[SOLVED] BenQ EL2870U alternatives

[Understandout]

The BenQ EL2870U caught my eye. One store has a low stock and is selling them for 220 euros, which roughly translates to 220 dollars in the U.S. markets.

I'm wondering if I should go for it, or if there's a model for the same price or less with better colors and black levels. I don't mind to sacrifice an inch or dropping to 1440p. I don't want anything above 60hz either.

I'll be using it for casual gaming and movies, along with just general browsing.

 

[AngelTech]

It's $300 in America if you are gonna do competitive gaming, you're gonna want a higher refresh rate monitor otherwise looks good.

 

[Understandout]

It's $300 in America if you are gonna do competitive gaming, you're gonna want a higher refresh rate monitor otherwise looks good.

Most stores have it for 300 euros here too so it's no surprise to me that it's 300 dollar in America. I don't care about higher refresh rates whatsoever and wouldn't mind a higher input lag either. Would you say that screens of 230 dollars or less won't have noticeably better black levels or colors? The BenQ has a TN panel which I've read is the worst of commonly used panels.

 

[DrummerManSpike]

Can't find a monitor with those exact specs for less money (220 euro is about 241 usd) but I can tell you that if sharper color is important to you, I'd look at a different monitor. The one you listed is a TN panel, which is known for sacrificing image quality for performance. You'd want a VA or IPS display, which have significantly better color and picture. Otherwise, that BenQ would be the cheapest option available in that combo of 4K resolution and 1ms response.

However, if you're okay with longer response time, that widens your options a bit. I found two using PCPartPicker that are lower cost. Both are IPS panels with 5ms response time. (Be sure to change your region at the top, the links might be using United States options)

1. Sceptre U275W-4000R 27.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor

2. AOC U2790VQ 27.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor

Keep in mind that neither of these have any kind of frame sync capabilities, like FreeSync. The cheapest monitor that does offer this is close to 300.

 

[Understandout]

Can't find a monitor with those exact specs for less money (220 euro is about 241 usd) but I can tell you that if sharper color is important to you, I'd look at a different monitor. The one you listed is a TN panel, which is known for sacrificing image quality for performance. You'd want a VA or IPS display, which have significantly better color and picture. Otherwise, that BenQ would be the cheapest option available in that combo of 4K resolution and 1ms response.

However, if you're okay with longer response time, that widens your options a bit. I found two using PCPartPicker that are lower cost. Both are IPS panels with 5ms response time. (Be sure to change your region at the top, the links might be using United States options)

1. Sceptre U275W-4000R 27.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor

2. AOC U2790VQ 27.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor

Keep in mind that neither of these have any kind of frame sync capabilities, like FreeSync. The cheapest monitor that does offer this is close to 300.

Thanks a lot. I have a panel of 5ms at the moment and have no problem gaming at all. Frame sync isn't important either. Unfortunately both screens you mentioned aren't available in Europe. I used PCPartPicker to look for more but the only ones even close to my price range are all TN screens with worse specs. I reckon I'll go for it and consider that I may have to return it if the quality is too poor.