
Introduction
BenQ's XL gaming series of monitors has been
around for over 4 years now, promoting high end specs and some of the most
advanced features and extras to improve your gaming experience. Over the years
the XL models have evolved in size and function and the arrival of the new 27"
sized XL2730Z marks another big step in their development. This is the first
model in the XL range to support a QHD 2560 x 1440 resolution, a significant
step up from the 1920 x 1080 panels we've seen to date. In addition to this
resolution change, BenQ have also added support for the brand new AMD FreeSync -
an adaptive-sync technology much like NVIDIA's already popular G-sync which was
released about a year ago.
Other top end gaming specs and features remain as
well, including a 1ms G2G response time, 144Hz maximum refresh rate,
Blur Reduction mode, a massive range of aspect ratio control options, Black
eQualizer function, a wide range of game preset modes and a whole host of other
extras which add to the experience. We will talk about all of these throughout
the review. It's the first FreeSync monitor we've tested, and in fact FreeSync
was only officially launched on 19th March 2015, so we will be keen to see how
that technology performs.
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Specifications and Features
The following table gives detailed information
about the specs of the screen:
Monitor
Specifications |
Size |
27"WS (69 cm) |
Panel Coating |
Medium AG coating |
Aspect Ratio |
16:9 |
Interfaces |
1x DisplayPort
(version 1.2a)
D-sub, DL-DVI, HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0
|
Resolution |
2560 x 1440 |
Pixel Pitch |
0.233 mm |
Design
colour |
Matte black bezel and stand, some red trim in
places |
Response Time |
1ms G2G |
Ergonomics |
Tilt, 140mm height, swivel and rotate |
Static Contrast Ratio |
1000:1 |
Dynamic Contrast Ratio |
12 million:1 |
VESA Compatible |
Yes 100mm |
Brightness |
350 cd/m2 |
Accessories |
Power, DisplayPort, DVI, USB cables and
S-switch |
Viewing Angles |
170 / 160 |
Panel Technology |
AU Optronics TN Film |
Weight |
net: 7.5 Kg |
Backlight Technology |
W-LED |
Physical Dimensions |
(WxHxD)
663.7 x 557.4 x 226.0mm |
Colour Depth |
16.7m |
Refresh Rate |
40 - 144Hz
FreeSync support |
Special
Features |
2x
USB 3.0 ports, FreeSync, Blur Reduction mode, S-switch, headphone and microphone
ports, Low Blue Light mode |
Colour Gamut |
Standard gamut
~sRGB, ~72% NTSC |
The XL2730Z offers a very good range of connectivity
options with DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0, DL-DVI and D-sub provided. The
screen is not limited to DisplayPort-only like G-sync screens are (a limitation
of the current G-sync module from NVIDIA), as FreeSync allows for other connections to
still be offered on the screen, even though the DisplayPort is the only one to
support the actual FreeSync technology. That is certainly a pro for FreeSync
over G-sync The digital interfaces are HDCP certified for encrypted content
and the video cables are provided in the box for DisplayPort and DVI.
The screen has an internal power supply but comes
packaged with the power cable you need. There are also 2x USB 3.0 ports
located on the left hand edge of the screen. There are also plenty of other
extras on this screen including (but not limited to) a Blur Reduction mode,
S-switch device, headphone and microphone connections and a Low Blue Light mode.
See
BenQ's website for a full list of features and more detail about some of the
added gaming extras they provide. We will look at a lot of the added features
later on in the review.
Below is a summary of the features and connections
of the screen:
Feature |
Yes / No |
Feature |
Yes / No |
Tilt adjust |
 |
DVI |
 |
Height adjust |
 |
HDMI |
 |
Swivel adjust |
 |
D-sub |
 |
Rotate adjust |
 |
DisplayPort |
 |
VESA compliant |
 |
Component |
 |
USB 2.0 Ports |
 |
Composite |
 |
USB 3.0 Ports |
 |
Audio connection |
 |
Card Reader |
 |
HDCP Support |
 |
Ambient Light Sensor |
 |
MHL Support |
 |
Human Motion Sensor |
 |
Integrated Speakers |
 |
Touch Screen |
 |
PiP / PbP |
 |
Factory Calibration |
 |
Blur Reduction Mode |
 |
Hardware calibration |
 |
G-Sync |
 |
Uniformity correction |
 |
FreeSync |
 |

Design and Ergonomics

Above: front views of the screen
The XL2730Z comes in an all black design
with matte plastics used for the bezel, stand and base. There is a red
trim in a few places, most notably on the cable tidy hole as you can see
above. The bezel is reasonably thin and measures ~16.5mm along all edges.
There is a matte silver coloured BenQ logo in the middle of the bottom
bezel but no other writing at all anywhere. The bottom right hand edge has
the power button which glows white during normal operation and amber in
standby. There are then 5 pretty
subtle pressable OSD control buttons above it.
Above: rear
views of the screen
The back of the screen is finished in a
combination of matte and glossy black plastic as shown above. There is a useful cable tidy hole in
the back of the stand. The stand is also easily detached via a button and
the screen can be VESA mounted (100 x 100mm) if required.


Above: rear
views showing cable tidy and carry handle
A carry handle at the top of the stand makes
it easier to move the screen around if needed. You may notice some red
labelling on the back of the screen which identifies each input on the
underside.

Above: new
design of the base of the stand, vs outline of the old style

Above: view
of the base. Click for larger version
The base of the stand is rectangular in shape
and is a matte black plastic. It measures ~303mm
width and ~145mm deep, and provides a sturdy base for the screen. You will
note the change in shape of the stand compared to the old XL2720Z model as
indicated in the above image. BenQ's website blurb says that it "aligns
perfectly parallel to the desk surface and a monitor stand meticulously
placed in golden ratio to counter balance the display, the next-generation
base stand design offers a new level of stability for the steadiest
game play – with stringent swivel and shock testing results to prove it.
Additionally, the reduced width and depth further shortens the distance
between the keyboard and the monitor, bringing you closer than ever to the
game."

Above:
S-switch Arc accessory
You may notice the circular indent in the
base as well. This is designed to house the handy "S-switch Arc" device
(provided) which we haven't seen on the XL models before but enjoyed in a
similar style when we tested the
BL3200PT a while back. It can act like a control for the OSD, and also has
3 quick access buttons to switch between the three gamer preset modes,
however you choose to set those up. It connects easily via a mini USB
connection to the back of the screen and adds an extra premium and gadgety feel to the
whole package.



Above: side
views including view of side USB /audio ports
On the left hand edge of the screen (when
looking at it from the front) are 2x USB 3.0 ports, a headphone output,
microphone input and a retractable headphone holder.

Above:
ergonomic adjustment markings
There is a full range of ergonomic
adjustments offered from the stand as well which is great to see. BenQ
even provide markings on each of the adjustments which quickly and easily
allow you to identify your optimum position for the screen, in case you
need to move it around or use it for different people. It makes it easy to
re-position everything back to your liking. A nice extra thought we felt.
The BenQ website states: "To ensure that gamers can duplicate the exact
same monitor set-up with the highest accuracy, efficiency and convenience,
BenQ made a few additions to the XL2730Z’s Adjustment Scale Design. The
adjustable height stand is now scaled with 14 height levels trackable by a
moving marker. Trackable scales are also added to the screen, which tilts
forward and backward to 0°, 10°
and 20°, and swivels left and right to a wide
range of angles."

Above: full
range of tilt adjustment shown. Click for larger versions
The tilt function is smooth but a little
stiff to move, but it does offer a wide range of angles to choose from as
shown above.

Above: full
range of height adjustment shown. Click for larger versions
Height adjustment is a little stiffer still
but is
smooth, offering a good range of
adjustment again. At the lowest height setting the bottom edge of the
screen is approximately 48mm from the edge of the desk. At the maximum
setting it is ~193mm, and so there is a 145 mm total adjustment range
available here.
Side to side swivel has a smooth movement
but it is stiff to operate. The base does remain stable on the desk as
you move the screen from side to side.
The rotate function is a stiff but quite smooth
to move if you want to switch into portrait mode. Overall when making
adjustments to your viewing angle and position the screen has very low levels
of wobble. It is sturdy during normal uses on the desk as well which is great
news.
A summary of the screens ergonomic adjustments
is shown below:
Function |
Range |
Smoothness |
Ease of Use |
Tilt |
Yes |
Smooth |
A little stiff |
Height |
145mm |
Smooth |
Quite stiff |
Swivel |
Yes |
Smooth |
Stiff |
Rotate |
Yes |
Quite Smooth |
Quite stiff |
Overall |
Good range of adjustments and
easy enough to use overall. Stable on the desk |
The materials were of a good standard and the
build quality felt good as well. There was no audible noise from the screen,
even when conducting specific tests which can often identify buzzing issues.
The whole screen remained cool even during prolonged use as well which
was pleasing.

Above: rear
views of the screen showing connections. Click for larger version
The back of the screen provides a connection for
the power cable which is provided with the screen. There is then a single DisplayPort
video connection, USB upstream and 2x USB 3.0
downstream on the back of the screen.

Above: side of
the screen showing
retractable headphone hook

Above: side
view of connections. Click for larger version
Two easy-access USB 3.0 port are
available on the left hand side of the screen which is nice to see. There are
then audio connections for headphone output and microphone input. There's even
a retractable metallic headphone holder hook as shown above.

OSD Menu

Above: OSD control buttons on the bottom right hand corner. Click for larger
version
The OSD menu is accessed and controlled through a
series of 5 pressable buttons located on the bottom right hand corner of the
bezel, with an additional power on/off button underneath. The power LED glows
white during normal operation and amber during standby.

Pressing any of the 5 buttons brings up the quick
access menu as shown above. Initially there are options to access some of the
gaming extras like the Black eQualizer and Blur Reduction mode, along with the
"picture mode" (preset menu) and the main OSD menu. You can customise the 3
quick launch options from within the menu if there are functions you want to
access more often.

The quick access menu for the preset modes is
shown above for reference. Icons appear on the screen telling you what each of
the control buttons will then do.

Accessing the main OSD brings up the above menu.
It is split in to 4 sections down the left hand side. Next to it is a list of
the options available within that given section, and if you enter the section
each option shows additional controls / options to the right. The 'game
settings' menu has options including the
blur
reduction mode,
Black
eQualizer and
instant mode (for reducing input lag) which are useful. You can also save
your current OSD settings as one of the three "gamer" preset modes which allows you
to set the screen up how you want for different uses. You can also quickly and
easily switch between your saved gamer modes using the provided s-switch
device which is useful.

The second section for the 'picture' menu has a
fair few options in it. There's access to the 'picture mode' preset menu along
with the usual brightness and contrast controls. You can also change the gamma
and colour temperature presets if you want, and access advanced controls for
AMA
(response time) and dynamic contrast ratio.

The 'display' section allows you to switch between
the various video inputs and also gives you access to the
wide
range of aspect ratio options.

Finally the 'system' section allow you to control
a few things relating to the OSD itself, including turning off the annoying
beeping for the OSD buttons!
All in all there's a very big range of options to
play with and the menu is pretty well laid out. Sometimes navigation gets a
little confusing as there's a lot of drilling in to each section, but on the whole it's pretty decent.

Power Consumption
In terms of power consumption the manufacturer
lists usage of <65.0W in "on mode" and <0.5W in standby/off mode. We carried out our normal tests to
establish its power consumption ourselves.
 |
State and Brightness
Setting |
Manufacturer Spec (W) |
Measured Power Usage
(W) |
Default (100%) |
<65.0 |
46.2 |
Calibrated (17%) |
- |
23.2 |
Maximum Brightness (100%) |
- |
46.2 |
Minimum Brightness (0%) |
- |
19.1 |
Standby |
<0.5 |
1.0 |
|
We tested this ourselves and found that out of the
box the screen used 46.2W at the default 100% brightness setting. Additional
power draw in the spec must be related to having USB devices connected. Once calibrated the screen reached
23.2W consumption, and in standby it
used only 1.0W. We have plotted these results below compared with other screens
we have tested. The consumption is comparable actually to the other W-LED
backlit displays we have tested, with larger screens (Dell U3415W, LG 34UM95)
and GB-r-LED backlit displays (e.g. ViewSonic VP2772) using a bit more than most W-LED backlights.


