BenQ recently announced one of its two latest Zowie gaming monitors would be entering the realm of ambitious 500+ Hz gaming monitors. As expected from BenQ, the Zowie XL2586X is poised to be another high-end TN panel from one of the biggest display manufacturers in eSports. And the company highlights plenty of premium-sounding features in its highlight video, embedded below.
The most interesting feature to me, beyond the raw display specifications (1080p, 540 Hz, Fast TN panel) in the BenQ Zowie XL2586X is called "DyAc." DyAc is a proprietary BenQ technology that improves motion fidelity and reduces motion blur, even on ultra-fast TN panels. This may also contribute to the "Faster flashbang recovery" tidbit highlighted in the BenQ material below.
Looking past that, I now want to narrow down focus to two things: how this monitor is set to compete in the market based on existing offerings, and how it compares to what we have outside of TN panels. For the latter example, we recently reviewed an excellent 500 Hz monitor from Alienware that boasted a gorgeous IPS panel instead, and that one is likely to provide a more well-rounded viewing experience.
While non-TN panels don't seem capable of reaching 540 Hz just yet, 360 Hz to 500 Hz is clearly achievable by IPS. OLED's also getting a boost up to 360 Hz, courtesy of Samsung. So you don't necessarily need a TN panel for a true high-end, high-refresh gaming experience anymore.
But TN panels are here to push that refresh rate even higher, if nothing else. In fact, the ASUS ROG PG248QP — a very similar monitor with a 540 Hz TN panel — was announced just a month ago. That could mean the underlying TN panel used by both monitors is identical, though it could just be a coincidence.
Even if these monitors are using the same panel, BenQ is known for applying features like their DyAc to its monitors. So even if the same panel is in use both displays, the DyAc support might give the BenQ an advantage. If the BenQ XL2586X is anything like the ROG PG248QP— or better— it's likely to make some Counter-Strike 2 pro out there very, very happy.
