Last week, the Professional Gamers League (PGL) announced an interesting overhaul of tournament hardware—new systems will be fitted with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards, then hooked up to BenQ ZOWIE XL2566K 24.5" 360 Hz gaming monitors. Their previous generation machines were (initially) designed around AMD's Ryzen 9 5950X processor, but the organization is leaving AM4 platforms behind: "PGL is excited to announce that our team has fully optimized upgraded gaming PCs in partnership with Afromnazareth, and we are ready to deliver an unparalleled esports experience at the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024. At the heart of this cutting-edge setup is the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor, explicitly chosen for its exceptional performance capabilities and ability to handle the demands of CS2. This processor is renowned for its superior gaming performance, offering players the speed, power, and efficiency required to perform at the highest levels of competition."

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a more straightforward upgrade—as an easy drop-in for the PGL's older AM4 platform machines, but a leap into new ecosystems will grant a bit of future-proofing. Team Red is expected to support AM5 across a couple of processor generations. PGL did upgrade systems with 5800X3D CPUs, due to player feedback—according to Tom's Hardware: "there was some discontent among players with the previous configuration with the Ryzen 9 5950X because, while the chip sports 16 Zen 3 execution cores, Counter-Strike 2 doesn't exploit the processor's prowess. Some players criticized PGL's poor processor choice for previous events, claiming lousy frame rates." Performance connoisseurs will be pleased to hear about the tournament organizer's new push into modern platforms—Silviu Stroie, PGL CEO, stated: "we have meticulously optimized this bespoke gaming setup to ensure that every participant experiences CS2 in the highest fidelity without compromise. The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU stands out as a game-changer in the esports arena, promising to elevate the competitive play of CS2 to new heights."

Philips has revealed its debut model in the Evnia 5000 range of gaming monitors - 25M2N5200P. The Dutch electronics firm has already released a diverse lineup of premium screens for enthusiast gaming-types, but the relatively young games-oriented Evnia brand is now expanding into more mainstream territory with its 5000 series - the dark slate (gray-colored) chassis distinguishes this lineup from the more sophisticated offerings (usually finished in white). Philips is readying its new 25M2N5200P ultra fast gaming monitor for release in Europe next month, coming in at more budget conscious price of €299. This 24.5-inch sized mid-tier model is fitted with a snappy IPS panel rated for a maximum refresh rate of 280 Hz (in overclock mode).

Speedy gaming enthusiasts will be happy to learn that the FHD (1920 x 1080) Fast IPS-type panel accommodates a 0.5 ms MPRT response time. The 25M2N5200P appears to be quite a unique case when compared to equivalent competitors - AMD FreeSync Premium adaptive synchronization and motion blur reduction (MBR) can be enabled in parallel which provides the end user with a fast and smooth in-game experience, free of major image ghosting issues. Philips will be offering customers who prefer VA panel technologies an alternative model called the 25M2N3200W, set for release in European markets within the next few months.

Reports circulating the web point towards Xiaomi planning to take the high-refresh rate market by storm, following very interesting releases in the more "mainstream" gaming display market. Reports place the company as preparing for an announcement on November 11th for the launch of a new, 1080p high-refresh-rate monitor. Sources seem to be in disagreement over the actual refresh rate - whether 240 Hz or 360 Hz - but they are adamant that a product - or perhaps both products - will emerge.

The $145 pricing is something that Xiaomi could well pull-off; the company tends to bet on market penetration first, before scaling its production with higher ASP products. Diagonal are expected at the 24.5" range, and a 1080p panel is all but guaranteed at those refresh rates. It's currently uncertain what kind of panel technology is at stake here - some mention AUO's IPS solutions, while others claim a TN panel is mandatory to achieve these prices. There's only so much tech that can be bought into with $145. That said, this monitor could become an extremely attractive proposition for gamers on a budget, though we all know that 360 Hz (and even 240 Hz) at 1080p are somewhat hard to achieve due to CPU limitations on performance.

AOC today announced availability of their budget-conscious G2590FX, their latest addition to the G90 series of monitors (and an improvement to their 6-month old G2590VXQ). The G2590FX has been developed with the budget-conscious gamer in mind. The usage of a TN panel keeps costs lower than other panel options would allow. At the same time, AOC looked towards offering high-quality gaming specs - such as the 1 ms response time, and the 144 Hz panel refresh rate with AMD Freesync support - to allow twitch-players to stay competitive. The 1080p resolution can almost be seen as a bonus, as it ensures the likelihood of users' graphics processing hardware to deliver those 144 Hz.