Panel and Backlighting
Panel Manufacturer |
AU Optronics |
Colour Palette |
16.7 million |
Panel Technology |
TN Film |
Colour Depth |
8-bit ? |
Panel Module |
M270DTN01.0 |
Colour space |
Standard gamut |
Backlighting Type |
W-LED |
Colour space coverage (%) |
~sRGB, ~72% NTSC |
Panel Part and Colour Depth
The BenQ XL2730Z features an
AU Optronics M270DTN01.0 TN Film technology panel which is capable of producing 16.7 million colours.
It is unclear whether this is a 6-bit+FRC module (as most TN Film panels are),
or an 8-bit panel (as the TN Film panel in the Asus ROG Swift PG278Q is). We
have been unable to confirm via a panel spec sheet, although BenQ have told some
users that it is an 8-bit panel, and on reflection this seems likely given the
panel in the Asus.
The panel part is confirmed when accessing the service menu as shown
below. It should be noted that this is different to the panel used in the
popular
Asus ROG Swift PG278Q (M270Q002 V0) despite the similar specs of the two
screens.

Screen
Coating
The
screen coating is a medium anti-glare (AG) offering. It isn't a semi-glossy
coating, and isn't as light as some modern IPS type panels either. It's in
keeping with other TN Film panels we've tested. Thankfully it isn't a heavily
grainy coating like some old IPS panels feature, although there is some
graininess noticeable. It retains its anti-glare properties to avoid too many
unwanted reflections of a full glossy coating, but does not produce an too
grainy or dirty an image that some thicker AG coatings can. There were no
cross-hatching patterns visible on the coating
Backlight Type and Colour Gamut
The screen uses a White-LED (W-LED) backlight unit
which has become very popular in today's market. This helps reduce power
consumption compared with older CCFL backlight units and brings about some
environmental benefits as well. The W-LED unit offers a standard colour gamut
which is approximately equal to the sRGB colour space.
Anyone wanting to work with wider colour spaces would need to consider wide
gamut CCFL screens or the newer range of GB-r-LED type displays available
now. If
you want to read more about colour spaces and gamut then please have a read of
our
detailed article.
Backlight
Dimming and Flicker
We tested the screen to establish the methods used
to control backlight dimming. Our in depth article talks in more details about a
common method used for this which is called
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). This in itself gives cause for concern to some
users who have experienced eye strain, headaches and other symptoms as a result
of the flickering backlight caused by this technology. We use a photosensor +
oscilloscope system to measure backlight dimming control
with a high level of accuracy and ease. These tests allow us to establish
1) Whether PWM is being used to control the
backlight
2) The frequency and other characteristics at which this operates, if it is used
3) Whether a flicker may be introduced or potentially noticeable at certain
settings
If PWM is used for backlight dimming, the higher
the frequency, the less likely you are to see artefacts and flicker. The duty
cycle (the time for which the backlight is on) is also important and the shorter
the duty cycle, the more potential there is that you may see flicker. The other
factor which can influence flicker is the amplitude of the PWM, measuring the
difference in brightness output between the 'on' and 'off' states. Please
remember that not every user would notice a flicker from a backlight using PWM,
but it is something to be wary of. It is also a hard thing to quantify as it is
very subjective when talking about whether a user may or may not experience the
side effects.
100% 50%
0%

Above scale = 1
horizontal grid = 5ms
At 100% brightness a constant voltage is applied
to the backlight. As you reduce the brightness setting to dim the backlight a
Direct Current (DC) method is used, as opposed to any form of PWM. This applies
to all brightness settings from 100% down to 0%. The screen is flicker free as
advertised, and as per all of BenQ's screens nowadays.
Pulse Width
Modulation Used |
No |
Cycling
Frequency |
n/a |
Possible
Flicker at |
|
100% Brightness |
No |
50% Brightness |
No |
0% Brightness |
No |
For an up to date list of all flicker-free (PWM free) monitors please see our
Flicker Free Monitor Database.

Contrast
Stability and Brightness
We wanted to see how much variance there was in
the screens contrast as we adjusted the monitor setting for brightness.
In theory, brightness and contrast are two independent parameters, and good
contrast is a requirement regardless of the brightness adjustment.
Unfortunately, such is not always the case in practice. We recorded the
screens luminance and black depth at various OSD brightness settings, and
calculated the contrast ratio from there. Graphics card settings were left at
default with no ICC profile or calibration active. Tests were made using an
X-rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter. It should be noted that we used the
BasICColor calibration software here to record these, and so luminance at
default settings may vary a little from the LaCie Blue Eye Pro report.
OSD
Brightness |
Luminance
(cd/m2) |
Black
Point (cd/m2) |
Contrast
Ratio
( x:1) |
100 |
308.67 |
0.35 |
882 |
90 |
285.38 |
0.33 |
865 |
80 |
262.08 |
0.30 |
874 |
70 |
238.46 |
0.27 |
883 |
60 |
214.34 |
0.25 |
857 |
50 |
189.02 |
0.22 |
859 |
40 |
163.29 |
0.19 |
859 |
30 |
137.24 |
0.16 |
858 |
20 |
111.59 |
0.13 |
858 |
10 |
84.10 |
0.10 |
841 |
0 |
56.04 |
0.07 |
801 |
Total Luminance Adjustment Range
(cd/m2) |
252.63 |
Brightness OSD setting controls backlight? |
 |
Total Black Point
Adjustment Range (cd/m2) |
0.28 |
Average Static Contrast Ratio |
858:1 |
PWM Free? |
 |
Recommended OSD setting
for 120 cd/m2 |
23 |
We conducted these tests in the 'standard' preset
mode as it was far more suitable than the default FPS1 mode for general desktop
use.
The brightness control gave us a very good range
of adjustment. At the top end the maximum luminance reached 309
cd/m2 which was
high, although lower than the specified maximum brightness of 350 cd/m2
from the manufacturer. There was a decent 253 cd/m2 adjustment
range in total, and so at the minimum setting you could reach down to a low
luminance of 56 cd/m2. This should be more than adequate for those
wanting to work in darkened room conditions with low ambient light. A setting of
23 in the OSD menu should return you a
luminance of around 120 cd/m2 at default settings in this preset mode
(standard).
It should be noted that the
brightness regulation is controlled without the need for
Pulse Width Modulation, using a Direct Current (DC) method for all
brightness settings between 100 and 0% and so the screen is flicker free as
advertised.

We have plotted the
luminance trend on the graph above. The screen behaves as it should in this
regard, with a reduction in the luminance output of the screen controlled by the
reduction in the OSD brightness setting. This is a linear relationship as you
can see.

The average contrast ratio of
the screen was good, but not excellent for a TN Film panel with an average of
858:1. This was nice and stable across the brightness adjustment range as shown
above.

Testing
Methodology
An
important thing to consider for most users is how a screen will perform out of
the box and with some basic manual adjustments. Since most users won't have
access to hardware colorimeter tools, it is important to understand how the
screen is going to perform in terms of colour accuracy for the average user.
We restored our graphics card to default settings and disabled any previously active
ICC profiles and gamma corrections. The screen was tested at default factory settings using the DVI interface, and analysed using
an
X-rite i1
Pro Spectrophotometer (not to be confused with the i1 Display Pro
colorimeter) combined with
LaCie's Blue Eye Pro software suite. An X-rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter was
also used to verify the black point and contrast ratio since the i1 Pro
spectrophotometer is less
reliable at the darker end.
Targets for these tests are as follows:
-
CIE Diagram - validates the colour space
covered by the monitors backlighting in a 2D view, with the black triangle representing the
displays gamut, and other reference colour spaces shown for comparison
-
Gamma - we aim for 2.2 which is the default
for computer monitors
-
Colour temperature / white point - we aim
for 6500k which is the temperature of daylight
-
Luminance - we aim for 120
cd/m2, which is
the recommended luminance for LCD monitors in normal lighting conditions
-
Black depth - we aim
for as low as possible to maximise shadow detail and to offer us the best
contrast ratio
-
Contrast ratio - we aim
for as high as possible. Any dynamic contrast ratio controls are turned off here
if present
-
dE average / maximum -
as low as possible.
If DeltaE >3, the color displayed is significantly different from the
theoretical one, meaning that the difference will be perceptible to the
viewer.
If DeltaE <2, LaCie considers the calibration a success; there remains a
slight difference, but it is barely undetectable.
If DeltaE < 1, the color fidelity is excellent.

Default Performance and
Setup
Default settings of the screen were as follows:
Monitor OSD Option |
Default Settings |
Preset Picture Mode |
FPS 1 |
Brightness |
100 |
Contrast |
50 |
Gamma |
2 |
Colour Temperature |
Bluish |
RGB |
n/a |

BenQ XL2730Z - Default Settings, FPS 1 Preset mode


|
Default Settings,
FPS 1 mode |
luminance (cd/m2) |
265 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.38 |
Contrast Ratio |
689:1 |
Initially out of the box the screen was set in the
default 'FPS 1' preset mode which is aimed at gamers. There is also a 'standard'
mode for more general use which we will test in a moment. We should say up front
that we know the out of the box setup for BenQ XL gaming screens is never
"accurate" in the sense of these tests, since they are designed for gaming
requirements primarily. So do not get too alarmed by the default settings here,
the 'standard' mode would really be what you want to concern yourself with for
more everyday uses.
In this default FPS1 mode gamma mode was set at 2,
colour temperature on 'bluish', and brightness was maxed out at 100%. The
screen was extremely bright, and it felt very cool and washed out. You could
tell the gamma was a long way off the normal 2.2 with the naked eye. We went
ahead and measured the default state with the i1 Pro. The
CIE diagram on the left of the image confirms that the monitors colour gamut
(black triangle) is roughly equal to
the sRGB colour space. There is some minor over-coverage in green and blue shades but not by anything significant.
Default gamma was recorded at 1.9 average, leaving it with a
14% deviance
from the target. We will re-iterate that this is aimed at gaming uses and so a
large deviance from the 2.2 you'd normally want to use for desktop use is not a
surprise. White point was measured at a very cool 9881k, being 52% out from the
6500k we'd ideally want for desktop use. The screen is set at the 'bluish'
colour temperature level, so you can change that easily if you want to get
something warmer.
Luminance was recorded at a bright 265
cd/m2 which is
too high for prolonged general use. The screen was set at a default 100%
brightness in the OSD menu but that is easy to change of course to reach a more
comfortable setting without impacting any other aspect of the setup. The black
depth was 0.38 cd/m2 at this default
brightness setting, giving us a pretty mediocre static contrast ratio of
689:1.
Colour accuracy was very poor in this mode due to
the 1.9 gamma and cool white point. There was an average dE of 5.5 and maximum
of 14.0. Testing the screen with various gradients showed no major banding thankfully. There was some
obvious gradation evident
in darker tones.
Monitor OSD Option |
Default Settings |
Preset Picture Mode |
Standard |
Brightness |
100 |
Contrast |
50 |
Gamma |
3 |
Colour Temperature |
Normal |
RGB |
n/a |

BenQ XL2730Z - Default Settings, Standard preset mode

|
Default Settings |
luminance (cd/m2) |
336 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.38 |
Contrast Ratio |
882:1 |
Once you switch to the 'standard' preset mode you
get a far more comfortable picture for general desktop use. The brightness is
still at a maximum 100%, so it's too bright, but the gamma and white point feel
much better. The validation process with the i1 Pro revealed that gamma
was now 2.2 average with a minor 2% deviance from the target, much better than
the default 1.9 average designed for gaming uses in the FPS1 preset mode. The
preset gamma mode had changed from 2 to 3 which explains this difference. With
the colour temperature setting now defaulting from 'bluish' (FPS1 preset) to
'normal', the white point was closer to 6500k, being warmer than before and now
at 6950k (still 7% out). Colour accuracy had also improved massively, with
average dE now only 1.6, an excellent result. Contrast ratio had even improved
too, now at a much better 882:1. The white point still needs a bit of
correcting, but other than that this 'standard' preset mode offers a far better
setup for general day to day uses and should be decent enough for a lot of
users.

