AOC i2757Fm review

When I first picked up the box for this new screen from budget monitor moguls AoC, I must confess to groaning at the mix of 27-inch panel and relatively lowly 1080p native resolution. Normally, I'd prefer a higher resolution to go with my larger screen size, but that's mostly because I've got a graphics card in my rig capable of rendering at stupid resolutions like that.

Most modern graphics cards are more than capable of shunting pixels and polygons around at 1080p resolutions but will come a cropper if you make that step up in resolution. In light of this, it actually makes sense to have larger screens that still make use of the lower native resolution instead.

That way you still get a lot of screen real estate, but the frame rates don't suffer compared to a 22 to 24-inch panel. And when you're comparing it against those smaller screen sizes it's pretty impressive that AoC can deliver a 27-inch IPS panel for just £231. Not long ago this sort of screen would have had to cost well north of £300.

Bye bye bezel

It's also impressive that AoC has managed to create a screen at this price with such a tiny bezel. When I first dragged the screen from it's box I actually thought I had my hands on something completely sans bezel - sadly though it's just set flush to the screen and is invisible when the screen's turned off.

Still, the black bezel is only 9mm, so it's hardly obtrusive. So, from a distance at least, the chassis of the i2757FM looks like a very high-end product. With that panel stretching almost to the limits of the surround and that brushed aluminium base and touch controls, it looks quite luxurious to the eye. That's all from a distance though; get up close and personal and you'll soon see the edges of the matte covering for the screen, just begging to be picked at.

The aluminium panel at the bottom doesn't feel like it's that securely attached to the rest of the chassis either. But it's an AoC screen for a little over £200, what did you really expect? It's perfectly functional and, as long as you don't get too close, is rather pretty to look at too. And if you play with the settings a little you'll see beautifully clear, crisp and bright imagery flashing up on your screen.

The IPS panel tech is immediately obvious from the moment it lights up. The colours are much more vibrant than a standard TN screen, though the blacks and whites can be broken with the BrightFrame tech. It's not the best IPS screen, but still better than an equivalent TN.

You can also hook up your MHL-enabled smartphone to it via the included cable. It's a bit of a gimmick really, throwing your phone screen onto your PC monitor, but allows you to charge from the HDMI port at least.

For such a bargain price then this is a great monitor, and you'll be more than pleased with your purchase as it sits on your desk looking all futuristic. If you don't think your rig will manage with higher resolutions than 1080p this is a great way of getting a bigger screen without losing gaming pace.