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When recommending a gaming monitor, it’s easy to say, “just get an OLED.” Thanks to their unparalleled image quality and super smooth motion processing, they are currently the hot tech. But they haven’t covered all the bases just yet. For example, you can’t get them smaller than 27 inches. While that isn’t a big deal for most, some users have space limitations that necessitate a more efficient footprint. And you won’t find one for much less than $600. Budget constraints can be an impenetrable barrier.
Fear not, you can get a really good gaming monitor for less than $300 if it’s ViewSonic’s XG2536. This 25-inch IPS panel with FHD resolution, 280 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, and HDR is selling for $290 at the time of this writing. It’s also one of the fastest gaming monitors you can buy, even competing with 500 Hz models. Let’s take a look.
ViewSonic XG2536 Specs
|
Panel Type / Backlight |
IPS / W-LED, edge array |
|
Screen Size / Aspect Ratio |
25 inches / 16:9 |
|
Max Resolution and Refresh Rate |
1920×1080 @ 280 Hz |
| Row 3 – Cell 0 |
FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible |
|
Native Color Depth and Gamut |
8-bit / sRGB |
|
Response Time (MPRT) |
0.05ms |
|
Brightness (mfr) |
300 nits |
|
Contrast (mfr) |
1,000:1 |
|
Speakers |
2x 2w |
|
Video Inputs |
1x DisplayPort 1.4 |
| Row 10 – Cell 0 |
2x HDMI 2.0 |
| Row 11 – Cell 0 |
1x USB-C |
|
Audio |
3.5mm headphone output |
|
USB |
None |
|
Power Consumption |
20w, brightness @ 200 nits |
|
Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base |
21.9 x 16.5-21.7 x 8.6 inches (556 x 419-551 x 218mm) |
|
Panel Thickness |
2.3 inches (58mm) |
|
Bezel Width |
Top/sides: 0.23 inch (6mm) |
| Row 18 – Cell 0 |
Bottom: 0.79 inch (20mm) |
|
Weight |
11.7 pounds (5.3kg) |
|
Warranty |
3 years |
The XG2536 keeps the pixel count reasonable to balance the system effectively, it’s likely to be used with. QHD and 4K are great, but they represent a heavier processing load which necessitates a more expensive graphics board. FHD, 1920×1080, equates to a pixel density of 90ppi, not life changing but dense enough to present a sharp and detailed picture that stands up well to close-in viewing.
The refresh rate is 280 Hz, which is not revolutionary, but prepare for a nice surprise when you read my response and lag test results on page two. The XG2536 is super quick and easily matches wits with 500 — and 540 Hz monitors for much less money. It also supports Adaptive Sync in both iterations. It hasn’t appeared on Nvidia’s certified list yet, but G-Sync worked perfectly for me.
Though it supports HDR10 signals with a bright 468-nit peak, it doesn’t offer wide-gamut color. The XG2536 covers a bit more than 111% of sRGB, though, so you can expect vivid hues in all SDR and HDR content. I found decent accuracy, too—good enough to skip the calibration if you like. There are plenty of picture options, like color temps, gamma presets, and color management, for those who want to tweak.
The XG2536 offers a well-rounded package for gamers, including LED lighting, an aiming point, and multiple game modes. It also has a precise overdrive to keep motion resolution clear and smooth. Inputs include HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C. You can play audio through the internal speakers or the 3.5mm headphone input. The only thing missing are USB ports for peripherals.
The XG2536 offers a viable alternative to expensive gaming displays. It features high performance and solid build quality for less than $300. If you’re looking for a good partner for a mid-fi gaming rig, this is an excellent prospect.
Assembly and Accessories
The XG2536 ships in a clamshell box packed securely in crumbly foam. The base, upright and panel assemble without tools into a solid package that looks and feels premium. There’s a small external power supply plus USB-C, DisplayPort and HDMI cables included in the bundle.
Product 360
The XG2536 is simply styled but creates a unique identity with textures and subtle shapes. The front is all screen with a super slim flush bezel. It’s just 6mm around the top and sides and 20mm at the bottom. Only a ViewSonic logo breaks up the matte black finish. The screen’s front layer keeps reflections out of the picture and ensures a sharp image with no visible grain.
The back arranges LED lighting and ventilation into a double X figure with a larger ViewSonic logo at the top and textured areas at the sides. The two grilles seen in photo four above are speakers. With two watts of power each and wide placement, they create a broad sound stage with more bass than you’d expect.