Calibration
We used the
X-rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer combined with the LaCie Blue Eye Pro
software package to achieve these results and reports. An X-rite i1 Display Pro
colorimeter was used to validate the black depth and contrast
ratios due to lower end limitations of the i1 Pro device.
Monitor OSD Option |
Calibrated Settings |
Preset Picture Mode |
Standard |
Brightness |
17 |
Contrast |
50 |
Gamma |
3 |
Colour Temperature |
User Define |
RGB |
95, 99, 100 |

BenQ XL2730Z - Calibrated Settings

|
Calibrated Settings |
luminance (cd/m2) |
122 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.13 |
Contrast Ratio |
917:1 |
We stuck with the 'standard' preset mode first
of all since it had returned the better starting point for day to day general
uses. We switched to the 'user define' colour temperature mode though which
would give us access
to the RGB channels, as well as the brightness and contrast settings which are
available in all the modes. All these OSD
changes allowed us to obtain an
optimum hardware starting point and setup before software level changes would be
made at the graphics card level. We left the LaCie software to calibrate
to "max" brightness which would just retain the luminance of whatever brightness
we'd set the screen to, and would not in any way try and alter the luminance at
the graphics card level, which can reduce contrast ratio. These adjustments
before profiling the screen would help preserve tonal values and limit
banding issues. After this we let the software carry out the LUT adjustments and create an
ICC profile.

Average gamma was now corrected to 2.2 average
with a 0% deviance,
correcting the minor 2% deviance we'd seen out of the box in this standard
preset mode. The
white point had now been corrected nicely to 6515k, bringing it in line with the
target and correcting the 7% deviance we'd seen by default where it was a little
too cool. Luminance had been improved thanks to the adjustment to the brightness
control and was now being measured at 122
cd/m2. This
left us a black depth of 0.13 cd/m2 and gave us a good static
contrast ratio (for a TN Film panel) of
917:1. Colour accuracy of the resulting
profile was excellent, with dE average of 0.5 and maximum of 1.2. LaCie would
consider colour fidelity to be very good overall.
Testing the screen with various colour gradients
showed mostly smooth transitions. There was some slight gradation in darker tones
but no banding introduced due to the adjustments to the
graphics card LUT from the profilation of the screen which was pleasing.
You can use our settings and
try our calibrated ICC profile if you wish, which are available in
our ICC profile database. Keep in mind that results will vary from one
screen to another and from one computer / graphics card to another.

Calibration Performance Comparisons

The comparisons made in this section try to give
you a better view of how each screen performs, particularly out of the box which
is what is going to matter to most consumers. When comparing the default factory
settings for each monitor it is important to take into account several
measurement areas - gamma, white point and colour accuracy. There's no point
having a low dE colour accuracy figure if the gamma curve is way off for
instance. A good factory calibration requires all 3 to be well set up. We have
deliberately not included luminance in this comparison since this is normally
far too high by default on every screen. However, that is very easily controlled
through the brightness setting (on most screens) and should not impact the other
areas being measured anyway. It is easy enough to obtain a suitable luminance
for your working conditions and individual preferences, but a reliable factory
setup in gamma, white point and colour accuracy is important and not as easy to
change accurately without a calibration tool.
From these comparisons we can also compare the
calibrated colour accuracy, black depth and contrast ratio. After a calibration
the gamma, white point and luminance should all be at their desired targets.

Default setup of the screen out of the box was
poor if you solely focus on using the display for general day to day desktop
use. We know from having tested BenQ XL series screens in the past though that
they are deliberately set this way, designed for gaming primarily and coming
packaged in the FPS1 mode by default. The gamma was too low (1.9 average) and
colour temp too cool (9881k) for normal uses, but we can't penalise the screen
too much as it's easy to correct this with a simple change to the 'standard'
preset mode. Once you've moved to the standard preset mode the gamma is
corrected nicely, white point is much closer to the target (although still ~500k
too cool) and dE colour accuracy has improved dramatically. That would be a far
more suitable preset mode to use for day to day use, and play around with the
other preset modes for gaming if you want to.
People may argue that the
Asus ROG Swift PG278Q
(an obvious competitor) has a better default setup than the XL2730Z, and it
does....when comparing the default FPS1 mode on the BenQ. If you switch to the
standard preset mode things are much closer and the only real difference is the
cooler white point on the BenQ.


The display was good when it came to contrast
ratio for a TN Film panel. Out of the box in the FPS 1 mode the low gamma (1.9)
lead to a reduced contrast of only 689:1. Once you switched to the standard mode
and a better gamma (2.2) then the contrast was better at 882:1 before
calibration, 917:1 afterwards. It's a little better than some other recent TN
Film models we've tested like the Asus ROG Swift PG278Q (858:1), but not by
much. Of course
it can't compete with VA panel types which can reach over 2000:1 easily, and
commonly up to 3000:1, even close to 5000:1 in the case of the
Eizo FG2421.
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Viewing Angles

Above: Viewing
angles shown from front and side, and from above and below. Click for
larger image
Viewing angles of the screen were as you might
expect from a TN Film panel. Unfortunately this panel technology is inherently
poor in this field, and so viewing angles are more restrictive than other
competing technologies like IPS and VA variants. Although the manufacturer will
quote a viewing angle of 170 / 160 (a classic indication that a TN Film panel is
being used by the way if in doubt), in practice there are some obvious contrast
and colour tone shifts horizontally, and especially vertically.
As you move your head from side to side in a
horizontal plane, there is a contrast shift and the image becomes darker and
introduces a slight green/yellow hue. As you move to a wider angle the image can
become more washed out as well. Vertically the fields of view are more
restrictive still. From above the image becomes pale and washed out, while from
below there is a characteristic TN Film darkening of the image. Unfortunately
vertically the viewing angles will introduce noticeable shifts in the contrast
and colour tone of the image which mean that for any colour critical work it is
not really very well suited. TN Film panels have long suffered from these
restrictive viewing angles due to the nature of their pixel structure. They are
still fine for a single user for general use and certainly the TN Film panels
offer their advantages when it comes to
pixel response
times and refresh rate for gaming. If however, you were hoping to do any
colour critical or photography work you may find these shifts in the appearance
of the image difficult. An IPS-type panel would probably be a wiser choice if
you were looking for a screen with much wider viewing angles but having said
that you are probably mainly interested in gaming if you are considering this
screen. Remember, the XL2730Z is specifically designed for gaming, and so you
will have to live with some of the sacrifices of TN Film to get the kind of
gaming performance and features offered here.

Above: View of an
all black screen from the side. Click for larger version
On a black image there is a moderate pale grey tint
introduced to the image when viewed from a wide angle. This isn't too severe and
shouldn't present any real problems in practice. Certainly not the obvious white
glow you get from most modern IPS-type panels in similar situations and fairly
standard for a TN Film panel.

Panel Uniformity
We wanted to test
here how uniform the brightness and colour temperature was across the screen, as well as identify any
leakage from the backlight in dark lighting conditions. Measurements of the luminance
and colour temperature were taken at 35 points across the panel on a pure
white background. The measurements for luminance were taken using BasICColor's calibration
software package, combined with an X-rite i1 Display Pro
colorimeter with a central point on the screen calibrated to 120 cd/m2. Measurements for colour temperature (white point) were taken using
BasICColor software and the i1 Pro spectrophotometer which can more accurately
measure the white point of different backlighting technologies. The below uniformity diagram shows the difference, as a percentage,
between the measurement recorded at each point on the screen, as compared with the
central reference point.
It is worth
noting that panel uniformity can vary from one screen to another, and can depend
on manufacturing lines, screen transport and other local factors. This is only a
guide of the uniformity of the sample screen we have for review.

Uniformity of Luminance

The luminance uniformity of the screen was
reasonable. There was a drop in luminance
in the lower left hand corner where it dropped down to 93
cd/m2
in the most extreme case (-29%). The left and right hand sides of the screen
were a little darker than the central areas but not by a massive amount (10
- 12%). Around 70% of the screen was within a 10% deviance from the
centrally calibrated point.

Backlight Leakage

Above: All black screen in a darkened room. Click for larger version
As usual we also tested the screen with an all
black image and in a darkened room. A camera was used to capture the result. The
camera showed there was very little in the way of bleeding or clouding from the
backlight. The bottom corners were a little lighter, but you couldn't really
spot this with the naked eye very easily. In normal uses there was no issue at
all.

General and Office Applications
The XL2730Z feature a large 2560 x 1440 WQHD
resolution which is a significant upgrade to the 1920 x 1080 offered by their
previous XL models, including the last 27"
XL2720Z display. The pixel pitch of 0.233 mm is quite small as a result, and by comparison a
standard 16:10 format 24" model has a pixel pitch of 0.270mm and a 30" model has
0.250mm. These ultra-high resolution 27" models offer a tight pixel pitch and
therefore small text as well. We found it quite a change originally coming from
21.5 - 24" sized screens back in the day, even those offering quite high
resolutions and small pixel pitches. Although now we are very used to working
with 27" 1440p screens all the time and find them very comfortable and a
significant upgrade over 1080 / 1200p models. Some users may find the small text
a little too small to read comfortably, and we'd advise caution if you are
coming from a 19" or 22" screen for instance where the pixel pitch and text are
much larger. The extra screen size takes some getting used to over a few days as
there really is a lot of room to work with but once you do, it's excellent. For
those wanting a high resolution for their work, this is a
really good option. The image was very sharp and crisp and text was very clear.
With its
WQHD display, you enjoy 77% more desktop space than a full HD screen to spread
out your windows and palettes.
The fairly thin
bezel design mean that the XL2730Z could be easily integrated into a
multi-screen set up if you wanted. It doesn't have a 'frameless' design like
some modern screens, but it's certainly not a thick bezel. The moderate AG coating of the
TN Film panel could be considered a bit grainy, especially on white office
backgrounds to a lot of people. It's not as clear as modern IPS coatings or any
semi-glossy solution. Still, it's not as grainy as old IPS panels and is on par
with other TN Film matrices we've tested. Perhaps the main issue with this panel
technology though is the restrictive viewing angles, making contrast and colour
tone shifts a bit of a problem when it comes to colour critical work. They are
the same here as other TN Film panels, being restrictive especially vertically.
The screen is fine when viewed head on though really for office and text work,
but for colour critical work or photo editing etc you'd be better off with an
IPS-type panel.
The default setup of the screen was pretty decent once you've switched to the
'standard' preset mode, which is definitely advised over the default gaming FPS1
mode. The standard mode offers a nice low dE, better contrast ratio and good
gamma.
The brightness
range of the screen was also very good, with the ability to offer a luminance
between 309 and 56 cd/m2. This should mean the screen is perfectly
useable in a wide variety of ambient light conditions, including darkened rooms.
A setting of ~23 in the OSD brightness control should return you a luminance
close to 120 cd/m2 out of the box. On another positive note, the brightness
regulation is controlled without the need for the use of the now infamous
Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM), and so those who suffer from eye fatigue or
headaches associated with flickering backlights need not worry. There is also an
additional Low Blue Light mode which we've found useful in the past at reducing
the blue spectral output of the display. For those prone to eye issues related
to blue light, it's a useful extra.
There was no
audible noise or buzzing from the screen, even when specifically looking for it
using test images with a large amount of text at once. The screen also remains
cool even during prolonged use. There are a few extras provided here as well
including a 2 port USB 3.0 hub (easy access on the left hand side), microphone
input, headphone output and even a retractable headphone hook. There are no further extras like ambient light
sensors or card readers which can be useful in office environments. This is
primarily a gaming screen remember. There was a great range of ergonomic adjustments
available from the stand allowing you to obtain a comfortable position for a
wide variety of angles. The VESA mounting support may also be useful to some
people as well.

Above: photo of
text at 2560 x 1440 (top) and 1920 x 1080 (bottom)
The screen is designed to run at its native
resolution of 2560 x 1440 and at a 144Hz recommended refresh rate. However,
if you want you are able to run the screen outside of this resolution. We tested
the screen at a lower 1920 x 1080 resolution to see how the screen handles the
interpolation of the resolution, while maintaining the same aspect ratio of
16:9. At native resolution the text was very sharp and clear. When running at a 1080p resolution the text is still
reasonably clear, with moderate
levels of blurring. You do lose some screen real-estate as well of course but
the image seems to be interpolated quite well from 1080p sources. That's a good
sign if you need to game at a lower resolution due to the demands on your system
of a high refresh rate.

