24 Sep
Blog

Gigabyte M32U Monitor Review: 4K Gaming Without the Fluff

The back of the Gigabyte M32U gaming monitor.

Gigabyte M32U monitor in the test: 4K gaming without fluff

RRP $ 800.00

"The Gigabyte M32U doesn't have much competition, but it still feels hard to beat for $ 800."

advantages

  • One of the few 32-inch 4K monitors with a high refresh rate

  • Excellent color accuracy after calibration

  • Two HDMI 2.1 ports

  • Built-in KVM switch

  • Inexpensive

disadvantage

  • Bad HDR performance

  • Below average status

  • Poor color accuracy before calibration

If you are looking for a 32-inch 4K monitor with a high refresh rate in Newegg, you will find three options: two listings for the Gigabyte Aorus FI32U and one for the Gigabyte M32U. Large 4K monitors with a high refresh rate are still a largely untapped space, with the world's LGs and Asus sticking to the tried and tested 27-inch format.

However, Gigabyte is quickly capitalizing on the as-yet unclaimed ground with these two new gaming monitors that have some unique features.

It's hard to separate the Gigabyte M32U from the Auros FI32U even if you ignore the identical specifications. They both use the same panel and offer largely the same features, but the M32U costs $ 200 less. It has the comfortable price of around $ 800 that many 4K 27-inch displays like the Acer Nitro XV273K or LG 27GN950 have settled on.

The case for the purchase of the M32U then looks tidy – it offers a high refresh rate at 4K for the same price as its 27-inch counterparts, but with a little more screen space. However, the story has a little more to offer. So if you're not using a 32-inch display over a 27-inch display, don't add the M32U to your cart just yet.

draft

Gigabyte M32U on the Digital Trends website.

Gigabyte monitors aren't known for their innovative design, and the M32U doesn't change that either. It's basically a stretched version of Gigabyte's budget 1440p monitors like the M27Q, with an identical stand but without the gamer flair normally associated with high-refresh rate 4K displays like the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX.

Basically there is no RGB or branding associated with games. For that, you'll have to spend $ 200 more on the FI32U, which is exactly the same panel but from Gigabyte's Aorus line of products. It has a more angular look suitable for gaming, with some RGB accents on the back. In the case of the panel, however, it is identical to the M32U.

Panel and performance aside, the M32U doesn't feel like a well-spent $ 800. There's just a bit of metal in the base to break up the plastic monotony. The top of the back is a bit glossy, but otherwise it's a matte plastic finish all around that feels like function over form. And given the cost savings compared to the FI32U, that is what the M32U's focus is on.

The stand offers a few adjustments, including 130mm height adjustment, 25 degrees tilt, and 60 degrees swivel, but I was never able to adjust the monitor the way I wanted. The stand just doesn't allow enough height adjustment for my setup, as only the top third of the screen occupies my field of view at its highest point.

The size of a 32-inch panel makes up for it, but I wanted to throw the stand away almost as quickly as I set it up. Using the VESA 100 mounting holes on the back with a monitor arm transforms the M32U from a cheap-feeling monitor with a bad stand into a subtle display that's all about performance.

Connections and controls

Controller on Gigabyte M32U.

The port selection of the M32U is excellent, especially a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports. Even newer high-end monitors like the LG 34GN850-B have stayed with HDMI 2.0 and limit the 4K output to 60 Hz. With HDMI 2.1 you have access to 4K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz.

DisplayPort is still better for PC gamers – and I'll get into why in a moment – but HDMI 2.1 was a delight during my time with the M32U. I used the HDMI ports on my PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and switched between them and my PC via the DisplayPort connection without the refresh rate loss in mind.

In addition to the two HDMI ports, you have access to a single DisplayPort 1.4 port, which offers a slight increase to a refresh rate of 144 Hz at 4K. Honestly, this is the dream port setup right now. DisplayPort 2.0 is a better option, but it's still not there after suffering some long delays.

Otherwise you can use USB-C as an input, as well as the three USB 3.0 ports on the back of the display. The M32U even has one more USB 3.0 port than the FI32U.

This is the dream port setup right now.

You can make good use of all of these ports too. Like its more expensive Aorus brother, the M32U has an integrated KVM switch. In short, you can control multiple computers with a single keyboard and mouse connected through the monitor. The switch was a lifesaver for switching between my main machine and the test bench, and it saved me space and time on my desk when hopping between two machines.

Unfortunately, you have to use the on-screen display (OSD) to configure the KVM switch and that's not great. The OSD runs with a significantly lower resolution, which makes it look smeared on the otherwise sharp 4K panel. Navigating through the menu isn't bad, although the rotary wheel takes a bit of getting used to.

It's high up on the back of the monitor, and even after weeks of using the M32U, I'd have to search blindly to find it. It's a four-way toggle with a middle click, and I would push it in one direction many times while trying to use the middle click. You shouldn't spend too much time using the OSD, but I wanted a better controller.

picture quality

The M32U doesn't look great out of the box, but it's hard to expect much from a $ 800 32-inch 4K monitor with a high refresh rate. Typical of IPS panels, the contrast ratio isn't high and the display doesn't get too bright, which makes the panel feel like the budget option it compares to some of the higher quality 4K displays.

Still, Gigabyte is promoting 123% coverage of sRGB and 90% coverage of DCI-P3. Testing with my SpyderX Elite clorimeter found a slightly lower 87% coverage of DCI-P3, although that's not too far from what Gigabyte claims. I also measured a contrast ratio of 950: 1, which is only slightly different from the 1000: 1 ratio typical for IPS panels, as well as a peak brightness of 366.5 nits (Gigabyte lists 350 nits).

SpyderX on Gigabyte M32U.

Everything checked, but the bigger problem is color accuracy. Out of the box I measured a Delta-E (difference from real) of 2.32, which is outside the typical range for color work and reflects the poor out-of-the-box performance of the Eve Spectrum 4K. You are looking for a Delta-E value of less than 2 for a color-accurate representation. Calibrating the display with the SpyderX, however, cleaned up a lot and lowered the Delta-E value to 0.5.

This is an exceptional achievement for the price and more than acceptable for photo or video work. The color performance after calibration outperforms the LG 27GN950, a monitor for the same price as the Gigabyte M32U but five inches smaller.

The brightness uniformity wasn't great right away either, with up to 10% difference in the lower left corner which was 83% brightness. A quick glance at a black screen showed why, with the lower right corner showing just a hair of the backlight. Still, consistency was never a problem for me, and with the most sensitive work happening in the center of the screen, the M32U is still set up for creative work after calibration.

In terms of specs, the M32U is on par with competing 27-inch 4K displays like the Asus ROG Strix XG27UQR, only with a larger screen size. However, the Eve Spectrum 4K and LG 27GN950 show what can be gained by foregoing the screen size. Although smaller, both displays are the same price and have higher peak brightness.

With HDR enabled, the monitor looks like it is trying to cram too much dynamic range into too little space.

This is important for HDR. The M32U carries DisplayHDR 400 certification from VESA, not the DisplayHDR 600 certification of the Eve Spectrum and LG 27GN950. With HDR enabled, the monitor looks like it is trying to cram too much dynamic into a space that is too small, which is typical for DisplayHDR 400 monitors.

Worse, using HDR enables the M32U's local dimming function. There aren't too many dimming zones and they are slow to respond to changes. I shot a dimming test video that produced some notable stuttering as a white dot moves to different parts of the screen, showing that the dimming zones are slowly keeping up.

I ended up leaving out HDR when using the M32U with my consoles. It's not a bad picture, but I've never looked at the dimming zones or the eye-burning contrast that comes from a mediocre HDR implementation. IPS panels just aren't good for HDR, and the M32U doesn't break that shape.

Still, the M32U looks good with HDR turned off. Although 4K stands out a little more on a smaller screen size, at 32 inches, the pixel density is still high enough to produce crisp images and clean lines in text. Even when I held my face inches from the screen, I couldn't see pixels of black text on a white background.

Gaming performance

Control on Gigabyte M32U.

Pixel peeping is one thing, but when you take the M32U into games, it shows where it really shines. It just expanded my Destiny 2 habit and offers super sharp images at high frame rates. The 144Hz panel isn't as fast as the 360Hz Asus ROG Swift PG259QNR, but this monitor is limited to 1080p. Plus, I don't need an even higher refresh rate to know how bad I am at Valorant.

And 144 Hz is the gold standard for gaming monitors for good reason. Like jumping from 30 frames per second (fps) on an Xbox One to 60 fps on an Xbox Series X, you can't go back to 60 Hz after trying 144 Hz. It's particularly smooth. Even games on my PS5 felt choppy after a few hours playing at 144Hz on my PC.

Defeating champions in Destiny 2 looked great in 4K, especially with the ultra-smooth refresh rate.

Just because the M32U offers 144 Hz doesn't mean you can enjoy it in games. Native 4K is still a killer for most PC hardware. Even with an RTX 3090 and an Intel Core i9-10900K, I couldn't achieve more than 60 fps in Control or Assassin's Creed Valhalla when all the sliders were turned up.

The high refresh rate is more relevant in games like Destiny 2, which are less demanding. Defeating champions and melting down Gambit bosses looked great in 4K, especially with the ultra-smooth refresh rate.

Still, you need powerful hardware to use a display like the M32U. You should have at least an RTX 3070 or RX 6800 XT if you want to play the latest AAA games in native 4K. Or you can always cheat the resolution a bit with a feature like Nvidia Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), which lets the high refresh rate shine through in a game like Control.

Our opinion

Unless you're spending $ 3,000 on something like the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQ, you won't find another high-refresh rate 32-inch 4K gaming monitor. It's in a class of its own, but that doesn't make it the best by default. There's a far larger selection of 27-inch displays for the same price, many with better HDR and higher peak brightness.

However, if you have chosen 32 inches, there is no other option. The Aorus branded model is aesthetically better, but that's hard to justify with an extra $ 200 on the table. Gigabyte created a monitor that ticks the boxes in an area where there are very few monitors, and at an affordable price.

Just make sure to attach a Spyder to it before using the M32U for any serious work.

Are there alternatives?

No, outside of the Aorus FI32U, that's $ 200 more expensive. Many high refresh rate 4K gaming displays are fixed at 27 inches, including the Eve Spectrum 4K and the LG 27GN950. However, you can get higher brightness and better HDR performance if you sacrifice screen size.

How long it will take?

Given how demanding 4K still is for modern PC hardware, the M32U will last for years. The M32U will keep up until 8K becomes the norm or midrange GPUs can achieve high frame rates at 4K. HDR throws the bill, however, so you may need to upgrade in a few years if you want to use HDR in games.

Should I buy it?

If you need a 32-inch 4K gaming monitor, yes. The Gigabyte M32U is in a class of its own by default. However, you can get a better 27-inch 4K monitor for the same price, which is what I would recommend to most people.

Editor's recommendations



14 Jul
Blog

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX Review: A $2,999 HDR Dream Monitor?

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX

RRP $ 2,999.00

"The Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX is a brilliant PC gaming device, but its shortcomings are hard to swallow."

advantages

  • Mind-blowing HDR performance

  • Extremely high peak brightness

  • Excellent colors

  • Built-in thread for camera mounting

  • Fast, fluid play

disadvantage

  • No HDMI 2.1

  • Has audible fan

  • Still not a perfect HDR experience

  • Expensive

The ROG Swift PG32UQX was first teased about two years ago, and unlike any gaming monitor in recent history, it has hyped the PC gaming community. You will find forum threads full of excitement. And for a good reason.

