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Engineering Monitor Review: Two Great Images

The new BenQ BL2710PT and BL3200PT display monitors deliver great images at an amazing price.

The 27-in. BenQ BL2710 and 32-in. BenQ BL3200 offer feature-rich 2560x1440 resolution displays at an affordable price. Photo by David Cohn.


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David Cohn The 27-in. BenQ BL2710 and 32-in. BenQ BL3200 offer feature-rich 2560x1440 resolution displays at an affordable price. Photo by David Cohn.

At Autodesk University in December, we first saw an impressive 27-in. display from BenQ, a company originally spun off from Acer in 2001. While the Taiwanese firm is not particularly well known in the engineering market, it has been selling LCD monitors, digital projectors, digital cameras and mobile computing devices for years. Its lack of visibility among CAD/CAM users will likely change, however, judging from the two monitors we recently received for review.

In addition to the 27-in. BenQ BL2710PT, the company also sent us its new BenQ BL3200PT, the world’s first 32-in. WQHD monitor aimed at CAD/CAM and 3D printing. It offers the same 2560x1440 resolution as the BL2710, but on a larger panel.

Both monitors are based on LCD panels manufactured by AU Optronics (AUO). While the BL2710 uses an in-plane switching (IPS) technology that AUO calls advanced hyper-viewing angle (AHVA), the BL3200 uses an advanced multi-domain vertical alignment (AMVA) panel. Both monitors offer wide viewing angles of 178° in both horizontal and vertical directions; their response times are as low as 4 milliseconds gray-to-gray (the time it takes to change a given pixel from gray to a different color and then back to gray). Faster response time reduces image smearing that can occur with moving images. The BL2710 has a .233mm pixel pitch, a brightness of 350 cd/m2, and a contrast ratio of 1000:1, whereas the BL3200 has a larger .276mm pixel pitch, a brightness of 300 cd/m2, and a contrast ratio of 3000:1.

Each monitor arrived neatly packed with its panel and stand wrapped separately. In addition to the power cord, BenQ also provides six cables: D-Sub (VGA), DVI-D, DisplayPort, HDMI and an audio cable to connect the computer’s audio port to the monitor’s built-in stereo speakers. It took just a few minutes to assemble each display by placing the panel face down on a flat surface, attaching the monitor stand to the monitor base and tightening the thumbscrew on the bottom of the base, and then aligning the stand arm with the monitor and locking it into place. Before attaching the monitor to its stand, we noted the standard 100mm VESA mounting holes that enable the panels to be wall-mounted or attached to other supports.

BenQ 27- and 32-inch Monitor Comparison
BenQ BL2710PT 27-in. IPS DisplayBenQ BL3200PT 32-in. IPS Display
Price$699 MSRP ($599 street price)$799 MSRP ($699 street price)
Size27-in. (diagonal)32-in. (diagonal)
Display TypeIPS LED backlitIPS LED backlit
Screen dimensions without stand (WxHxD)25.12x15.00x 2.81 in.29.12x17.12x 2.5 in.
Physical size with stand at highest setting (HxWxD)21.62x25.12x10.00 in.29.12x25.63x10.5 in.
Weight17.7 lbs.26.9 lbs.
Native Resolution2560x1440 pixels @ 60 Hz2560x1440 pixels @ 60 Hz
Horizontal frequency range30 to 83 kHz30 to 88 kHz
Vertical refresh rate50 to 76 Hz50 to 76 Hz
Aspect Ratio16:916:9
Pixel Pitch0.2331mm0.276mm
Dot/Pixel Per Inch108.79 dpi91.79
Brightness350 cd/m2300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio1000:13000:1
Response time4 ms (gray to gray)4 ms (gray to gray)
Number of Colors1.07 billion1.07 billion
Color Gamut100% sRGB

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About the Author

David Cohn's avatar
David Cohn

David Cohn is a consultant and technical writer based in Bellingham, WA, and has been benchmarking PCs since 1984. He is a Contributing Editor to Digital Engineering, the former senior content manager at 4D Technologies, and the author of more than a dozen books. Email at david@dscohn.com or visit his website at www.dscohn.com.

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