Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat monitor overall for the price, even better for freesync.
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2015
Overall: I got this monitor to go with a new gaming rig I built in May, and after the massive Steam and GOG sales, I've been able to test the monitor with a variety of games, both with and without a Crossfire setup. It performs like a champ. The color, contrast, and viewing angles are quite good for a TN panel, and the response time excellent. In games requiring quick response time, I noticed no perceptible lag. I highly recommend this panel for those wanting a good 27" WQHD (2560 x 1440; 16:9) monitor with freesync at a decent price.
Detail:
I'm using this monitor with the following rig:
Windows 8.1 64bit
Intel Core i7 4790K, OC to 4.5ghz
Radeon R9 295X2, OC to 1070ghz core/ 1450ghz memory
16gb G.Skill Ripjaws at 2400ghz
Adata 512gb SSD (OS and games)
WD 4tb 7200rpm HD (media files; video editing)
A note on Freesync with the 295x2: The Radeon 295x2 is basically two R9 290x's on a single board, and functions in Crossfire mode for any game wit a Crossfire profile. In games that do not have a Crossfire profile, the second GPU remains idle, and the system functions as it would with a single R9 290x in place. AMD currently has not released a Catalyst driver that works in Crossfire, so the R9 295x2 will only use Freesync in games where the second GPU is not engaged.
Input lag: I noticed no perceptible lag in Mortal Kombat X, Bioshock Infinite, Borderlands 2, or Serious Sam HD 2 in local play.
High framerate play: In Serious Sam 2 HD, I was able to maintain a rock steady 144 fps with only a single GPU operating and V-sync on. Gameplay was buttery smooth. For comparison, I switched the refresh rate to 60hz, the standard for most LCD monitors, and there was a small, but noticeable difference between how smooth gameplay looked at 60 and 144hz. Turning off V-sync allowed framerates to soar, with the expected tearing, but tearing was much less prominent at 144hz because, as expected, the frames displaying parts of two different frames are only visible for about 7ms compared to 17ms on a 60hz monitor. Conclusion: You still get tearing, but it is greatly reduced due to the high refresh rate.
In Bioshock Infinite, The Witcher 3, and Dragon Age Inqusition on Ultra settings with both GPUs running, framerates varied between the 60s and 144 FPS most of the time, with dips to the 20s as a new area loaded on Bioshock Infinite. I did notice occasional minor stuttering, though significantly less prominent than one would get on a 60hz monitor with a framerate below 60fps. Unfortunately, Freesync does not work in Crossfire, so I wasn't able to see how effective it was at smoothing out visuals. Hopefully AMD, who are working on it, will get us a beta driver soon.
Mid framerate gameplay with Freesync:
Now this is where this monitor really shines. To see the effects of Freesync, one has to have only a single GPU operating and framerates between 40hz and 144hz (this monitor's variable refresh range). I found two games without Crossfire profiles that were complex enough for framerates to drop into the freesync range - Bioshock 2 and Dead Rising 3. Bioshock 2 was useful for testing how the game worked when transitioning from 144 fps with V-sync on to below 144fps, were Freesync would become active. I saw no visible difference in smoothness when playing in an area that had the framerate bouncing in and out of the freesync range, with it being nice and smooth the entire time. The only way I was able to tell the difference was by looking at the framerate display number.
Dead Rising 3 was the real test. The PC port of Dead Rising 3 is well known for being poorly optimized, causing even high end PCs to strain to maintain playable framerates. I started a new game and replayed the first section with the plane crash, which has hundreds of zombies on screen. The frame rate was highly variable, bouncing from the 50s to the 80s, but the only way I could see this was watching the framerate counter, as gameplay remained silky smooth the entire time. Had I not had the FPS monitor on screen, I'd have been hard pressed to tell that the framerate was varying at all. When I was able to get the framerate to drop below 40fps (by opening a second game and running it in windowed mode), stuttering became noticable at about 35fps, and pronounced at 30fps or below. You'll definitely want to lower quality settings to keep your FPS above 40 when using this monitor.
Cons: There is no height adjustment, and the build quality feels a little flimsy, the screen rocking a little when using the OSD to make picture adjustments. Fortunately, I only needed to do this once, and a monitor stand to raise the monitor to the ideal height (the center of the screen should be at a 90 degree angle).
Conclusion: The 144hz refresh rate by itself produces big benefits for gaming, reducing input lag and allowing significantly higher framerates, while also diminishing artifacts associated with V-sync off at high rates and V-sync on at lower ones. Freesync noticeably improved visual quality in the two games I was able to use it in. It's an excellent value given what you get for the price, and one of the best gaming monitors on the market.