According to Asus, the ROG Swift PG32UQX offers overwhelming HDR performance unlike any other monitor currently on the market. In addition, it was the first 32-inch 4K gaming monitor based on mini-LED technology with full-array local dimming (FALD) for HDR lighting with 1,152 individual zones and a peak brightness of up to 1,400 nits.

The catch, of course, was the price. $ 2,999 is more than most complete PC gaming setups, including the PC, monitor, and peripherals. Therefore, it is only realistic to expect absolute and absolute perfection. The ROG Swift PG32UQX does a lot of things amazingly well, but it's not perfect.

design

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQXNiels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

The ROG Swift PG32UQX is quite a large monitor. That's what is expected from a 32-inch display, but the PG32UQX is slightly larger than most 32-inch panels because of its FALD lighting panel, which gives the display a noticeable thickness.

The design style is also quite aggressive, whereby Asus does not shy away from any chance that the PG32UQX is recognized as a Republic of Gamers product. The stand of the monitor has the new but classic tripod design with a downward-facing lighting stamp, the back of the display has strong shapes and a huge, RGB-illuminated Asus ROG logo, and the display's large chin has a small OLED panel in it to display entertaining graphics or system information, such as B. CPU temperature.

Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

Indeed, there is a lot to discover here. However, if styling isn't your thing, it's easy to slide the back of the monitor toward a wall, replace the stand with a VESA mount, and then that's all that's left of the display's chin, which may look a bit aggressive .

The tiny OLED display is pretty nifty though – I doubt anyone will mind, especially because it's customizable.

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX

The display's power brick is external, which I think is a good thing because otherwise the PG32UQX would have been even bigger, and there is a thread on top of the monitor for inserting a camera mount – I've tried and this monitor will happily hold mine mirrorless camera with a large lens. Streamer, do you get this?

At the top right there is even a USB port to which you can connect your webcam or camera without having to fumble around behind the monitor.

Connections and controls

Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

The ROG Swift PG32UQX offers a variety of connectivity options, but it is not complete. There are three HDMI 2.0 ports, a single DisplayPort 1.4a port, a three-port USB hub, and a headphone jack.

But HDMI 2.1 is actually missing, and that's a big one. HDMI 2.1 is now the standard for multimedia connectivity, with all 2020 and 2021 GPUs and consoles having the interface. Without them, your Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 can't run at 4K 120Hz with full color support, and that's unacceptable for a high-end 4K monitor in 2021 – especially one that costs $ 3,000. Most new gaming laptops even ship with support for HDMI 2.1.

HDMI 2.1 is missing, and that's unacceptable for a high-end 4K monitor in 2021.

There is an opposite side to this argument, namely that there are hardly any PC monitors with HDMI 2.1 at all. That, and the official Nvidia G-Sync module has not yet been developed to support HDMI 2.1. Still, I find it inexcusable on a monitor of this price and caliber. If you want to use the PG32UQX with a modern console, keep in mind that you are limited to 60Hz or have to sacrifice color: you will never have the best experience.

The display's OSD has somewhat weird controls with a spinning wheel in the center and a button on each side, but it's easy to navigate and most of the settings you need are there.

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQXNiels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

However, there is no brightness control in HDR mode, which is a problem. One can argue whether this matters as the brightness in HDR is supposed to be controlled by the PC and not the monitor, but I still prefer to see some kind of brightness control at all so that the basic brightness for the room is set to a comfortable level can be level.

There is a fan

Before packing up, there is one more drawback worth mentioning: the display has a fan. It turns on the moment the display does, and even though it's not loud, it's audible. This isn't a problem if you're using headphones or playing soft music, but it can be annoying if you enjoy a quiet room and have an otherwise quiet computer.

Mini LED and HDR

If there's a reason to buy the PG32UQX, it's mini LED and its HDR performance. I'll start with the good things: when using the right HDR content, the visual results the PG32UQX can produce are simply amazing. As if the monitor wasn't worth the price all the time, suddenly it was, almost.

LCD panels cannot block all of the light even when they are black, so the ability to dim selected areas (HDR on PC monitors, explained) is necessary to achieve full black levels. By dimming selected areas, the display can also increase the peak brightness in a small area without overly illuminating the entire display. Most PC monitors are edge-lit, with a lamp illuminating the entire display. On "better" HDR monitors, this edge lighting is divided into at least eight zones that illuminate selected columns of the display as required.

As you can imagine, this illuminated pillar effect is undesirable, which is why manufacturers are experimenting with mini-LEDs: a lighting technology that does not illuminate the edge of the display, but rather an array with a large number of individually controllable LEDs placed directly behind the board. This lighting technology is called Full-Array Local Dimming (FALD), and in the case of the PG32UQX these are 1152 zones, which offers complex local dimming control.

In a certain way, FALD actually eliminates the major disadvantages of IPS panels: Backlight bleeding and IPS glow are no longer a problem, since the affected area is simply not illuminated when the display is black. The static contrast ratio is also no longer so relevant, since the area would simply not be illuminated if a black image was displayed.

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQXNiels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

Individual zones can reach a brightness of up to 1,400 nits when displaying highlights, and although I couldn't test that number due to the limitations of my tester, I'll use Asus & # 39; Word on it: Bright lights, sun, fire and others The lights really shot from the screen in almost breathtaking brightness, which was really a sight when an area to the left of this object was completely dark and showed an inky black night sky.

This kind of realistic brightness control is exactly what HDR is all about, and the PG32UQX does more than just deliver. The PG32UQX is a pleasure especially in games with higher frame rates and activated G-Sync. It's not the fastest panel, but it's a lot fast for non-competitive gameplay.

Launch a game that does HDR right and you will be in for a spectacle.

But the technology is not perfect. The IPS panel is only capable of blocking that much light, and although 1,152 zones are orders of magnitude superior to an 8-zone edge-lit display (which barely feels like HDR after the PG32UQX), they're still visible zones, in particular on darker scenes. Simple desktop use is the worst culprit for this – take a black or dark background and hover your mouse over it: you'll see a circular halo of blue light nervously walking around the mouse as it jumps between zones. Or take a white dialog box on a dark background, the edges of which have a strange yellow sheen. This effect can get used to, but it is difficult to ignore and is always reminded of how imperfect the technique is.

However, desktop use is not a really fair test, as individual elements are often much too small for the zones. It doesn't take into account the higher peak brightness levels, and Microsoft's HDR implementation has yet to be refined. However, the halo effect is far less pronounced in dynamic content such as games, movies, or TV shows. This is because individual bright elements are often larger, but also because there is simply a lot more movement going on on the screen.

Launch a game that does HDR right, go into the settings and properly calibrate the maximum darkness and maximum brightness so that the game engine properly addresses the monitor's HDR brightness sensitivity and you will be in for a spectacle. Trust me, you will forget about the halo effect in games and videos.

picture quality

Thanks to its IPS panel, the PG32UQX has great color performance, which, coupled with the 4K resolution at the 32-inch size, make it a dream as an editing display, especially if you are producing HDR content.

We tested the monitor in SDR mode because our tester does not support HDR and the color performance of the panel is impressive. At the beginning of the test, I came across sRGB color clamping, which set color coverage at a perfect 100% of sRGB, which is a much appreciated feature: unclamped sRGB colors can often look oversaturated on monitors with wide color gamut, so it's nice to be around to see the inclusion of this limiter.

When the terminal is switched off, the panel covered a decent 100% of the AdobeRGB and 97% of the DCI-P3 color space, with a Delta-E (difference to the real value) of 1.77 for the color accuracy. Any Delta E below 2 is considered good enough for professional work. The calibration of the display did not bring any notable improvements, but the performance out of the box is quite good.

Gamma performance was perfect too, although I wasn't impressed with the panel's native static contrast ratio. While IPS panels, especially flat samples, generally achieve a result of around 1000: 1, the best recorded contrast ratio I got when testing this sample was 810: 1, which is what I would expect from a curved IPS panel, that occurs due to a bit more bleeding to the print. But that's a flat screen.

Asus ROG Swift PG32UQXNiels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

However, this was tested without HDR and switched off the variable backlighting of the panel. We test in this way to properly assess the panel's native contrast ratio without automatic backlight changes affecting the result. With the variable backlight on, the contrast ratio was much better, producing really deep blacks even in SDR mode – and I think most users of this monitor will want to keep the variable backlight on. The only exception would be for color-critical work, as dimmed backlighting causes color shifts in the adjacent areas.

This begs the question of how important it really is that the panel's contrast performance isn't great, which is a difficult question to answer. On the one hand, it shouldn't matter with this type of backlighting, but a panel with a better static contrast performance would block the light better and thus counteract the haloing of the PG32UQX better.

Keep in mind that contrast performance varies widely from sample to sample, and since I have a feeling that this sample performs at the lower end of the spectrum while other reports indicate much higher contrast ratios, you are likely to be luckier.

How about OLED as an alternative?

If you're looking for the perfect HDR experience that doesn't halo under any circumstances, you're probably thinking of something like, "How about just getting an OLED panel instead?" And I wouldn't blame you for this. In fact, that's a good idea, but OLED panels have their own dangers.

The attraction would be that each pixel is its own light source. One pixel could be illuminated with peak brightness and the ones directly next to it pitch black. No halo, just pure and perfect brightness control over the entire panel. HDR would look great on the Windows desktop and in all movies and games without sacrificing visual quality.

But there are a few catches. First and foremost, there are no OLED PC gaming monitors, and the smallest OLED TVs are around 48 inches diagonal right now. This is a little too big to be used on a desk as a PC monitor, especially without a bulge. They're all shiny too, burn-in is a potential risk, especially with the amount of static content that affects PC desktop usage, and to reduce burn-in, peak brightness is also limited so you never quite get the "I have to" get look the other way because it's so bright "dive in."

Ultimately, the choice between mini-LED and OLED is a concession: which one you will tolerate and which one you will not. However, if you're wondering whether to get the PG32UQX or a content-consuming OLED TV, then the PG32UQX is probably not for you – an OLED TV might not last as long, but it costs less than half – and so do I. I'll bet the PG32UQX depreciates in value faster than an OLED reaches $ 0 in value.

Our opinion

The Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX is an amazing device. With an array of 1,152 mini-LED lighting zones, it creates an HDR experience that cannot be compared with any other PC monitor currently available on the market. There aren't many 32-inch 4K gaming monitors on the market anyway, so sitting in front of one that is not only this size but also has FALD lighting is like sitting in front of a unicorn. At least at this point, the PG32UQX offers the most breathtaking HDR performance available on a PC without relying on an OLED TV.

The PG32UQX is at the forefront of what PC monitor technology can do these days, and if you're looking for an HDR spectacle for your desk, it's the tool for the job. But like any cutting edge technology, it's far from perfect and in that regard the PG32UQX feels a bit like a prototype: there's no HDMI 2.1 so it's not exactly future proof and I feel the mini LED tech as it looks well now, will soon be out of date due to new developments. Add to that the usual panel performance lottery, no basic HDR brightness controls, and an annoying fan, and it quickly becomes a very difficult proposition to spend $ 2,999 on a monitor.

Are there alternatives?

No. There are currently no other PC monitors that offer fast 4K gaming performance paired with FALD and this color performance. Your other best choice is an OLED TV like LG's 48-inch C1 model, but it comes with its own tradeoffs, assuming you have enough desk space at all.

How long it will take?

From a functional point of view, I don't see any reason why the ROG Swift PG32UQX couldn't last for at least five years. But between the lack of HDMI 2.1 and the rapidly evolving alternative display technologies, you'll likely itch to replace it long before it breaks, especially if you're someone who loves to be at the forefront of technology.

