Reader Review: BenQ GW2765HT

NOTE: This is a reader review after winning a Hexus competition, I expect it'll be moved to the correct forum by someone with the power to do so.

This is the first review I’ve written so if I’ve missed anything out or if you have questions let me know and I’ll try to address them.

BenQ GW2765HT Review

The monitor industry is evolving rapidly of late, with the ever present push to higher resolutions being joined by the incorporation of new technologies that claim to improve image quality at any resolution such as G Sync/Freesync, LED backlights and improved panel technologies.

While resolutions of 4k and beyond are now available they are expensive and require serious GPU grunt to do anything other than basic desktop work. The majority of the market hasn’t yet migrated far beyond the 1080p monitors whose TV origins make them affordable. Surely there is a sweet spot between the 2 extremes though, with higher resolution than 1080p but without the GPU-slaying complexity of 4k? It is into this gap that BenQ has launched its GW2765HT monitor, a 27” panel running at a resolution of 2560x1440 and currently retailing for around £260.

BenQ does have a few different 27” displays at this resolution, with some marketed towards the high refresh rates & frame syncing technology we’re told gamers demand,while this model is aimed more at those who require a more precise picture. In BenQ’s own words:
The 27” BenQ GW2765HT QHD(WQHD) IPS monitor delivers the best view for home entertainment and the highest productivity for office work with the finest precision in each and every detail. With the eye-friendly Low Blue Light Technology, this stunning display not only makes a perfect investment for your visual pleasure but also for your eye health.
Talk of finest precision & an investment in your eye health are bold claims, let’s see how they stack up.

Specs

• 27-inch display
• 16:9 aspect ratio
• 2560x1440 resolution
• IPS panel
• LED backlight
• 4ms response time (grey to grey)
• 100% RGB colour gamut
• 2x 1W speakers
• Inputs – D-sub, DVI (dual link), DP1.2, HDMI 1.4, headphone jack, line in

What’s in the box?

http://i66.tinypic.com/2zq93l0.jpg

In the fairly plain but well protected packaging you get:
• Monitor
• Monitor base
• Base cable clip
• Software CD
• Power cable
• Quick Start Guide
• DisplayPort 1.2 Cable
• HDMI 1.4 Cable
• D-Sub cable

A well rounded package with a good selection of input cables, I would question the need to bundle a D-Sub cable, as I can’t imagine many people who are in the market for this kind of monitor are still using a display adaptor that doesn’t at least have DVI. The base fits together easily and is sturdy, but the monitor is VESA compatible if you’d rather attach it that way.

Design & Layout

BenQ has taken a fairly low key approach to the design, with a gloss black bezel and functional rounded base. The monitor allows for the standard swivel, tilt, pivot and height adjustments but the rounded base does take up more space in front of the monitor than is strictly necessary. I’d have preferred a rectangular footprint that keeps the majority of the base below the screen itself. The included cable clip does a good job of keeping cables out of sight. The inputs are located behind the bottom bezel of the display and are laid out in a logical pattern to fit the cables through the routing clip, on this model BenQ has chosen to forgo any USB inputs. It is pleasing to see an audio input, many monitors with built in speakers force you to connect via HDMI to use them, not so here. The speakers themselves are satisfactory for an office setting, but struggle with music or games as you would expect from such low powered devices.
The on screen display is accessed using physical buttons which I do prefer over the touch sensitive alternative. There are 6 of them hidden behind the bezel on the right hand side of the display. The OSD itself is clear and straightforward with plenty of options, most prominently BenQs Low Blue Light technology. This mode offers 4 preset modes which claim to reduce the bright blue light exposure in amounts of 30% (multimedia setting,) 50% (web surfing), 60% (office), and 70% (reading). While the Office & Reading presents in particular do drop the brightness considerably and reduce the strain on my eyes it’s not a feature I made use of after testing for this review, and I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase a monitor just because of this feature. I do use F.Lux which is a small program that drops the colour temperature gradually as it begins to get dark outside and for me achieves the same effect as the Low Blue Light tech but on any screen.

Display

http://i64.tinypic.com/25qymf9.jpg

The 2560x1440 QHD display is an IPS panel equipped with LED backlighting. As you’d expect from an IPS panel the viewing angles are excellent, and the LED backlight was flicker free and perfectly uniform to my eyes. Out of the box the display seems well calibrated, all I needed to do was put it into RGB mode & turn down the brightness, 100% will give you a suntan in short order but 60% seemed a good balance. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to any screen calibration tools beyond a few online test cards which did at least allow me to confirm the calibration seems very good to the naked eye.
I do play PC games, and tested the display with Rocket League, Elite Dangerous and Football Manager 2015. Rocket Leagues fast action did not cause any noticeable ghosting despite the fairly relaxed response timings while Elite Dangerous looked gorgeous as ever, with the extra screen space really adding to the immersion. It’s just a shame the game isn’t as deep as it is pretty. Football Manager while by far the least graphically intensive does benefit from the added real estate, allowing me to create custom views showing even more statistics than usual.

And yes, it will play Crysis.

My previous (now secondary,) monitor is a 24” Dell U2412 which operates at a 1920x1200 resolution. The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that is 16:10 aspect ratio. I deliberately went for this as I had previously found 16:9 monitors to be too cramped in the vertical plane, particularly when using productive software with many toolbars at the top. With this in mind I was concerned I’d have the same feelings about the BenQ but I was surprised to find this was not the case. The jump to 27” and a higher resolution made the desktop and programs feel as roomy as my old 16:10 display, even at the default windows scaling setting.

Conclusion

The BenQ GW2765HT is a very good monitor if you value image quality and colour accuracy and you can live without bells & whistles such as USB ports, frame syncing and bleeding edge response times. It has convinced me in the qualities of LED backlighting in particular, even if the Low Blue Light tech seems a bit of a fad. The only faults I can find are minor nit-picks however, as a display it does everything you could ask of it.

Pros:
• Excellent image and colouring
• No backlight flicker
• Excellent viewing angles
• Plenty of inputs
• Keenly priced
Cons:
• Rounded stand is a bit bulky
• Underpowered speakers
• Does Low Blue Light tech really improve the health of your eyes?

Thanks to Hexus & BenQ for providing me with this monitor!