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Feature: Displays for today
Best gaming monitor 2019: Top 1080p, 1440p and 4K HDR displays
It's tempting to cut corners when buying a gaming monitor, especially if you've already spent hundreds of pounds or dollars upgrading your PC or shelling out for one of today's [block id="604467" title="Best graphics card"]s. But your monitor is arguably one of the most important parts of your entire setup. After all, there's no point buying a fancy graphics card when your gaming display isn't…
Feature: The BFG of gaming monitors
Nvidia's BFGDs (or Big Format Gaming Displays, to you and me) are no longer going to be called BFGDs. Instead, as of January 2019, these massive 65in gaming displays are now part of Nvidia's wider G-Sync Ultimate family, which also includes their significantly smaller (but just as pricey) G-Sync HDR monitors such as the 27in Acer Predator X27 and Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ. Why the…
Feature: GPUs and HDR explained
What graphics card do I need for HDR and what PC games support it?
HDR on PC continues to be a bit of a mess these days, but provided you haven't been put off by the astronomical prices of the [block id="604469" title="Best gaming monitor"]s for HDR or, indeed, the ongoing debacle surrounding Windows 10 support for it, then the next step on your path to high dynamic range glory is to get an HDR compatible graphics card. Below, you'll find a…
Feature: But you don't want to know how much it costs...
HP’s BFGD is now called the Omen X Emperium and it’s coming in February
One of the big things I was expecting to hear more about at this year’s CES was Nvidia's BFGDs – or Big Format Gaming Displays, to use their proper name. Or maybe that’s not the right name to use any more, as we did hear a little bit about Nvidia’s BFGDs at CES this week, in that they’ve now been pulled under the banner of…
CES 2019: Razer’s Raptor monitor has incredible cable management
Razer announced they were finally jumping headfirst into the world of gaming monitors at this year's CES, and man alive does this 27in display get a lot of things right. Dubbed the Razer Raptor, this 2560x1440 IPS screen is still in the early stages of development at the moment, but even now there's plenty to admire here. Indeed, the thing I'm most excited about isn't…
Feature: The best 4K HDR gaming monitor that doesn't cost the earth
Every time an HDR monitor arrives on my desk, I say a small prayer to the gaming monitor gods: "Please, PLEASE let this one be good." I don't care if it's hideously expensive like the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ or Acer Predator X27, I just want one that does HDR well and does it without a boat load of fuss and settings twiddling. Readers, my…
Feature: The HDR debacle continues
BenQ EX3203R review: The HDR monitor that looks better without it
If the BenQ EX3203R name sounds familiar, that's because there's just one number separating it from its almost identical sibling, the EX3200R. Both screens share the same design and have a curved 31.5in VA panel to their name, and both come with high 144Hz refresh rates and support AMD's adaptive frame rate FreeSync tech. What sets the EX3203R apart, however, is its sharper 2560x1440 resolution…
Feature: A very swift way to empty your bank account
Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ review: 4K HDR has arrived, but good grief, HOW MUCH?