Should I buy it?

For most players, no. It has a few weaknesses that are guaranteed to be a deal breaker for large groups of buyers, especially at this price point.

If you have deep pockets and just want the best HDR gaming monitor you can buy right now, then the ROG Swift PG32UQX is as good as it gets. But for most of us it's like an exotic sports car: I want to rent it just to experience it, but I don't want to own it.

Editor's recommendations



28 Apr
Blog

Marshall Monitor II ANC Review: Stylish, Comfy Cans

Marshall Monitor II ANC

"These headphones offer high-energy sound and tremendous battery life, Marshall-style."

  • Signature Marshall style

  • Very convenient

  • Good ANC and transparency

  • Very intuitive controls

  • Excellent battery life

  • Expensive for what you get

  • No wear sensor or multiple device pairing

  • Narrow sound stage

Are you thinking of buying active noise canceling (ANC) headphones? In addition to the many great models you'll find on our list of the best noise-canceling headphones, we now also recommend the Marshall Monitor II ANC for $ 320.

These ANC cans capture the iconic Marshall design language and add some cool features to create a stylish alternative to the headphones made by Sony, Bose, Apple, and others.

But the competition is tough – does the Marshall Monitor II ANC have what it takes to justify its high price? Let's take a look.

What's in the box?

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Props go to Marshall to make packaging that at least tries to be sustainable. Most of it is recyclable cardboard, with the exception of a few pieces of foam that may need to be disposed of in a landfill. Inside, you'll find the Monitor II ANC, a USB-C charging cable, a 3.5mm coil-style analog cable, a quick start guide, and a soft fabric carrying case.

design

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Whether you love Marshall's guitar amp-inspired design language or not (I think it looks awesome), you have to admit, the Monitor II is ANC Peak Marshall.

From the textured black plastic on the ear cups to the coil of the supplied analog cable and of course the distinctive Marshall logo, these headphones exude a rock music atmosphere that you won't find in any other can.

And Marshall's dedication to this look didn't detract from some extremely practical features. By combining the three sets of hinge and pivot pins, the Monitor II ANC can deform into an incredibly compact shape. I find it hard to think of full size headphones that are more travel-friendly.

While most headphones at this price point (and many that are considerably cheaper) come with a zippered hard shell, the way the Monitor II articulates them makes them beg to be thrown in a pocket. Speaking of the included tote bag, it's hard not to notice how Marshall channeled the Herschel backpack look for his black denim bag. Very cool.

The ear cups are super flat, even with the generous padding of the ear pads, which gives the Monitor II a clean, head-hugging look. And when you peel them off your head and hang around your neck, they fold slightly flat against your collarbones.

The construction is mostly plastic, but Marshall used metal for the auricle forks and headband sliders, which helps make these cans feel sturdy and durable.

Convenience, control and connections

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

At 11.29 ounces, the Monitor II ANC can't be considered light when compared to other over-ear headphones, especially the feather-light Sony WH-1000XM4 (8.8 ounces), but they don't feel particularly heavy to wear . I appreciate the combination of clamping force, ear pad fit, and balance for how well they fit.

I'm a huge fan of the Monitor II controls. They're simple and effective.

Given my Dumbo-like ears, I'd prefer slightly deeper cavities in the ear cups, but overall these headphones are more than comfortable enough for hours of continuous use.

I'm a huge fan of the Monitor II controls. They're simple and effective. The gold colored button protruding from the bottom of the right ear cup is actually a tiny joystick that you can click to activate power, bluetooth pairing, answer / end calls, and play / pause. You move it up, down, front, or back to perform actions like volume and track controls.

There are two other controls that you would totally miss if you didn't look carefully. Each is inserted into the hinge point of the auricle forks where they blend seamlessly with the design and are easy to access. The left button is used to switch between ANC and transparency mode, which happens very quickly. The right "M" button, which is user configurable and allows you to choose between EQ mode, activates Siri (iPhone only) or Google Assistant.

You make these and other selections in the Marshall Bluetooth app.

Instead of spreading out and creating a warm thrum that you can feel, the bass stays a little two-dimensional.

The Monitor II's Bluetooth range is approximately 20 to 30 feet, which should be sufficient for most situations.

Unfortunately, unlike many Bluetooth headphones, you can't pair these sockets with more than one device at a time, making them less suitable for people who want to switch between their phones and laptops on a regular basis.

There's also no wear sensor, so removing the headphones from your ears won't automatically pause your music.

Sound quality

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Overall, the Monitor II ANC sounds very good. In the factory EQ setting (known as a “Marshall” sound), the sound shifts to higher frequencies. However, the Marshall app lets you choose from six more EQ presets and create your own custom balance.

These adjustments help the Monitor II deliver more bass when you want it, and I've been able to find settings that work with a variety of genres from rock to classical.

Throw in a track like Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz 'On To The Next One, and the intensity hits you like an electric shock.

The soundstage isn't as wide or as detailed as the Sony WH-1000XM4, but what the Monitor II lacks in openness it makes up for in energy.

The acoustics are precise, bright and powerful, with a sharp focus on snare drums, cymbals, vocals and higher-frequency woodwinds such as the clarinet.

Throw in a track like Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz 'On To The Next One, and the intensity hits you like an electric shock.

Deeper, more resonant sounds like jazz bass that rely on the mid-to-low frequencies don't do quite as well. Instead of spreading out and creating a warm thrum that you can feel, they stay a little two-dimensional.

All of this results in headphones that are clearly tuned for energetic rock, pop, and hip-hop music.

Noise cancellation and transparency

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Some headphones with active noise cancellation try to block out as much background noise as possible. The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 are the flagship for this approach. Marshall's Monitor II ANC isn't as aggressive – you don't quite get that silent cone effect – but they do reduce the low to mid frequencies significantly when ANC is on.

I found it worked best when listening to podcasts, which were very effective in muting sounds that would otherwise make it difficult to hear spoken words. As an aid to silencing a noisy environment, they were not that helpful due to a small noticeable hiss that I found annoying after a while.

The transparency mode, on the other hand, is excellent. One press of the special ANC button and the world was suddenly very audible.

You can tweak both ANC and transparency modes in the Marshall app, but I found that the 100% levels are best in both modes.

Battery life

The Monitor II ANC's battery life is among the best for premium ANC headphones. Marshall claims 30 hours with bluetooth and ANC on and up to 45 hours with bluetooth only. That beats the $ 400 Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 (up to 20 hours), Apple's $ 549 AirPods Max (up to 20 hours), and even the $ 280 Sony WH-1000XM4 ( 30 hours with the ANC switched on, 38 hours with the device switched off).

They also have a respectable quick charge feature that gives you five hours of playtime after 15 minutes of charging.

As far as I can tell, these numbers are correct. Unlike some wireless sockets, you can also use the Monitor II ANC while charging with the analog cable, so you can never go without music.

Call quality

Marshall Monitor II ANCSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Calls on Monitor II ANC are generally good. You can block out most of the background noise when talking on the phone outdoors while keeping your voice reasonably clear. It's not the high fidelity you get from the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700, but it's perfectly fine for most calls and they work very well indoors.

For some reason, you can't choose how much sidetone you get during a call (this is equivalent to calling transparency mode). The headphones switch to about 50% transparency – enough to hear your own voice a little more clearly, but not quite as clearly as if the transparency were at 100%.

Our opinion

As with most Marshall products, the Monitor II ANC offers a price premium that is difficult to justify based on performance alone. But if you like the retro-cool guitar amp style only Marshall can offer, then these cans make a fun set of full-featured wireless companions.

Is there a better alternative?

If you don't mind the relatively conservative appearance, that's $ 280 Sony WH-1000XM4 are an excellent alternative. They're cheaper (around $ 40), lighter, more comfortable, have better sound quality and ANC, and have more features like wear sensors and Bluetooth multipoint.

But there's no denying that the Marshalls really are in a class of their own when it comes to style.

How long will they last?

The Marshall Monitor II ANC appears to be very well built from high quality materials. The ear pads are easy to remove and replace when worn. Marshall grants a one-year guarantee on these headphones. I suspect that if properly cared for, they will last for many years, although the lack of a hard case means you should be careful about how they are packaged.

Should you buy it?

Yes. If you want a set of high quality ANC wireless headphones with a unique style and sound signature that favors high energy music, this is the Monitor II ANC will make you very happy.

Editor's recommendations




04 Jan
Blog

LG 27GN850 Review: The Perfect 4K Gaming Monitor?

LG 27gn950 Monitor Review dsc02946

"The LG 27GN950 is a 4K gaming monitor designed for the next generation of PC graphics."

  • Extremely good image quality

  • Excellent fast gaming performance

  • Intuitive, sharp and responsive OSD

  • Classy appearance

  • Easy access to I / O

  • No HDMI 2.1

  • Inconspicuous stand

If you're one of the lucky few who managed to get your hands on one of the latest graphics cards, you need a 4K gaming monitor to go with it too.

But even the best monitors have a hard time delivering both great image quality and a high refresh rate. LG's new 4K gaming monitor the 27GN950 claims to do just that. With nano IPS screen technology, it may be as close to perfection as possible without jumping all the way to an OLED TV.

design

As a 27-inch monitor, the first thing you notice about the 27GN950 is that it is not very large. Among the massive ultrawide monitors and 32-inch 4K giants, this 27-inch panel is a breath of fresh air as the focus is exclusively on a razor-sharp image.

The bezels around the panel are hair thin, with the lower one being slightly thicker than the others. There is no LG logo on the front of the panel. Without a curve, it looks surprisingly elegant – if you leave out the somewhat garish stand.

Looking at the back of the monitor, you'll find that the display case isn't made out of the fancyest materials. It's just cheap, scratchy plastics. Fortunately, it's in the back so it won't hit you too often.

Around the bracket and the entry / exit island there is a large RGB ring that lights up with the monitor and can adapt its colors to the colors displayed. This is a good party trick to add immersion despite the modest panel size.

Then there's the stand of the display, which I'm not a fan of. The adjustment mechanism has all the necessary settings for height, tilt and rotation. But with a panel that looks so elegant, I find that the stand itself is designed a little too aggressively. It's like a throwback to an older generation of gaming equipment, but I'm not nostalgic.

The front feet are strangely connected to the main pillar, and I wish LG had turned off the logo for a cleaner aesthetic. However, if you're a minimalist like me I would drop the stand and use a monitor arm. There are VESA 100 mounting holes to aid in this.

Connections and controls

If you're a pure PC gamer, the 27GN950's rear input / output panel is a good choice. It comes with a DisplayPort 1.4a connector that supports DSC (Display Stream Compression) to provide full 4K, 160Hz, 4: 4: 4 RGB support when using an RTX 20 GPU or later.

If you're someone who has a console in addition to your PC to get access to Sony's exclusive products, you may feel a little disappointed for one simple reason: the lack of HDMI 2.1. In fact, given the promising 4K gameplay from the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X over HDMI 2.1, it seems a little strange that LG chose to only install an HDMI 2.0 controller, even though most of its latest TVs support HDMI 2.1 . This means that the maximum refresh rate supported by the 27GN950 through the HDMI ports is only 60 Hz. There are at least two HDMI ports here, so you can hook up two consoles if you're okay with the refresh rate being compromised.

There is also a USB hub with two ports and a headphone jack. The monitor is powered by an external 110 watt power supply module that is thin and easy to hide under your desk.

Having instant access to brightness controls is extremely valuable.