The stand is top shelf with a solid look and feel. A cable management hole is provided at the bottom, and it integrates nicely with the base to create a monolithic piece. A 75mm VESA mount is hidden under the attachment point with chunky fasteners included if you’d rather use an arm. Ergonomics include a 5.1-inch height adjustment plus 20 degrees tilt and 45 degrees swivel. You also get a 90-degree portrait mode with a rotatable OSD menu.
The input panel features a DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports. You can also plug into a USB-C which supports DisplayPort functions and provides 65 watts of charging power. A 3.5mm headphone jack delivers audio if you opt out of the internal speakers.
OSD Features
The XG2536’s sole control is a tiny joystick located around the back right side. Pressing it opens a quick menu and a down-click opens the full OSD.
The OSD is a drop-down style menu that shows signal info at the bottom right. After input select and audio adjust, you’ll find the picture modes. There are seven main presets with four additional ones under the Game section. To enable complete control of image parameters and video processing, choose Custom as shown in the first photo. You can access a three-level overdrive, which is very precise. At 280fps, the middle setting achieves smooth motion with no ghosting artifacts. If you’re looking for the aiming point, click the joystick up while the OSD is closed, and it will appear.
Color adjustments are complete with five fixed color temps plus a user mode with RGB sliders. sRGB doesn’t alter the gamut, which is sRGB already, but it does lock gamma and color temp. There are three gamma presets available over a very wide range. 1.8 is very light and 2.6 is very dark but 2.2 is, you guessed it, just right. The HDR10 option sets signal detection to auto or turns HDR off completely.
I noticed an overclock option in the setup menu,, which was set to on by default. If you have a reason to limit the refresh rate to 240 Hz, turn it off. I never had any stability issues with the XG2536.
The LED lighting in the back is called RampageX which sounds extreme but provides a nice glow behind the monitor. You can set it to a single primary color or leave it on Auto which cycles through all colors. I found the transitions less than smooth, which distracted me a bit. The fixed color options breathe smoothly with no apparent issues.
ViewSonic XG2536 Calibration Settings
The XG2536 doesn’t need calibration if you set it to Game Custom mode. The default is Standard, and it looks ok like that, but then you can’t easily get to the video processing options. I selected the User color temp and adjusted the RGB sliders for excellent grayscale tracking and solid gamma that stuck closely to the 2.2 standard. The other two gammas are well off the mark and make the picture much too light or much too dark, so I recommend sticking with 2.2. Leave the HDR10 option on Auto and the switch will be automatic. There are no color options for HDR content, but you can change brightness and contrast if you wish. There is no dynamic dimming, so HDR and SDR content have the same contrast and depth. My SDR settings are provided below.
|
Picture Mode |
Game Custom |
|
Brightness 200 nits |
63 |
|
Brightness 120 nits |
42 |
|
Brightness 100 nits |
36 |
|
Brightness 80 nits |
29 |
|
Brightness 50 nits |
17 (min. 35 nits) |
|
Contrast |
70 |
|
Gamma |
2.2 |
|
Color Temp User |
Red 99, Green 93, Blue 97 |
Gaming and Hands-on
It is said, by me and many others, that the best products are the ones you most want to use. For gaming monitors, the best is the one you want to play on. If lush graphics and slow-moving environments are more your thing, spend the money on higher resolution and larger screens. But dispatching hordes of enemies in intense battles is what you crave, there are two choices, a fast OLED or the XG2536.
My ultimate pick is a 240 Hz OLED but for less than $300, I have never played on a monitor as fast as this one. Only two screens are as quick, the Philips 27M2N8500 and Aorus’ FO27Q2. Both are 27-inch QHD OLEDs, and both cost $650. The XG2536 completely slays the price-performance ratio.
Fragging in Doom Eternal’s Horde mode was an addictive experience. I had to stop myself after many hours so I could actually write something. If you’re wondering about things like contrast and resolution, those considerations left my radar screen within seconds. A gaming monitor needs to be smooth and responsive and the XG2536 is that, on the same level as those expensive screens.
I had no issues with any video processing options. The overdrive works best on its middle setting. The frame rate remained steady at 280fps, so Adaptive-Sync wasn’t actually needed. I tested it to make sure it worked beforehand and found no issues running G-Sync or FreeSync. And the 280 Hz refresh rate never wavered.
Being spoiled by wide gamut displays, I missed the most vivid primary colors. But again, the feel and responsiveness of the XG2536 put color almost beneath my notice. As a critical user, I stopped to smell the roses, virtually of course, a few times, and found the look natural and pleasing. Black levels weren’t quite on the level of dramatic, but most definitely satisfying.
