The best gaming monitor for competitive gamers.
BenQ ZOWIE has always been a leader in terms of creating hardware for competitive players and while many of the competition has jumped on the esports hardware train, BenQ ZOWIE displays have always been the preferred monitor for esports events as requested by many professional gamers.
Today, we’re looking at their current flagship model – the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 Gaming Monitor. A fast 240Hz gaming monitor designed to meet the needs of competitive gamers.
Specs
- Price: $899 AUD RRP
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Full HD
- Size: 27″
- Refresh Rate: 240Hz
Design
The BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 out of the box looks pretty much exactly like every other XL series monitor released. The design and chassis are kept the same – minimalistic and neutral with hints of red to keep the looks clean. The BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 stand is height/tilt adjustable so you can adjust it to your comfortable viewing angle depending on your playstyle. Other notable features include the headset hanger that pops out on the left-hand side of the monitor and the S-switch which we’ll touch on later.
The monitor also includes the Shield which BenQ has mentioned helps you focus on the game, however, I’ve never found a use case scenario where I needed this unless maybe potentially on stage if I ever get to that level (which I won’t). Maybe pros out there might use it but it’s pretty rare however, it’s an extra addition that some might find potentially useful.
Performance
The BenQ Zowie range has always been marketed towards competitive gamers and the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 ticks all the right boxes when it comes to the right performance. The 240Hz refresh rate is one of the main selling points of this monitor and if you’re an FPS gamer who wants the best performance – this is what you should aim for. As a gamer who mainly plays Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 has been a godsend for performing in tight clutch situations. Coming from a 120Hz monitor, doubling the refresh rate makes the gameplay even more buttery smooth and helps me react quickly to pop off clutches in Siege. I wouldn’t say that it has a huge advantage if you’re already using 120Hz or 144Hz but if you’re looking for the next upgrade in performance – the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 is something you should consider if you want to squeeze more out of your displays.
The BenQ Zowie range has always been marketed towards competitive gamers and the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 ticks all the right boxes when it comes to the right performance. The 240Hz refresh rate is one of the main selling points of this monitor and if you’re an FPS gamer who wants the best performance – this is what you should aim for. As a gamer who mainly plays Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 has been a godsend for performing in tight clutch situations. Coming from a 120Hz monitor, doubling the refresh rate makes the gameplay even more buttery smooth and helps me react quickly to pop off clutches in Siege. I wouldn’t say that it has a huge advantage if you’re already using 120Hz or 144Hz but if you’re looking for the next upgrade in performance – the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 is something you should consider if you want to squeeze more out of your displays.
The BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 is also an AMD FreeSync monitor that is NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible. A feature that ‘some’ casual gamers might find useful but it won’t be noticeable if you’re running 240Hz anyways. If you’re jumping on some graphically intensive games and want to prevent screen tearing and stuttering – then it’s an added bonus that this monitor supports that.
Common with the other XL models, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 comes with all the features competitive gamers need like my favourite – the Black eQualizer. Ever since this feature was introduced into the BenQ Zowie monitor line-up, it has been one of the main reason why I prefer this over other brands that have similar specs. The Black eQualizer feature allows you to see dark areas of the map (great in CSGO) to pick out enemies without the overexposing the entire graphics setting of the game.
With many PC gamers, you might have different graphical settings for each game you play. I alternate between Rainbow Six Siege, CSGO and PUBG often and this where the profiles come in handy with the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740. I can set custom profiles for each game for instance, in PUBG – I don’t like the if the Black eQualizer is on max so I put it at around 50% whereas Siege is a particularly dark game in certain areas, so I prefer some lighting settings on high. Combine profiles with the S-switch attachment, you can easily change your settings and profiles on the fly without touching the monitor or navigating through the OSD. While the BenQ ZOWIE OSD is already quick and easy to navigate, having the S-switch just makes it a breeze.
Overall
The BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 downfall like the majority of the line-up is the fact it’s using a TN panel. Colour reproduction and visual quality suffer but the BenQ Zowie range is built for one thing – competitive gamers. Casual gamers will look elsewhere for a 4K IPS or Ultra-wide but competitive and esports players want only want thing: performance. They don’t care about the other things and this is where BenQ Zowie has always excelled at.
The BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 overall checks all the right boxes for players wanting to take their games seriously and is the best monitor you can buy right now for competitive.
Purchase the BenQ ZOWIE XL2740 Gaming Monitor from Mwave here.