AOC is touting this monitor as having a 3-side-frameless structure, which does look that way in the media photos - though those usually have to be taken with a grain of salt. Display output connectors include 1x VGA, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, and 2x HDMI 1.4. The AOC G2590FX monitor is now available worldwide at an MSRP of £219.99 (direct conversion puts it at some €252 or $290, but US pricing will likely be lower.

Display specialist AOC today introduces three new gaming monitors which extend their successful mainstream gaming line represented by the well-received G2460PF and G2460VQ6. In addition to their appealing "3-sided frameless" design, the new G90 series boasts an impressive set of specs and features, guaranteeing a top-notch gaming experience: A refresh rate of 144 Hz and AMD FreeSync technology provide smooth gameplay without stuttering, tearing or motion blur, and a 1 ms response time eliminates ghosting effects. The new G90 displays offer AOC Low Input Lag Mode and AOC Shadow Control as well as a handy stand that can be easily mounted and removed without screws - perfect for LAN parties and esports tournaments!

Top-notch gaming performance
AOC's G90 series offers models in two sizes: the 24.5" AOC G2590VXQ and AOC G2590PX as well as the 27" AOC G2790PX. All of them feature a frameless 16:9 Full HD TN panel (1920 x 1080 pixels), a short 1 ms response time to eliminate annoying ghosting effects, a high refresh rate (G2590PX and G2790PX: 144 Hz, G2590VXQ: 75 Hz) and FreeSync support. The latter reduces stuttering, tearing and input lag for an even smoother gaming experience. The AOC Low Input Lag Mode gives gamers an additional edge: it bypasses most of the monitor's internal video processing, which results in even more responsive gameplay. Titles with a very dark map design especially benefit from the AOC Shadow Control feature: it lightens overly dark screen areas and darkens bright parts without affecting the rest of the screen.

ASUS is looking to have two distinct monitor product lines catering to either AMD or NVIDIA enthusiasts. Adding to their Swift line-up of NVIDIA G-Sync monitors, ASUS seems to be building up a Strix line as well, which features AMD's FreeSync technology to deliver the same fundamental variable refresh rate technology at a lower price-point (or so we hope.)

Starting with the flagship Strix monitor, the ASUS Strix XG32V has a 31.5" IPS panel with a WQHD resolution of 2560 x 1440. It's curved, so it envelops your FOV better, with the usual 1800R curve. This model can handle refresh rates of up to 144Hz, though readers looking to jump at this panel as we speak should wait for both Freesync range and pricing announcements. Connectivity-wise, we're looking at 2x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 2.0, and an os yet unknown amount of USB 3.0 ports. ASUS has also added the inevitable Aura Sync lighting to the XG32V, materialized on both a ROG logo that shines down onto the desk, as well as an RGB LED suite on the back of the unit that can be synchronized with other Aura Sync-enabled PC components and peripherals.

Update: It would seem reservations regarding the monitor's conservative resolution were right in the money. New details have come to light in that this monitor from AOC apparently supports two display modes: a 1440p, 144 Hz presentation, favoring resolution and graphics quality, or the aforementioned 1080p 240 Hz. This is interesting, offering a solution for gamers who play both competitive shooters and eye-candy-filled games, opting for blazing fast refresh rates or a higher resolution. It remains to be seen whether graphics quality takes a bigger hit than is solely limited to the decreased resolution: using a monitor ona non-native resolution decreases graphical quality, sometimes noticeably so. Still, this is a flexible solution, and I wouldn't be surprised to see users choosing this solution exactly because of the two different modes of operation.

AOC has added a new monitor to its line-up, which seems to be especially geared towards competitive gamers in twitch-shooters. Its astonishing 240 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms response time, and G-SYNC support are its greatest selling points, I would wager, though I bid you good luck in running most modern games at such frame-rates. To achieve this kind of screen refresh rates, AOC had to compromise in other areas, though: the AG251FG's 1080p resolution seems somewhat limited, as does the usage of a TN panel.