One of life’s greatest pleasures is gaming on a PC, but you’ll need a nice gaming monitor to catch pace with most of your adventures. Given its low price, Monoprice’s 27-inch Dark Matter Gaming Monitor is indeed an impressive and rather well-rounded option.
For those looking for a new primary monitor for gaming, gaming, and much more gaming, a monitor is a good option. It offers a quick response time, a good refresh rate, a good number of ports, as well as the visual quality is excellent whether you’re gaming or viewing films. A Dark Matter Gaming Monitor isn’t just a bargain at under $400; it’s also definitely worth a visit to gamers everywhere.
What you will see here?
Design
Even though it isn’t the largest monitor available, the Monoprice Dark Matter monitor isn’t short on style. It offers a range of unique lighting effects, such as twin LED lights along either side of the front of the monitor and trendy V-shaped LED lights on the back, that will freshen up any desktop gaming setup without making a sweat. This is a useful feature for anyone that doesn’t hide their monitor by slamming it against a wall.
Beyond the stand, Monoprice kept a lot of the monitor’s design streamlined and basic, making it ideal for anyone looking for a tidy setup. There’s no overt advertising on it, then some will is tucked away just on the back, and the rear-facing port hub helps to eliminate visual clutter. The two lights just at bottom of the display, one on each side, are the only design components visible from the front. They look fine on their own, but for a more polished effect, I added some more ambient lights.
Monoprice Dark Matter: Three HDMI 2.0 ports
This display provides 3 HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4a port, a USB-C port, as well as an audio output jack for your headphones, all of which are properly labeled and accessible. Although I’d want to see HDMI 2.1 support instead, it would simply raise the monitor’s price. If you’re on a budget, this collection of ports is good for casual gaming, but it’s probably not suitable for those other situations (And it’s still not the greatest option if you want to play this with a PS5 and Xbox Series X).
Overall, the Monoprice Dark Matter design is clean and attractive. You appreciate Monoprice’s decision to keep the design minimal while yet including gamer-friendly components such as the LED lighting. However, I do indeed have three little gripes. For starters, you can’t change the color of the LED lights, so I assume you prefer red. Two, as previously said, it is restricted to HDMI 2.0. They’re a little meaningless because you can’t alter the colors of the LEDs; I’d much rather Monoprice have HDMI 2.1 or the other useful function instead.
Finally, there isn’t a built-in speaker. Even though most gamers use a games console headset, speakers are still useful for watching videos on YouTube and Twitter without headphones.
Assembly
The stand is ultra-thin and simple in appearance. Overall, I believe it’s attractive and contemporary. I was afraid that its slim form would make it unsteady or flimsy when I first took it outside the box, but that was not the case. Overall, the assembly was straightforward, although you’ll need a Phillips-head screwdriver to secure the panel to the stand. It also has a detachable adapter as well as a 75mm VESA mount, as well as four fasteners if you want to mount it.
Whether you rotate between sitting and standing at my work, shifting a lot of stuff around the desk, or just fidgeting a lot, I found the monitor to be quite durable (all of which I do regularly). It remained securely in position, which I like.
However, there aren’t many options for customization. You won’t be able to modify the height, and you can tilt that to your preference. However, if you’re taller than that, you might want to consider getting a monitor elevation or stand for better ergonomics.
Display
You’ve probably heard terminology like IPS when it comes to computer monitors. IGZO stands for indium gallium zinc oxide, and this monitor is one of them. What exactly does that imply? Why should you be concerned? This material composition is widely utilized with modern OLED TV screens. Since it is intended to use less power, enhance pixel density, and offer a sharper & faster panel response.
As a result, you can’t be surprised by how good this monitor appeared in use. If you observed the monitor’s performance while viewing streaming video, editing images, & (of course) playing computer games while evaluating it. I played a variety of games, ranging from classic arcade games to AAA titles. As well as the Monoprice Dark Matter monitor managed them all with ease. Simply put, the motion was fluid, the colors were correct (and good), the contrast was clear, as well as the fps were consistent. There’s not much more you can ask for.
Performance
With a resolution of 2560 x 1440p (QHD), this 27-inch monitor is an excellent mid-range alternative for the ordinary user. You’ll be able to fully enjoy a clear, sharp image while saving a few hundred dollars by not purchasing a top-of-the-line 4K display. It also has a respectable refresh rate of 165Hz. This monitor is on pace with others in this price bracket, and it’s more than adequate for any regular player. You also can overclock it to 180Hz if you want, which is useful for more… intense gaming sessions.
The resolution and refresh rate seemed to be well-balanced. Playback is smooth and beautiful, with a lightning-quick response time thanks to adaptive sync support (sorry, G-Sync aficionados, you’re out of luck).
Do you need to make some changes to the display? Monoprice put a little knob on the right-hand side of the monitor’s back. Generally, I prefer front-facing controls. Because they’re easier to operate, however, this four pad was adequate and I quickly became accustomed to it. You may use it to turn on and off the monitor, modify RGB ranges, choose scene-setting shortcuts, or toggle the GamePlus crosshair.
Conclusion
The Monoprice Dark Matter Gaming Monitor is an excellent deal. If you’re looking for a new budget gaming monitor, look no further. While it may not be a monitor of selection for top-tier eSports competitors, it’s everything that the rest of us might want or need. It will display your games beautifully and will effortlessly keep up with whichever gaming exploits you throw at it. It’s a great deal for less than $400, so go ahead and treat yourself. Your gaming system will appreciate it.
