With an MVA panel, a 75Hz refresh rate at 1440p and a 31.5in display for only £200, this monitor is incredibly good value for money
Pros
- Value for money
- Incredible contrast ratio
- Excellent build quality
Cons
- Restricted stand adjustments and no VESA support
- Blue tint across screen
- Limited max brightness
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Everyone loves a big, high-resolution monitor but they tend to be either pretty poor or pretty expensive. The AOC Q3279VWF turns that trend on its head: it’s a huge monitor that doesn’t cost much, and it doesn’t come with too many compromises.
You’re certainly getting a lot of screen for your money. The Q3279VWF has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 and it stretches that across a huge 31.5in MVA panel.
If that wasn’t enough, the panel runs natively at 75Hz and comes with AMD FreeSync, which provides tear-free gaming for those with compatible AMD graphics cards. It’s got everything you need, in other words.
AOC Q3279VWF review: Price and competition
The AOC Q3279VWF costs around £200 and this makes it the best vape MVA 1440p monitor of any size I’ve come across, let alone one this big. Its closest competitor is the Acer EB321HQUA, which is £290 and has the same core specs. If you want a smaller, 27in display instead, there’s the BenQ GW2765HT at £285 and the ViewSonic VX2778-SMHD at £347.
If we switch the MVA panel for a less colour accurate TN panel, the prices come down a little but still not as low as the Q3279VWF. Here, you have the AOC Q2778VQE at £209 and the Asus PB277Q at £280.
AOC Q3279VWF review: Design, features and build quality
First, you’ll want to make sure the 31.5in (which measures: 729.59 x 425.09 x 153.2mm) monitor fits on your desk because this monitor is big. Really big. The AOC’s glossy low-profile bezels and brushed silver aluminium stand look pretty slick, though.
AOC has made some compromises to come at that budget, though. The stand is only capable of tilting by -2° or +21.5° with no height adjustment and there are no VESA mounts at the back of the monitor, so you’re stuck with the restrictive stand. Still, it doesn’t feel too wobbly, so at least there’s that.
Elsewhere, it’s pretty standard stuff. For connectivity, you get DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, DVI and VGA inputs, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack output, but there’s no USB hub or headphone stand.
The OSD, which is accessed through the buttons found on the bottom right-hand corner, gives you access to a host of different options. You can adjust the Overdrive level, colour settings, and brightness levels, among others.
The AOC Q3279VWF features AMD FreeSync technology in the 48-75Hz range over HDMI and DisplayPort, which results in tear-free gaming with compatible AMD graphics cards. If you have a Nvidia graphics card, you’ll have to settle with V-Sync, but that’ll add unwanted input lag.
AOC Q3279VWF review: Image quality and gaming performance
The Q3279VWF has a 31.5in MVA panel with a matte coating. It runs natively at 2,560 x 1,440 with a 75Hz refresh rate and, thankfully, doesn’t suffer from any frame-skipping.
When I first switched the monitor on the whole screen had a blue tint. Set the monitor to sRGB mode and things improve. In this mode, the blue colour adjustment drops to 43, while the red and green stay at 50, an odd occurrence for a PC monitor as it’s usually the other way around. Nevertheless, this does have the effect of subduing the blue tint, which makes for a more colour accurate display.
Tested with our i1 DisplayPro calibrator, the AOC covers 90.2% of the sRGB colour space. In sRGB mode you’re also limited to a 202cd/m² max brightness although in user mode this increases to 232cd/m². This could be a problem if your room is bright, but it’s plenty enough for a late night gaming session.
Colour accuracy isn’t amazing but it is perfectly respectable for such a low-cost screen. Its average Delta E of 1.93 means you can use it for photo editing comfortable in the knowledge that the edits you make should look okay to everyone else.
MVA panels are renowned for their high contrast ratio, but I’ve yet to come across one as good as the Q3279VWF. I measured its contrast ratio at an astonishing 4,276:1, and this leads to incredibly vibrant onscreen images, although I suspect AOC dynamically adjusts the contrast.
At 90% brightness (the max brightness achievable in sRGB mode), the panel also achieves the lowest black luminance I’ve seen in a consumer-grade monitor. At a measured 0.047cd/m² there’s barely a hint of grey, which is exactly what you want when watching movies with dark scenes.
As for gaming, its 75Hz refresh rate is a step above the 60Hz panels you see in most monitors at this sort of price. Coupled with an AMD FreeSync-compatible graphics card this monitor delivers buttery smooth, tear-free gaming.
What’s more, input lag is surprisingly low and response time is incredibly fast, especially with Overdrive set to Medium. There’s a slight amount of overshoot (purple haze), but it’s not hugely unpleasant. This makes the AOC ideal for multiplayer games, including semi-competitive shooters, such as Call of Duty: WWII.
AOC Q3279VWF review: Verdict
At £200, the AOC Q3279VWF is simply spectacular value for money. It’s perfect for watching movies on, ideal for gamers and excellent for office and creative work alike. If you’re looking for a competent all-purpose monitor and you’re on a budget, the Q3279VWF is a fantastic choice.
With a 1440p 75Hz display on a huge 31.5in panel, the AOC monitor ticks all the right boxes and it rightfully wins an Expert Reviews Best Buy award.
Source: expertreviews.co.uk