Gaming Introduction

The BenQ XL2730Z is an interesting screen to test
when it comes to gaming. This is BenQ's first 2560 x 1440 resolution gaming
screen, surpassing the previous XL series models which had been limited to 1920
x 1080 maximum until now. In fact there are very few 1440p gaming screens on the
market, the first one released being the extremely popular
Asus ROG Swift PG278Q we tested in July last year. That was a TN Film based
model with 1ms G2G response time, 144Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA's G-sync
technology. BenQ have adopted a
similar (not identical) panel as the Asus in this new XL2730Z display, a TN Film
offering from AU Optronics. They've maintained the very low 1ms G2G response
time and 144Hz refresh rate support we've gotten used to from their XL series
which is of course great news for gamers.
Secondly this is the first
FreeSync
capable screen we have tested, and one of the first available on the market in
fact. We will discuss FreeSync later on in this review, but it is basically
AMD's equivalent to NVIDIA G-sync which we have already seen successfully
deployed in various displays, including the aforementioned Asus ROG Swift
PG278Q. It should also be noted that BenQ have added a
Blur
Reduction mode like some other XL models over the last couple of years.
While NVIDIA's G-sync module also provides a native blur reduction mode with it
(ULMB), FreeSync models do not have a blur reduction feature included. BenQ have
added theirs separately which is great to see. Again, we will test that later on.
Panel technology |
TN Film |
Refresh Rate |
144Hz |
FreeSync support |
 |
Blur Reduction mode |
 |
NVIDIA 3D Vision |
 |
To make the most of this screen you will want to
have a
suitable AMD graphics card which supports Adaptive Sync/FreeSync. That
will allow you to use one of the most interesting new features of this latest
screen. One of the key selling points of FreeSync is that unlike G-sync it does
not add a massive cost overhead to the display, and so actually even if you
don't have a suitable graphics card to use FreeSync you can still benefit from everything else
this screen has to offer. Don't forget there's a significant change when it
comes to resolution compared with the older XL models here. It should be noted that the screen can also be
used from NVIDIA graphics cards without issue, and there's a good range of
connectivity options provided to suit whatever card you've got. Again, you won't be
able to use FreeSync, but everything else should work fine.
We expect if you're looking at such a high end
gaming display that you will also have a pretty high end gaming PC to run it, so
2560 x 1440 at 144Hz would of course be preferable over anything else. That will
give you the highest frame rate and smoothest motion in gaming. We hope you have a system powerful enough to run this screen
at its intended 2560 x 1440 resolution and 144Hz refresh rate, as really that's
where you will get the optimum performance. You do need to consider the power of
your graphics card though as there will be a big demand on your system for
gaming at these kind of settings. Fortunately though there is also the new AMD
FreeSync technology which will offer you smooth gaming even at lower frame
rate outputs. Read on for more information.

Responsiveness and Gaming
Quoted G2G Response Time |
1ms G2G |
Quoted ISO Response Time |
n/a |
Panel Manufacturer and
Technology |
AU Optronics |
Panel Part |
M270DTN01.0 |
Overdrive Used |
Yes |
Overdrive Control Available to
User |
AMA |
Overdrive Settings |
Off, High, Premium |
The XL2730Z is rated by BenQ as having a 1ms G2G response time, which indicates the panel uses
overdrive /
response time compensation (RTC) technology to boost pixel transitions
across grey to grey changes. There is user control over the overdrive impulse
within the OSD menu using the 'AMA' (Advanced Motion Accelerator) option. The
part
being used is the
AU Optronics M270DTN01.0 TN Film panel. Have a read about response time in
our
specs section if you need additional information about this measurement.
We will first test the screen using our thorough
response time testing method. This uses an oscilloscope and photosensor to
measure the pixel response times across a series of different transitions, in
the full range from 0 (black) to 255 (white). This will give us a realistic view
of how the monitor performs in real life, as opposed to being reliant only on a
manufacturers spec. We can work out the response times for changing between many
different shades, calculate the maximum, minimum and average grey
to grey (G2G) response times, and provide an evaluation of any overshoot present
on the monitor.
We use an
ETC M526
oscilloscope for these measurements along with a custom photosensor device.
Have a read of
our response time measurement article for a full explanation of the testing methodology and reported
data.
Response Time (AMA) Setting Comparison

The XL2730Z comes with a user control for the
overdrive impulse available within the OSD menu in the 'picture' section as
shown above. There are 3 options available here under the AMA (Advanced Motion
Accelerator) option in
the menu for off, high and premium modes. First of all we carried out a smaller sample set
of measurements in all three of the AMA response time settings. These, along with various
motion tests allowed us to quickly identify which was the optimum overdrive setting
for this screen.
For completeness we tested the response times in each of these
AMA modes at various refresh rates, ranging from a normal 60Hz, up to the maximum
144Hz. This allowed us to establish if there were any differences in response
time behaviour at each refresh rate as well. Since FreeSync will by its nature
dynamically control the refresh rate, it's important to establish if there is
any impact on pixel response time behaviour when it does. We will say up front
now to save time that there was practically no difference in pixel response
time/overshoot behaviour between each refresh rate setting. The tests shown
below are at 144Hz for reference, but it made no difference really over 60Hz or
anything in between.

Firstly we tested the response times with AMA set
to Off. Average G2G was pretty slow for a TN Film panel at 8.5ms, with some
transitions ranging up to 13 - 14ms. The overdrive impulse was turned off here
and so there was at least no overshoot at all. With response times being slow
though, you will almost certainly want to push for a higher setting which is
common on BenQ XL screens.

We switched up to the middle 'High' setting and
tested again. Response times had been improved significantly, dropping from the
8.5ms G2G average we'd seen before to 3.1ms. Some transitions reached down to as
low as 1.0ms so the screen does live up to its spec as well. There were some
transitions which now showed quite high levels of overshoot though, particularly
those that had previously been slow and were now sped up nicely. There's
therefore some trade-off if you want to improve the response times as you have
to live with some moderate levels of overshoot. That's quite common on a lot of
fast TN Film screens to be fair. We felt the moderate overshoot was worth it for
the improved response times.

The highest 'Premium' setting improved response
times a bit further down to 2.3ms G2G average. The problem is that the overshoot
become much higher and far more noticeable. It was to an extent that made this
AMA mode too aggressive. We would recommend sticking to the AMA high mode.

Transition: 50-150-50 (scale =
20ms), refresh rate 144Hz
The above graph shows the high level of overshoot
recorded when using AMA Premium. You will see the high peak on the rise time
(25.6%) and even some overshoot on the fall time (9.2%). Stick with AMA High.

If we take some test photos using the PixPerAn
tool you can make some further visual comparisons between the overdrive
settings. With AMA off the slower response times lead to some low levels of
motion blur. It's not actually a massive amount as even with an 8.5ms G2G
response time measured it's about on par with most decent IPS-type panels anyway.
Once you turn the AMA setting up to High the blurring is reduced noticeably and
the moving image becomes sharper and clearer. Some slight dark trailing is
evident but it's not overly distracting in normal use. Higher refresh rates help
to reduce any appearance as well due to the increased frame rates to the screen.
If you switch up to the premium AMA setting the overshoot does become very
apparent, and there's a dark and pale halo behind moving objects. Definitely
better to stick with the AMA High setting.
Important - see our
FreeSync section of the review regarding some limitations with AMA settings
when paired with a FreeSync graphics card/driver/connection at this time.

More Detailed Measurements - AMA High
Having established that the AMA High mode offered
the best response/overshoot balance we carried out our normal wider range of
measurements as shown below. Tests were completed at the maximum 144Hz refresh
rate although the refresh rate made no real difference to the response times
anyway.



The average G2G response time was more accurately
measured at 3.4ms which was excellent overall. Rise times were slightly slower
than fall times but not by anything significant. Some measurements reached as
low as the advertised 1ms figure as well.


There was some noticeable overshoot introduced
unfortunately at this AMA High level. It wasn't too severe, and certainly less
than if you push AMA up to the maximum Premium mode. Still, some transitions
showed pretty high overshoot values. It was pretty comparable to what we've seen
from other fast TN Film models including the older XL2720Z model, and the Asus
ROG Swift PG278Q.
Important - see our
FreeSync section of the review regarding some limitations with AMA settings
when paired with a FreeSync graphics card/driver/connection at this time.

Display Comparisons


The above comparison table and graph shows you the
lowest, average and highest G2G response time measurement for each screen we
have tested with our oscilloscope system. There is also a colour coded mark next
to each screen in the table to indicate the RTC overshoot error, as the response
time figure alone doesn't tell the whole story.
The response time performance of the XL2730Z was
on par with other fast TN Film screens we've tested of late. It's a little
faster than the older
XL2720Z but not by anything significant that would be
noticeable in practice. The level of overdrive is slightly less if you compare
the results between the two so we can conclude some minor improvements have been
made for the new model which is always good to see. It's very comparable also to the excellent
Asus ROG
Swift PG278Q which is good news. The response times are very low on average
(3.4ms G2G, AMA = High) but there are moderate levels of overshoot as a result.
It does seem that the fastest TN Film panels achieve their low response times at
the expense of some low levels of overshoot.
The screen was also tested using the chase test in
PixPerAn for the following display comparisons. As a reminder, a series of
pictures are taken on the highest shutter speed and compared, with the best case
example shown on the left, and worst case example on the right. This should only
be used as a rough guide to comparative responsiveness but is handy for a
comparison between different screens and technologies as well as a means to
compare those screens we tested before the introduction of our oscilloscope
method.

27"
1ms
G2G AU Optronics TN Film @ 144Hz (AMA = High)
In practice the BenQ XL2730Z performed best with
the AMA overdrive setting on 'High'. Motion blur was minimal and the moving image
looked sharp and crisp. Motion felt very fast and fluid thanks to the 144Hz
refresh rate, something which you can't really pick out with the camera in these
specific tests. There
was some slight overshoot detected in the form of some dark trailing but it was
a moderate level, and certainly nowhere near as bad as you will see if you
switch AMA up to 'Premium'.

27"
1ms
G2G AU Optronics TN Film @ 144Hz (AMA = High)

27" 1ms G2G
AU Optronics TN Film + 144Hz (AMA = High)
If we compare the new XL2730Z first of all to the
previous XL2720Z mode you will notice the performance is very similar. Response
times are very close as measured with our oscilloscope so we're not surprised
that there's very similar levels of blur to the moving image - very low levels
that is. The old XL2720Z shows a little more noticeable overshoot as the dark
trail is a little more pronounced but again not by anything too significant.

27"
1ms
G2G AU Optronics TN Film @ 144Hz (AMA = High)

27"
8ms
G2G LG.Display AH-IPS (Response Time = Normal)

27" 8ms G2G
LG.Display AH-IPS

27" 4ms G2G AU
Optronics AHVA (AMA Setting = High)
It is interesting to compare the XL2730Z against some of the other popular 27"
models we have tested with 2560 x 1440 resolutions, this time with IPS-type panels.
The Dell U2713HM
is about as fast as you can get from a 60Hz IPS screen at the moment, with an
8.5ms G2G response time and no overshoot detected. The
Dell U2715H and
BenQ BL2710PT are a little slower at around 10ms G2G and so there is a more
noticeable blurring to the image. Overall the XL2730Z feels snappier and faster
than these other models because of its much higher refresh rate. While the
response times are low enough on models like the U2713HM to produce pretty low
levels of motion blur, you are still limited by the refresh rate of the screen.
Once you reach levels where the response time is sufficiently low to not be a
major factor in blurring, you get a far more effective elimination of motion
blur by increasing the refresh rate or adding additional blur reduction
techniques. If you have a look at our following sections with the
pursuit camera
you can see what a difference it makes bumping the refresh rate up from 60Hz to
144Hz in actual perceived motion blur. You can also see what a fantastic job the
Blur Reduction mode does in reducing blur even further.