The OSD (On-Screen Display) control panel from LG is in a league of its own. The user interface is controlled by a single directional switch at the bottom of the display and is extremely clear, responsive and easy to navigate. To control the brightness of the display, simply press the switch forwards or backwards to jump directly into the brightness controls. To adjust the volume of the headphones, simply switch left or right to decrease or increase the volume.

The OSD is also easy to navigate. It has five main sub-menus including Game Mode with some presets and Game Customization with advanced options like Adaptive-Sync, a black stabilizer to improve detail in the dark, and a deceptive crosshair. The Image Adjustment menu provides options for adjusting the settings for brightness, contrast, sharpness, and color. Finally, there is a submenu for inputs and a submenu called General System.

The only complaint I have about the OSD is that it doesn't seem to render in high resolution. The 4K panel can display extremely sharp and razor-sharp images. So it's a little weird that the OSD is rendering a bit fuzzy even though you don't spend much time here anyway and it's still better than most of the others.

picture quality

LG's Nano IPS-based gaming monitors are characterized by high image quality, and the 27GN950 is no exception. The company promises that the 27GN950 will cover 98% of the DCI-P3 space, and while our device didn't quite hit that number, it wasn't far off with a tested value of 96%. Our sample included 100% of the sRGB space and 88% of the AdobeRGB.

We also tested the monitor's color accuracy, which resulted in an average Delta-E (difference from real) of just 0.69. Keep in mind that anything below a Delta-E of 2 is generally considered good enough for professional work, and you'll probably agree that the 27GN950 is great for creative graphics work, which we don't often see on gaming monitors see.

However, where the display gets stuck is the contrast performance. The fast Nano IPS panel is ideal for fast reactions, high frame rates, a wide range of colors and precise colors. However, one of the weaknesses of IPS is its poor contrast performance. Our sample achieved a value of 980: 1 at full brightness, which is pretty much the promised 1000: 1 ratio on the data sheet. If you like to play games at night and don't need the wide color gamut and color accuracy, you might opt ​​for a cheaper VA panel.

The 27GN950 is great for graphic work – something we don't see often on gaming monitors.

The maximum brightness we achieved with the 27GN950 was 462 nits, which is more than adequate for most use cases including brightly lit rooms and is more than promised on the spec sheet. Gamma performance was perfect right away too, and the 6900K white point is pretty close to the 6500K target, although this can be easily corrected with OSD settings or calibration.

After calibrating the monitor, I was able to pull out 1% more DCI-P3 cover, correct the white point and increase the color accuracy from 0.69 to just 0.63. While these are improvements, it's safe to say that calibrating the 27GN950 is of little use and that most users won't have to worry about it.

Gaming performance

When it comes to gaming on the LG 27GN950, there is one thing you need to consider before you take the plunge: this display requires a ton of GPU power if you're running modern titles at the full 4K resolution and want to take advantage of the high refresh rate.

This isn't that big of an issue with older games, but today's AAA titles, especially those with ray tracing, will be tough to push. You need at least a GeForce RTX 3070 or Radeon RX 6800 XT if you want smooth performance. Even with these cards, you won't get near the high end of the panel's 144Hz refresh rate when you run the games at maximum settings.

However, this is not a fault of the monitor. When it comes to panel performance, the 27GN950 puts on an impressive show. The Nano IPS control panel reacts extremely quickly and can easily be overclocked to 160 Hz after updating the firmware of the display with just one push of a button. The stuttering and tearing is dealt with by the compatibility of FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync, and the display has low frame rate compensation for the inevitable drops in modern titles.

In contrast to VA panels, the Nano IPS panel does not smear here.

The smaller 27-inch form factor is also good for competitive gameplay because you can keep an eye on the entire game. It's also a great monitor for those who want to get up close and personal during intense gaming thanks to the sharp image.

In contrast to VA panels, the Nano IPS panel does not smear here either. High refresh rate budget monitors often come with VA panels. Although they offer better contrast ratios, they can lead to noticeable color smudging, especially in dark scenes. The 27GN950 has no such error.

What is special about the 27GN950, however, is the combination of this outstanding gaming performance with the sharpness of 4K and the extremely wide range of colors offered by the 96% DCI-P3 coverage.

I've played a fair amount of Horizon Zero Dawn on this panel, and this game makes great use of its wide range. The way it portrays the colors of the sun, the intense red sunsets, the vibrant green for the foliage and the deep blue for the water, along with the sharp image … it was something to see.

The downside is that it's not as impressive as the LG 34GN850 Curved Ultrawide with the same nano-IPS technology, but not everyone wants a huge ultrawide monitor on their desk.

What to Expect from the HDR600

The 27GN950 is also supported by HDR600, which means it can produce a peak brightness of up to 600 nits with just one of the HDR zones. It comes with 16 edge-lit dimming zones, which is fine but not great. It is certainly not an OLED panel, and VA panels are usually better able to produce deep black levels.

Of course, if you want a true HDR experience on a gaming monitor, you'll have to find one with FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) lighting, but this LED arrangement behind the panel instead of edge lighting costs a lot of money. Think two big amounts of money.

Personally, I prefer to play with HDR turned off. It's nice to play around with what the 27GN950 can offer, but the cleanest picture is produced with the picture off. Also, Windows looks very hidden with HDR turned on, and you need to enable it in Windows in order to enable it in your game settings.

Our opinion

If you are looking for a 4K monitor for gaming and creative work in the market, the LG 27GN950 is as good as your only option right now. If it offers a responsive panel with a refresh rate of up to 160 Hz, while maintaining a large color gamut and extremely good color accuracy that we don't see often. It is also one of the first 4K gaming monitors to use DSC.

The main drawbacks are the contrast performance, a nondescript booth, and the distinct lack of HDMI 2.1, which is an odd omission considering that LG has been using it on its OLED TVs since 2019, and next-gen consoles don't have enough bandwidth to run high To achieve frame rates.

Are there alternatives?

Currently the only two alternatives are the Asus XG27UQ and the Acer Nitro XV273K, both of which are a bit cheaper. They're not overclockable to 160Hz, but limited to 144Hz, and their overall look is a little stickier. Aside from the stand, the LG 27GN950 looks simple, clean, and refined.

How long it will take?

Although the low contrast ratio of IPS technology is showing its age, the 4K 160 Hz panel means this monitor should last a while as it will be a few more years before GPUs can reach their refresh rate.

The monitor should last as long as most monitors: at least 5 years. However, LG only offers a 1 year guarantee.

Should I buy it?

Yes, if you need a monitor for work and play and it has to be 4K, the LG 27GN950 is a great option.

Editor's recommendations




09 Oct
Blog

Lenovo G27c-10 Review: 165 Hz curved gaming monitor For $200

lenovo g27c 10 review dsc01909

"The Lenovo G27c-10 is a great entry-level option to get into the fluidity of high FPS games."

  • Affordable

  • 165 Hz: Smooth playing

  • Remarkably accurate colors

  • Immersive size and curve

  • Bare minimal I / O

  • Low-maximum brightness

  • Limited color gamut

  • No DisplayPort cable included

If you are buying a fast gaming monitor on a budget, there is a good chance that you will or will come across the Lenovo G27c-10 in your efforts. It is a 27-inch full HD gaming monitor with a VA panel and a refresh rate of 165 Hz. This is a promising start to a great gaming experience.

The display's biggest selling point, of course, is its price, which comes in at $ 219 MSRP but often drops below $ 200, which is absolutely outstanding value for a 165Hz monitor.

How does it work in practice? Can the panel keep up with the refresh rate of 165 Hz? Is the picture quality good? And will it end up on our list of the best monitors? Let's find out.

design

When you unpack the G27c-10, you will find that it is an extremely simple monitor. The stand plugs into the bottom with a hand-turned screw and the monitor simply falls onto it. The locking mechanism takes care of the rest. The stand comes with height and tilt adjustments – and that's it – but you probably didn't intend to use this in portrait orientation. A cutout to pass cables through would have been nice, but no big deal.

Then there is the curve. Lenovo doesn't provide a curve radius, but we estimate it's in the range of around 1500R. It's certainly not as aggressive as the 1000R curve on Samsung's G7 monitors, nor as subtle as LG's curved displays either. Overall, it offers a good balance for its panel size and should please most gamers. The bezels are slim, which is very much appreciated at this price point, although we would have preferred not to see the pointer and performance graphics for the on-screen display (OSD) on the lower bezel as it adds no value and is a nuisance otherwise causes a clean design.

Other than that, the G27c-10's design doesn't offer much to comment on – it's about as clean as possible.

Connections and controls

Like the general design of the monitor, Lenovo didn't go to great lengths to give you extensive connectivity. The G27c-10 has an HDMI port and a DisplayPort port (which you need to use if you want G-Sync on an Nvidia GPU) and an audio-out jack in case you decide to run your headphones over your monitor.

The G27c-10's OSD is simple but has everything you need for a budget gaming monitor. Operation is via a direction switch at the lower right end of the monitor and is divided into four main sections: image settings, color settings, inputs and system settings. Inside you will find basic color controls, color temperature adjustments, brightness and contrast, FreeSync on / off, overdrive settings, game mode and a dark gain setting to brighten dark areas and gain a competitive edge in gaming.

picture quality

For the G27c-10, Lenovo opted for a VA panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which is not particularly high for a 27-inch panel. This means that you will not get a sharp picture that is good for photo editing, although it will be enough for everyday use. Also in the game you are more interested in the high refresh rate of 165 Hz (keep in mind that most "normal" monitors are updated at 60 Hz), and the lower resolution means your GPU can pump out more frames and actually produce more frames using that high one Refresh rate.

We released our Spyder X Elite colorimeter on the G27c-10 and it was reported that the panel covered 96 percent of the sRGB space and 75 percent of the AdobeRGB. This isn't impressive and certainly won't please the photo editors, but it is enough. If you're buying a $ 200 gaming monitor, you probably won't mind that this isn't a wide range. If you're looking for a large color space, then you should check out something like the Acer ConceptD CM2.

The G27c-10 is remarkably color accurate with a Delta E of just 1.32.

However, when we tested the panel for color accuracy, the G27c-10 achieved a surprising Delta E (difference to the real) of 1.32. Any Delta E below 2 is considered good enough for image editing programs. Although the G27c-10 does not cover a large color space, the colors displayed look accurate.

The G27c-10 doesn't offer retinal-scorching brightness, which can be a problem depending on usage. We recorded a maximum of 328 nits, which is below the 350 nits stated by Lenovo, and subjectively the display wasn't very bright. For a good experience, make sure you're in a relatively dark room with maximum brightness play. For example, we don't want to use this monitor directly across from a window.

VA panels are known for their impressive ability to darken dark colors and create ink blacks rather than the dark gray that IPS panels create. Unfortunately, the G27C-10's best contrast ratio was 2350: 1, which is below the expected 3000: 1 value. Even so, most VA panels don't even come close to the 3000: 1 specification. In that regard, 2350: 1 is a reasonable achievement and for the most part leads you towards black and white. It's also better than you'd expect from a TN or IPS panel, especially at this price point.

The calibration of the G27c-10 had little to offer – it is as good as ex-factory.

We calibrated the display with the Spyder X Elite, but only lost more contrast, failed to achieve any color gamut and actually deteriorated the color accuracy. So it's safe to say that calibrating the G27c-10 is challenging. However, the out-of-the-box color accuracy is solid so this is less of a concern.

