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Planar 27" QHD Monitor Review: Clarity Like We've Never Seen

Planar 27" QHD Monitor Review: Clarity Like We've Never Seen
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Planar sent over its newest QHD screen, the 27" PXL2790MW. This is the sharpest display we’ve ever seen, and one of the most accurate. With high-end styling and a 2560x1440 native resolution, it introduces a sense of luxury to the business class.

When we review business-class monitors at Tom’s Hardware, it's understood that they're probably not an enthusiast's first choice for a high-performance rig. But the reality is that monitors branded as gaming products aren't much different than less heavily marketed models. In fact, we really only see high refresh rates as the differentiator creating a specific enthusiast focus. All other performance factors start on the same plane, regardless of whether a monitor is aimed at business users or entertainment seekers.

To that end, we always try to look for aspects of performance that appeal to our audience of enthusiasts. And the tests we perform are all centered on one thing: image quality. We’ve established that the best-looking displays will have a wide dynamic range, accurate color, correct grayscale, and a flat-tracking gamma of 2.2. We also look at response time and input lag, as well as screen uniformity and viewing angles. But there’s one component we haven’t addressed before now, and that's clarity. The main reason, of course, is that we didn't have a scientific and repeatable way to measure it. Clarity is largely a matter of opinion, and that is something we try to avoid when we make our recommendations.

That changed when we received Planar’s PXL2790MW. Often times, we run our benchmark suite before viewing actual content. The test patterns we use lack too much detail to adequately differentiate the clarity of various displays. When we received this display, however, we were so taken by its styling that we put it on a desktop right away and were immediately struck by its razor-sharp image.

You've seen Tom's Hardware review a good number of QHD screens this year, and you already know that it's our new standard for desktop displays. The extra screen real estate afforded by a pixel density of nearly 109 ppi makes most tasks much easier. But we've also noted that most monitors need some form of scaling to make text easier to read. Windows 7 does a very poor job of this. Even though fonts are enlarged, character edges get so distorted that the experience is akin to looking through smudged spectacles. Finally, we resorted to using the scaling built into most applications, which almost always offers better performance. With the new PXL2790MW, we quickly discovered there was no need for scaling in any program. The image is so clear that even the smallest text is fully legible.

We had an educational conversation with one of Planar’s product managers about the PXL2790MW. He spoke to us about the company's research, which of course indicated that most computer users want a high level of luxury and quality in a display. Once someone works with a large, high-pixel density monitor, they don’t want to go back to a lower-res 21-inch screen. We've been saying that for years!

While QHD screens are becoming more common, their prices still tend to hover above $600, with gray-market Korean monitors being the exception. We tested Auria's EQ276W and found it to be a decent-performing display. But if you want high-end build quality and reliable factory support, you have to look at more mainstream brands.

Brand
Planar
Model
PXL2790MW
MSRP
$700
Panel Type
AH-IPS
Backlight
W-LED
Screen Size
27"
Max Resolution
2560x1440
Max Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Response Time (GTG)
6.5 ms
Brightness
440 cd/m2
Speakers
2 x 2 W
VGA
1
DVI
1
DisplayPort
1
HDMI
1
Headphone
1
USB
-
Dimensions w/base
W x H x D
25.6 x 18.7 x 7.9 in
650 x 475 x 201 mm
Panel Thickness
1.7 in / 45 mm
Warranty
Three years

Planar’s New Technology

How does Planar achieve such a sharp image? There’s nothing in the company's specs able to answer this, except maybe the high brightness. But that’s not it. The company did something unique with this new screen called layer-bonding; and it’s something we’ve never seen before.

Although Planar is using an LG AH-IPS panel in the PXL2790MW, the way it’s integrated with the front protective layer is unique. In most displays, there is a small air gap between this layer and the LCD panel. Planar is bonding them together, eliminating the gap. The result is significantly greater clarity. And this isn't a gimmick; we noticed it as soon as we turned the monitor on. Not only is it exceptionally bright, but the sharpness of even the tiniest text is greater than displays with a typical anti-glare screen coating.