27"
1ms
G2G AU Optronics TN Film @ 144Hz (AMA = High)

27"
1ms
G2G AU Optronics TN Film @ 144Hz (OD = Normal)

27"
4ms
G2G AU Optronics AHVA (IPS-type) @ 144Hz (OD = Normal)

23.5" 4ms G2G
Sharp MVA + 120Hz
This is where the real comparisons are! We've included a comparison above against
3 other very fast 120Hz+ compatible screens we have tested. The screens shown
here are all aimed primarily at gamers and have various features and extras
which make them more suitable overall for gaming.
Firstly there is a comparison against the very popular
Asus ROG Swift PG278Q with its 144Hz refresh rate and fast response time TN
Film panel. This showed very fast pixel response times and smooth movement
thanks to its increased refresh rate. You are able to reduce the motion blur
even more through the use of the ULMB strobed backlight as well if you need to.
In other related areas this screen also supports NVIDIA's G-sync dynamic refresh
rate technology.
There was some low/moderate levels overshoot noticeable on the Asus but nothing major.
Then there is a comparison against the excellent
new
Acer Predator XB270HU, the World's first 144Hz IPS-type panel. This had very
low response times for an IPS panel, not quite as low as the TN Film screens
here but offsetting that slightly higher response time is the fact that it has
no overshoot at all! This screen also benefits from the high frame rates and has
support for NVIDIA G-sync and ULMB as well.
Lastly there is the MVA based Eizo FG2421 screen
with a fairly fast response time (especially for the panel technology being used) and
120Hz refresh rate support. There is also an additional 'Turbo 240' motion blur
reduction mode which really helps reduce the perceived motion blur in practice.
Overall the BenQ XL2730Z held its own against the
fastest TN Film models like the previous XL2720Z and the popular Asus ROG Swift
PG278Q. The moderate levels of overshoot were a bit of a shame, but something
you have to live with on the fastest TN Film screens. The high refresh rate and
additional Blur Reduction mode (which we will look at shortly) add to the
experience and make it an excellent gaming option. FreeSync (when working
properly,
see
below) should also be very useful to AMD users.

FreeSync

Obviously a huge part of the BenQ XL2730Z is
the addition of the new AMD FreeSync technology, their branded version of the VESA standard
Adaptive Sync. It's a competing technology to NVIDIA's already
available G-sync and so the principles of its operation remain the same. We've
discussed G-sync in our
Asus ROG Swift PG278Q and
Acer XB270HU reviews already in detail, but we'll take a look specifically
at FreeSync here as well.
As an introduction,
monitors typically operate
at a fixed refresh rate, whether that is 60, 120 or 144Hz. When running
graphically intense content like games, the frame rate can of course fluctuate
somewhat and this poses a potential issue to the user. There are traditionally
two main options available for how frames are passed from the graphics card to
the monitor using a feature called VSYNC, whether Vsync is turned on or off. The
first diagram below come from NVIDIA's G-sync content but we will leave them in
to demonstrate how V-sync works as the same principles apply here when talking
about FreeSync.
Vsync Overview

At the most basic level
‘VSync
OFF’
allows the GPU to send frames to the monitor as soon as they have been
processed, irrespective of whether the monitor has finished its refresh and is
ready to move onto the next frame. This allows you to run at higher frame rates
than the refresh rate of your monitor but can lead to a lot of problems. When
the frame rate of the game and refresh rate of the monitor are different, things
become unsynchronised. This lack of synchronisation coupled with the nature of
monitor refreshes (typically from top to bottom) causes the monitor to display a
different frame towards the top of the screen vs. the bottom. This results in
distinctive
‘tearing’
on the monitor that really bothers some users. Even on a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor,
where some users incorrectly claim that there is no tearing, the tearing is
still there. It is generally less noticeable but it is definitely still there.
Tearing can become
particularly noticeable during faster horizontal motion (e.g. turning, panning,
strafing), especially at lower refresh rates.

The solution to this tearing problem for many
years has been the
‘VSync
ON’
option which essentially forces the GPU to hold a frame until the monitor is
ready to display it, as it has finished displaying the previous frame. It also
locks the frame rate to a maximum equal to the monitor’s refresh rate. Whilst
this eliminates tearing, it also increases
lag
as there is an inherent delay before frames are sent to the monitor. On a 120Hz
monitor the lag penalty is half that of a 60Hz monitor and on a 144Hz
monitor is even lower. It is still there, though, and some users feel it
disconnects them from game play somewhat. When the frame rate drops below the
refresh rate of the monitor this disconnected feeling increases to a level that
will bother a large number of users. Some frames will be processed by the GPU more slowly than the monitor is able to display them. In other words the
monitor is ready to move onto a new frame before the GPU is ready to send it. So
instead of displaying a new frame the monitor displays the previous frame again,
resulting in
stutter.
Stuttering can be a major problem when using the Vsync on option to reduce
tearing.
During Vsync ON operation, there can also
sometimes be a sudden slow down in frame rates when the GPU has to work harder.
This creates situations where the frame rate suddenly halves, such as 60 frames
per second slowing down to 30 frames per second. During Vsync ON, if your
graphics card is not running flat-out, these frame rate transitions can be very
jarring. These sudden changes to frame rates creates sudden changes in lag, and this can disrupt
game play, especially in first-person shooters.
Variable Refresh Rate - Adaptive-Sync

To overcome these
limitations with Vsync, both NVIDIA and AMD have introduced new technologies
dubbed G-sync and FreeSync respectively. We've already seen G-sync used for
quite a few months now with great success. The BenQ XL2730Z will be the first
screen we've tested featuring AMD's version as FreeSync was only launched on
March 19th 2015. The idea of both technologies is based on variable refresh
rates. These technologies can be integrated into monitors allowing them to
dynamically alter the monitor refresh rate depending on the
graphics card output and frame rate. The frame rate of the monitor is still
limited in much the same way it is without a variable refresh rate technology,
but it adjusts dynamically to a refresh rate to match the frame rate of the game. By doing this
the monitor refresh rate is perfectly synchronised with the GPU. You don’t get
the screen tearing or visual latency of having Vsync disabled, nor do you get
the stuttering or input lag associates with using Vsync. You can get the benefit
of higher frame rates from Vsync off
but without the tearing, and without the lag and stuttering caused if you switch
to Vsync On.
G-Sync vs. FreeSync

Both G-sync and FreeSync operate on this principle
of dynamically controlling the refresh rate. There's a few differences between
how the technology is implemented though. NVIDIA G-sync requires a proprietary
G-sync module to be added to the monitor, which comes at quite a high cost
premium. You will notice as a result that the retail price of compatible G-sync
monitors is often £100 - 200 higher than similar competitors because of this
module. There is another limitation with adding a G-sync module in that it is
only designed to work with a single interface currently, and so supporting monitors only
offer a single DisplayPort connection. That makes those monitors somewhat
restrictive when it comes to attaching any other devices of computers. The
screens are also provided without a scaler, and so hardware aspect ratio control
options are not offered. That's not as important as on some screens given you
are restricted to a single DP interface anyway, and the PC can handle the
scaling for you. It does also mean that signal processing lag is incredibly low
as a result, another positive for gaming.
G-sync modules also support a native blur
reduction mode dubbed ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur). This allows the user to opt
for a strobe backlight system if they want, in order to reduce perceived
motion blur in gaming. It cannot be used at the same time as G-sync since
ULMB operates at a fixed refresh rate only, but it's a useful extra option for
these gaming screens. Of course
since G-sync/ULMB are an NVIDIA technology, it only works with specific G-sync compatible NVIDIA
graphics cards. While you can still use a G-sync monitor from an AMD/Intel
graphics card for other uses, you can't use the actual G-sync or ULMB functions.

On the other hand AMD FreeSync technology costs
virtually nothing for a monitor manufacturer to adopt and so there is no price
premium really for supporting monitors, hence the name. Most of them already had the relevant
components in their supply chains, but need the right software to come along to
expose latent capabilities. With the help of VESA, the DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync
specification was born to do exactly that. DisplayPort
Adaptive-Sync has no unique material or licensing costs, and AMD FreeSync
technology builds on top of that industry standard to give gamers a benefit in
all of their games.
No licensing. No proprietary hardware. No incremental hardware costs. So as the
name suggests, the key advantage of FreeSync really is in the cost!
Thankfully
since you don't need a dedicated extra module added to the screen you can still
offer multiple video inputs on the screen without problems. You can only use
FreeSync over DisplayPort, but there's no issue with including HDMI, DVI, D-sub
etc to offer the user multiple interface options. You're not limited to just a
single DisplayPort like with G-sync. Scalers can also be provided as normal for
hardware aspect ratio control although there may be additional signal processing
lag added depending on the electronics and scalers manufacturers use. They will
need to focus closely on reducing lag as they do with current non-FreeSync
monitors. There is no native blur reduction mode coupled with FreeSync support
so it is down to the display manufacturer whether they add an extra blur
reduction method themselves. FreeSync can only be used from
compatible AMD graphics cards, and you cannot use FreeSync from an NVIDIA
card. You can still use a FreeSync monitor from an NVIDIA card without problems,
just not the actual FreeSync feature.

We don't want
to get in to any kind of NVIDIA vs. AMD debate here. What this really boils down
to is whether you're an NVIDIA or AMD graphics user. At the moment there isn't a
single standard which works from all graphics cards, so you need to pick a
monitor to match your graphics choice. AMD's option is cheaper and more
versatile for manufacturers to adopt but we don't feel that it will mean we will
have a much larger selection of FreeSync monitors to choose from. At the end of
the day the monitor manufacturers need to cater for their audience, and with
such a huge market share from NVIDIA they would be mad to ignore G-sync
offerings. Maybe at some point there will be a common approach between NVIDIA
and AMD but with both technologies being so new at the moment, we can't see that
happening for a while. G-sync may be more expensive, and limited when it comes to
connection options at the moment, but there is the added benefit of the native ULMB included
don't forget.
For more information from AMD
on FreeSync, see
their website.
FreeSync
Operation
AMD FreeSync
can support dynamic refresh rates between 9 and 240Hz but the actual supported
ranges depend on the display. In the case of the XL2730Z the range supported is
40 to 144Hz. That means with FreeSync enabled the screens refresh rate can be
dynamically controlled between 40 and 144Hz. When you connect the display to a
compatible graphics card, with the relevant driver package installed the
display is detected as FreeSync compatible and gives the following pop up
message:

AMD kindly sent us a Club 3D Radeon R9 290 Series
for testing:

Within the Catalyst Control Centre there is an
added configuration option for FreeSync at the bottom as shown in the screenshot
below. Once enabled, FreeSync ON is also confirmed in the OSD menu of the
XL2730Z. Some features such as the Blur Reduction mode if enabled will turn
FreeSync off as they are not cross-compatible. You still have access to all the
normal OSD controls though.

We don't want to go into too much depth about game
play, frame rates and the performance of FreeSync here as we will end up moving
away from characteristics of the monitor and into areas more associated with the
operation of the graphics card and its output. FreeSync is a combined graphics
card and monitor technology, but from a monitor point of view all it is doing is
supporting this feature to allow the graphics card to operate in a new way. We'd
encourage you to read some of the FreeSync reviews online as they go into a lot
more detail about graphics card rendering, frame rates etc as well.
Within the AMD press material and presentation
which we were invited to, they had carried out some tests of FreeSync and noted
a minor improvement in frame rates when FreeSync was enabled. We're talking
extremely minor here, up to about half a frame difference at best. Still, it's
better than any drop in performance! On the other hand they found a minor drop
in frame rate performance when testing NVIDIA G-sync, down by a couple of frames
at most. NVIDIA
had acknowledged this minor performance drop in the past although said they
were working on it. For those interested, there's some
more information here about the test environments used by AMD.
The results obtained by AMD were as follows:

Above: AMD tests
of FreeSync and G-sync Frame rates
AMD concluded from their tests that enabling
FreeSync maintains a more consistent performance vs. the competition:


Really any difference here is extremely minor and
won't make any practical difference to the user.
Anandtech actually carried out some further tests themselves and found no
discernable difference between the two solutions. Perhaps there's some very
minor difference somewhere, but not something to worry about at all. We only
include it here as you're likely to hear about this in any AMD vs. NVIDIA
conversations.
In addition to these tests, AMD also checked how
each solution behaves if you operate outside of the supported range. i.e. what
happens if you provide a frame rate above the maximum supported 144Hz, or below
the bottom end of the range supported by the monitor. With NVIDIA G-sync, the
solution behaves as if you had V-sync on, capping the frame rate at 144fps
maximum for instance if you exceed 144Hz. With AMD FreeSync you actually have
the option as a user to either have V-sync on or off for operation above the
maximum supported refresh rate. So if you have a powerful enough system you are
able to output more frames if you want. Obviously you're back into the realms of
possible tearing etc with V-sync off, or into the realms of some possible lag
and stutter with V-sync on, but you have the choice as the user at least.
Their tests here confirm that operation, using
V-sync off when out of range of FreeSync. Again test environment
described here if you want more info.