Gaming performance

As you'd expect from a 165Hz monitor, games look silky smooth when you have a GPU powerful enough to handle high frame rates. You want to dive into Windows settings and configure the panel to run at 165 Hz (Windows is 60 Hz by default on new monitors). Once you've done this and checked in the monitor's OSD and Nvidia's GeForce Control Panel (or AMD's Radeon Control Center) that G-Sync or FreeSync are running properly, your games will run smoothly with no stuttering or tearing . Note that to use G-Sync on an Nvidia card you need a DisplayPort cable, which is not included in the scope of delivery.

Since this is a VA panel, it can easily lag when bright objects move across a dark screen (like a mouse on a black background image). However, for the price of the display, the blurring is quite acceptable. If you want close to zero VA pollution levels on a gaming monitor, you'll have to increase your budget significantly for something like Samsung's 27-inch G7, but that monitor costs a whopping $ 650, which is just not worth it at that most buyers.

It's also worth noting that the display doesn't support HDR, which together with the relatively low brightness and limited color space means it won't blow you away with its image quality.

Once you stop pecking, the G27c-10 provides an extremely enjoyable gaming experience

Once you stop looking over the little flaws, the Lenovo G27c-10 is a good monitor. The curve is great for immersion and at 27 inches, it's the right size for most desks.

A great GPU to pair with this monitor would be Nvidia's GTX 1650 Super or AMD's RX 5500XT, which while not flagships, will get most of the games on this monitor into high frame rate areas without breaking the bank. You don't need the latest Nvidia RTX 3000 series card for this monitor unless you want to play a game like Metro Exodus with maximum ray tracing capabilities.

Our opinion

The Lenovo G27c-10 is by no means a perfect monitor, but it only costs $ 220. Prices often drop below the $ 200 mark, which is an incredible price for a 165Hz curved gaming display. It's not small either, measuring 27 inches diagonally, and it will work wonders for entry-level, high-FPS (frames per second) gaming setups.

The shortcomings are limited I / O connections, a modest color gamut, a little VA smear on the move, and a less sharp picture. However, these issues are easily excused by the monitor's very affordable price.

Are there alternatives?

Absolutely, but you will have to spend a little more to get them. Gigabyte's G27FC has similar specs but costs $ 50 more. Same goes for the MSI Optix MAG271VCR, which costs $ 260 but gives you a wider gamut of color and some luxury RGB items. The Lenovo is priced very competitively with other budget gaming monitors.

How long it will take?

Lenovo's G27c-10 should last as long as any monitor today: At least 5 years. Lenovo offers a one year warranty. However, aside from its fast refresh rate, it doesn't impress with its technology. So don't be surprised if you're looking for an upgrade about three years later.

Should I buy it?

Yes. If you're just looking for a fast gaming monitor on a budget with no needs other than gaming, the G27c-10 won't disappoint.

Editor's recommendations




12 Sep
Blog

Acer XZ272U Review: Perfect Mainstream Gaming Monitor

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"Acer's XZ272U gaming monitor strikes a great balance between price and performance."

  • Excellent gaming performance

  • Good contrast

  • Surprisingly accurate in color

  • Curved, but not too much

  • competitive prices

  • Lack of processing quality

  • Easy lubrication with time lapse

  • Inconspicuous color scale

I'm someone who usually dives into the high-end segment, and Acer caught my attention when they announced a 27-inch curved gaming monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate. Not because of its spec sheet, but because of its price: could the Nitro XZ272U, with an MSRP of $ 330 but often selling around the $ 300 mark, be worthy of our list of the best gaming monitors?

That's not a lot of money in the world of gaming monitors, and while it's not exactly pocket money either, Acer's numbers promise a solid gaming experience. So we're going to find out how well it works.

There's always a catch with specs like this at this price point. But with this nitro gaming monitor, there's nothing like a deal breaker here – as long as you know what you're signing up for.

design

Starting with the design of the monitor, when you unpack the Acer XZ272U, you will be pleasantly surprised. The monitor isn't heavy and clearly built to a cheaper standard, but Acer scores a ton of brownie points with the display stand.

It has a simple round, swiveling base on which you attach a red, anodized aluminum neck that has height and tilt adjustments, giving you complete range of motion.

There are some red accents on the back of the monitor, but there are no sticky design elements on the front other than the subtle red accents on the stand. If you ask me, these are among the better looking gaming monitors you can buy for this budget, and it won't look out of place on the family computer either.

The curve is rated 1500R, and this is what it looks like: it's subtle, but it helps you get a little more immersed into the game without overdoing it so that it's just gaming-appropriate.

If you want to use it for both gaming and work, this is a great dual purpose monitor.

Connections and controls

If you need a display with tons of ports, the back of the Acer XZ272U isn't as covered as Dell's 27-inch USB-C monitor, although you've probably seen it already. You'll want to use the monitor's DisplayPort input, but it also has two HDMI inputs, a headphone output, and a power connector – and that's it. There is neither USB-C nor a USB hub or other fancy extras here, but at this price they are not to be expected anyway.

The OSD is also incredibly simple, but it has everything you need. Operation is via a direction node in the lower right corner of the display, which first calls up a quick menu with brightness, input and color modes. If you go to the full menu, you will find a section titled "Image" where you can adjust the settings for Brightness, Contrast, HDR and Sharpness. The Color submenu provides more precise adjustments to get the right colors, including gamma and temperature controls.

There is also a game submenu where you can enable FreeSync, set overdrive mode, access an update rate counter, and enable a virtual target point.

One thing to keep in mind with the OSD is that it can be very slow to respond to input and the Directional node is not particularly inviting to use. It's shaky, dirty, and provides buttery feedback at best as you go through the motions. However, it is unlikely that you will spend much time in the OSD. Hence, it's likely that this doesn't really matter anyway.

picture quality

Acer has equipped the XZ272U with a QHD VA panel, which means that it has a resolution of 2560 x 1440. Thanks to VA technology, the static contrast ratio is given as 3000: 1. Acer does not provide any numbers for color coverage. So let's see how the display fares in our tests.

Our sample achieved 95% coverage of standard sRGB storage space and 72% of AdobeRGB. These are not spectacular numbers, but if all you have chances is it doesn't matter to you anyway. Of course, if you're looking for a monitor that's good for gaming and color-critical work, you'll want to look elsewhere, but then you'll also need a bigger budget. In terms of color accuracy, however, Acer seems to be doing something right, with the XZ272U reporting a Delta-E of 1.23. It may not have a wide gamut of color, but it accurately reproduces what it can display.

The XZ272U also failed to meet the promised contrast values, although only a few VA monitors ever achieve the promised 3000: 1. In this regard, the XZ272U actually did quite well, achieving a contrast of 1870: 1 at 100% brightness and 2000: 1 at 75% brightness, which we don't have to write down often.

The XZ272U did quite well, achieving a contrast of 2000: 1 at 75% brightness

However, the display doesn't get very bright. Our highest brightness is 287.5 nits. The full brightness may be a bit disappointing in brightly lit rooms, but if you play in a dark room at night I found the 75% brightness display to be the most comfortable where it happens to have the best contrast ratio.

After calibrating, I managed to get 1 percent more AdobeRGB coverage out of the display, but the accuracy was actually a little worse with a Delta-E of 1.27 instead of 1.23. So it can be said with certainty that the calibration of the XZ272U brings at least little benefit in the case of our sample.

When it comes to HDR performance, the Acer XZ272U has a DisplayHDR 400 certificate, which doesn't really mean a lot. There is no form of local dimming, and since DisplayHDR 400 is the lowest level of certification I would see it this way: The Acer XZ272U can interpret HDR signals, but it doesn't give you a true HDR experience.

In summary, it can be said that the panel does not have the most sparkling colors, but is sharp, deep black, consistent and surprisingly accurate in the colors displayed.

Gaming performance

When it comes to gaming, Acer touts a refresh rate of 165 Hz and response times of 4 ms, which means a solid gaming experience, but nothing earth-shaking. The standard for gaming displays these days is 144 Hz, so Acer jumps over it by a hair. However, we are entering a time when 240 Hz displays are emerging, and a handful of manufacturers have just launched 360 Hz displays alongside the launch of the Nvidia RTX 3000, though the vast majority of gamers will benefit from nothing above 144 Hz will be anyway.

VA panels deliver vivid colors and deep blacks

My experience is reflected in it. The 165Hz refresh rate was a dream to play with, be it slow single player titles or nervous multiplayer games like Destiny 2. The QHD resolution isn't overly demanding for your system. So if you have an up-to-date graphics card and want to cut the settings down, it is very doable to get smooth frame rates without spending a lot of money. FreeSync works as it should without stuttering, tearing, or flickering. The latter can often occur on VA panel monitors.

The XZ272U does not have a real G-Sync module, but it does support G-Sync via the Adaptive-Sync standard. While it doesn't appear on Nvidia's list of supported G-Sync monitors (yet), the technology works all well.

As mentioned earlier, this monitor has a VA panel that we find a catch on: VA smear. As much as VA panels deliver vivid colors and deep blacks, smearing is a common phenomenon with VA monitors as the color is sometimes slow to change. Visible smearing occurs on fast-moving objects, especially when changing from light to dark colors.

For example, if you move your mouse across the screen on a dark background, it will leave a short trail – or in games, if you turn around quickly, it will present itself as a kind of slight motion blur. It's a very soft blur because the refresh rate is high, but still a blur.

However, it is not something that you should immediately take at face value and pass this monitor on. Smudging is minimal and unless you are very competitive in your games, it is unlikely to be bothered, if you even notice it. You can see the effect in the Blurbusters test above. The upper alien moved at 165 Hz, the middle one with half and the lower one with half. Of course, the top alien produced the smoothest image, but you can see the light is dying out and the image was certainly not as sharp as the Samsung G7's.

A monitor like the Samsung G7 (either its 27-inch or 32-inch variant) offers crisp moving images with less smudging, but you'll have to more than double your budget to get your hands on one of these, which is easy is not the case. For most people, it's not worth it.

After all, the strength of the VA panel lies in the color rendering and contrast ratio, and the deep black and the somewhat vivid colors make games very entertaining.

Our opinion

If you're looking for a gaming monitor that will likely meet most of your needs, the Acer XZ272U is worth considering. It may not be the absolute fastest on the market, but it's fast enough for the vast majority of gamers, and at $ 300 it's easy to forgive the monitor's shortcomings, largely due to cheaper build quality and a visible light due to smudging (if you can even see it), a nondescript suite of ports, and a slow user interface.

But you won't be spending a lot of time in the UI anyway. With its 1500R curve, the XZ272U is suitable for both games and office work. So, if you need a dual-purpose monitor for games and writing papers, this is the one for you.

Are there alternatives?

Absolutely, the $ 300 gaming monitor segment doesn't lack competition. The Gigabyte G27Q has an IPS panel with greater color coverage, but you'll sacrifice the curve and deep black. For little extra money, you can get the same Acer monitor, but in a 32-inch format for more immersion. If you want to spend a little less, you can consider Asus' TUF Gaming VG27VH1B as it has a lower resolution and will therefore also be less demanding on your graphics card. Similarly, Acer also sells the 27-inch Predator Z1, which is available at a similar price but drops the resolution to Full HD and has a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Currently it is also a 4 year old model.

If you double your budget, you can get the 1000R Curved G7 from Samsung. However, despite its unmatched performance in games, this monitor has shortcomings that can make you feel salty when you spend as much as it costs.

Overall, I feel that Acer's XZ272U strikes a balance between price and performance that is likely to please the largest audience.

How long it will take?

