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Posted 20 hours ago

BenQ Zowie XL2566K 24.5 Fast TN in 360Hz Gaming Monitor, Motion Clarity DyAc⁺, 1080p, XL Setting to Share, Custom Quick Menu, S Switch, Shield, Smaller Base, Adjustable Height & Tilt, Black

£314.995£629.99Clearance
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About this deal

BenQ has optimized this product primarily for speed. We're examining a 24.5-inch 1080p 360Hz gaming monitor utilizing TN LCD technology. Yes, we're talking about TN tech, not IPS or VA. Some critics have labeled TN a defunct technology, but panel manufacturers and display OEMs like BenQ maintain it's still the fastest available and optimal for hardcore competitive multiplayer gaming. The amalgamation of 360Hz and TN is expected to deliver unparalleled motion clarity.

This is what settings like Overdrive adjust – BenQ calls it Advanced Motion Acceleration (AMA). But, if you apply too-little or too-much charge you can get ghosting (smeary ghost images trailing on-screen objects) or inverse ghosting and overshoot (blur that leads on-screen objects and edges that continue to move after an object has stopped), or both. I sadly don’t have the video equipment to show you any convincing footage of the XL2566K compared to other 360Hz monitors, but I did spend a great deal of time comparing it to IPS monitors and there’s no denying that the XL2566K is smoother. This wasn’t only evident when looking at the panels in ‘laboratory-like’ conditions (such as the UFO test, or viewing slow motion footage of the panels) but also when playing games. The bells and whistles are nice to have, but this monitor is defined by its panel speed and almost everything else is irrelevant. If you like your games looking fast, smooth cinematic and immersive, don’t buy this. However, if the BenQ Zowie XL2566K represents a professional tool that will improve your top-level competitiveness, its compromises (and very high price) will be irrelevant. BenQ Zowie XL2566K: Price and release date In practice you can see the impact of these slower changes from light to dark shades for the 360Hz IPS panel on the pursuit camera images, where you get some pale smearing on the moving UFO. In contrast, on the BenQ the outline of the UFO was much sharper and clearer and you don’t get this pale smearing. That’s the main visual difference in practice between the two screens, and something that older G2G measurements alone cannot reflect fully. Firstly the resolution is of course low by modern standards at only 1920 x 1080. This is well established and appropriate for a screen of this size (24.5″) but leaves you with a much smaller area to work with than common 1440p, 4K or similar resolutions. It also leaves you with a larger text size than 27″ 1440p or other common screen sizes like 34″UW 1440p for instance. The text size is perfectly adequate for a smaller screen size like this, but you lose a bit of the sharpness and pixel density if you’re used to those other options. Anything higher on a screen this small would be impractical without introducing the need for software scaling, so 1080p is fine.If you do have a PC that can run your game(s) of choice at 360 frames per second, the XL2566K is a dream come true for competitive gamers. It’s basically tailor-made for CS:GO (that doesn’t mean it’s not extremely good for other shooters though, because it definitely is extremely good for other shooters) and that shows in some of the functions. The ‘High’ AMA mode delivered a significant improvement in response times, now down to 2.1ms G2G average. There were moderate levels of overshoot detected with our oscilloscope measurements, particularly on a few changes from light to dark shades shown in the bottom left region of the overshoot table. In practice this was quite minimal with a few darker trails evident in a few places, but only small in size as the frame rate is very high. Moving up to the ‘Premium’ AMA setting made a very small improvement to the G2G response time, but at the cost of some increased overshoot which became a bit more noticeable visually. It’s by no means terrible in practice, and some people may find the ‘Premium’ mode usable, but there’s not much point we don’t think when the ‘High’ mode is just as fast really. 0 > 255 transition in ‘High’ mode showing slightly slower response times changing from x > white

The native contrast ratio of this panel is quite respectable, improving significantly after calibration compared to its out-of-the-box performance. A recorded ratio of 1091:1 isn't impressive compared to VA LCDs or OLEDs, but it's very serviceable for a TN LCD, which typically sit below 1000:1. This level of contrast aligns with IPS LCDs, a positive outcome. Viewing Angles Let's delve into the crucial aspect: motion performance. Regarding response time performance and overdrive settings, the Zowie XL2566K features three built-in presets along with an adjustable slider for full user customization of overdrive. This is a great feature to have, even if not essential, as the included modes are quite satisfactory. The only mode we would advise against using, except possibly for low refresh rate gaming, is the Off mode. A TN panel, no matter how good it is, is never going to live up to a good IPS panel when it comes to the overall image quality, and that’s something that you should take into account when considering this monitor. This is a monitor that’s geared towards esports, and nothing else. If you’re someone who plays a game or two of VALORANT every week and uses their monitor for content consumption or single player games, this is notthe monitor for you. Everything about this product is geared towards tryhard (I use that affectionately) competitive gamers, and those people don’t really care for visuals all that much.

Spesifikasi

Gamut coverage – we provide measurements of the screens colour gamut relative to various reference spaces including sRGB, DCI-P3, Adobe RGB and Rec.2020. Coverage is shown in absolute numbers as well as relative, which helps identify where the coverage extends beyond a given reference space. A CIE-1976 chromaticity diagram (which provides improved accuracy compared with older CIE-1931 methods) is included which provides a visual representation of the monitors colour gamut coverage triangle as compared with sRGB, and if appropriate also relative to a wide gamut reference space such as DCI-P3. The reference triangle will be marked on the CIE diagram as well. Can I use any adapter to switch signals or different port types between the monitor and connected devices?

Compared to typical IPS 360Hz displays, DyAc?™ on a TN 360Hz panel provides clearer and sharper outlines of overall moving images, helping you focus and have less distractions from the unwanted afterimage of the motions in-game.

Influencer Reviews- The Best Monitor For Pros

What is the optimal Hz performance for users to turn on the "DyAc", "DyAc+" or "Blur Reduction" function in the OSD? Still, the XL2566K is an extremely impressive gaming monitor, and if you’re looking for the fastest, most responsive monitor out there at this point in time then this is it. For new K series monitors, the way to save settings via the S Switch has been changed. If Gamer1 is selected, the customized display setting is only saved in the monitor. Learn more At real world speeds, the image is faster, sharper and more clear than anything else on the market. It might not be by much, but, and we’ll labour the point, major championships can be decided by less. If you play FPS games, you need the fastest, clearest screen to perform to your potential and this is it. In the Blur Busters UFO Test, with DyAc+ disabled and compared to other monitors at 360Hz, there isn't much difference between the XL2566K and PG27AQN. They both look very similar, which isn't surprising given their similar response testing data. The LG 27GR95QE, with its 240Hz OLED, is also competitive, albeit not quite as good. The faster response times somewhat compensate for the lower refresh rate, but without strobing enabled, it's difficult to declare a winner, particularly between the 360Hz LCDs.

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