It should be noted that the real benefits of
variable refresh rate technologies really come into play when viewing lower frame rate content, around 40
- 75fps typically delivers the best results compared with Vsync on/off. At
consistently higher
frame rates as you get nearer to 144 fps the benefits of FreeSync (and G-sync) are not as
great, but still apparent. There will be a gradual transition period for each
user where the benefits of using FreeSync decrease, and it may instead be better
to use the
Blur
Reduction feature discussed in the following section which is not available when using
FreeSync. Higher end gaming machines might be able to push out higher frame rates
more consistently and so you might find less benefit in using FreeSync. The Blur
Reduction mode
could then help in another very important area, helping to reduce the perceived
motion blur caused by LCD displays. Keeping in mind that the XL2730Z features a
large 2560 x 1440 resolution, you'd need a pretty powerful system to achieve
consistently high frame rates, so we'd encourage you to try FreeSync of course to
see how it affects your gaming usage. It's nice to have both FreeSync and a Blur
Reduction mode available to choose from certainly. Well done BenQ!
FreeSync Performance and the XL2730Z Display
From original review dated 24/4/15
From a monitor point of view the use of FreeSync creates a problem at the moment
on the XL2730Z at the moment. The issue is that the AMA setting does nothing when you
connect the screen over DisplayPort to a FreeSync system. This applies whether
you are actually using FreeSync or not, you don't even need to have the option
ticked in the graphics card settings for the problem to occur. As a result, the
setting appears to be in the off state, and changing it to High or Premium in
the menu makes no difference to real-World response times or performance. As a
result, response times are fairly slow at ~8.5ms G2G and there is a more noticeable blur to
the moving image. See
the more detailed response time tests in the previous
sections for more information, but needless to say this is not the optimum AMA
(response time) setting on this screen. For some reason, the combination of
FreeSync support and this display disables the AMA function.
This only happens when you are using a FreeSync
enabled graphics card, FreeSync capable drivers and the DisplayPort interface.
If you switch to DVI or any other interface (which don't support the FreeSync
feature) even from the same graphics card/driver then AMA behaves as it should
again. If you use DisplayPort but revert to an older non-FreeSync enabled driver
package then AMA works as it should. If you use a non-FreeSync supporting AMD
card, or a card from NVIDIA/Intel then AMA functions as it should. It's only
when all 3 things are combined that the problem seems to occur. Obviously if you
eliminate one of them to make AMA work properly, you lose the advantage of
FreeSync dynamic refresh rate control. The only exception is if you enable the
Blur Reduction mode, where the AMA function then works properly regardless of
your system configuration.
Having spoken to BenQ about it the issue is a
known bug which apparently currently affects all FreeSync monitors. The
AMD FreeSync command disturbs the response time (AMA) function, causing it to
switch off. It's something which will require an update from AMD to their driver
behaviour, which they are currently working on. It will also require a firmware
update for the screen itself to correct the problem. Both are being worked on
and we will aim to update this review when it is fixed, hopefully within a
couple of weeks. Assuming that fixes the issue the performance when using a
FreeSync system should be much better than now, as you can move from AMA Off to
the better AMA High setting. At the moment if you use the FreeSync function, or
even just have a FreeSync enabled system in place, the
response times are slower than they should be by a fair amount, and so you will
experience a moderate amount of blur. If you need to, you can always switch to
DVI or another interface other than DisplayPort to benefit from the AMA setting
(but lose FreeSync).
It is unclear at the moment what would be required
to update an existing XL2730Z model, and what would be required in terms of new
firmware. We will update this review section when we know more.
Update 1/6/15
BenQ have confirmed that
the FreeSync/AMA issue has now been fixed. A driver update from AMD is already
available and should be downloaded from their website. In addition BenQ will be
releasing a firmware update for the monitor itself to fix this issue. Current
stocks in distribution are being recalled and updated with retailers so future
purchases should already carry this new firmware. This is expected to apply for
stock purchased AFTER 1st July, as V002 firmware screens should be shipped by
BenQ to distributors in late June.
For those who already have
an XL2730Z if you want to, you can return it to BenQ for them to carry out the
firmware update for you. This only applies if the user is experiencing issues
with the performance of the screen. There is no simple way for the end user to
update the firmware themselves and it is not encouraged. Users should contact
BenQ support through their relevant country website for more information on how
to return their screen for the update.
This only applies in Europe and we do not have any
information about how this update will be handled in other countries
unfortunately. We would suggest contacting BenQ support for additional help if
you need more information, now that a V002 firmware is in circulation. You
should be able to identify the firmware version you have by accessing the
factory OSD menu (hold menu button while powering the screen on, then press
menu). The Firmware version (F/W) should start with V001 or V002 and then a
date. You are looking for V002 for the updated firmware.
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Blur Reduction
The XL2730Z includes BenQ's own native Blur
Reduction mode, designed to help eliminate perceived motion blur in practice. We
talked about the concepts of blur reduction backlights in a lot more detail in
our detailed article, so we would encourage you to read that to understand
more about the feature and what it is designed to do. There is a basic on/off
control for the Blur Reduction mode in the OSD menu initially, and it is also
available as one of the quick launch options in the menu by default.

When you enable the Blur Reduction
feature a couple of new options appear in the OSD menu if you drill in to the
relevant option (except when using Blur Reduction at 60Hz for some reason).
One minor gripe is that these additional options don't show in the Blur
Reduction quick launch menu, you have to drill in to the main OSD to change
them. There is a new setting which allows you to adjust the 'intensity' which
controls the pulse width. Shorter strobe lengths can help produce
progressively less motion blur, but it does come at the cost of screen
brightness. The second setting allows you to control the 'area', which is the
timing of the strobe. This allows you to adjust where on the screen you will see
strobe cross-talk, something which cannot be completely eliminated but can at
least be customised by the user here. These options basically replicate those
which were made available on the original XL2720Z by the addition of the
BlurBusters strobe utility. They are now available natively from the screen
itself which is very useful.
One thing to note is that the brightness setting
you are using in your current preset mode (FPS1, Standard etc) will carry over
when you enable Blur Reduction. So if you're using a 20% brightness for normal
use in the standard preset mode, when you enable Blur Reduction the brightness
will still be at 20%. This is then a very dark image and a lot of people will
want to use a much higher brightness setting for Blur Reduction mode. We would
recommend therefore setting up one of the user game preset modes to your liking
for use with Blur Reduction so you can simply switch to that preset, rather than
mess around with your normal-use preset all the time.

Operation

Backlight strobing
at 60/100/120Hz refresh rate
(scale = 5ms)
The Blur Reduction feature is available for
refresh rates between 60 and 144Hz so we wanted to test the behaviour across
each. Normally a strobe backlight would be put in sync with the refresh rate of
the display, giving one strobe per refresh cycle. At 60Hz the strobing of
the backlight at 60 times per second would be too slow and would produce visible
and distracting flicker. As a result, the strobe is instead doubled and operates
here at 120Hz, which is a fine principle. Each cycle therefore takes 8.33ms.
Oddly when using the Blur Reduction mode at 60Hz
refresh rate the additional intensity and area options are not available. We
know that the intensity setting is by default at a level of 10 (settings between
1 - 25), and so it's not possible to influence the luminance of the screen using
that setting, only by adjusting the backlight brightness. See the following
section for max and min luminance achieved while using Blur Reduction at 60Hz
but it is lower than can be achieved at other refresh rates where you can lower
the intensity and improve resulting luminance. Without access to the 'area'
setting as well, you cannot influence the appearance of strobe cross-talk on the
screen. More worrying though is that while operating at 60Hz there is a very
noticeable ghosting trail to a moving image, but we're not sure what's causing
it. It's very obvious and occurs regardless of which video interface you use. As
a result we'd probably recommend not using Blur Reduction at 60Hz if you can
help it as it doesn't seem to function correctly.
When you switch up to 100Hz refresh rate
you would normally expect the strobe cycling to sync up at 100Hz (each strobe
taking 10ms). However, for some odd reason the strobe frequency stays at 120Hz
here. Here you have a frame rate refreshing every 10ms, and a strobe which is
out of sync with it refreshing every 8.33ms. The ghosting issue from 60Hz is no
longer there, but there is a stuttering to the moving image due to the mis-timing
of the strobe and refresh rate. This was confirmed over both DisplayPort and DVI
inputs.
At 120Hz refresh rate the strobe remains in
sync at 120Hz as it was at 60 and 100Hz before, refreshing every 8.33ms as is
the frame rate. Again you have access to intensity and area settings, but since
the strobing remains identical to at 100Hz, the luminance and timing results are
identical. Thankfully there is no ghosting like there was at 60Hz and the
stuttering from 100Hz has gone since the strobe is now properly in sync with the
refresh rate. We confirmed this to be the case using both DisplayPort and DVI
inputs. This is a much better refresh rate to run Blur Reduction at as it works
correctly without issue.

Backlight
strobing, 144Hz refresh rate over DisplayPort
(scale = 5ms)
When using DisplayPort at 144Hz the strobe is thankfully brought in sync
with the refresh rate, strobing every 6.94ms with the frame rate. Again you have
access to intensity and area settings, but with the strobes being slightly more
frequent now than at 120 times per second, the maximum luminance is impacted
slightly. The image is clear of the ghosting from 60Hz, and there's no
stuttering as the strobe is in sync with the refresh rate. However, if you
switch to DVI the strobe seems to revert to running at 120Hz instead, leading to
the same stuttering issue we'd seen at 100Hz. The Blur Reduction on the whole
seems to be pretty buggy and we've reported this to BenQ.
A summary of the Blur Reduction mode at each
refresh rate. To summarise it's only usable at 120Hz; or 144Hz if you're using
DisplayPort connection only. Note that enabling Blur Reduction does disable the
FreeSync link between monitor and PC, so you can use the AMA function properly
(stick with High) even on a FreeSync supporting system, as long as you're using
Blur reduction mode. Note that FreeSync and Blur Reduction cannot be used at the
same time though.
Refresh Rate |
Working over
DisplayPort |
Working over
DVI |
Notes |
60Hz |
 |
 |
Ghosting apparent on moving image |
100Hz |
 |
 |
Stuttering caused by strobe operating at 120Hz |
120Hz |
 |
 |
Functions correctly! |
144Hz |
 |
 |
Over DVI the strobe reverts to 120Hz, causing stuttering |
We will test the actual benefits of Blur Reduction
in the following section of this review with our new
pursuit camera
tests.
Brightness Range
Refresh Rate |
Max Brightness
at
100 |
Medium
Brightness
at
50 |
Min Brightness
at
0 |
60Hz |
130.7 |
80.2 |
23.2 |
100Hz |
195.3 |
120.3 |
34.8 |
120Hz |
195.3 |
120.3 |
34.8 |
144HZ |
191.0 |
118.7 |
34.2 |
note:
intensity setting at minimum of 1, except for 60Hz where option was not
available (default setting 10).
We measured the min and max brightness range while
using the Blur Reduction mode at each refresh rate. Where the setting was
available (all but 60Hz) we reduced the 'intensity' to the minimum of 1 which
produced the brightest image. You will note that at 60Hz the screen is darker
since you cannot control the intensity, and it remains at its default 10
setting. We then just changed the OSD brightness control on its own. The maximum
brightness achieved here was actually very good at 191 - 195
cd/m2. That is
quite a lot higher than was achieved on the XL2720Z model (118.6 cd/m2
maximum) and on the Asus ROG Swift PG278Q (122.67 cd/m2). That's good
news for fans of Blur Reduction modes as the brightness is often not
sufficient for many users.
Intensity (Strobe length) Setting @
60/100/120Hz Refresh Rate
We measured the strobe length at a variety of the
'intensity' settings, while running at each of the above refresh rates. Note
that the strobe is always set at 120Hz in each of these 3 refresh rates anyway. You
can adjust the setting in steps of 1, between a setting of 1 (brightest) and 25
(darkest). Each complete strobe lasts a total of
8.33ms at 120 strobes per second:
Intensity
Setting (pulse width) |
On period (ms) |
Off Period
(ms) |
Maximum
Luminance (Brightness at 100) |
1 |
2.125 |
6.205 |
195.3 |
5 |
1.750 |
6.580 |
165.7 |
10 |
1.250 |
7.080 |
126.8 |
15 |
0.875 |
7.455 |
91.1 |
20 |
0.500 |
7.830 |
53.1 |
25 |
0.125 |
8.205 |
15.0 |
Intensity (Strobe length) Setting @ 144z
Refresh Rate
We measured the strobe length again at a variety of the
'intensity' settings, while running at 144Hz refresh rate (over DisplayPort). Each complete strobe lasts a total of
6.94ms at 144 strobes per second:
Intensity
Setting (pulse width) |
On period (ms) |
Off Period
(ms) |
Maximum
Luminance (Brightness at 100) |
1 |
1.750 |
5.194 |
191.0 |
5 |
1.500 |
5.444 |
164.8 |
10 |
1.000 |
5.944 |
126.8 |
15 |
0.750 |
6.194 |
90.2 |
20 |
0.500 |
6.444 |
51.2 |
25 |
0.125 |
6.819 |
11.7 |
Colour and Other Setup Characteristics
We wanted to test the impact on the setup of the
screen when enabling the Blur Reduction feature to see whether it has a knock-on
effect to white point, gamma or colour accuracy. You can see straight away that
it impacts the luminance of the screen, which we've already looked at above.