Unless you get a lemon, we expect the Acer XZ272U to last as long as any monitor today should: at least five years, and Acer protects your purchase for a three-year warranty.

Should I buy it?

Yes. If you need a monitor for gaming and general office work, the Acer XZ272U is likely to keep you happy for years.

Editor's recommendations




29 Aug
Blog

Samsung Odyssey G7 Monitor Review: Incredible Immersion

Samsung Odyssey G7 review dsc01546

"Samsung's Odyssey G7 should be the ultimate gaming monitor, but the flickering problem with G-Sync is holding it back."

  • Excellent color rendering

  • Beautiful design

  • Great curve for immersing yourself in games

  • Fast refresh rate of 240 Hz

  • Defective adaptive synchronization

  • Low static contrast performance

  • Curve off-center

Curved gaming monitors are not a gimmick. These wraparound screens offer a fun way to immerse yourself in game worlds without the need for clumsy VR headsets.

The new Odyssey G7 from Samsung extends the technology even further. For the first time, the screen curve, now 1000R, finally matches the curvature of the human eye. It is true immersion in games at its best.

I looked at the 32-inch version of the Odyssey G7 monitor, which has a native resolution of 1440p and a refresh rate of 240 Hz. It's certainly a one-of-a-kind gaming monitor, but with a widespread G-Sync flicker problem and $ 800 price tag, the Odyssey G7 has a lot to prove. Is the Samsung Odyssey G7 worth a spot on your desk?

design

When it comes to design, Samsung has done an admirable job. The first thing you need to do when unpacking the monitor is to attach the triangle base to the neck of the stand. Then insert the top of the neck into the back of the monitor, attach four screws, and lift the entire assembly out of the packaging. You will then be greeted with an absolute giant of an ad.

While 32-inch monitors are initially large, the 32-inch G7 from Samsung sets new standards. The stand is huge and the curve seriously brings the ends of the monitor far forward. Pushed all the way back on our desk, the sides of the panel protrude about a full foot forward so you really want to make sure you have plenty of room for the G7.

The intense curve of the G7 makes it a real centerpiece on your desk.

If you do, you will be pampered. The intense curve is a wonderful eye-catcher, and with the display so far forward it becomes a real centerpiece. The stand itself may be large, but it uses long, slender legs to give it a spacious feel and to leave plenty of room. The stand also has tilt and height adjustments. It can even turn into a portrait, though I can't think of any reason why anyone would want to do this.

The curve in our example was a bit uneven, with the sharpest point being a little off-center on the left. However, when you are immersed in a game, you forget about everything.

Cables can be run through the inside of the stand to keep things tidy. A headphone hook keeps your cans off your desk when you're not playing.

On the back of the display is Samsung's Infinity Core lighting that extends to the lower corners on the front. This doesn't really add much to the display, but it's implemented in a somewhat subtle way so it's not a problem – the front lighting elements aren't really visible from most seating positions.

Connections and controls

The connectivity of the G7 is minimal, but in a good way. It has two DisplayPort inputs and an HDMI connection as well as an integrated USB 3.0 hub with two connections. Power is supplied by a large power supply module that you want to hide somewhere under your desk.

Your only control mechanism is a directional button at the bottom of the display. Click it once to bring up the first selection screen, where you can choose between input source, picture-in-picture mode, and main menu.

In the main menu, the two most interesting submenus are the game menu and the picture menu. The game menu offers settings for the refresh rate, the black equalizer, the response time, the adaptive synchronization and the low input delay. You'll want to make sure you're set to 240Hz, and you can easily set the Response Time setting to "faster" with little entry delay as these settings don't seem to go beyond the control panel.

The black equalizer is set to 13 at the factory, which you might want to lower to around 10 for more accurate performance. By the age of 13, dark elements turn black a little too early, which gives a deeper picture but puts you at a competitive disadvantage in gaming as you cannot see details in the dark.

The Picture menu provides settings for managing colors, including settings for brightness, contrast, sharpness, and color adjustments.

picture quality

The panel used by Samsung is of the VA type and has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. This is a bit low for a 32-inch panel, but not a problem when gaming as higher frame rates are possible. In my tests, the color reproduction was also good, covering 100% of the sRGB storage space, 85% of the AdobeRGB storage space and 90% of the DCI-P3 storage space.

With support for 1.07 billion colors and a tested Delta-E (color deviation from real) of 1.25, this panel offers surprisingly good performance in terms of color space and accuracy. Note, however, that I only measured the center of the screen. There is a noticeable color shift at the edges, probably due to the curve that the VA panel bends to its limits.

I tested the maximum brightness of the display without HDR and recorded a number of 392 nits. This is above the typical brightness of 350 nits specified by Samsung, but is sufficient for brightly lit rooms.

Calibrating the display resulted in better colors but less brightness.

Where the monitor suffers a disappointment is the contrast performance. Samsung claims a static contrast ratio of 2500: 1, which is lower than the 3000: 1 VA panels normally produce. This is likely because it is bent to within an inch of its life, so I can forgive that. However, the example I have available doesn't provide a contrast ratio close to the Samsung numbers, with the highest number recorded ending up at 1480: 1 when dynamic brightness is turned off. These are very low values ​​for a VA panel, although it would appear that these numbers vary significantly from sample to sample.

Calibrating the display resulted in a slightly better color reproduction with a Delta-E of 1.09, but that decreased slightly from peak brightness to 370 nits, and the peak contrast ratio dropped to 1330: 1 – almost half what Samsung is promising.

The G7 also supports DisplayHDR 600, which means it should achieve a peak brightness of up to 600 nits. However, this only happens when the rest of the display is dark. With just eight vertical lighting zones, HDR performance is modest at best. It is best to leave it deactivated.

Overall, the image quality of the G7 can be rated as quite good, especially when you consider that it is a gaming monitor with a panel curved to 1000R.

Sacrifice practicality for game skills

I use a 32-inch 4K monitor as my own daily driver, so you can imagine the step from this to QHD with the same panel size being quite a success. I tried switching from the 32-inch Samsung G7 in my main work setup but to no avail. While the color reproduction is impressively good, especially for a gaming monitor, the resolution isn't high enough to work on, especially considering the distance the monitor is due to its large base. The curve also causes distortion which makes photo editing confusing.

While the Samsung G7 falls short when it comes to productivity tasks, the display changes to its original element as soon as you start a game. This is where the lower QHD resolution becomes an advantage as driving is much easier than 4K and high frame rates are provided for this monitor. I equipped the display with an RTX 2070 super graphics card, with which the frame rates in competitive games could be increased significantly to 150 frames per second (fps) and higher. And yes, that makes you a better player.

I don't know how Samsung did it, but the VA panel continues to deliver sharp, smudge-free images even at higher frame rates and extremely fast movements on the screen, making it very easy to track fast-moving subjects from competitive shooters. In Destiny 2, I was suddenly able to track fast-moving subjects with a sniper rifle and successfully land headshots at moving targets over and over again – which I couldn't reproduce on my 60 Hz 4K monitor.

Start the BLJR Busters UFO test and see three UFOs flying across your screen, one at 240 Hz (top), one at 120 Hz (center), and one at 60 Hz (bottom). The 60 Hz alien always runs a few pixels behind the 120 fps and 240 fps aliens. The 120 and 240 Hz aliens are practically neck to neck for on-screen position, but where the 120 Hz UFO is slightly blurry in its rapid movement, the 240 Hz alien is crystal clear.

The image provided is from a video taken with the camera to track the aliens, which makes a pretty good impression – but I couldn't capture how dramatic the difference is with my camera. The 240Hz alien is so crystal clear at high speed that you wonder why anyone would care about a 120Hz display.

The G7's 1000R curve makes games incredibly impressive.

I also launched Horizon Zero Dawn which recently launched on PC. At the highest settings, my PC only pushed around 70 fps into the G7, but the game ran incredibly smoothly and the curve just pulled me in and held me in place. The G7's 1000R curve might not work for productivity, but it makes gaming oh so impressive.

The deep black of the VA panel as well as the vivid colors and high brightness draw you further into the game. If you want to perform well in competitive games, then you should only look at the 27-inch version. However, this 32-inch panel is great for balancing the power of competitive gaming with the immersion in slow single-player gaming, story-driven games.

Address of the elephant in the room: G-Sync Flicker

As many people report on the internet, the G-Sync flicker problem also occurs. The Samsung G7 is technically not a true G-Sync monitor. Instead of using a G-Sync module developed by Nvidia, it is based on the adaptive synchronization protocol implemented in the VESA DisplayPort 1.4 standard.

This is not a problem in and of itself as many displays work well this way. But not the G7. Turn on adaptive sync. While you usually won't notice any problems using the desktop, problems do arise as soon as you start a game.

You'll notice the black flicker in game menus and loading screens the most. It's also present when playing games at high frame rates, although it does so at lower frame rates too. On my panel, it was worst on the left and right edges of the screen, like a black vignette that keeps popping up.

This made adaptive synchronization unusable. Despite everything the G7 does to immerse you in the game, the flickering was so intense with adaptive sync enabled that it felt like I had a twitch in my eye. I searched the internet for a solution ranging from new cables to various settings to a firmware update, but nothing solved the problem. I also tested two 27-inch G7s, both of which had the problem, albeit to a lesser extent. It is best known and known as a known problem with this 32-inch sample.

The only solution for crack-free gameplay was to turn off adaptive sync and enable V-sync instead. Usually this is a sub-optimal solution as it may fix the tearing. However, stuttering and input lag become an issue as the display cannot adjust the screen refresh rate to match your frame timings.

When adaptive sync is enabled, the monitor waits for the GPU to shift a frame out, then immediately updates it to display it, and waits for the next full frame. Without this option, the display is updated 240 times per second, regardless of whether a new frame is to be displayed or not. When V-Sync is disabled and the GPU is halfway through rendering a frame, the display will show that half the frame, causing quick responses, but with cracks visible. With V-Sync enabled, the PC waits for the entire frame to be rendered and the panel to reach an update interval, resulting in tear-free images but also a short delay.

Samsung should take responsibility for the G-Sync flicker issue.

The monitor can display up to 240 fps evenly spaced apart from one second, even when running at much lower frame rates, so the images are displayed at almost the exact speed that the GPU is pushing them out. The lag caused by V-Sync is much shorter compared to a 60Hz, 120Hz, or 144Hz monitor, even if your game is running at relatively low frame rates.

In some ways, the G7 is so fast that it doesn't need adaptive sync, and most people would barely notice the difference between V-sync and unbroken adaptive sync on a 240Hz monitor. But that doesn't change the facts: the 32-inch Samsung G7's adaptive sync is broken, and that's just not acceptable for a $ 800 gaming monitor when so many cheaper displays get it right. Given that price, I would love to see Samsung take responsibility for this issue and either come out with a solution, issue a recall, or remove G-Sync certification and lower the price.

Digital Trends has contacted Samsung for a comment and we will update this review as soon as we hear about it.

Our opinion

The 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 is an excellent gaming monitor with a curve that draws you into gaming like no other display. However, the problem with G-Sync flicker is hard to miss.

Classic V-Sync can still solve the problems. With a refresh rate of 240 Hz, you don't necessarily need G-Sync for smooth gameplay. However, it's a second-rate solution that is hard to accept when asked to pay $ 800 for a monitor. Until it is repaired, the Odyssey G7 remains faulty.

Are there alternatives?

If you want a 32-inch QHD monitor that is as fast as this one, with such a tight curve, with the deep black levels and vibrant colors that this VA panel offers, there isn't one.

