BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

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IIISLIDEIII
Posts: 135
Joined: 30 Jul 2020, 19:01

Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by IIISLIDEIII » 08 Nov 2021, 18:22

Edit

lostinpixelation
Posts: 4
Joined: 11 Nov 2021, 08:25

Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by lostinpixelation » 11 Nov 2021, 08:48

Hello,

I got the XL2546k after using the XL2411T for the past 10 years and I ran into a lot of issues (actually this is the 2nd one I got, the first one went back 20mins after unpacking since it had dead pixels in the center of the screen and the colors were completely off), I already requested sending it back, however I'm considering ordering a third one just to be sure.

So the issues I'm having:
- The inversion artifacts are incredibly distracting, my old XL2411T had none of those, the picture was always smooth. On the XL2546 whenever I'm moving the vertical lines are exteremly distracting (Dyac Premium, AMA High) and frankly tank the overall experience.
- So I thought well let's disable DyAc: The screen turns super "griddy" while there is no moving picture, frankly not sure if this is expected, but it makes the XL2546 literally unusable without DyAc enabled.
- The backlight is an absolute disgrace for the price, I don't expect great uniformity or no backlight bleed, however just with regular usage (no dark background) the backlight kind of bled into the bottom part of the screen (basically close to the corner it went alot darker, then 1-2cm into the screen there was a slight glare of the backlight).

Not really issues but other stuff to mention:
- Presets are kind of crap to be honest, after some tuning the picture quality turned out quite good actually (got quite close to the IPS panel next to it, well other than the contrast which is sub par even with the XL2411T)
- The OSD and the options in it are great (e.g. Vibrance, Black EQ).
- Build quality and stand is great.

For context I basically only play and use the monitor for CS:GO (got separate 2*4K IPS ones for work), which is why I ordered this monitor in the first place. Unfortunately I wasn't able to tell if DyAc is really worth it, because turning it off made the screen completely unusable. I also ordered the AW2521H for comparison, which is quite a bit better in all the aspects that I criticized (next to the other advantages IPS brings), however the "gaming" settings are quite sub par, I can't get the picture to match what I would expect in CS:GO (color/dark balacne).

So basically after all of this, should I still request a replacement XL2546K, were the ones I got flukes or is this what you can expect from an 600$ gaming monitor nowadays?

Binder87
Posts: 13
Joined: 07 Aug 2020, 10:09

Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by Binder87 » 11 Nov 2021, 14:25

Hi all...been owning the 2546k for few months now, playing solely competitive csgo. I have actually went through more than half the pages in this thread and im quiet lost :/. I play @ 1280x960 4:3 stretched resolution. Can anyone please chime in to give me good CRU settings (timings wise etc) for this resolution? Im obviously interested in the best possible motion clarity while maintaining low input lag. Im kinda desperate....

IIISLIDEIII
Posts: 135
Joined: 30 Jul 2020, 19:01

Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by IIISLIDEIII » 12 Nov 2021, 07:56

lizardpeter wrote:
02 Nov 2021, 16:26
Be sure to report back with your thoughts after testing them. I'd like to hear what you have to say.
Notty_PT wrote:
04 Nov 2021, 00:17
I am sure you will put the MSI and VG25 one aside, really fast :D BEcause Omen X25 Gsync version has an outstanding pixel response time
Nm_kng wrote:
26 Oct 2021, 11:17
Hp Omen X25 is imo the best 240hz monitor to exist. The motion clarity on that thing is unmatched (without strobing tech)
SUOrange55 wrote:
06 Nov 2021, 09:37
Seems like pretty polarizing opinions re: DyAc reducing motion blur in fast-paced games. Is there a reason one user might not notice it at all? I've tried all various iterations on my 240hz IPS panel (g-sync off, g-sync on / v-sync on in NVCP, g-sync on / v-sync off in NVCP) and am still getting bad motion blur, so very tempted to try DyAc.

Anyone remember the old 120hz BenQ TN panels (I think the first iteration, around 2010-2011?), I swear that monitor had the least blur of anything I've used in the last decade.
Discorz wrote:
09 Nov 2021, 10:07
Yes this trick is neat.
I opened a dedicated thread for comparison between some monitors I'm testing, I put the link:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9341

Bloedboer
Posts: 26
Joined: 14 Nov 2021, 07:43

Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by Bloedboer » 14 Nov 2021, 07:52

Having the same question as Binder87.
I recently got this monitor along with a 6600xt.
First thing i noticed that the 1280x960 resolution dissapeared in csgo. I made a custom resolution in radeon settings but it was really blurry and unplayable. I downloaded cru 1.5.1 and added a detailed resolution at 1280x960. I only changed the resolution numbers and hertz to 240. All the other numbers unchanged.
I opened csgo and for the first time everything looked just as good as with gpu scaling. I would like to know what more can i change in these settings for an even better result.
Thanks in advance!

Teodorius
Posts: 1
Joined: 20 Oct 2021, 12:36

Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by Teodorius » 23 Nov 2021, 14:37

Hello guys,

I recently bought this monitor and I am very satisfying with him.
This is nothing new as I upgraded from 60hz monitor to 240hz.
Since I have very old and bad gaming rig , i was wondering why 60HZ on subject monitor looks so choppy and laggy in comparison to old one monitor. Monitor is plugged in ASUS GTX 970 with DP cable. ( tried also HDMI).
Thank you in advance!