For everyday use, the XG2536 is well suited. Some may prefer a larger screen and indeed, there are 27 and even 32-inch displays in this price range. But they won’t deliver even a fraction of the XG2536’s gaming performance and experience. Its pixel density is good enough for productivity.
Takeaway: The XG2536 is a solid monitor in all respects and among gaming screens, it’s a weapon. Accurate color means no tweaking is necessary. And video processing is equally easy to deal with, just set overdrive to the middle option and frag away. Gaming is thoroughly addictive and for the money, you won’t find a faster monitor anywhere.
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If you’re looking for high refresh rates like the XG2536’s 280 Hz, small FHD monitors are mostly what you’ll find. I created a group of speedy screens that includes Asus’ PG248QP, BenQ’s XL2566X+, Alienware’s AW2524HF and Lenovo’s R27fc-30 and R25f-30. Speeds range from 280 to 540 Hz.
Pixel Response and Input Lag
Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.
Image 1 of 2
You might think it unfair to compare 280 and 540 Hz monitors in an input lag test. But the numbers tell an unexpected tale. Response times are as expected where the higher refresh rate results in faster draw times and therefore, smoother motion. But check out the input lag numbers. The XG2536 slays its competition with just 13ms of total control lag. Only a couple of screens are quicker than that and they definitely cost more than $290. It’s one of the fastest monitors I’ve ever reviewed. Coupled with an excellent overdrive, the XG2536 delivers competition level gaming to users of all skill levels.
Test Takeaway: There are only two other monitors with input lag as low as the XG2536, Aorus’ FO27Q2 at 13ms and Philips’ 27M2N8500 which holds the record at 10ms. They are both 27-inch OLEDs that cost around twice the price of the ViewSonic. That’s extraordinary performance. While the XG2536’s motion isn’t quite as razor sharp, it is more than clear enough for gameplay at the highest level of competition. ViewSonic is delivering a hi-fi performance display at a mid-fi price. You won’t find a faster gaming monitor for the money.
Viewing Angles
The XG2536’s performance and test numbers prove that antiquated TN technology is no longer necessary to produce a fast display. The IPS panel used here is of very high quality and has solid off-axis imagery. There is a slight blue tint at 45 degrees horizontal, but there is no change to light output or gamma. Picture detail is just as clear from all angles. The top view looks a bit green, with a 20% brightness reduction and less defined gamma. This is excellent performance.
Screen Uniformity
To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.
Old myths exist about IPS screens’ poor uniformity but the panels I’ve seen for the past 10 years have been excellent. The XG2536 has no visible problems with bleed or hotspots. With just 8.68% deviation from center, my sample looked perfectly uniform in all full screen patterns and all types of content.
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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.
Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
Image 1 of 3
The XG2536 is nice and bright for all content with peak output over 473 nits. There is no backlight dimming, zone or field, so you’ll see the same output regardless of the average picture level. Among speedy screens, it is one of the brightest available.
That powerful backlight raises black levels over the others, but when the contrast ratio is calculated, it still manages over 1,100:1 of dynamic range. That’s above the IPS average but the other monitors are just a tad better. The Lenovos with their VA panels are in another league thanks to much lower black levels.
After Calibration to 200 nits
Image 1 of 3
With calibration, the XG2536 moves up the standings a bit to fourth. The VA Lenovos still win the day but the ViewSonic holds its own against other IPS and TN screens. It also takes fourth in the ANSI test with a very consistent 1,007:1 result. That’s nearly equal to the static number which is impressive. The XG2536 demonstrates excellent quality control and component selection.
Test Takeaway: If contrast is at the top of your priority list, an OLED or VA monitor is the way to go. But the XG2536 delivers dynamic range that’s a little above the IPS and TN average so that is a positive. Though it is primarily a speed machine, no one will complain about its image depth.
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The XG2536 is a very straightforward gaming monitor from a color standpoint. It doesn’t have a wide gamut so its story can be told with a single color mode, Game Custom. It measures well out of the box and improves slightly with calibration.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
Image 1 of 2
The XG2536’s default chart shows a slight cool tone that’s not visible to the naked eye. With errors all below the 3dE threshold, you won’t see a problem here. Gamma rides around the 2.2 reference with a slight dip at 90% brightness. This value is too light, but the error is quite small.
Calibration tightens up grayscale tracking to where only the 10% step is above 1dE. Gamma remains the same which is visually perfect. This is excellent performance.
