We have seen how display technology evolved over the years and how gaming monitors are blooming capturing many gamers’ hearts to own one. However, a gaming monitor with a 4K resolution display doesn’t come cheap since it has (almost) all the bells and whistles to soothe a gamer’s eyes at high refresh rates, wide colour gamut and so on. There are plenty of options on the market for a much affordable gaming monitor and BenQ might just have the right one for game enthusiasts. And this one pretty much screams value for money, considering it comes in at RM 1579. That being said, let’s get into the review, of BenQ’s EL2870U gaming monitor!
Features – Feature Packed Monitor
The BenQ EL2870U is the latest 28-inch 4K gaming monitor which has some of the quality of a gaming monitor. It isn’t a full-blown gaming monitor like its competitors, although it has HDR, a 1ms grey-to-grey (GTG) response time and AMD FreeSync which we will get to later.
To kick things off, the monitor has thick bezels around the display with a chin at the bottom which houses the ambient light sensor. Button controls are located at the below the monitor and the hotkey to toggle between HDR and Brightness Intelligence Plus technology (B.I+) is situated at the bottom right of the monitor. This is part of BenQ’s Eyecare initiatives, so BenQ does care about your eyes, and the strain they feel during extended gaming sessions.
The build of the monitor is made from plastic while its rectangular base stand is made from metal.
There are two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort and a 3.5mm headphone jack. BenQ has equipped a pair of built-in speakers for this monitor but it doesn’t sound impressive just like other monitors with built-in speakers. So that’s something you should keep in mind if you’re buying the monitor. We suggest you connect a headphones so you can fully immerse yourself in the game.
Display – Not As Great as It Could’ve Been
TN display panels aren’t the greatest compared to an LCD panel at the very least but BenQ managed to minimize the potential for colours to appear washed out at different viewing angles. Implementing HDR functionality in a TN panel could pose a challenge but BenQ definitely nailed it in the EL2870U.
Colours appear vibrant and very minimal details on the screen are lost when the HDR functionality is toggled on. The Brightness Intelligence Plus technology however performs decent enough to adjust the screen brightness based on the ambient lighting. I said decent because at an extremely low light area, the screen brightness could still blind your eyes although it does reduce the brightness. It’s eyecare tech seems to be pretty good, but I don’t think it makes up for the TN display panels they’ve put in the monitor.
Performance – Powerful Perfomer, But Lacklustre Refresh Rates
Speaking of performance, the display has a 1ms GTG response time which is impressive given that most monitors including gaming monitors can hardly achieve this number. However, the term gaming used by BenQ on this monitor doesn’t do much justice especially because of the 60Hz refresh rate. Most gaming monitors on the market don’t settle at 60Hz at all. The very least other brands could do is 90Hz and the highest so far is 240Hz but that could be an overkill if your hardware cannot push the monitor to its limit. To be very honest, gaming on this monitor just feels like gaming on a regular monitor with the exclusion of the 4K resolution.
Again, if your hardware cannot support 4K gaming, you can expect frame rates to drop tremendously and game lags if you decide to push your hardware to meet the screen’s resolution. Bear in mind that this monitor allows for gaming in native 4K and not superimposed to 4K resolution.
Not very often do we hear monitors designed for consoles in mind but BenQ did just that. This doesn’t mean it is not suitable to be used with a regular PC setup. Maybe it is starting to make sense why BenQ calls the EL2870U a gaming monitor although it has a 60Hz refresh rate with a 1ms GTG response time.
Consoles like the PS4 Pro can only play games at a maximum frame rate of 60fps and supports HDR which makes this “gaming” monitor a suitable choice for consoles. The PS4 Pro also can take advantage of the AMD FreeSync technology to remove image tearing and broken frames for a much smoother gaming experience. For PC gamers, you too can take advantage of the AMD FreeSync provided your GPU is by AMD.
Final Verdict
As mentioned earlier, the EL2870U isn’t exactly a gaming monitor by PC standards. It can however, be a perfect choice for those looking to own a large monitor with a 4K display for productivity (except content editing) or entertainment and still a decent choice to game in 4K. Like most other BenQ monitors, the EL2870U comes with Low Bluelight and Flicker-free technology to reduce the emission of harmful blue lights which can strain your eyes.
The question now lies in whether if it’s worth spending your money on this 4K monitor by BenQ. It all boils down to your personal preference. The BenQ EL2870U 4K monitor could be a perfect choice for those who would want to have a personal console setup to game in 4K resolution. This monitor could also help with day-to-day tasks like splitting screens to boost your productivity in the office or even at home.
Binge watching your favourite series in 4K resolution after a hard day at work couldn’t get any better with the details and HDR contrast which this monitor is capable of giving. If you’re looking to game in 4K with your PC, you can consider the BenQ EL2870U as a viable option if you are not so keen on stretching your wallet too much.
For more information on the monitor, check out the link here!
