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Overall, it just didn't look all too hot except for when zipping by at lighting speed. Throw in poor viewing angles and washed-out average colors, especially when compared to my laptop's native display and my 4K Samsung monitor (the 4K LU28E590 also features a TN panel and 1ms response time but is restricted to 60Hz), and the XL2546K just comes up a bit short. At real world speeds, the image is faster, sharper and more clear than anything else on the market. It might not be by much, but, and we’ll labour the point, major championships can be decided by less. If you play FPS games, you need the fastest, clearest screen to perform to your potential and this is it. Although you need a high frame rate camera to really see it in detail, the Zowie XL2566K’s motion performance in competitive-level FPS games is noticeably sharper than 360Hz IPS screens. For human beings in real-time, the result is having a smidge smoother and sharper imagery where even small-moving objects are rendered that bit clearer. The difference is miniscule, but major world championships have been decided by less. These prices are all very high compared to regular 24-inch gaming monitors. However, the premium reflects the Zowie’s skunkworks nature with its high development costs and super-niche market size. Other 360Hz gaming monitors use IPS technology and still cost more, but they tend to be much larger and have more luxury features that suit gaming and multimedia immersion.
This is what settings like Overdrive adjust – BenQ calls it Advanced Motion Acceleration (AMA). But, if you apply too-little or too-much charge you can get ghosting (smeary ghost images trailing on-screen objects) or inverse ghosting and overshoot (blur that leads on-screen objects and edges that continue to move after an object has stopped), or both. At least, side-by-side I couldn't visibly make a distinction when in motion, for example. In terms of real-world performance, there's very little difference that I could see between 144Hz and the touted 240Hz through the monitor, which I was only able to achieve on Counter Strike: Global Offensive despite running it on above-average hardware. Two of the main selling points of the monitor appear clear immediately upon examining its performance: the two main connections. With both 120Hz through HDMI - the connection and speed that'll appeal to console gamers using a PS5 or Xbox Series X - and 240Hz via DisplayPort being offered, there's plenty here for a range of players. I tested the BenQ Zowie XL2546K plugged into my desktop (via HDMI), laptop (DisplayPort), and PS5 (HDMI 2.1) - there's no USB-C connectivity, for reference. I played Doom (2016) - across all systems - and some Counter Strike: Global Offensive for good measure. This gave me a proper chance to stretch the potential speeds of the monitor and its DyAc+ functionality. The bells and whistles are nice to have, but this monitor is defined by its panel speed and almost everything else is irrelevant. If you like your games looking fast, smooth cinematic and immersive, don’t buy this. However, if the BenQ Zowie XL2566K represents a professional tool that will improve your top-level competitiveness, its compromises (and very high price) will be irrelevant. BenQ Zowie XL2566K: Price and release date Some settings can be adjusted to suit individual preferences and this includes the AMA (pixel overdrive) setting. Indeed, the XL2566K comes with presets labelled Premium, High and Off, along with a 30-step customizable slider. Premium achieves a fast response time but inverse ghosting is noticeable. High offers a better blend and will be used by many players. However, it’s so easy to adjust the overdrive settings and see instant results (there’s no change-related lag) that tweaking everything is recommended. We found settings between 11-18 represented a sweet spot where response time and inverse ghosting coexisted well, before causing issues.Indeed, there are several 360Hz screens on the market but most use modern IPS technology. Some even claim to have super-speedy, grey-to-grey (GTG) pixel response times but, in this realm, it’s a claim that’s rendered to meaningless marketing speak. BenQ doesn’t even bother providing a GTG pixel response time. It all amounts to the XL2566K being the best monitor for seeing even the smallest, most-rapidly moving objects in relief that’s sharper than on any rival’s screen. The difference may be tiny... but tournaments have been decided by less.
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