ViewSonic Joins 4K Desktop Monitor Race

News
By Niels Broekhuijsen
published

ViewSonic has announced a new 28" 4K monitor that has a 3840 x 2160 resolution. The monitor, called the VX2880ml, is built with a TN panel that has a static contrast ratio of 1000:1. It has a brightness of about 300 cd/m2, and a 5 ms response time. Viewing angles are 170 degrees along the horizontal plane, while the vertical viewing angle is 160 degrees. ViewSonic indicated that connectivity on the monitor will be achieved by an MHL-enabled HDMI port, DisplayPort, and a mini DisplayPort interface. Unfortunately, the company did not say which versions these are. Also built into the monitor are two 2 W speakers.

"As 4K content continues to emerge and entertainment and other demanding visual applications become more progressive, there is a compelling need for premium UHD resolution displays," said Kenneth Mau, senior product marketing manager at ViewSonic Corp. "To satisfy 4K content developers, graphic designers, CAD, and other advanced applications requiring an extreme high resolution, the VX2880ml 4K resolution display delivers the highest level of details in an affordable yet stunning form factor."

All in all, this certainly won't be the best 4K monitor out there, but if your main focus is obtaining massive desktop real estate, this one might be worth having a look at if it's competatively priced.

MSRP pricing for the monitor is set at $831 with availability slated for the end of July.

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Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen

Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.

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20 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Au_equus
    not an audiophile by any means, but I don't get why companies insist on bothering with 2W speakers on these type of monitors? If you're spending anywhere north of $600 on the monitor, you can get yourself a decent 2.1 sound system
    Reply
  • dstarr3
    not an audiophile by any means, but I don't get why companies insist on bothering with 2W speakers on these type of monitors? If you're spending anywhere north of $600 on the monitor, you can get yourself a decent 2.1 sound system

    Eh, sometimes people just don't care. Especially if it's just a work monitor. Same thing with laptop speakers. If you can afford a laptop, you can afford speakers for it. But, they're built in, and they're shitty, but they work. They suffice for what 99% of consumers need.
    Reply
  • curiosul
    not an audiophile by any means, but I don't get why companies insist on bothering with 2W speakers on these type of monitors? If you're spending anywhere north of $600 on the monitor, you can get yourself a decent 2.1 sound system

    it might be just because of this; I see two options:

    1: you don't care about sound but you want to be able to hear "something" when you watch the occasional youtube video - the integrated speakers reduce the clutter a bit

    2: you care about sound and unless you have very expensive speakers integrated, you'll buy your own anyway (hence no need to waste money for mid-tier speakers)
    Reply
  • biggestinsect
    I also would prefer no speakers. Anything to help minimize the bezel is a plus for me. Having VESA mount is also mandatory and many of the newer thinner monitors are skipping it.
    Reply
  • maxinexus
    If only there was a single graphic card that can handle 4k. R9 290x nope, 780Ti or BK nope. We need next generation cards now. R10 390X? or 880Ti?
    Reply
  • dstarr3
    If only there was a single graphic card that can handle 4k. R9 290x nope, 780Ti or BK nope. We need next generation cards now. R10 390X? or 880Ti?

    These cards can handle just fine, if you turn AA off. Luckily such a high pixel density renders AA pretty redundant. Especially once we get more 4K 24" monitors.
    Reply
  • d_kuhn
    You can do 30hz 4k on a number of cards (I can from a number of my current systems... including 2 laptops). 60hz is a bit trickier... you can do that from a 290x using multiple hdmi connections, I use a Titan and single displayport cable (mst). Until the new HDMI standard hits the mainstream displayport and a high end card that supports mst will be the only simple (one cable) way to do 4k/60hz.
    Reply
  • danwat1234
    Hmm why not IPS instead of TN? Cost I guess
    Reply
  • Afrospinach
    Yeah cost. I think TN panels get a bit of a bad rep for no good reason though, there is nothing wrong with them. Sure IPS looks more vibrant but TNs actually make better gaming panels because of the typical lower response rate. The colour difference is only really striking when you A/B them, the ghosting will piss you off 24/7. Think IPS has caught up in that department though.
    Reply
  • dstarr3
    IPS is caught up to (and in some regards better than) TN panels as far as input lag and ghosting. But, if you're not concerned about viewing angles and you're not doing anything that requires color accuracy (photo/video work), then just save the cash and get a TN.
    Reply