Group Test
HARDWARE
HOW WE TEST
There are two main ways to test out a
screen. The first is by playing games on it.
Subjectively testing gaming performance
isn’t going to give you the lowdown on the
specifics of a screen, but it will let you test
the aspect ratio, native resolution and any
games-centric technologies they have.
Side-by-side testing is also good for keying
into the differences between each panel.
Objective testing can be great, but is
also more difficult. To do it properly, you
need hardware for testing latency, color
accuracy, and other metrics. Most gamers
don’t have access to any of this. The days of
retail space for such things are dwindling,5
MG279Q
ASUS $510
Right now there’s really
no competition for the
Asus MG279Q: This is
the best monitor for AMD users
who want a FreeSync display. It’s
a 1440p IPS screen that can
refresh up to 144Hz, but since it
uses FreeSync instead of G-Sync,
it doesn’t cost as much (although
the price gap has narrowed).
Thanks to that IPS screen,
colors look great even from
off-angles. The base is sturdy and
the bezel is fairly thin, which is
nice for a 27-inch monitor. It also
has a light anti-gloss coating,
which I like; some older IPS
displays went too heavy on the
coating and affected image
quality, but the MG279Q doesn’t
have that problem.
The contrast ratio is also
great, and the ability to support
multiple inputs makes this screen
better for people who might want
to connect a second system, like
a console. This is thanks to the
presence of the internal scaler,
one of the main differences you’ll
find between G-Sync and
FreeSync offerings. With no other
IPS FreeSync displays that can
match the MG279Q on specs,
this is a great monitor and an
easy choice for anyone with an
AMD graphics card.IPS, 144Hz, 2560x1440
Good picture quality out of the box
Adaptive refresh range is 35Hz-90Hz
No blur reduction modeVERDICTSPECS SCREEN SIZE: 27-INCH / PANEL TYPE: IPS / ASPECT RATIO: 16:9 / RESOLUTION: 2560X1440 /
RESPONSE TIME: 4MS / REFRESH RATE: 144HZ / WEIGHT: 7. 3 KG
6
Predator XB321HK
ACER $830
Gaming at 4K is a
premium endeavor. You
need a colossal amount
of rendering power to game at
decent framerates and such high
resolution. And if you’re rocking a
top-shelf graphics card, like the
new RTX 2080, it’s only fitting to
use an exquisite display, but is a
G-Sync 4K one worth it?
The Acer Predator XB321HK
answers that question with a
resounding yes. At 32 inches, it
gives you enough screen to put
its 3840x2160 4K UHD resolution
to good use. It’s also an IPS
display, so colors are vibrant,
regardless of your viewing angle.
Overall, the XB321HK is an
beast of a monitor. The price is a
big hurdle to overcome, but this isa luxury monitor with luxury
features. It’s built for those of us
that want the best, and if you’ve
shelled out on a pair of RTX 2080
or 2080 Ti cards, it’s a fitting
match. For us mere mortals, until
our graphics hardware gets to the
point where you can run a 4K
display from a modestly priced
single GPU, we’d suggest sticking
with a lower resolution screen.
That way you get great
framerates and can take
advantage of the 144Hz and
G-Sync/FreeSync technology.Vibrant colors, wide viewing angles
Large enough for 4K resolution
G-Sync requires Nvidia graphics
4K gaming needs a lot of GPU powerVERDICTSPECS SCREEN SIZE: 32-INCH / PANEL TYPE: IPS / ASPECT RATIO: 16:9 / RESOLUTION: 3840X2160 /
RESPONSE TIME: 4MS / REFRESH RATE: 60HZ / WEIGHT: 11.3KG564