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  • 0 Hide
    ekseli , 26 November 2013 07:38
    How do games running at 1080p look on it though?
  • 1 Hide
    Menigmand , 26 November 2013 10:52
    Finally a screen with a nice design :)  Too bad it's not 1080p for gaming...
  • 2 Hide
    Alsone , 26 November 2013 11:14
    Just a pity that the panel response time is so poor otherwise this would have made a great home / gaming monitor.

    Lets hope other manufacturers follow this lead and bring gaming monitors into the "clear".
  • 1 Hide
    Alsone , 26 November 2013 11:15
    Planar have really missed a trick here as they could have sold truckloads with a 1ms panel.
  • 2 Hide
    Pailin , 26 November 2013 15:14
    Also not good having such a high minimum brightness for gamers who may want to play in darkened rooms.

    - I also like coding at night with lights dimmed or off. Overly bright screens are amoung my top Dislikes.

    If I had a screen with this native res I think I would Want to be playing my games at 2560x1440 and would have bought at least an AMD R9-290 to make sure I could ;) 
    - it would be virtually a sin to run your games at 1080 on it lol


    (please add in Power Consumption of monitors reviewed Tom's, with the power prices some of us pay over a screens life they have a Very Significant impact on screen choice. Running it as a work display for 5 years the difference in running costs Could be several times the value of the screen between an efficient and inefficient model)
  • 1 Hide
    k01 , 26 November 2013 19:54
    so is this good or not for gaming? they say at a few points that it's kinda good, then kill it all with lag tests.
    is there anything in the price range that is less lagy and has just as good color-presentation?
  • 1 Hide
    Pailin , 26 November 2013 20:37
    @K01
    You know, looking at that review I do not think it is all that bad...

    Seems to me that to get far above (noticeably) this screens input you seem to need to hit a High refresh screen like a 120Hz + model.
    - sure the small difference between this and other similar screens is small - but might make the difference become apparent to someone conentrating.

    100ms is One Tenth of a second. Quite a lot really - sort of.
    Usain Bolt can run at Max speed 12.42 meters per second. So for the sake of an FPS game 1/10 of a second could be 1 meter which means that lag can make you miss your target ;) 

    If you are Serious about your FPS game - then this monitor is not for you then it seems.

    While other screens are not "much faster" in this resolution yet... that small difference of 20ms might Just be enough to flick between a hit and a miss.
  • -1 Hide
    keithht , 27 November 2013 17:37
    Are all your readers gamers, it would seem so from the responses to this review. How sad.
  • 0 Hide
    keithht , 27 November 2013 18:25
    Are all your readers gamers, it would seem so from the responses to this review. How sad.
  • 1 Hide
    stoatwblr , 28 November 2013 15:38
    "We never really thought about the placement of headphone jacks until we reviewed NEC's EA294MWi, which is the only display we’ve seen with that connector on the side."

    With most desktop systems having a front panel headphone port, does it make sense to bother with putting a head phone port on the monitor at all?

    After all, if you need a headphone, you're probably going to want to plug in a microphone too (headset) and that's not there.
  • -1 Hide
    stoatwblr , 28 November 2013 15:40
    Guys, this is NOT a gaming monitor- which is a good thing.

    It's perfect for what I do (coding, administrative work), which is good for me. It's the perfect office monitor. Optimising for games would detract from that utility.

    If you want a gaming monitor then BUY a gaming monitor and stop trying to bang square pegs into round holes.
  • 0 Hide
    waxdart , 5 December 2013 14:49
    I just see the 16:9 and weep. Pass.
  • 0 Hide
    Alsone , 6 December 2013 19:59
    @Palin, download yourself a copy of Pangobright (by Pangolin Laser Systems).

    It's FREE and designed for use by laser system operators in dark nightclubs. It sits in the system tray and you just choose how bright you want the monitor from the drop down menu. Its available here:

    http://www.pangobright.com/