Image Quality

Working

Viewsonic equipped the XG2730' panel with a matte finish, eliminating reflections at all. Even in the case of direct sunlight, text for instance remains readable. Taking a closer look at colors shows, that red, green, and blue are bright and they appear vibrant or yet not overly vivid. When looking at white it seems like a very light grey and in the case of a black screen you see that the backlight shimmering resulting in a gradient. The viewing angle is average and and comparable with other displays that feature a TN panel. Overall the image quality is on a reasonably good level.

Having a look at the dimensions, we believe that this screen size in combination with the resolution is a good compromise. If you sit 50-70 centimeters away from the XG2730 written text is well readable. In the desktop environment this display is no stranger to multitasking and allows for a productive workflow having different windows open at the same time while still keeping the overview.

Games

Battlefield 1

Thanks to its vibrant colors, quick 144-hertz refresh rate and AMD Freesync support, the XG2730 has proven to be a worthwhile companion for both an immersive single-player experience as well as hectic multiplayer games. Playing Battlefield 1 the monitor provided a decent contrast ratio. Due to the fact that TN panels are not too forgiving in the case of viewing angles, the perceived gamma is different when looking at the bottom or at the top edge of the screen. We have tested the XG2730 with both open and closed maps. Regarding open areas we haven't noticed any issues, but when inside a dark room we can't say the same. In some dark rooms the color reproduction is just not good enough and we're missing subtle details. Brighter elements like windows or objects stand out nicely against darker surroundings. Apparently FPS gamers have high expectations when it comes to response times. Lots of fast mouse movements could possibly result in striation. The XG2730 is capable of displaying pictures fast in enough, which means you won't notice any stuttering or striation.

Project Cars 2

The experience with Project Cars 2 was similar to the one we've just been describing regarding Battlefield 1. This game features dark scenes as well, like for instance when you're playing a night session. In this case there are the same issues as in combination with Battlefield 1 and therefore the picture is just not as crisp as we'd like it to be. Playing a day session the display is capable of leaving a better impression, with the colors being more vivid.

AMD Freesync

The XG2730 comes with 144Hz refresh rate and support for AMD FreeSync, which allows for a variable refresh rate. The working principle is fairly simple, basically the monitor dynamically adjusts its refresh rate to match the current frame your GPU can achieve. Freesync basically eliminates all stuttering (VSync on) or tearing (VSync off). Furthermore AMD Freesync should decrease latency. To enable AMD Freesync you need a compatible AMD GPU, recent drivers and the right display output. We have tested a wide range of games with AMD Freesync and it worked the same way with all of them. Nevertheless we favor Battlefield 1 with it's divers graphics settings. Overall FreeSync is highly effective in removing any kind of stuttering or tearing and it makes the gaming experience that much smoother.

Speakers

When our test system first booted into Window we were rather surprised how loud the built-in speakers are. With 2 Watts per speaker there is enough juice to make some noise. Watching a YouTube video every now and then is ok but apparently a comparison with standard desktop speakers cannot be made since they're simply not in the same ballpark by any means.

Page 1 - Introduction

Page 2 - Specifications

Page 3 - Gallery

Page 4 - Design / Ergonomics

Page 5 - Image Quality

Page 6 - Conclusion