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Designed for gamers, the BenQ XR3501 ($999.99) brings curved screen and ultra-wide panel technology to the desktop for under $1,000. This massive monitor is equipped with a 35-inch, Vertical Alignment (VA) panel with a 2,000R curvature radius and a 21:9 aspect ratio. It delivers good gray-scale performance and inky blacks, but its color accuracy could be better, and it lacks USB connectivity. Moreover, the panel’s 2,560-by-1,080 resolution pales in comparison to the 3,440-by-1,440 resolution that you get with our top pick for big-screen, ultra-wide gaming monitors, the Acer Predator X34 ($2,399.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) .
Design and Features
The first thing you notice about the XR3501( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is its massive 35-inch curved panel. Unlike the Acer XR341CK ($2,100.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) and Predator X34 monitors, which have a 3,800R curvature, the XR3501 has a 2,000R curvature which is more pronounced. (This means that if you a bunch of XR3501 monitors edge to edge to create a complete circle, the circle’s radius would be 2,000mm.) The screen is housed in a matte-black cabinet with a band of silver trim around its edges and framed by thin (0.5-inch) bezels. The 24-pound cabinet is supported by a V-shaped stand with a shiny chrome finish and a red cutout that keeps your cables organized. The stand offers tilt adjustability, but does not let you adjust the panel’s height.
At the rear of the cabinet facing downward are two HDMI inputs, a full-size DisplayPort input, a mini-DisplayPort input, a headphone jack, an audio-out jack, and an audio-in jack. Missing are the USB ports found on the Acer XR341CK and Predator X34. There are mounting holes for hanging the cabinet on a wall, but you need an optional mounting kit and a special adapter plate ($37) to do so.
Beneath the lower bezel are six function buttons and a Power switch. The buttons are used to access the settings menus and can also be used as hot keys to select an input source, change the Preset Picture mode, and activate the Black eQualizer, which enhances dark shades of gray for better shadow detail. These keys can also be programmed to serve as hot keys for any setting.
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There are nine Picture Presets, including Standard, Movie, sRGB, Racing, First Person Shooter (FPS)1, FPS2, Photo, and two user-defined Custom settings. Basic picture settings include Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness, Gamma, and Color temperature, and advanced settings include Black eQualizer, Low Blue Light (to help ease eye strain), Super Resolution, (enhances standard definition images), and Color Vibrance (adjusts color saturation levels). You also get several Picture-in-Picture (PIP) and Picture-by-Picture (PBP) settings, as well as controls for Dynamic Contrast and Aspect Ratio.
BenQ covers the monitor with a three-year warranty on parts, labor, and backlight. It ships with HDMI and DisplayPort cables and a resource CD containing drivers and a User Guide.
Performance
The XR3501delivers a sharp picture with vibrant colors and inky blacks, but it can’t match the image detail that you get from high-resolution monitors like the Acer Predator X34 and the Dell UltraSharp U3415W ($799.99 at Dell)(Opens in a new window) , both of which boast a 3,440-by-1,440 resolution. Color accuracy is also less than ideal; as shown on the chromaticity chart below, red and green colors (represented by the colored dots) are not aligned with their ideal CIE coordinates (represented by the boxes). You won’t notice any oversaturated colors as a result, but if you plan on using the monitor for color-critical work, you have to calibrate it first.
Gray-scale performance was solid in testing. The VA panel correctly displayed every shade of gray on the DisplayMate 64-Step Gray-Scale test and delivered excellent shadow and highlight detail in my test images and while displaying scenes from the movie Terminator:Genisys on Blu-ray disc. Viewing-angle performance is also very good, with no noticeable color shifting or fluctuation in luminance when viewed from every angle.
See How We Test Monitors
The panel’s 144Hz refresh rate and 4-millisecond pixel response combined to deliver smooth gaming performance, with no noticeable ghosting or motion blur. While playing Crysis 3, the 2,000R curve definitely improved my field of vision and made it easier to keep an eye on the action taking place at the far edges of the screen. However, documents and spreadsheets appeared slightly distorted around the edges. The panel’s 26.4-millisecond (ms) input lag (the time it takes for the monitor to react to controller command) is a bit higher than I’d expect from a gaming monitor. The Acer Predator X34 measured 10.3ms, and the LG 34UM67 measured 10.1ms. The BenQ XL2430T remains our leader with an input lag of 9.5ms.
Power consumption is typical for a panel of this size. The XR3501 consumed 50 watts of power in my tests while set to Standard mode (it does not offer an Eco mode). The LG34UM67 consumed 47 watts, and the Acer Predator drew 49 watts of power in testing.
Conclusion
With the BenQ XR3501, you can enjoy immersive gaming action on a curved, ultra-wide, 35-inch screen with a speedy 144Hz refresh rate. Its VA panel delivers good gray-scale and gaming performance, and viewing angles are nice and wide. However, red and green color accuracy is a tad off, and the panel maxes out at a relatively low 2,560-by-1,080 resolution. It’s also missing a few features, such as USB ports and height adjustability. For a list price that’s $300 more, our Editors’ Choice for big-screen ultra-wide gaming monitors, the Acer Predator X34, is a much better deal. It delivers spot-on color accuracy, a USB hub, a 3,440-by-1,440-resolution panel, and a height-adjustable stand. It also contains an Nvidia G-Sync module, which eliminates screen tearing and delivers ultra-smooth gameplay.
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The BenQ XR3501 is an enormous ultra-wide gaming monitor featuring a 35-inch curved Vertical Alignment (VA) panel that delivers solid gaming and gray-scale performance.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/benq-xr3501