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BenQ FP71G+ Review
[Abstract]
IntroducitonBenQ's aggressive LCD marketing has seen them out with the first ever LCD monitor to bear an 8ms rating for pixel response time. Since the gaming industry is basically the one pushi...
[Content] PCDigitalMobileGame
Performance - Movies and Gaming
Video Playback
Video performance is measured by viewing our usual feature DVD titles such as U-571, The Lost World and Gladiator. They encompass a wide range of scenes which we found ideal to check the various aspects of video performance. As with the DisplayMate tests, the default temperature setting of 'Normal' was initially used for the FP71G+. Our immediate impression was that the temperature was too cool for comfort, and we tried tweaking it manually to get the right settings. We also tried the 'Reddish' preset option in the OSD menu and found it to work quite well. So for those that do not relish having to fiddle around with manual RGB correction, the 'Reddish' option would be perfect for you.
With our color preferences set, color reproduction was more vibrant and rich. Human tones no longer cast a bluish tint that made them look like pale ghosts. The FP71G+ managed to produce sharp images and even fine details were rendered with aplomb. Colors tend to shift slightly when viewing at off center angles but image details remained focused. Quite an impressive showing indeed. We noticed some noise in the background that seemed like moir?effects. This anomaly appeared during motion in unfocused areas of a scene, and is probably attributed to analog distortions such as pixel timing issues.
The FP71G+ displayed great video performance and there weren't any ghosting effects that were visible to the eye. We all know that 8ms response time is just a marketing gimmick, since there isn't a panel that can actually boast a true 8ms or even 12ms response time. The timings are only a measure of what certain colors can achieve in an ideal situation, but we feel that the FP71G+ passes the threshold where the majority won't be able to visibly distinguish between normal motion blur and ghosting effects.
U-571 has become our de facto torture test to measure LCD performance in dark areas. With the results we received from DisplayMate tests, we were already expecting the monitor to suffer somewhat in this test. True enough, the monitor's weakness in differentiating dark hues was apparent. Even with the rated contrast ratio of 500:1, details in the background were merged with the shadows or in more extreme cases, lost. The monitor's brightness and contrast settings didn't offer any help, since the brightness level was already at the 90% mark by default.
Gaming Performance
Using our standard benchmark of Quake III Arena, we ran through a session on Q3DM17. This particular map has been our choice because of the fact that it contains large areas of black space, which accentuates color contrasts and movement. Any ghosting effects that may be apparent will be easily spotted here. If you've read our review of the FP71E+, you'd be glad to know that the FP71G+ fares equally well. Ghosting was a non-issue with the FP71G+, and gaming was silky smooth.
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