BenQ has clearly been thinking outside of the box with the design of the XL2730Z. As with its smaller 24in G-Sync relative (opposite), this 27in FreeSync display includes a wired remote that can be used to access all the OSD functions, complementing the more traditional physical buttons on the side.
Even with the best labelling and menu systems, buttons can be a real pain to use, and with some screens, it's all too easy to accidentally power off the screen by accidentally pressing the wrong one. The small joysticks used by Asus and LG are a big improvement, but BenQ's circular remote is equally useful, with large numbered buttons that can be assigned functions from the OSD, so you don’t need to keep reaching forwards to flick through menus and adjust the setting you want. It connects to a mini-USB port at the rear and rests in a small holder built into the stand, so it won't become yet another small item left lying around your desk.
The stand is great as well. It can be rotated, swivelled, raised and tilted, with a range of clearly labeled inputs at the back, including a pair of HDMI ports, one of which supports HDMI2, along with DisplayPort, DVI and VGA. Two USB 3 ports are also built into the side, with a small retractable red headphone rest above them, solving yet another minor cause of desktop clutter.
A further addition is a handle at the top of the stand, a non-essential but appreciated touch, showing the extra attention BenQ has paid to the needs of the average gamer.
Good marks for features, then, but the XL2730Z presents great image quality on the desktop as well. With the 'standard' OSD preset, a brightness level of 352cd/m2 is second only to the Acer's figure of 367, while a 660:1 contrast ratio and uncalibrated average delta E below 3 (and below 2 when calibrated) indicates good colour reproduction. Its white point of around 6300K is very close to the 6500K target too. The 2,560 x 1,440 resolution is just right for the 27in screen size too.
Meanwhile, the OSD offers a range of gaming-focused presets and is set to 'FPS T by default, at which the colours and brightness were wildly off. There are more gaming presets in the OSD too, including another FPS setting, one specifically for RTS gaming, then three generic Gamer modes, as well as a Movie mode.
BenQ goes also includes a Blur Reduction option, which reduces the slight ghosting that's apparent in some game scenes - it works very well with fast-moving on-screen objects, or when there's a mix of bright and dark areas. The effect is subtle rather than overdone, so it doesn't create artefacts. This setting reduces brightness and unfortunately disables FreeSync though.
The FreeSync refresh rate range is the standard 40Hz-144Hz, and from our testing in games and demos, the XL2730Z worked superbly. Although tearing was still visible below this range, it was certainly no worse than on other screens. A potential downside, though, is the BenQ’s power consumption. At 100 per cent brightness, the XL2730Z binged on 89W from the mains, considerably more than any other screen on test.
Although G-Sync displays have a slight edge over FreeSync monitors, with less tearing at lower frame rates, that's no good if you own an AMD GPU, and BenQ's XL2730Z offers a great display for AMD users.
If you’re looking fora FreeSync monitor, the BenQ XL2730Z's great image quality, genuinely useful features, good FreeSync performance and decent resolution make it a fantastic gaming monitor.
With great image quality and features, plus a high resolution, this is our top-choice FreeSync monitor.
SPECIFICATIONS
Native resolution 2,560 x 1,440
Screen size 27in
Panel type TN
Refresh rate FreeSync 40Hz-144Hz
Display inputs Dual-Link DVI, 2 x HDMI, VGA and DisplayPort
Extras Remote for OSD, 2 x USB 3