The closest alternative is the Asus ROG Strix XG32VQ, but it's not that fast at only 144 Hz and doesn't have such a tight curve. Similarly, MSI's Optix MAG321CQR offers a monitor of the same size, resolution, but not as fast or curvy, despite being less than half the price.

How long it will take?

Samsung's monitors don't usually develop crazy problems, so I expect this to work for as long as you can expect from most monitors: at least five years. However, Samsung only gives a one-year warranty on the monitor, which is below the industry standard.

Monitor technology is also advancing rapidly, and I doubt it will be long before a competitor conjures up a product that performs similarly for less money. Combine that with the G-Sync issue, which likely can't be fixed and you can expect a sharp drop in value in your first year.

Should I buy it?

Not in its current state. The Odyssey G7's curve is still a great sight, but G-Sync's problematic implementation is a deal breaker.

There's one major caveat: if Samsung rolls out an update that fixes this issue, the Odyssey G7 will be back worth the $ 800 it costs.

Editor's recommendations




31 Jul
Blog

Dell 27 USB-C Monitor (P2720DC) Review: A Goldilocks Display

Dell 27 USB C Monitor p2720dc review dsc01060

"The Dell P2720DC offers a superbly balanced monitor that is perfect for docking laptops via USB-C."

  • Excellent balanced range of functions

  • Good picture quality

  • Power supply is supported via USB-C

  • Attractive design

As a monitor shopper you can sometimes feel like goldilocks in front of three bowls of porridge. 1080p is boring and 4K is too expensive. A 21-inch is too small to be worth it, and 32-inches is too big for your desk.

The Dell 27 USB-C monitor (model number P2720DC) tries to be the happy medium. It is a 1440p, 27-inch IPS display that wants to impress you with its balance more than with its data sheet. Professional photographers or gamers are not blown away. Instead, it wants to be the monitor that most people like.

At $ 360 (compared to the original price of $ 480), however, it has to prove something. Fortunately, it has a trick up its sleeve that keeps it competitive: USB-C docking with power and chaining. Is that enough to make this monitor the monitor most people should buy?

design

After unpacking, you'll be greeted with one of Dell's superb stands that screw into the rectangular base from below. Then lower the monitor and tilt it forward to snap onto the stand. From there, you have a monitor with a range of settings ranging from height, tilt, pan, and rotate to portrait, so it can be set exactly as you see fit.

I can't imagine an office where the Dell P2720DC would be out of place.

This extensive range of customizations is particularly useful for people who work from home to ensure that their ergonomic requirements are met, to work at their desks for hours, and for companies that adhere to strict ergonomic guidelines for their work areas have to.

Most displays have a kind of tilt function, and it is expected that height adjustments will also be made in this price range. However, Dell always goes the full mile and also adds a twist to the portrait, unless the display is of such a wide format that it won't be able to.

But it's the design that Dell often catches the eye. The display looks very professional, looks incredibly clean and all around and I can't imagine an office where it would look out of place.

Care has also been taken in the details. While in older monitors the cable management cutout in the neck was too low, which led to visible cables, the hole is higher in the latest displays from Dell, so that the cables are only visible when the display is in the highest position – a position that You will rarely use it in.

However, if you don't find the P2720DC fashionable enough, the Dell Ultrathin D2719DC may be just the thing for you. He has a slimmer profile.

Connections and controls

When it comes to connectivity, Dell has gone the extra mile with its P2720DC. As mentioned earlier, this display has USB-C docking, which is helpful in a number of situations.

The most notable thing is connecting laptops. The connector supports 65 watts of power, so it can send the video data from your laptop to the monitor while charging your laptop. This cable also handles data transfer between your laptop and the monitor's internal USB hub.

Here, however, I came across a blatant gap. When you look at the frame, you think the P2720DC has built-in speakers – but that's not the case. Dell reuses the frame from other displays for the P2720DC, but has no speakers built into it. Most competitors like Lenovo ThinkVision P27h-20 have speakers.

You can't get away with loudspeaker music in a large office, of course, but they can be helpful for quickly showing a video to a colleague without fumbling with earplugs, or worse, finding external speakers. Office managers may like it, but the lack of built-in speakers seems an inappropriate place to cut costs.

For the rare situation where you need it, you can use the built-in speakers of a connected laptop with the P2720DC.

When it comes to other connectivity, the display has an HDMI connector and two DisplayPort connectors. One of these two DisplayPorts is an input and the other is an output for connecting a second monitor using the DisplayPort daisy chain function, which also works with the USB-C connector.

The Dell P2720DC is best suited for modern laptops.

I found another gap: a USB-B port for upstream data. To use the display's internal USB hub, you must use the USB-C connection. This makes the display somewhat unsuitable for use with desktops, since USB-C ports are not yet widely used on desktops. Often, even if your desktop has one, you won't be able to view it, which will result in another cable.

If you want to use the hub with an older PC, you will also need to find the correct USB-A to USB-C cable as it is not included.

The buttons for the OSD (screen display) are located in the lower right corner of the monitor. This position makes them a little less ergonomically accessible than from the side, but it helps to place multiple displays side by side, which many buyers may do with the daisy chain function.

The OSD itself is easy to navigate and provides the basics for configuring the display, including brightness, contrast, and color options. It also has a handful of display modes, including Standard, Movie, Games, Comfort, and more.

picture quality

Although the P2720DC may not offer the longest color range or fancy factory calibrations, eyes won't be missing. According to Dell, the IPS panel offers 1.07 billion colors as well as extremely large viewing angles, a contrast ratio of 1000: 1 and a maximum brightness of 350 nits.

The resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels is also the sweet spot at 27 inches and offers a lot of screen space and sharpness. It is possible to jump to 4K at this price, but may need to affect the image quality of the IPS panel as well as some of the peculiarities of this monitor.

If you want to keep these features, you need to easily check if you have to invest an additional $ 200 in your budget for the 2020 27-inch 4K UltraSharp monitor from Dell, the Dell U2720Q.

Dell has also coated the display with an excellent anti-glare layer, which is vital in an office environment. I used the monitor in a room with a window glowing directly on it and lights from everywhere, but the picture still looked vivid and I didn't need the highest brightness setting. Of course, I wouldn't recommend editing photos in such an environment, but the display was more than for office work, which is exactly the goal.

Subjectively, Dell built a wonderful monitor, but how does it work when I throw our Datacolor Spyder X Elite on it?

Long story short, surprisingly good. I measured a peak brightness of 395 nits, which is even higher than what the data sheet promises, and the best contrast ratio also occurs at peak brightness with a maximum of 1,090: 1. The color space coverage corresponds to the data sheet with 100% of the sRGB space, but decreases in AdobeRGB with 78%. The color accuracy was achieved with an average Delta-E (difference to real) of 2.08, which is not bad for a non-calibrated monitor. It's not as accurate as the Acer ConceptD CM2, but it's not a problem.

Professional editors may want to jump to a 4K display with a larger color space.

Against this background, the calibration of the monitor itself has brought no major changes. The brightness, contrast and color gamut remained the same, except that I pushed an additional percent more AdobeRGB color gamut out of the display. I managed to improve the color accuracy to an average Delta-E of 1.3.

To put this into context, a professionally calibrated monitor has a Delta-E of less than 2, so that after calibration, the P2720DC is technically accurate enough for professional machining work. However, professional editors probably want to switch to a 4K display with a wider screen color space for the AdobeRGB area.

However, for those who are not ready to invest in a colorimeter, the pre-calibration results of the Dell P2720DC are good enough for small daily changes of a non-professional caliber.

Our opinion

The P2720DC from Dell is a monitor that promises too little and delivers too much. If you're a laptop user who needs one or more displays, the P2720DC offers the flexibility in connectivity you could want, and the USB-C docking function for a cable makes switching between home and child's play child's play.

The lack of built-in speakers can put some people off, and the lack of a non-Type-C upstream USB port for the internal USB hub makes the display somewhat inconvenient for use with desktops. The P2720DC makes up for this with a professional appearance and an IPS panel that provides a pleasant and uniform picture. The excellent anti-glare coating is just a cherry on the top and is ideal for use in well-lit office environments.

Are there alternatives?

Dell competes in a crowded room with the P2720DC, so there are certainly alternatives. A small handful are the ViewSonic VX2785-2K, the Lenovo ThinkVision P27h-20 and, if you don't need a USB-C, last year's UltraSharp 27-inch QHD monitor from Dell, the U2719D, which costs about the same but smaller is steady rests and a factory calibration.

HP also has a competitor with almost identical specifications and prices, the HP Z27n, which only supports a power of 15 watts.

How long it will take?

Dell grants a 3-year warranty on the P2720DC for the exchange service. This means that a new one will be delivered to your office or home before the old one is picked up – and in my experience, this can be done very quickly.

Outside of the warranty period, you shouldn't have to worry either. The P2720DC has LED backlighting that is usually not prone to failure, and there is no complexity that increases the likelihood of failure. Therefore, the P2720DC should last at least as long as a monitor: five years.

Should I buy it?

Yes. If you are looking for a home office monitor with excellent image quality and excellent laptop connectivity, the Dell P2720DC is the one for you.

Editor's recommendations




14 Jun
Blog

Keys to Monitor An Athlete’s Workload

Effective training plans are based on levels of complex planning, preparation, and implementation. Simply throwing a template program on a group of athletes and hoping that they will magically improve after eight weeks is not enough. Trainers need to take the time to assess what is happening along the way and to make the necessary changes as they see fit.

Anyone can be the artist of a program that smokes their athletes. But the best coaches act as a guide to steer the program in the right direction and offer the optimal appeal. Surveillance techniques are undoubtedly essential for a high-level sports performance program.

Why we monitor

To understand why it is important to monitor your athletes and their training, it is helpful to ask yourself what would happen if you did not watch. No monitoring means no understanding of how athletes react to the training from an analytical perspective.

Some coaches believe that they can use their coaching eye and assume what's going on with their athletes. Monitoring is therefore seen as a waste of time. Although I believe it is important to use some intuition and deep understanding of your athletes, planning your programming using perception techniques is a recipe for disaster.

Monitoring enables us to assess stress responses to individual training sessions or a series of sessions (more on that later). We also receive information that can help make decisions and control the training process. We can get an idea of ​​how hard an athlete works, what his recovery looks like, and even his potential risk of injury

Key to monitoring an athlete's workload - fitness, fitness, recreation, pace training, programming, optimal performance training, game day, training programs, customer evaluation, coaching process, sports injuries, heart rate variability

Monitoring not only leads to training and provides information about our athletes, but also validates the approaches and methods we use. By testing and monitoring performance, we can determine if our programming is working and achieve a positive performance gain.

In addition to the performance on the match day, this is one of the few ways in which we as performance specialists, sports coaches, sports directors and athletes alike can validate themselves in order to keep a job. It's a competitive environment, and if you can't prove you are getting better, many just assume you are getting worse.

What to monitor

It goes without saying that more is not always better when it comes to monitoring.

One should not only collect data for the purpose, without the intention to use this data. Monitoring must improve the effectiveness of the training, make logical sense, and provide reliable information about the specifics of the athlete's training. It must be specific to the age, gender, sporting event, age of training, level of performance and injury status of the athlete. It must also be easy to present to coaches and athletes. 2

There is simply not enough time to collect data as this can be very distracting and can cost valuable training time if used inappropriately. Implementing the least amount of monitoring for the maximum results is paramount.