When I saw the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ for the first time back in May earlier this year, I thought the future of monitors had finally arrived. After more than a year of waiting, false starts and simply not being able to have as much fun as our console box friends with their fancy pants 4K HDR TVs, both the PG27UQ and the Acer Predator…
Feature: The hunt for the best 4K HDR monitor continues
Acer Predator X27 review: The Nvidia G-Sync HDR monitor that only lets you see half the fun
On paper, the Acer Predator X27 should be the bestest [block id="604469" title="Best gaming monitor"] to end all gaming monitors. It's got the same lovely 4K 144Hz IPS Nvidia G-Sync HDR panel with 384 dynamic backlight zones and 1000cd/m2 peak brightness as the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ, but in the UK it costs £200 less than its Asus rival. That might not be of much…
Feature: Our HDR guide has it all
If you've thought about buying a new TV in the last couple of years, you'll no doubt have been bombarded with the glorious three-letter acronym that is HDR. Standing for 'High Dynamic Range', HDR is a type of display technology that's all about making the things you see onscreen more realistic and closer to how they'd look in everyday life. That means improved contrast, a…
Asus’ new 49in curved 144Hz monitor to take on Samsung’s CHG90
If a crate load of new TUF Gaming peripherals wasn't enough hardware news for one day, Asus have also announced a brand-new 49in curved gaming monitor at this year's Computex show to take on the likes of the stupidly wide Samsung CHG90. Much like its extra long 32:9 rival, the Asus VG49V comes with a curved 49in display with a 3840x1080 resolution and a super fast 144Hz refresh…
Feature: HDR on the cheap
One day, I promise to stop banging on about the marvels of HDR (also known as high dynamic range) and why you should really start thinking about upgrading your PC monitor in order to take advantage of its vibrant, life-like colours, increased brightness and general loveliness. Until then, however, I've got BenQ's EW277HDR monitor to have a gander at, which might just be the [block…
It's been 18 months since Asus' super duper Nvidia G-Sync HDR monitor, the ROG Swift PG27UQ, was first announced to the world, but now the wait is almost over. Nvidia hinted last week we wouldn't have to wait too long before it starting appearing on shop shelves, but now Asus themselves have confirmed the PG27UQ will definitely be here this June in all its 4K HDR…
Feature: Let them eat HDR cake
Nvidia’s G-Sync HDR monitors are the real deal and will be here in just four weeks time
HDR, or high dynamic range, has been around for a while, and you've probably heard countless barks from your console box friends about how amazing that new Dad of War looks on their giant OLED telly, or how they can never go back to a 'normal' screen after experiencing the wondrous glory of Final Fantasy Toast (even we're a bit guilty of that last one,…
After much weeping and gnashing of teeth and disappointing first looks, proper, honest to goodness HDR finally looks like it's about to become a reality on PC. We've already seen how AMD's FreeSync 2 tech made the Samsung CHG90 one of the [block id="604469" title="Best gaming monitor"]s I've ever tested, and it's shortly going to be joined by the rather stunning Nvidia G-Sync HDR-enabled Acer Predator X27 and Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ over the coming…
Prepare to be blinded by Philips’ 1000nit 4K FreeSync 2 monitor
Who knew late April was the time for oodles of monitor announcements, eh? Well, if yesterday's news of the FreeSync 2-equipped AOC AGON AG322QC4 didn't make your eyes pop out of their sockets, then the jumbo Philips 436M6VBPAB almost certainly will thanks to its blinding max brightness of 1000cd/m2. This giant 43in VA panel is the first of a new line of Momentum monitors from Philips, and is the first…
Feature: Ultimate HDR in ultimate widescreen
The Samsung CHG90, or the LC49HG90DMNXZA to give it its full and proper title, is by far the most ludicrous monitor I've ever seen. Measuring a whopping 49in across its fancy curved diagonal, this ultra-super-stupidly-wide 32:9, 3840x1080, 144Hz, HDR (let me catch my breath for a second) FreeSync 2 VA display is proper bonkers. And I sort of kind of love it.
Feature: Tomorrow's display tech isn't quite ready for prime-time
HDR for PC games is a hot mess (but it’s nice when it works)
A few of the things I have had to do in order to get a workable version of HDR (also known as high dynamic range), the new-ish display technology that significantly ramps up brightness, darkness and vibrancy, on my PC (not including the acquisition of a fancy monitor): - Try four different display cables - Adjust as many as seven different brightness/contrast/colour etc shaders per…
Feature: Dynamic duo
4K monitors have been around for a while now, but 4K monitors that also come with built-in HDR support are still few and far between, making BenQ's brand-new EL2780U something of a rarity. At 28in, this 4K HDR screen may not be the biggest Ultra HD monitor money can buy, but at just £300 / $500, it's arguably one of the cheapest that does HDR. Should…
Feature: Dirty job, but somebody had to do it
Occasionally, it falls upon me to make solemn sacrifices in the name of empirical endeavour, the advancement of science and the betterment of mankind. It is very much in this altruistic spirit that I recently embarked upon an exhaustive and forensic investigation into the merits of the latest UHD / 4K / HDR TVs as PC monitors. Yes, I’ve been playing games on TVs. This…
