TFTCentral’s August Monthly Round-up
Here’s our monthly roundup for those who perhaps can’t keep up with all the news and information on a regular basis. We will try and provide a round-up of some of the key things going on in the monitor world each month. If you want to keep up to date but on a less regular basis, this should be all you need!
If you missed our last round-up piece for July, it’s available here. If you’ve spotted anything you think would be of interest that we’ve missed, let us know!
A Full Detailed Review of the Eagerly Anticipated LG 27GL850
In August we completed a detailed review of the very eagerly anticipated LG 27GL850 display. Featuring a 27″ Nano IPS panel from LG.Display, 2560 x 1440 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and adaptive-sync support. It performed very well in our tests and we were impressed. One of the best 27″ IPS high refresh rate screens you can buy!
First Review of the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q
Ok so this just fell in to September, but it’s close enough! We completed a full review of the eagerly anticipated XG438Q from Asus recently. It has a 43″ VA panel, 4K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, VRR support and HDR 600 certification. The full review is now available on our site for everyone.
The screen is available to pre-order from the following places (click to check latest pricing in case of change)
£1,181 from Amazon UK
1,300 EUR from Amazon in Germany
First Review of the Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ with Simultaneous Motion Blur Reduction and Variable Refresh Rate
Also reviewed in August (it was a busy month!) was the Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ, a 27″ screen with a 2560 x 1440 resolution IPS panel, 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms MPRT spec. Most interesting of all on this model, which is surprisingly well priced, was the first use of Asus’ new “ELMB-Sync” technology. This allows for the simultaneous usage of G-sync/FreeSync (VRR) and strobing motion blur reduction mode, bringing the benefits of both at the same time. Previously if you wanted to run a motion blur reduction mode it needed a fixed refresh rate and couldn’t be used at the same time as VRR. Read our review for more information.
The first 240Hz IPS Monitors Are Announced
During August, and again right at the beginning of September we’ve seen the first wave of 240Hz refresh rate IPS monitors announced. There have been a couple of models from Acer, Dell and LG announced so far. We would expect Asus to be not far behind with something in their range too. These new models are all 1080p resolution for now to allow the bandwidth over DisplayPort 1.4 for 240Hz without compression, but they represent an exciting development for IPS gaming. We look forward to testing some of these once they are available to see how the panels cope with the increased frame rates:
- Acer Nitro XV273X – 27″ model, the first to be announced and expected Nov 2019 at £399 GBP
- Acer Nitro XB253QX – a smaller 24.5″ model expected Q1 2020 at £349 GBP
- Dell AW2720HF – 27″ model expected to be available mid December which if true, could make it the first to be released to market. Expected price of $599.99 USD
- LG 27GN750 – 27″ model and expected Q4 2019. Pricing not confirmed yet
Dell Announce Several New Gaming Screens
It looked at one time like Dell’s 55″ OLED display had been scrapped completely, but out of seemingly nowhere they announced in August that it would in fact be released later this year. The screen will be called the AW5520QF and has a 4K resolution OLED panel, offering exceptional contrast ratio and black depth (130,000:1 contrast ratio spec). There is a 120Hz refresh rate with adaptive-sync support, 0.5ms response time and 98.5% DCi-P3 colour gamut. Oddly it seems that there will be no HDR support though. The AW5520QF should be available from 30th September 2019 in the USA, with an RRP of $3999.99, and 30th October 2019 in the UK at £3,199.99.
Away from OLED options, Dell also announced the 27″ AW2720HF which has a 1080p resolution IPS panel and 240Hz refresh rate. There is also the 34″ ultrawide AW3420DW which has a 3440 x 1440 resolution IPS panel and 120Hz refresh rate with native G-sync module support. Finally there is the S3220DGF with a 31.5″ curved VA panel, 2560 x 1440 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate.
We are hoping to arrange reviews of some, or maybe all, of these new Dell screens if we can.
The First 31.5″ Sized Display with 4K @ 120Hz Quietly Announced
This screen didn’t pick up a lot of attention as it was launched along side the massive Philips 55″ 558M1RY Momentum display, but the first screen to be announced with the eagerly anticipated 31.5″ sized screen, 4K resolution and high refresh rate was actually the Philips 328M1R. It’s officially aimed at console gaming as part of their Momentum line-up but with the specs it is a potentially interesting option for PC gamers who want 4K at high refresh rate, but something bigger than the currently available 27″ models. The 328M1R has a 3840 x 2160 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and 1ms MPRT spec which implies it will also feature a strobing blur reduction backlight. It’s expected to be available in Q1 2020. More info on pricing etc when we get it.
Reviews We Are Considering Soon
Nothing is set in stone yet, but here are some reviews we are considering for the near future:
- Gigabyte Aorus CV27Q – 27″ curved VA panel with 2560 x 1440 resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, FreeSync 2 and 1ms MPRT spec
- MSI MPG341CQR – 34″ ultrawide with VA panel, 3440 x 1440 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and adaptive-sync
- LG 38GL950G – still on our list to review as soon as it is available in the UK. Not had any updates on this one recently, but it will be reviewed as soon as we can! 37.5″ ultrawide with 3840 x 1600 resolution, 175Hz refresh rate, native G-sync support and Nano IPS panel.
There are of course others but likely to be later on, these are just the most imminent we are likely to review.
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