Monitoring athletes' training and performance can basically be divided into two categories:

  1. Internal load
  2. External load

The internal stress represents the athlete's physiological and psychological responses to the physical stimulus, while the external stress is simply the training stimulus applied It is important to note that the training load goes far beyond the sets and repetitions that we prescribe in the weight room. It includes all of the athlete's training units, from sports exercises to competitions and conditioning sessions.

Within the training load paradigm, we have a dose-response relationship that can be classified under:

  • Acute Training Effects – Acute training effects can be designed as immediate or immediate effects such as an increase in heart rate during a sprint.
  • Immediate training effects – Immediate training effects occur in a single training session, e.g. B. A change in the ratio of testosterone to cortisol after exercise.
  • Cumulative Training Effects – After all, cumulative training effects are the physiological or motor / technical responses that you get from a series of training sessions or a training plan.

It is important to understand what each piece is and what it contains, as they all help create an effective athlete monitoring program.

How to monitor

Once you understand the various aspects of athlete monitoring, you can start collecting data. As mentioned before It is important to collect information about both the internal and external training load.

If we do this, we can determine the impact of our external training load on the internal training load of our athletes.

External training load

There are dozens of variables that we can monitor when we look at the external training load. For example, we can track the number:

The key is choosing the right variables for tracking the athlete you are working with.3

A soccer player can benefit from GPS monitoring that tracks the distance traveled and the total number of accelerations during a game, which would be rather useless for a competitive weight lifter. Having an idea of ​​the global training stimulus is key, but when it comes to the weight room, we can certainly be a little more specific.

One of the keys to building a successful strength training program is tracking the volume load that occurs. The most basic form for this is:

The sets x Reps x Load = Volume Load

There are several equations that deal more precisely with a percentage of the repetition maximum. However, the real key is to consistently use an equation and use it across all strength training sessions to keep track of the total work done. With this method, coaches can correlate the workload of their athletes with the overall goal of the training week or month.

It's easy to understand why blindly prescribing repetitions and sentences is a recipe for disaster, since a targeted amount of work consistently drives adaptation. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, but it vibrates, allowing athletes to train, accumulate fatigue, relax, and repeat.

Internal training load

Similar to the external training load, there are a variety of variables that can be measured to capture details of the internal training load. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate reserve (HRV) are two extremely common methods because they are easy to measure, Negative blood lactate and hormone responses can be a little more difficult to assemble.

The internal training load paints a nice picture of how an athlete reacts to the training and how it can be restored. We can generally assume that the higher the heart rate during aerobic exercise, the harder they work. Similarly, HRV has been popularized as a method of determining readiness for training and recovery.

While I'm a fan of tracking internal load measurements, when appropriate, A big problem arises when we try to apply a method across multiple training modalities. Using heart rate as a measure of work and fatigue during a speed run may be an excellent choice, but a heavy squat with short, intermittent work spurts is very different.

One method that has been popularized and used to combat this problem is the perceived effort session rate or sRPE. With sRPE, athletes can rate a session on a scale of 1 to 10 levels of difficulty. This way we can go back and multiply it by the duration of the session and derive a score. For example, if an athlete:

  • With a 30-minute conditioning session at an RPE of 5, they would have a training load of 150 arbitrary units (AU).
  • Then if they had a 60 minute weight session later that day and rated it as an RPE of 8, it would result in a training load of 480 (AU).
  • If you add them up, it shows that the training load for this day was 630 (AU).

This method is very helpful because it synchronizes several training methods and makes them somewhat compatible in terms of our understanding of the impact on the athlete. For example, we can look at the relationship between acute and chronic workload and see how they respond to the intended training stimulus.

While using this method on some of my athletes, I am the first to admit that it has some shortcomings. It is somewhat subjective in nature and some athletes do not have enough experience to accurately assess the difficulty of their sessions.

Different personality types rate sessions differently depending on the attitude and motivation of a particular athlete. While not perfect, it certainly offers an alternative way to track your internal training load.

Wrap up

We know that training is a revolving door of many variables, some of which we can control and some of which we cannot. It is important to have a solid understanding of how a training plan can not only be implemented but also tracked and changed over time.

Implementing monitoring in your athlete programs ensures that you are directing things in the right direction and making changes as necessary. Just remember to keep track of what's needed and get rid of what's not needed. Use monitoring as a means to improve your programming without affecting it.

References

1. Haff, G.G. "Quantifying the workload in strength training: a brief review." Professional strength and condition 10th autumn (2010): 31–40. Network.

2. Robertson, S. "Red, Amber, or Green? Monitoring Athletes in Team Sports: The Need for Decision Support Systems." International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 12 (2017): 73–79. Network.

3. McGuigan, M. "Monitoring Training and Performance in Athletes." Human kinetics. 2017.

13 Jun
Blog

Keys to Monitor An Athlete’s Workload

Effective training plans are based on levels of complex planning, preparation, and implementation. Simply throwing a template program on a group of athletes and hoping that they will magically improve after eight weeks is not enough. Trainers need to take the time to assess what is happening along the way and to make the necessary changes as they see fit.

Anyone can be the artist of a program that smokes their athletes. But the best coaches act as a guide to steer the program in the right direction and offer the optimal appeal. Surveillance techniques are undoubtedly essential for a high-level sports performance program.

Why do we monitor?

To understand why it is important to monitor your athletes and their training, it is helpful to ask yourself what would happen if you did not watch. No monitoring means no understanding of how athletes react to the training from an analytical perspective.

Some coaches believe that they can use their coaching eye and assume what's going on with their athletes. Monitoring is therefore seen as a waste of time. Although I believe it is important to use some intuition and deep understanding of your athletes, planning your programming using perception techniques is a recipe for disaster.

Monitoring enables us to assess stress responses to individual training sessions or a series of sessions (more on that later). We also receive information that can help make decisions and control the training process. We can get an idea of ​​how hard an athlete works, what his recovery looks like, and even his potential risk of injury

Key to monitoring an athlete's workload - fitness, fitness, recreation, pace training, programming, optimal performance training, game day, training programs, customer evaluation, coaching process, sports injuries, heart rate variability

Monitoring not only leads to training and provides information about our athletes, but also validates the approaches and methods we use. By testing and monitoring performance, we can determine if our programming is working and achieve a positive performance gain.

In addition to the performance on the match day, this is one of the few ways in which we as performance specialists, sports coaches, sports directors and athletes alike can validate themselves in order to keep a job. It's a competitive environment, and if you can't prove you are getting better, many just assume you are getting worse.

What to monitor

It goes without saying that more is not always better when it comes to monitoring.

One should not only collect data for the purpose, without the intention to use this data. Monitoring must improve the effectiveness of the training, make logical sense, and provide reliable information about the specifics of the athlete's training. It must be specific to the age, gender, sporting event, age of training, level of performance and injury status of the athlete. It must also be easy to present to coaches and athletes. 2

There is simply not enough time to collect data as this can be very distracting and can cost valuable training time if used inappropriately. Implementing the least amount of monitoring for the maximum results is paramount.

Monitoring athletes' training and performance can basically be divided into two categories:

  1. Internal load
  2. External load

The internal stress represents the athlete's physiological and psychological responses to the physical stimulus, while the external stress is simply the training stimulus applied It is important to note that the training load goes far beyond the sets and repetitions that we prescribe in the weight room. It includes all of the athlete's training units, from sports exercises to competitions and conditioning sessions.

Within the training load paradigm, we have a dose-response relationship that can be classified under:

  • Acute Training Effects – Acute training effects can be designed as immediate or immediate effects such as an increase in heart rate during a sprint.
  • Immediate training effects – Immediate training effects occur in a single training session, e.g. B. A change in the ratio of testosterone to cortisol after exercise.
  • Cumulative Training Effects – After all, cumulative training effects are the physiological or motor / technical responses that you get from a series of training sessions or a training plan.

It is important to understand what each piece is and what it contains, as they all help create an effective athlete monitoring program.

How to monitor

Once you understand the various aspects of athlete monitoring, you can start collecting data. As mentioned before It is important to collect information about both the internal and external training load.

If we do this, we can determine the impact of our external training load on the internal training load of our athletes.

External training load

There are dozens of variables that we can monitor when we look at the external training load. For example, we can track the number:

The key is choosing the right variables for tracking the athlete you are working with.3

A soccer player can benefit from GPS monitoring that tracks the distance traveled and the total number of accelerations during a game, which would be rather useless for a competitive weight lifter. Having an idea of ​​the global training stimulus is key, but when it comes to the weight room, we can certainly be a little more specific.

One of the keys to building a successful strength training program is tracking the volume load that occurs. The most basic form for this is:

The sets x Reps x Load = Volume Load

There are several equations that deal more precisely with a percentage of the repetition maximum. However, the real key is to consistently use an equation and use it across all strength training sessions to keep track of the total work done. With this method, coaches can correlate the workload of their athletes with the overall goal of the training week or month.

It's easy to understand why blindly prescribing repetitions and sentences is a recipe for disaster, since a targeted amount of work consistently drives adaptation. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, but it vibrates, allowing athletes to train, accumulate fatigue, relax, and repeat.

Internal training load

Similar to the external training load, there are a variety of variables that can be measured to capture details of the internal training load. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate reserve (HRV) are two extremely common methods because they are easy to measure, Negative blood lactate and hormone responses can be a little more difficult to assemble.

The internal training load paints a nice picture of how an athlete reacts to the training and how it can be restored. We can generally assume that the higher the heart rate during aerobic exercise, the harder they work. Similarly, HRV has been popularized as a method of determining readiness for training and recovery.

While I'm a fan of tracking internal load measurements, when appropriate, A big problem arises when we try to apply a method across multiple training modalities. Using heart rate as a measure of work and fatigue during a speed run may be an excellent choice, but a heavy squat with short, intermittent work spurts is very different.

One method that has been popularized and used to combat this problem is the perceived effort session rate or sRPE. With sRPE, athletes can rate a session on a scale of 1 to 10 levels of difficulty. This way we can go back and multiply it by the duration of the session and derive a score. For example, if an athlete:

  • With a 30-minute conditioning session at an RPE of 5, they would have a training load of 150 arbitrary units (AU).
  • Then if they had a 60 minute weight session later that day and rated it as an RPE of 8, it would result in a training load of 480 (AU).
  • If you add them up, it shows that the training load for this day was 630 (AU).

This method is very helpful because it synchronizes several training methods and makes them somewhat compatible in terms of our understanding of the impact on the athlete. For example, we can look at the relationship between acute and chronic workload and see how they respond to the intended training stimulus.

While using this method on some of my athletes, I am the first to admit that it has some shortcomings. It is somewhat subjective in nature and some athletes do not have enough experience to accurately assess the difficulty of their sessions.

Different personality types rate sessions differently depending on the attitude and motivation of a particular athlete. While not perfect, it certainly offers an alternative way to track your internal training load.

Wrap up

We know that training is a revolving door of many variables, some of which we can control and some of which we cannot. It is important to have a solid understanding of how a training plan can not only be implemented but also tracked and changed over time.

Implementing monitoring in your athlete programs ensures that you are directing things in the right direction and making changes as necessary. Just remember to keep track of what's needed and get rid of what's not needed. Use monitoring as a means to improve your programming without affecting it.

References:

1. Haff, G.G. "Quantifying the workload in strength training: a brief review." Professional strength and condition 10th autumn (2010): 31–40. Network.

2. Robertson, S. "Red, Amber, or Green? Monitoring Athletes in Team Sports: The Need for Decision Support Systems." International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 12 (2017): 73–79. Network.

3. McGuigan, M. "Monitoring Training and Performance in Athletes." Human kinetics. 2017.