEDs.

Viewing Angles

Aside from “it’s awesome'' there isn’t much else one can say about the 34M2C8600’s off-axis image quality. This is one of OLED’s major advantages over LCD. The degree of light polarization is far lower, meaning you won’t see any reduction in brightness and just a minimal color shift. You can see a bit of red in both angle shots, horizontal and vertical. But this will be hard to spot in actual content. The 34M2C8600 is very shareable by two users.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

Screen uniformity doesn’t get much better than 2.10% deviation. The 34M2C8600 produced one of the lowest values I’ve ever recorded. None of the OLEDs here have any visible glow, bleed or variation, so as a technology, it is more consistent in this test than LCDs. In practice, any number below 10% is visually perfect.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The one place where OLED lags behind LCD is in peak brightness. Some LCD monitors can render over 1,000 nits in a full-field white pattern, where OLEDs can show around 300-400 nits. But they get brighter when the white zone takes up less of the screen.

The 34M2C8600 peaks at 226 nits in SDR mode which is bright enough for any indoor environment. That’s a full-field white number. A 25% window pattern measures just over 400 nits. There’s enough light here for any application. With an unmeasurable black level, contrast is theoretically infinite. As impressive as the 34M2C7600 is, with almost 4,000:1, it can’t compare to any OLED.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Since there are no RGB sliders, calibration of the 34M2C8600 is just setting brightness to 200 nits. I used a full-field pattern to create a fairly bright image. Some users may want to tone this down if their room is darker than mine. The 34M2C7600 maintains strong performance when compared to other LCD panels.

ANSI contrast cannot be determined for any OLED as the black squares are unmeasurable. The 34M2C7600 is a good performer but the OLEDs are on another level. This is a difference that can be seen in content during side-by-side comparisons.

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The 34M2C8600 ships in its Standard picture mode and it is close enough to spec that one can simply set brightness to taste. No RGB sliders are available, but three of the color temp presets render D65.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

By default, the color temp is set to 6500K with gamma at 2.2. Tiny errors at 60, 90 and 100% are nearly invisible in both test patterns and content. Gamma is slightly light at the 20% step and a bit dark at 90%, also a minor error. This is excellent out-of-box performance.

I’ve included the grayscale and gamma run as a post-calibration result, but the only adjustment is a reduction in the brightness slider. That tightens up gamma a bit, but no other changes have occurred.

Turning on the sRGB option shrinks the gamut and leaves gamma and grayscale the same. And that is how it should be.

Comparisons

The other monitors, save the 34M2C7600, can be calibrated to a high standard. Visual differences here are tiny but nit-pickers may take issue with the 34M2C8600’s lack of RGB controls. However, in my experience, it didn’t lessen the gaming experience. Gamma, at any rate, is tight with a small 0.13 range of values and a minor 1.36% variation from the 2.2 reference value.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

Aside from a bit of red over-saturation, the 34M2C8600 renders all, and then some, of DCI-P3. Most importantly, it hits all the green points, which most wide-gamut monitors cannot do. The errors are tiny and not visually significant. You’ll see a bit of bonus red in some content but not enough to cause a complaint. You can see that changing the brightness value does not alter the gamut test result.

The sRGB gamut rendering is interesting. Red is quite over-saturated, but blue is under. This is unusual in my experience. The overall error level is low, but in content, you’ll see the extra red and blue will look a little pale. The 34M2C8600’s version of sRGB is superior to that of the 34M2C7600, but neither monitor is really qualified for color-critical work in the sRGB color space. If DCI-P3 is on the menu, you’re fine.

Comparisons

The 34M2C8600’s 1.58dE color error is hard to beat by any monitor except an OLED. The screens I’ve tested so far are all more color-accurate than typical LCDs. At 2.66dE, the 34M2C7600 isn’t far behind though. I’m splitting hairs here.

One of the main promises of quantum dot OLEDs is greater color saturation. You can see that in play from both the 34M2C8600 and the Alienware screens which also have QD layers. But the Philips wins the day by a nose. It is extremely colorful, and that’s something that clearly translates to gaming and productivity. The image is stunning in every respect. Note that even the least colorful screen isn’t far below 100% coverage. That’s well above the norm, which is closer to 90%.

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

If HDR brightness is important to you, a Mini LED screen is the better choice. Some of them can exceed 1,400 nits. But dynamic range is the most important thing to me and anyone else seeking maximum image depth. That’s where OLED is unchallenged.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

The 34M2C8600 meets its DisplayHDR 400 certification when measuring a 25% window pattern. Philips specs it at 1,000 nits with a 3% window, but I could not verify this with my equipment. I have no complaints whatsoever. And like any OLED, black levels can’t be measured so the contrast is infinite. I observed the same behavior from the Mini LED 34M2C7600.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

I measured the 34M2C8600’s four HDR modes and settled on True Black as the best. The default setting, HDR Game, is just OK. It rises out of black too quickly, where True Black sticks closer to the reference. This provides a much more dramatic effect. HDR looks amazing here with flawless grayscale and near-perfect luminance tracking. It doesn’t get better than this.

HDR color is over-saturated in the red and green primaries, but the other colors follow their targets closely. The 34M2C8600 tracks better than many of the HDR monitors I’ve tested. This translates to sharp detail, natural hues and content that just looks right. Similar behavior can be seen in the Rec.2020 test, where the red primary almost hits 100%. There is a ton of color here and it shows in everything, games, video, still photos, even the Windows desktop. 

