Competitively priced set with excellent gaming performance
The Dell 27 Curved Gaming Monitor (S2721HGF) provides excellent 1080p gaming performance on an affordable 144Hz display.
To be a good player, you don’t need fancy or expensive things, and you don’t need to perform well in every aspect of screen quality. The Dell 27 curved gaming monitor (S2721HGF) shows that you can get excellent gaming performance at a very reasonable price. The $299.99 display ($229.99 at the time of writing) has a 27-inch 1080p (1920×1080 pixel) panel with a peak refresh rate of 144Hz. It will not destroy any contrast or color records, but between its very low measured input lag and the smoothness of Nvidia G-Sync / AMD FreeSync, it can ensure that it meets the needs of PC gamers with stable mid-size screens on a budget. For this reason, it won the "Editor's Choice Award" from our favorite budget game group so far in 2021.
Compared with more expensive, Alienware brand brother products (for example, Dell), Dell 27 looks very simple.
with
. The curved screen is framed by a simple black frame and narrow black bars. The top and sides are flush with the active display, and the bottom frame is slightly wider with the Dell logo on it. It is mounted on a similar pure black stand with a hexagonal base to fix the monitor. The stand can slide up and down and tilt (the vertical height is 15.5 to 19.4 inches, and the vertical angle is -5 to 21 degrees), but it does not rotate left or right.
The micro power button is located on the right side of the bottom edge of the display and lights up when it is turned on. (If you are distracted, you can turn it off.) The four-way joystick and four other buttons occupy the rear right of the display and control the on-screen display (OSD).
All the connections of the display are directed downwards from the notch in the back of the middle, located on both sides of the neck of the stand. The power connector is located on the right side of the neck, while two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort are located on the left.
The 27-inch screen is a vertical array (VA) TFT panel with a 1500R curve. As mentioned earlier, it has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and a refresh rate of 144Hz. For the budget panel, this is a good move, it also supports AMD FreeSync
Nvidia G-Sync adaptive synchronization technology can prevent screen tearing.
We use
, A
, with
. Out of the box, in standard mode with the maximum brightness setting, Dell displays a peak brightness of 338.01 cd/m² (nits), a black level of 0.135 cd/m², and a contrast ratio of 2,504:1. This is in line with the 350 nits and 3,000:1 contrast ratio of the display advertising, and unexpectedly beats the more expensive Alienware 25 in brightness, black level and contrast (1,036:1).
Although Dell 27 shows better contrast performance than Alienware 25, it lags behind in terms of color gamut coverage. The figure below shows the color level of the monitor measured for sRGB. It can cover 92.6% of the sRGB color gamut, which is slightly lower than the 96.8% of Alienware 25. (See more about
)
The next chart below shows the color scale of Dell 27 in the DCI v1.2 digital cinema color gamut, of which only 74.9%...
This is much smaller than the 81.1% color gamut coverage of the Alienware 25. Fortunately, even within a more limited color gamut, a single color is usually accurate and does not tilt in any given direction. The worst complaint is that white people use it out of the box and are warmer than ideal.
For affordable monitors, Dell's input latency is very low. Use a test
, We measured an input lag of 1.7 milliseconds (ms) using a 60Hz signal. Converted to the display's inherent 144Hz refresh rate, that is, the input delay is 0.7ms.
This
looks good. From the green grass to the blue sky, the colors appear natural and full. The tones are not particularly vibrant, but their appearance is very balanced. The fine details are well represented in sunlight and shadows, and the cut and silhouette of the black clothing distinguishes it from the darkness of the campfire scene.
I also did some experiments on "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" (CS:GO) to understand the feel of popular e-sports classic games. The game performed well; no matter how crazy I spin, I can't see any obvious screen tearing. This surprised me because the Alienware brothers and sisters with expensive monitors showed some fluctuations in the game. Nvidia G-Sync seems to work perfectly, and the action is consistent.
Dell 27 also performed well in non-gaming content. It shows us
(Displayed at 1080p60 resolution) Accurate, vibrant natural colors. The reds of parrot feathers and flowers did pop up, but they did not look cartoonish or oversaturated, while the greens of plants and lizards looked bright and accurate. This is a clear, colorful image that should meet the needs of gamers who want to watch any content on the monitor.
The Dell 27 curved gaming monitor provides a surprisingly high-quality display at a low price. Its contrast is not excellent, but it is difficult to find any gaming monitor with a contrast under $300. Its color balance is natural, movement is smooth, and input lag is extremely low. It ticked all boxes of satisfactory and reasonably priced gaming monitors and easily won the "Editor's Choice Award" in this category.
If you want better performance or higher resolution, you can expect to spend about twice as much as 1440p to buy a high-quality monitor
Or with 360Hz refresh capability
. In its price range, Dell 27 Curved is one of the best.
advertising
Will Greenwald (Will Greenwald) has been engaged in consumer technology research for ten years and has worked as an editor for CNET.com, Sound & Vision and Maximum PC. His work and analysis have been seen in GamePro, Tested.com, Geek.com and some other publications. Currently, he covers consumer electronics products in PC Labs as an in-house home entertainment expert, and is responsible for reviewing TVs, media hubs, speakers, headphones, and gaming accessories. Will is also a THX Class I home theater expert and ISF Class III TV calibrator expert, ensuring the thoroughness and accuracy of all PCMag TV reviews.
sign up
Send our popular stories to your inbox every morning
This newsletter may contain advertisements, deals or affiliate links. By subscribing to the newsletter, you agree to our
. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time.
Your subscription has been confirmed. Please pay close attention to your inbox!
PCMag.com is a leading authority in the field of technology, providing independent reviews of the latest products and services based on the laboratory. Our professional industry analysis and practical solutions can help you make better purchasing decisions and get more benefits from technology.
©1996-2021 Ziff Davis, LLC. PCMag Digital Group
PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis, LLC and may not be used by third parties without express permission. The third-party trademarks and product names displayed on this website do not necessarily indicate any affiliation or endorsement with PCMag. If you click on an affiliate link and purchase a product or service, the merchant may charge us.