BenQ XL2730Z - Calibrated Settings

|
Calibrated Settings |
luminance (cd/m2) |
122 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.13 |
Contrast Ratio |
917:1 |
Above is our calibrated state from
earlier on
in the review, with the Blur Reduction feature turned off.

BenQ XL2730Z - Calibrated Settings, Blur Reduction Mode On

|
Calibrated Settings
Blur Reduction On |
luminance (cd/m2) |
75 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.08 |
Contrast Ratio |
892:1 |
We turned the Blur Reduction mode on, but left the
intensity option
at the minimum (brightest) setting of 1 here. We left the OSD settings as they
were before, including brightness and left our
calibrated ICC profile active from our initial calibration. The gamma was not
impacted at all which was great news, and there was only a very minor 1% skewing
of the white point (now slightly too warm by 100k). Colour accuracy remained
almost identical to before as well which was very positive. The only real
difference when Blur Reduction was enabled was the reduced luminance, dropping
it down from 122
cd/m2 to 75
cd/m2. Contrast ratio however remained basically the same at 892:1.
This was pleasing as we know from testing older
LightBoost strobed backlight systems that they can really impact the colours and
white point of a screen when enabled. There seemed to be pretty much no error
introduced here by using Blur Reduction.

Pursuit Camera Tests
We've already tested above the actual
pixel
response times and other aspects of the screen's gaming performance. We
wanted to carry out some pursuit camera tests as well to give an even more
complete idea of the performance of this screen, and the improvements made to
motion blur when using the Blur Reduction feature also.
Pursuit cameras are used to capture motion blur as
a user might experience it on a display. They are simply cameras which follow
the on-screen motion and are extremely accurate at measuring motion blur,
ghosting and overdrive artefacts of moving images. Since they simulate the eye
tracking motion of moving eyes, they can be useful in giving an idea of how a
moving image appears to the end user. It is the blurring caused by eye
tracking on continuously-displayed refreshes (sample-and-hold) that we are keen
to analyse with this new approach. This is not pixel persistence caused by
response times; but a different cause of display motion blur which cannot be
captured using static camera tests. Low response times do have a positive impact
on motion blur, and higher refresh rates also help reduce blurring to a degree.
It does not matter how low response times are, or how high refresh rates are,
you will still see motion blur from LCD displays under normal operation to some
extent and that is what this section is designed to measure. Further
technologies specifically designed to reduce perceived motion blur are required
to eliminate the blur seen on these type of sample-and-hold displays which we
will also look at.
We used the
Blurbusters.com Ghosting Motion Test which is designed to be used with
pursuit camera setups. The pursuit camera method is
explained at BlurBusters
as well as
covered in this research paper. We
carried out the tests at various refresh rates, with and without Blur Reduction enabled.
These UFO objects were moving horizontally at 960 pixels per second, at a frame
rate matching refresh rate of the monitor.

Blur Reduction
mode Off, AMA setting 'High'
We conducted the above tests over the DVI
connection so that we could use the optimum AMA setting of High. These tests
capture the kind of blurring you would see with the naked eye when tracking
moving objects across the screen. As you increase the refresh rate the perceived
blurring is reduced, as refresh rate has a direct impact on motion blur.
It is not
eliminated entirely due to the nature of the sample-and-hold LCD display and the
tracking of your eyes.
No matter how fast the refresh rate and pixel
response times are, you cannot eliminate the perceived motion blur without other
methods (which is where Blur Reduction mode comes in).
Blur Reduction On @ 60Hz

We went ahead and tested the Blur Reduction mode
to see what impact that would have on perceived motion blur. At 60Hz refresh rate we've already discussed in
the previous section that it produces a noticeable and distracting ghosting to
the moving image. Above is a pursuit camera capture showing this ghosting when
using Blur Reduction at 60Hz refresh rate. One to avoid certainly! As we've also discussed
above, running Blur Reduction at 100Hz leads to stuttering of the moving image
and should also be avoided.

Thankfully if you move to 120Hz or 144Hz the blur
reduction mode works properly! The ghosting issue from 60Hz has gone, and the
stuttering from 100Hz is also eliminated. Thankfully the strobe is now in
time with the chosen refresh rate. Tracking of moving objects became much easier
and the image looked sharper and clearer. With the 'area' setting at its default
10 we felt the location of the strobe cross-talk was optimum. It is impossible
to eliminate strobe cross-talk completely due to the way they operate, but the
important thing is whereabouts on the screen this manifests itself and to what
level. The central region is probably the most important since that's where a
lot of your gaming focus will be, where crosshairs and the likes are. We were
pleased that there was low levels of cross-talk here in the central region and
the image looked good. Having the ability to alter the strobe timing makes it
very easy for you to tweak it to your liking if needed, moving the areas of the
screen which are clearest depending on your uses. Also having the ability to
alter the strobe length through the 'intensity' setting was also useful, and you
could tweak it to your preference to reduce even more of the persistence if you
wanted, as long as you didn't mind sacrificing some brightness. We felt that
even at the lowest intensity setting of 1, the blur reduction benefits were very
obvious. This also allows you to reach higher brightness levels than if you
start increasing the intensity setting, for what we consider to be only marginal
further gains in blur reduction. The image was slightly cleaner at 144Hz than at
120Hz due to the higher frequency of the strobe.

Additional Gaming Features
Aspect Ratio Control
-
The XL2730Z supports
a massive range of
aspect ratio control options through the OSD 'display mode' option as shown
below. The Display Mode and Smart Scaling features allow you to change the
monitor view to suit your preference and to simulate any in-game experience.
Using the Display Mode function, the monitor can be easily changed between 8
different screen sizes, from 17”, 19”, 19”W, 21.5”, 22”W, 23”W, 23.6”W and 24”W.
If you’re looking to customize your screen size further, you can also take
advantage of the Smart Scaling feature. The Smart Scaling feature gives you the
flexibility to freely scale the screen content to any custom size. With just one
monitor, you can simulate any game play and practice under different display
sizes for tournaments. Use the Display Mode and Smart Scaling together to get
the possible view for any application or game.
There are options for:

-
Full - interpolation of the input image to fill
the screen, no matter what the aspect ratio is of the source
-
Aspect - maintains the source aspect and fills as
much of the screen as possible
-
1:1 - maps the image source resolution to the
screen with 1:1 pixel mapping
-
Defined screen sizes and aspects - a whole range
of different screen sizes and aspect ratios are simulated, including options at
4:3, 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios of different sizes.

Good to see a defined 1:1 pixel mapping option
available and a mode to automatically detect and interpolate the source aspect
ratio. Looks like BenQ have thought of pretty much everything here for gaming at
different preferred resolutions. Also useful for connection of external games
consoles etc not running at 2560 x 1440 resolution.
Note that NVIDIA G-sync screens at this time are
not provided with an internal scaler, and so having these options available here
is an advantage of using AMD FreeSync instead.
Preset Modes -
There are several
preset modes aimed at gamers. These include:
-
FPS 1 and 2 - designed for playing First
Person Shooter games. BenQ's documentation states: "Meet your secret winning
strategy. The FPS Mode was co-developed with gaming legends to let you tap into
the fundamental insights of pro gamers and view the game how a gaming legend
would see it. This out-of-the-box preset automatically adjusts your monitor
calibrations to provide you with optimal brightness, contrast, sharpness and
colour tint. Being able to spot your enemies and track their move carefully in
every situation put you at an advantage over your opponents. There are two
variations to this special mode: the FPS1 mode is designed to configure and
optimize the display for Counter-Strike 1.6 and the FPS2 mode for Counter-Strike
Source as recommended by BenQ. The perfect combination of form and function
provides gamers with the vantage point to always be one step ahead of the game."
-
RTS - designed for playing Real-time
Strategy games
-
Gamer modes 1, 2 and 3 - 3 customisable
preset modes which can be saved to your own personal tastes. You can then
control these easily and switch between them using the provided S Switch device.

Above: S Switch
for quick switching between custom gamer preset modes
Each of the FPS and RTS presets seems to boost the colours
of the image displayed. They
actually look to be a bit oversaturated and are set up to provide
bright and vivid colours. We have already seen that the actual accuracy is poor
out of the box (we
tested the default FPS 1 mode)
but then they are deliberately not set up for day to day accuracy, but are
designed for specific gaming scenarios.
20 Level Color Vibrance

It is absolutely vital that the XL2730Z give you
the flexibility you need to get the colour performance you seek. This is why
BenQ built into the monitor 20 levels of Color Vibrance setting to meet gamers’
specific viewing requirements and preferences for all types of game-play. This
unique feature is accessible via On Screen Display (OSD) or Display Pilot for
added convenience. This is a quick and easy way to alter the colour vibrancy and
it's useful to have it available quickly from the OSD menu.
Black eQualizer

According to the
documentation, "poor visibility in dark scenes can cost even the most
skilful gamers their
game. The Black eQualizer colour engine technology is designed to offer an
unprecedented level of control and visibility. Dark scenes are brightened
without over-exposing the bright areas to preserve vital details, enabling
gamers to spot their enemies easily in critical combat and react quickly in
any situation." We have
tested this feature before and found it beneficial in altering the gamma of
dark grey shades and helping to bring you detail in darker content.
Auto Game Mode

The Auto
Game Mode enables the XL2730Z to detect the genre of the game being played and
switch the display setting to the corresponding game mode automatically. It is
also designed to make new game mode recommendations for download. This unique
feature is accessible through the On Screen Display (OSD) setting as well as the
Display Pilot software or the S Switch Arc that has a quick key built in for
this mode.