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Philips has come out of the gate swinging with its new Evnia monitors. I was impressed with the Mini LED 34M2C7600, but the 34M2C8600’s QD-OLED panel is simply on another level from any LCD gaming monitor I’ve reviewed. OLED's look and feel will dominate the desktop monitor market as prices move downwards. If you can invest in bleeding-edge display technology, OLED is it.

The 34M2C8600 delivers infinite contrast and a huge color gamut, one that covers more than 108% of DCI-P3, thanks to its Quantum Dot layer. That puts it among the most colorful monitors currently available. Like all OLEDs, its pixels can be turned off to create true blacks. Mini LED has up to 1,196 dimming zones, but a WQHD OLED panel has 4,953,600. So which do you think will look better? And with 1,000-nit highlights in HDR mode, there’s plenty of brightness to spare.

The gaming feel of OLED panels has spoiled me. After playing on many 240 and 360 Hz monitors and even a 500 Hz screen, I have observed that an OLED running at 165 or 175 Hz delivers a similar level of smoothness. The high refresh panels have lower input lag as their only true advantage.

It should be noted that the 34M2C7600 costs the same as the 34M2C8600 at this writing. With identical features and styling, the difference is simply OLED versus VA/Mini LED. Both monitors look amazing, but I’ll choose the OLED every time. Of course, if you need searing brightness, the Mini LED wins. But for the ultimate gaming experience, OLED is king. Those wanting to add a superlative monitor to their gaming system should check out the Philips Evnia 34M2C8600.

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Enthusiasts that want a super-wide display to enjoy an immersive gaming experience have a new option: LG’s new 49-inch UltraGear 49GR85DC. The company announced today that the 49GR85DC is now shipping in the United States and will arrive in Europe later this month. Asian customers will have to wait until “later this year” to get their eyes on this ginormous monitor.

With an aspect ratio of 32:9, the 49GR85DC is the equivalent of two 16:9 2560 x 1440 displays placed side by side, giving an effective resolution of 5120 x 1440 (DQHD). In addition, the monitor features a tight 1000R curvature and a VA panel. As you might expect, using a VA panel means that the contrast ratio far exceeds that of traditional IPS panels, coming in at 3,000:1. The 49GR85DC is also no slouch in brightness either, delivering typical brightness of 450 nits. However, you can crank that to 1,000 nits in HDR (the monitor is DisplayHDR 1000 certified).

The 49GR85DC boasts a maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz, with a response time of 1 ms. Of course, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync compliance are included here. Given that this is a gaming monitor, you won’t be surprised to learn that there are RGB elements on either side of the I/O pod that sticks out from the back. Speaking of I/O, there are two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 port, and two USB 3.0 Type-A ports. Interestingly, LG didn’t opt to include USB-C connectivity or a KVM switch with this DQHD monitor. However, you will find Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture support and a 3.5mm headphone jack for support for DTS:S headsets. 

The 49GR85DC will likely most frequently be compared to the Samsung Odyssey G9. The two monitors are a close match regarding specs (resolution, refresh rate, 1000R curve, 1000 nits max brightness), but the LG has the advantage in pricing. The Odyssey G9 is priced at $1,499, while the 49GR85DC undercuts it by $200 with an MSRP of $1,299 or $1,297.27 at Amazon. With that said, Amazon splits the difference between the two and offers the Odyssey G9 for $1,399.

If OLED technology is more up to your speed, LG also offers the 45-inch UltraGear 45GR95QE, although you’ll have to settle for WQHD (3440 x 1440 resolution).

Right now at Amazon, the LG 27UN880-B 27-inch UHD (3840 x 2160) monitor is available for its best price to date. This IPS monitor usually goes for around $500 but today is discounted to just $389 at Amazon. No promo code is required for the offer and an expiration has not been specified.

The LG 27UN880-B features an IPS panel that spans 27-inches across. It’s backed up with a dense UHD resolution which measures in at 3840 x 2160. According to LG, it has a gtg response time of 5ms and can reach a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz which isn’t terribly impressive but more of a basic standard. Given the other higher specs and price point, this is somewhat of a tradeoff.

It covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut and is illuminated with a brightness of 350 nits. There are a few ports available including two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort for video input as well as a USB Type-C input. For audio support, it has a 3.5mm audio jack for external audio peripherals along with two 5W speakers for integrated audio output.

The LG 27UN880-B monitor is AMD FreeSync certified which guarantees low latency and a tear free experience. It’s also DisplayHDR 400 certified. Users receive an ergo stand with the purchase which is also supported by its 1-year manufacturer’s warranty.

To get a closer look at this offer, visit the LG 27UN880-B 27-Inch UHD IPS monitor product page at Amazon for more details and purchase options. Again, it’s not clear for how long this discount will be made available.

There are many good gaming monitors available in all sizes, shapes, and budgets. Only a handful can be called great. What does it take for a display to make this list? Speed is certainly a huge factor; you can’t throw a rock without hitting a monitor that runs at a minimum of 144 Hz. 165 Hz is becoming more common, and 240 Hz is well represented. The bleeding edge is occupied by 360 Hz and now 500 Hz screens.

If you’ve read monitor reviews here at Tom’s Hardware, you know that we consider image fidelity a nearly equal part of the equation, and at the top of that list is contrast. Nothing affects our perception of a 2D image more than the difference between black and white. Lately, Mini LED panels have made huge strides in this area, and I’ve even called them “nearly as good as OLED.” But the operative word is “nearly.” OLED is still king, and in this review, I’ll be testing a 27-inch 16:9 OLED display, Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM. Spoiler alert: it’s incredible in pretty much every way, which makes it a prime candidate for our best gaming monitors list.

Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM Specs