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Chief Blur Buster
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Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 23 Nov 2021, 16:29

Teodorius wrote:
23 Nov 2021, 14:37
Hello guys,

I recently bought this monitor and I am very satisfying with him.
This is nothing new as I upgraded from 60hz monitor to 240hz.
Since I have very old and bad gaming rig , i was wondering why 60HZ on subject monitor looks so choppy and laggy in comparison to old one monitor. Monitor is plugged in ASUS GTX 970 with DP cable. ( tried also HDMI).
Thank you in advance!
There are two reasons:

1. Faster LCD GtG pixel response makes stutter easier to see
60fps on a fast LCD will look choppier than 60fps on a slow LCD. The slow LCDs add blur that masks some of the choppiness. You can compensate somewhat by intentionally adding motion blur (e.g. GPU motion blur effect) for your low frame rate content (e.g. 60fps and lower). Do disable that effect at higher frame rates, though, as GPU motion blurring is only a band-aid for low-framerate choppiness. Alternatively, increase your frame rate to compensate.

2. Most 240Hz LCDs have high-latency at 60Hz, unless you use a workaround
Many 240Hz LCDs can only refresh in 1/240sec. So the LCD scaler chip has to buffer the slow 1/60sec refresh cycle before outputting it in 1/240sec. This adds more input lag doing low-Hz on high-Hz LCD.
Workarounds:
- Use 60fps at 240Hz VRR. Turn on FreeSync on your XL2546K will have much less input lag (ignore the people who say FreeSync has more lag; that's only for 240fps+ VSYNC OFF... You really need FreeSync for low-lag 60fps on a 240Hz LCD). FreeSync fixes your stutter, like www.testufo.com/freesync .... If you like the stutter-erasing effect, then please turn on FreeSync, it will look smoother.
- Use 60fps at 240Hz non-VRR. There might be more choppy stutters than VRR (FreeSync), but max-Hz always has lowest lag.
- Create a Quick Frame Transport mode using large Vertical Totals in ToastyX Custom Resolution, so that the DisplayPort can transmit a 60Hz refresh cycle in 1/240sec instead of the usual laggy 1/60sec frame delivery. See the QFT FAQ as well as the QFT HOWTO. This only works with computers, not with consoles, though.
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Bloedboer
Posts: 26
Joined: 14 Nov 2021, 07:43

Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by Bloedboer » 01 Dec 2021, 15:59

No suggestions? Chief could u help me in the right direction?

Viilutaja
Posts: 5
Joined: 28 Nov 2021, 16:44

Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by Viilutaja » 02 Dec 2021, 20:13

I got the BenQ Zowie XL2546K today. Compared it with my current Acer Nitro XF252QX (240Hz TN) 0.2ms G2G.
To be honest.. i was amazed how good that Acer was compared to the BenQ! Or just how bad Zowie was... I heard that Dyac+ Premium was "the shit!", but in reality I didn't notice any meaningful difference or any difference to be honest. That Acer has really good VRB modes (Blur reduction) and really good low input lag.

Acer is also TN panel, but oh boy that Zowie panel is like gummy bear shit smeared on glass compared to Acer's TN panel... I use RTING's color profile on both montors and their setup settings for best color accuracy I can get without custom hardware color calibrating.
I have heard a lot of bad things about that BenQ TN panel, but I thought how bad it can be. I own 2 TN panel monitors, that Acer and second monitor is old AOC Agon 27" 144Hz TN panel. Both look miles better.
With a lot of tuning I got that BenQ panel to acceptable color representation. Browsing web and watching videos look OK now.

But to the comparison between Zowie and Acer.
Checked the Blur Buster UFO test. They were identical. Ran monitors side by side...
Only advantage that Benq has is the possibility to use BlurBusters Strobe Utility, where I can reduce the crosstalk in the middle of screen, which I can't do on Acer. But that's very small advantage.

But I realize now that I will miss the USB hub that Acer monitor had, so I could plug in my wireless mouse and keyboard dongles and also the built in speaker. Not to mention that BenQ costs so much more. Luckily I got that Zowie 2456K for 360€ (inc 35€ shipping) from Amazon warehouse deal and I am testing it few more days. Then I decide what I will do with it. Send it back or maybe sell it locally for same price. But I would be very disappointed in that monitor performance If I would have bought one from local retail around 550€!

I have also ordered new Viewsonic XG2431 with BlurBusters 2.0 certification, that should be king of all 240Hz monitors. Should arrive in next 5-7 days. If it is as good as advertised, I will be keeping it.

But yeah... anybody looking very fast TN panel, but with very good VRB (Blur reduction ) and BFI, maybe You can find that Acer Nitro XF 252Q X.
I think it may be discontinued now... but I got it for 330euros 1.5 years ago.

woodyfly
Posts: 91
Joined: 03 Jul 2020, 07:53

Re: BenQ Zowie XL2546K 240hz TN

Post by woodyfly » 26 Dec 2021, 02:36

Can you guys who plays csgo do a test for me? Go to an empty server, cap fps_max 300 then move your mouse and strafe around, how smooth is the gameplay? Do this same test for 400 fps and then uncapped. I don't know if its normal or not but anytime my fps is around the 280-350 range, my game looks CHOPPY as hell when I move my mouse around. It's not until I get 500+ frames where my game looks smoother

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