BenQ Zowie XL2546X gaming monitor review

Unlike most PC components, monitors are very much a horses for courses type of affair. Competitive FPS gamers are a different breed and have a unique set of requirements. They don't need or care for 4K, ultrawides, OLED or large sizes. They demand speed and responsiveness from their monitors. Within reason, everything else is secondary. The Benq Zowie XL2546X is a monitor designed specifically for this purpose. 

The XL2546X isn't just another panel with a 'gaming' tag slapped on it. It's packed full of technologies aimed at giving you a competitive advantage. At a high level, it's a fast TN (twisted nematic) panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and a 24.5-in size. Inputs consist of three HDMI 2.0 ports and a single DP 1.4. You also get a headphone jack and a USB port for connecting BenQ's 'S-Switch' USB monitor control device.

The adjustable stand offers height, swivel and tilt adjustment, and it is first class. It's quite simple in reality, but its use of high-quality ball bearings makes its movements particularly smooth, without giving up anything in the way of rigidity. 

Other features include a handy headphone hook at the rear and the unit ships with a DP and HDMI cable. The power supply is built in. BenQ includes peripheral vision shields, so you're able to immerse yourself in your game a little better.

I'm a big fan of the XL2546X's joystick style menu adjustments. I simply hate doing what feels like fishing in the dark with rear mounted forward, back and enter buttons. BenQ's implementation is good – as BenQ's interfaces usually are – and the ability to store profiles will appeal to those who like to keep their finely tuned per-game settings within easy reach.

Now, onto the panel itself. I hear some of the purists rolling their eyes at the mention of a 240Hz refresh rate. There are some that will say 360Hz or higher is beneficial, and there's an argument for that, but the differences at such refresh rates aren't drastic, and even less so when factoring in BenQ's excellent and now improved DyAc 2 backlight strobing technology, which reduces motion blur. Above 240Hz, you also need a fast GPU and CPU, which not everyone has. 

If you must have a screen with a higher refresh rate, BenQ is working on a 540Hz version of this monitor. The XL2586X is sure to cost a lot more than the AU$799 of the XL2546X, which means that will be mostly for those who game for a living.

Image 1 of 2

Now I don't consider myself a pro gamer by any means, but jumping into a session of CS:GO provided an experience that was beyond anything I have ever experienced. It made my 144Hz VA panel seem like a screen from around 2000. Motion clarity was far better than any other monitor I've ever laid eyes on, particularly in scenes with lots of action or anything that requires quick mouse flicks.

BenQ's Black eQualizer functionality works well in practice. It allows you to see enemies in darker areas without applying too much brightness in lighter areas. It also gives you faster recovery from flash bang grenades. Gaining a second or two of recovery time can mean the difference between life and death.

Other than (to me) the seemingly instantaneous motion clarity and refresh performance, the colors of the monitor were quite good. It's still a TN panel and you'd never expect to get eye-popping OLED levels of color reproduction, but the good old TN has come a long way and it still has something to offer. 

I jumped into a session of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and came away relatively impressed by the XL2546X's color reproduction performance. That's a game with particularly bright and contrasting colors and although a good IPS panel is superior, I feel as though the reputation that TN panels have washed out colors is becoming less of a factor in recent years.

That's not to say this is a monitor you should buy if you're a general purpose user or a casual gamer. There are better options in that case. That's not really to be interpreted as a negative though. This one's for hardcore gaming and it's great to see BenQ specifically cater for this market. 

At $799, the price of the XL2546X is very reasonable. Its quality is a huge step up from cheaper gaming monitors which sometimes don't offer a whole lot more than simple reliance on the refresh rate characteristics of TN panels. BenQ goes the extra mile tuning its gaming panels, while delivering useful gaming features that make a real difference. 

The Zowie XL2546X is aimed at gamers that demand the best responsiveness and minimal lag in games where milliseconds matter. Serious competitive gamers are a different breed. For them, the monitor isn't something to dazzle with HDR or the widest color gamuts. It's a tool to win, and for that task the BenQ Zowie XL2546X is one of the best there is.