Lag
We have written an in depth article about
input lag and the various measurement techniques which are used to evaluate
this aspect of a display. It's important to first of all understand the
different methods available and also what this lag means to you as an end-user.
Input Lag vs. Display Lag vs. Signal
Processing
To avoid confusion with different terminology we
will refer to this section of our reviews as just "lag" from now on, as there
are a few different aspects to consider, and different interpretations of the
term "input lag". We will consider the following points here as much as
possible. The overall "display lag" is the first, that being the delay between
the image being shown on the TFT display and that being shown on a CRT. This is
what many people will know as input lag and originally was the measure made to
explain why the image is a little behind when using a CRT. The older stopwatch
based methods were the common way to measure this in the past, but through
advanced studies have been shown to be quite inaccurate. As a result, more
advanced tools like SMTT provide a method to measure that delay between a TFT
and CRT while removing the inaccuracies of older stopwatch methods.
In reality that lag / delay is caused by a
combination of two things - the signal processing delay caused by the TFT
electronics / scaler, and the response time of the pixels themselves. Most
"input lag" measurements over the years have always been based on the overall
display lag (signal processing + response time) and indeed the SMTT tool is
based on this visual difference between a CRT and TFT and so measures the
overall display lag. In practice the signal processing is the element which
gives the feel of lag to the user, and the response time of course can
impact blurring, and overall image quality in moving scenes. As people become
more aware of lag as a possible issue, we are of course keen to try and
understand the split between the two as much as possible to give a complete
picture.
The signal processing element within that is quite
hard to identify without extremely high end equipment and very complicated
methods. In fact the studies by Thomas Thiemann which really kicked this whole
thing off were based on equipment worth >100,1000 Euro, requiring extremely high
bandwidths and very complicated methods to trigger the correct behaviour and
accurately measure the signal processing on its own. Other techniques which are
being used since are not conducted by Thomas (he is a freelance writer) or based
on this equipment or technique, and may also be subject to other errors or
inaccuracies based on our conversations with him since. It's very hard as a
result to produce a technique which will measure just the signal processing on
its own unfortunately. Many measurement techniques are also not explained and so
it is important to try and get a picture from various sources if possible to
make an informed judgement about a display overall.
For our tests we will continue to use the SMTT
tool to measure the overall "display lag". From there we can use our
oscilloscope system to measure the response time across a wide range of grey to
grey (G2G) transitions as recorded in our
response time
tests. Since SMTT will not include the full response time within its
measurements, after speaking with Thomas further about the situation we will
subtract half of the average G2G response time from the total display lag. This should allow us to give a good estimation of
how much of the overall lag is attributable to the signal processing element on
its own.
Lag Classification
To help in this section we will also introduce a broader classification system
for these results to help categorise each screen as one of the following levels:
-
Class 1)
Less than 16ms / 1 frame lag - should be fine for gamers, even at high levels
-
Class
2)
A lag of 16 -
32ms / One to two frames - moderate lag but should be fine for many gamers.
Caution advised for serious gaming and FPS
-
Class
3)
A lag of more
than 32ms / more than 2 frames - Some noticeable lag in daily usage, not
suitable for high end gaming

For the full reviews of the models compared here and the dates they were written
(and when screens were approximately released to the market), please see our
full
reviews index.
We have provided a comparison above against other
models we have tested to give an indication between screens. The screens
tested are split into two measurements which are
based on our overall display lag tests (using SMTT) and half the average G2G
response time, as measured by the oscilloscope. The response time is split from
the overall display lag and shown on the graph as the green bar. From there, the
signal processing (red bar) can be provided as a good estimation.
|
Instant Mode Off |
(144Hz) |
(144Hz, instant mode On) |
(Measurements in ms) |
60Hz |
144Hz |
Instant Mode |
Blur Reduction |
Total Display Lag (SMTT 2) |
16.22 |
5.25 |
4.00 |
4.02 |
Pixel Response Time Element |
1.70 |
1.70 |
1.70 |
1.70 |
Estimated Signal Processing Lag |
14.52 |
3.55 |
2.30 |
2.30 |
Lag Classification |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |

The XL2730Z like previous XL series screens
features an "instant mode" setting in the OSD which is designed to bypass some
internal electronics and reduce input lag. First of all we left instant mode
turned off. At 60Hz refresh rate there was a total lag of 16.22ms (about 1
frame), but as soon as you switched up to a higher refresh rate it dropped
significantly to only 5.25ms total display lag. We're not sure why this was the
case, and this was still with instant mode turned off. Enabling instant mode
reduced the overall lag slightly further to only 4ms total. With ~1.7ms of that
attributed to pixel response times we can estimate a signal processing lag of
~2.3ms which is incredibly low. Blur Reduction mode didn't add anything further
to the lag which was positive news. If you're a heavy gamer then we'd recommend
using instant mode to offer you the lowest lag possible on the screen.
Update 16/5/16 - A note from BenQ via one
of our forum members (TerminatorUK) about lag when using FreeSync.
When
using FreeSync, the monitor directly displays the content on the panel which the
AMD FreeSync graphic card outputs to the monitor. There is no signal processing
needed in the monitor itself
saving lag time, because this technology runs without memory flash or RAM
processing. time. This lag is not impacted by the varying refresh rates or FPS
either which is good news. So the lag when using FreeSync should be pretty much
non-existent or we expect close to the "instant mode" results here.

Gaming Summary
The overall gaming performance of the XL2730Z was
positive, if we ignore FreeSync for a moment. Pixel response times and levels of
overshoot were on par with the other fast TN Film panels we've tested, including
the very popular Asus ROG Swift PG278Q. BenQ had made some marginal improvements
over the older XL2720Z as well which is certainly welcome. You still have to
live with some moderate levels of overshoot when running at the optimum
overdrive setting, but the same can be said for other models including the Asus.
Input lag was incredibly low as well which was pleasing.
One significant upgrade was the additional
resolution, offering a big jump from 1080p to 1440p and bringing it up to date
with a couple of other modern gaming screens with high resolutions. Make sure
you have a powerful enough system to run this kind of resolution. For those who
can't output 2560 x 1440 @ 144Hz the addition of AMD's FreeSync technology
should be a welcome move. It does function correctly in terms of handling
dynamic refresh rates and offers a very useful alternative to traditional Vsync.
However, at the moment its implementation is not perfect, as it disables the AMA
(overdrive) function and so leads to reduced response times. In fact at the
moment for gaming we feel you are probably better using the screen from an
non-FreeSync system or reverting to a pre-FreeSync driver so that you can use
the AMA function properly. Once BenQ and AMD fix this issue we will update the
review accordingly as it should then mean FreeSync is a real benefit.
The Blur Reduction mode, when functioning
correctly, offered some obvious improvements to motion blur and worked very
well. We were pleased with the very minimal impact to colours and screen
appearance, and the relatively high maximum brightness was great news. The
addition of controls over the strobe length and timing was a nice move,
replicating the controls users liked to see added when then XL2720Z was made
compatible with the BlurBusters utility. You do need to stick with 120Hz or
144Hz (DP only) for Blur Reduction to work correctly, but we suspect those are
the preferred options for most people anyway.
BenQ have pulled out all the stops again to
provide pretty much every conceivable extra feature for gaming. We found the
Black eQualizer useful for adjusting gamma levels and bringing out detail in
darker content. The new vibrance control was also a nice feature to boost
colours in games. There's a huge range of preset modes including the
ability to create 3 of your own, and the provided S-switch was also a neat extra
and allowed you to quickly and easily switch between settings. Without the
limitations of a G-sync module, BenQ have been able to provide their familiar
wide range of connectivity and hardware scaling options making the screen a
viable option for external devices as well. We liked the extra thought that had
gone in to things like the markings on the stand adjustments and even the
retractable headphone hook. A good job by BenQ here of providing you with loads
of extras to really make this a premium gaming screen.
Once the FreeSync bug has been addresses this
really will be an excellent gaming screen. If you're an AMD user then it should
be the best choice currently for a gaming screen once FreeSync is fixed. Even
for NVIDIA/non-AMD users it still makes an excellent gaming screen if you ignore
FreeSync support (which you wouldn't be able to use) as all the other features,
and the screens general gaming performance make it a great option. You're not
paying anything extra for the privilege of FreeSync either so it doesn't matter
if you're not going to use it.

Movies and Video

The following summarises the screens performance
in video applications:
-
27"
screen size makes it a reasonable option for an all-in-one multimedia screen,
but being quite a bit smaller than most modern LCD TV's of course.
-
16:9
aspect ratio is more well suited to videos than a 16:10 format screen, leaving
smaller borders on DVD's and wide screen content at the top and bottom.
-
2560 x
1440 resolution can support full 1080 HD resolution content.
-
Digital interfaces support HDCP for any encrypted and protected content
-
Good range of connectivity options provided
with DisplayPort, DVI, D-sub, HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 1.4. Being FreeSync capable
does not limit the connections like a G-sync screen would, so it allows you to
still connect external devices if you want.
-
Cables provided in the box
for DisplayPort and DVI.
-
Moderate AG coating provides reasonably clear images with no major graininess,
and without the unwanted reflections of a glossy solution. Some graininess
apparent as with other TN Film panels, but shouldn't present a problem in
movies.
-
Wide
brightness range adjustment possible from the display, including a very high
maximum luminance of ~309
cd/m2 and a decent minimum luminance
of 56 cd/m2. This should afford you good control for different
lighting conditions. Contrast ratio remains stable across that adjustment
range as well and is good for a TN Film panel. Brightness regulation is
controlled without the need for PWM and so is flicker free for all brightness
settings.
-
Black
depth and contrast ratio are strong for a TN Film panel at 917:1 after
calibration. Detail in darker scenes should not be lost as a result.
-
There
is a specific 'movie' preset mode available which didn't look much different
to our standard preset. Might be useful so you can set it up to your preferred
settings and probably a higher brightness than every-day use on the standard
mode.
-
Excellent pixel responsiveness which can handle fast moving scenes in movies
without issue. Only moderate levels of overshoot. Stick with the 'High' AMA
setting.
-
While
the screen has a high refresh rate it is not NVIDIA 3D certified and so cannot
support 3D content.
-
Viewing angles are limited due to the use of TN Film panel technology. May
cause issues with gamma and contrast shift if you change your line of sight or
have several people trying to see the screen at once. Not really an ideal
technology for movies as a result of this viewing angle limitation.
-
No
noticeable backlight leakage which is good, even in darkened room conditions.
-
Wide range of ergonomic adjustments available
from the stand, allowing you to obtain a comfortable position for multiple
users or if you want to sit further away from the screen for movie viewing.
-
No
integrated speakers but there is an audio output connection on this monitor
for headphones.
-
Excellent
range of
hardware aspect ratio options which should provide you any option you need.
-
Picture in picture (PiP) and Picture By Picture (PbP) are not available on
this model.

Conclusion
There's been a lot to test on this new screen.
It's the first FreeSync display we've tested and for the moment our views are
mixed on its integration. On the one hand there are obvious benefits from
adaptive refresh rate technologies and it really does help when it comes to
gaming much like NVIDIA's G-sync does. We like the way AMD have implemented it
as well, and the fact that it adds no real cost overhead means that the screen
can also happily be considered by non-AMD users as well. On the other hand the
current issue, which apparently affects all current FreeSync screens, is that it
disables any overdrive circuit present, so it means that at the moment the
XL2730Z takes a response time performance hit if you are using a FreeSync setup.
Once that's fixed (keep an eye on this review for updates) it will be much
better and only add to the already very pleasing results.
It's a great gaming screen right up there in
performance with other fast gaming models we've tested like the Asus ROG Swift
PG278Q. There's the same high 2560 x 1440 resolution, comparable response times
and overshoot levels, high refresh rate support, a decent blur reduction mode
(if a bit buggy at some settings) and very low lag. In fact the XL2730Z offers a
lot that the ROG Swift does not, with a whole host of connectivity options,
aspect ratio scaling options, loads of presets and a massive range of gaming
extras which we really liked. The ROG Swift is limited somewhat by its NVIDIA
G-sync module but AMD's FreeSync solution means no such limitations here.
Gaming aside, the default setup was decent once
you'd switched out of the default gaming preset and on to the standard mode. It
also had a decent TN Film contrast ratio and a flicker free backlight which is
always welcome. You do of course have to live with the limitations of TN Film
technology, most notably the restrictive viewing angles and associated
gamma/colour shift, but the same can be said for nearly every gaming screen out
there. Once BenQ and AMD have addressed the FreeSync/overdrive bug this will be
a very good gaming screen and worth a close look regardless of whether you're a
FreeSync user or not.
If you appreciate the review and enjoy reading and like our work, we would welcome a
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to the site to help us continue to make quality and detailed reviews for you.
Pros |
Cons |
Excellent gaming experience,
low response times and lag |
Restrictive viewing angles of
TN Film technology |
Loads of great gaming extras -
Blur Reduction mode, S-switch, presets, Black eQualizer, stand adjustments |
FreeSync currently causes
problems with overdrive control (see
here for info) |
FreeSync support will be very
useful once overdrive issue fixed. No cost overhead for providing FreeSync
either |
Blur Reduction mode a bit
buggy at certain settings |
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