AOC Q2577PWQ Review

There was a time when those wanting to adopt the 1440p resolution had to opt for a 27″ screen, and if that’s what you want you’ll find lots to choose from.  However, if like me, you find 27″ just too big then you may well be interested in checking out the less common 25″ format.

In fact 1440p is becoming increasingly popular, it represents a nice sweet spot where modern mid-range graphics cards can still power the monitor, unlike 4k, and the pricing is more consumer friendly too.  However you might wonder whether the higher resolution makes sense on smaller screens, after all 1080p does look good at 24″.

Th AOC has a pixel density of 117 PPI, about 8% more than the same resolution at 27″.  This does make a small difference with text and interfaces appearing just that little bit smaller.  This will certainly be OK for some to use without scaling but personally I struggle without increasing the text size a little, so watch out if you aren’t a fan of small text.

The AOC is a 60hz model offering true 8-bit colour, an AH-IPS panel and a 5ms response time.

Build Quality

Due to the common panel type, like other 25″ models, the Q2577PWQ is a so called frameless design.  It doesn’t mean there is literally no frame around the screen and in face there is a black border around the image itself that can detract from the depth of perceived blackness, no criticism of this model specifically, just something to consider with these designs.

The overall look of this model is attractive in my view, it has smart sharp lines and the strip of brushed metal, to match the base,  aided by the ultra slim bezels give it a premium feel.  This will sit well in your home office.  The stand is height adjustable, along with tilt and pivot but according to the official spec there is no swivel!  If you need more maneuverability then there are 100 x 100 VESA fixings which you can use to mount onto your own support.

Connectivity is well handled, you won’t have any problems hooking up a PC to this and the multitude of sockets mean you can attach more than one device if needed.  Do note that to get 1440p at 60hz you’ll need to use the digital inputs.  VGA just doesn’t have the bandwidth I’m afraid – time to upgrade!

Performance

Professional testers report back a pleasing colour performance for the AOC with a vibrant and varied look.  This is to be expected with the IPS panel technology that powers this screen.  Viewing angles also hold up well with colour accuracy holding up as you move your head.

Input lag tests show that there is some moderate lag on this model, it shouldn’t worry you unless you consider yourself a hardcore gamer particularly sensitive to such things.  Pixel responsiveness is decent for an IPS screen, they have improved a lot in recent years and little perceived blur was recorded.  Contrast is good but with the expected “IPS glow”.

If you are planning to run games on this model remember that you will need decent hardware to get good 1440p performance.  The latest gen cards can do a good job though, just make sure you don’t have an entry level GPU.  If you do struggle, remember you can drop these down to 1080p.  According to owners this does mean you lose sharpness but it does the job.