Review: BenQ EL2870U 28 Inch 4K Monitor

When it comes to the 28 inch BenQ EL2870U 4K gaming monitor, an expression I kept hearing over and over was a variation on “gamers on a budget.” When you have a look at the price tag, the EL2870U certainly seems to fit the bill (it’s currently just under $400 on Amazon).

This monitor’s got power, a decent display, and a good size, but there are a few issues that keep it from being a must-have for budget gamers.

Straight out of the box, the BenQ EL2870U is an impressive piece of hardware. The flat gunmetal grey shell is a handsome addition to any gaming rig. That impression continues when you plug it in. The display has a softness that is very welcome to eyes that spend a lot of time in front of a monitor, which seems to be a benefit of BenQ’s advertised Free-Sync Eye Care.

When the games get started, however, it gets hard to ignore several little issues.

That softness that I previously mentioned makes for a sometimes cloudy look, particularly in more colorful games. Perhaps it’s a trade? Fewer late-night headaches in exchange for a little sharpness? Your age (and access to Gunnar shades) might make a difference in whether this matters or not.

It’s true that the monitor’s display can be adjusted easily enough, but I found it to consistently hold true to this gentle level of brightness. 

The UHD resolution on this sucker provides a colossal native resolution of 3840 by 2160, but all that resolution comes at a cost that gamers who are on a budget might not be quite ready to pay.

There’s an irony of a monitor with a price-point for those unable to shell out grand for their display: The fact that the money you save might need to be spent on a new video card to full appreciate your monitor! You’re going to need a good GPU to handle this resolution, especially if you play a lot of graphically intensive AAA titles.

With some fun extras like built in speakers, the BenQ EL2870U is indeed a terrific monitor for the money, but be ready to adjust your settings to make sure that you’re getting the most out of this model.

The BenQ EL2870U is available on Amazon for $398.00.