BenQ XL2720T – Hardware Review
So far we’ve had the chance to present to you several monitors from AoC and Philips, but today we are able to offer you our opinion about the 27 inch BenQ XL2720T and how well it does compared to the ones we’ve already seen. Gaming monitors happen to be no luxury item anymore and thus we feel obligated to tell you about some of the ones that are currently on the market.
First impressions are important and the XL2720T does not make a bad one. The design is fairly simple, yet the red colored ‘hole’ of the base stands out and makes the monitor that much more pleasant to look at. Also the fact there are no visible buttons on the screen’s frame makes it look a tad more tighter than other brands.
Like the Philips 242G5DJEB/00, the BenQ monitor opts for a lower base as well. Whilst for most this is no problem a bit more flexibility is always welcome. Again it’s becoming more and more common that monitors are able to tilt the screen itself 90 degrees for you to reach the ports better, this monitor is no exception. Of course there is no lack of the necessary HDMI, VGA, and USB ports. The USB ports have been integrated on the side, as well as the audio plug-in. This only provides extra user comfort.
Available space for you to plug in your cables at the bottom of the monitor happen to be larger than the other monitors we’ve discussed. Thus this is again a plus when it comes to user comfort.
The BenQ XL2720T supports up to 140 frames per second, this is slightly less than the other 2 gaming monitors but a difference of 4 frames per second is hardly noticeable when having a pc that’s actually up to the task.
With the insertion of 2 HDMI ports comes the easy accessibility of hooking up your favorite console to the monitor, thus creating an ideal gaming combination with your pc and console.
Standard profiles are once again implemented in the monitor and truth be told, this monitor offers us a base screen quality that the others only offered after a bit of tinkering. Of course there are once again enough settings for you to mess around with to find you ideal set-up.
The buttons to arrange all the settings are actually a sort of touchpad buttons which not only look great but do not hamper with the design. These touchpad buttons light up, making it easy to find your way instead of hoping to find the right small button at the side of your frame. It’s easy to use and a timesaver. Going through the menu’s is a breeze as well, the monitor even shows you on screen what each button means when going inside of a specific branch of the menu. This is something that should be implemented in more monitors to improve user comfort.
BenQ also provided a small keypad like with the Philips 242G5DJEB/00, but perhaps slightly better. You’ll be able to use 3 buttons for profile switching and one main scrolling wheel for you to access the main menu by clicking and simply scrolling through the menu’s you need. Of course a simple ‘back’ button was provided as well.
Fun fact: The monitor also supports 3D vision.
Own opinion
As always the tilting of the screen and easy adjustability of the base are well appreciated. Not only does this allow for easy cable switching but it simply shows that the designers had an eye for comfort as well as detail.
Having more space to work with when wiring up the monitor was another great plus. There is nothing that is much more annoying than having to hook up your monitor after having to wrestle with the tight spaces the monitor provides you.
The touchpad buttons were a nice touch that actually worked as decently as normal buttons. Also the fact that some buttons on other monitors happen to feel cheap or fragile, the BenQ monitor takes away the fear of breaking your buttons. The designers combined this with a menu that is easy to work with an on screen instructions with the meaning of the buttons also shows the importance of accessibility.
Easy to work with was again noticeable with the keypad they included with the monitor. Again this made the experience of operating the monitor that much more pleasant and like Philips, BenQ proves to deliver.
Appearance wise the XL2720T may look like an average monitor but the finer details like the implementation of the red color on the base and the touchpad buttons give it a small plus.
Conclusion
So far we’ve had the chance to offer you our opinion of several great gaming monitors and now we add one more to the list. The BenQ monitor is almost the same when it comes to performance but might have a few areas of user comfort in which it excels. When looking for a gaming monitor be sure to give this one a closer look as well.
BenQ XL2720T - Hardware Review,
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