For those of you in the market for gaming monitors that put performance first over graphical fidelity, then the BenQ Zowie XL2540 should be a part of your gaming gear. With an incredibly high refresh rate and fast response time, you’ll gain a clear advantage over other players—a must in the competitive gaming scene. Exactly what you want if you are looking for the best gaming monitor.
Why We Like It – BenQ Zowie XL2540
The BenQ Zowie XL2540 is all about the competitive eSports experience, and it reaches that by providing high-speed performance rather than pushing the largest amount of pixels. Pair it with the best capture card and you can start streaming immediately.
- Very fast refresh rate
- AMD FreeSync prevents screen tearing and stuttering
- Don’t need a powerful rig to use
- Little use outside competitive play
- Expensive
Performance
The BenQ Zowie XL2540 is built for performance over quality, but never to its detriment. Its high refresh rate is an insane 240Hz, making frame transitions buttery smooth and reducing motion blur. Any screen tearing or stuttering will be taken care of with AMD FreeSync technology. But, our review of the LG 24ML600M-B shows it has Radeon FreeSync technology, in case you’re interested. To achieve its 1ms response time, the BenQ XL2540 has a TN panel; not the best viewing angles, but does provide better performance. And since it outputs at 1080p, it isn’t very taxing on your system to push those high refresh rates—especially if you plan on using Oculus Quest.
Input lag is almost equally low, being around 3 to 4ms; exceptionally faster for competitive play. Backlight strobing in the OSD can provide further blur reduction and ghosting reduction—especially necessary in face-paced gaming sessions. And if that’s the case, you’ll need a comfy chair to sit in for those long gaming sessions, like the Vertagear S-Line SL400 gaming chair.
The BenQ Zowie XL2540 gaming monitor has acceptable picture quality. Its color vibrance is only pretty good for a TN panel, but that’s to be expected when performance is valued over quality. Still, 8-bit colors and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio are nothing to sneeze at. The sRGB color space is within 92%, which is acceptable.
Related: If you like this gaming monitor with its fast refresh rate, you should definitely read our Asus Rog Strix XG438Q review.
Design
The BenQ XL2540 monitor has quite the “gamer look” to it; sharp angles here and there, and plenty of curves. Thick bezels surround the 24-inch screen, which stands atop a very long stand that provides plenty of height adjustment, swivel, tilt, and pivot. At the top of the stand is a handle for carrying the monitor safely.
There are a few gaming features that are built with or into the BenQ Zowie XL2540. On the left and right sides, there are two shields you can attach and remove at will that block out distractions. On the left-hand side, there’s a small red button you can press to reveal an arm to rest an ASTRO Gaming A50 headset. The TN panel on the BenQ XL2540 gaming monitor doesn’t have the greatest viewing angle, but the color vibrance and picture quality are decent due to the motion blur reduction and low input lag from the high refresh rate and response time.
Related: Also check out our Alienware AW3420DW review.
Value
If you’re deep into the competitive gaming scene, this is the monitor for you. It pushes 1080p near its limit with a 240Hz refresh rate, fast response time, and serviceable color quality; it’s built for performance. For anyone competing in tournaments, the BenQ Zowie XL2540 has excellent value.
With that said, the BenQ Zowie XL2540 is only at home enjoying an eSports gaming experience. Its gaming features might be lost on the average gamer, not for its price. The monitor’s biggest strength is also its biggest weakness.
BenQ Zowie XL2540 Wrap Up
Outside of eSports, the BenQ Zowie XL2540 has very little appeal—especially with its price tag. However, for those looking to improve their competitive skills, this is the gaming monitor you turn to. Aside from the average contrast ratio, physical build, and other less impressive qualities, the BenQ Zowie XL2540 monitor is still one of the best gaming monitors and provides technical gaming features that contribute to its stellar performance, so e-athletes can perform their best as well. Its high refresh rate, AMD FreeSync, and fast response time are better at keeping up with your reaction time without taxing your system.