Comparisons
Image 1 of 4
With a default grayscale error of 1.92dE, the XG2536 can be enjoyed without calibration. You won’t see any grayscale errors in test patterns or real-world content. Calibration makes a tiny improvement that is mostly detectable by the meter rather than the human eye. Adjustment puts it in a tie for first with the R27fc-30 at 0.62dE.
Gamma tracks extremely well with a 0.20 range of values and a 0% deviation from 2.2. It is on par with the other screens except for the Alienware which is pretty much perfect in this test.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
Image 1 of 2
The XG2536 has a single color gamut which I would call sRGB+. It has a little bonus blue and green but not enough to cause visible inaccuracy. In the default chart, you can see slight hue errors in the magenta and yellow secondaries. These are mitigated with a grayscale calibration. You can also see a bit of general oversaturation. This serves to make color nice and vivid without straying too far off the mark.
Comparisons
Image 1 of 2
Calibration reduces the XG2536’s color gamut error from 2.35 to 1.82dE, a very tiny amount. Adjustment is strictly optional; the monitor looks great right out of the box.
In the gamut volume test, the lack of DCI-P3 becomes evident. Though wide gamuts aren’t common in the speedy monitor genre, the other screens are more colorful in their native states.
Test Takeaway: The XG2536 has very accurate color that is achieved right out of the box, no calibration needed. It has a bit less gamut volume than the competition but still looks bright and vibrant. There are more colorful displays available, but they won’t be as quick or responsive.
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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.
The XG2536 supports HDR10 signals with a seamless switch when the OSD option is set to Auto, which it is by default. There’s no dynamic dimming available but the HDR image is very bright and color accurate.
HDR Brightness and Contrast
Image 1 of 3
The XG2536’s peak brightness is on par with the competition, but black levels and contrast are not. There’s no zone or field dimming so there is no increase in dynamic range. The other displays either use VA tech with its higher native contrast, or modulate the backlight to increase the difference between dark and light. The XG2536 looks good on its own, but a little less impactful when compared to the others side-by-side.
Grayscale, EOTF and Color
Image 1 of 3
The XG2536 nailed my HDR color tests. Grayscale tracking is free of visible errors with all values below 3dE. That’s better than the majority of HDR monitors I’ve tested. It also sticks close to the EOTF reference except for the darkest shades which are too light. Shadow detail is very clear but closer to dark gray than black. This reduces impact a bit but in brighter content, highlights pop nicely.
In the gamut tests, the XG2536 hits every point on target until running out of color. For DCI-P3, it tops out at 82% red and 75% green, but fully covers blue. Magenta is a tad off hue as well. In the BT.2020 test, it hits the inner targets accurately but only makes it to 70% red, 55% green and 95% blue. This is typical performance for an sRGB HDR monitor.
Test Takeaway: The XG2536’s has very accurate HDR color that only falls short in volume thanks to an sRGB gamut. Grayscale and EOTF tracking are exemplary except for the darkest shades which are a tad light. None of these obscures fine detail and texture though. The picture is accurate and vibrant but just a little less colorful than the competition. The addition of field dimming would make a nice improvement.
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The purchase of any computer monitor should be decided by what you plan to do with it. Every display has strengths and weaknesses, especially when low price is a high priority. If you have the budget, a 240 Hz OLED can’t be beat. But if your limit is $300, the ViewSonic XG2536 is far and away the best gaming monitor you can buy.
On paper, it doesn’t scream for attention. There are plenty of 25-inch FHD 280 Hz monitors vying for your money. But none of them can boast the XG2536’s 13ms lag score in my test. Only two 27-inch OLEDs can play in its sandbox, Philips’ 27M2N8500 and Aorus’ FO27Q2. They both sell for $650 at this writing. And since they’re QHD, you’ll need more processing power to realize their full potential.
My complaints were small. The XG2536 doesn’t have a wide gamut. Granted, most of its competitors don’t cover more than 90% of DCI-P3 either but I only saw around 75%. So, it is a little less colorful. Contrast is on par with any other IPS or TN panel in the class. The best contrast for the budget-conscious comes from VA screens like Lenovo’s R27fc-30. But the XG2536 is very accurate and doesn’t need calibration for a great picture. Just set it to Game Custom and you’re ready to rock.
In the world of speedy gaming displays, I’ve become spoiled by premium OLEDs. But I knew the ViewSonic XG2536 was special when it got me playing for hours without noticing the passage of time. If the best gaming monitor is the one you most want to play on, the XG2536 has few equals. Those looking to spend less than $300 on a fast screen should put it on your watch list.
MORE: Best Gaming Monitors
MORE: How We Test PC Monitors
MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor