The new Dell S2722DGM looks, on paper, like an almost perfect affordable gaming monitor. It's fast, inexpensive, has adequate pixel count, adequate panel specs, and in most cases doesn't suffer from bells and whistles that add little to the gaming experience but cost.

Built around a 1440p 27" VA panel with good overall specs; VA technology tends to be cheaper than IPS, which has its pros and cons As the S2722DGM's spec sheet indicates, the most obvious advantage is static contrast. Dell rates this monitor at 3,000:1, three times better than IPS monitors. [Of course, the solution to the mediocre contrast of IPS panels is local dimming. However, this is very expensive and causes a variety of problems involving the algorithms that control dimming. In many ways, better panel-specific contrast is much better.

On a related note, the Dell S2722DGM is a straight-up SDR display that does not support HDR at all. Given that most so-called HDR PC monitors are not really like that, we are fine with that. And PC HDR is still pretty shoddy.

Incidentally, brightness is 350 nits, which is perfect for an SDR display; another big difference between VA and IPS is speed: VA tends to be just a bit slower; the S2722DGM's pixel response is 2 ms at GtG and 1 ms at MPRT, which is the best IPS panels, just shy of 1 ms and 0.5 ms. Helpfully, Dell has provided figures on how response performance relates to the user-configurable overdrive settings in the S2722DGM's OSD menu.

Another key indicator for speed is, of course, refresh; the S2722DGM has a refresh rate of 165 Hz, which seems adequate given the monitor's affordable price point. Pursuing an even higher refresh rate would require a large investment to secure a GPU capable of handling it, and the cost would quickly spiral out of control.

GPUs do not need to be terribly fast to achieve hundreds of FPS on older titles. However, above 165 Hz, the payoff is relatively small unless you are a very serious or near-professional online gamer.

Speaking of speed and frame rates, the S2722DGM's 1440p native resolution is, of course, equivalent to 2560 x 1440 pixels; a 27-inch screen provides a reasonable pixel density without generating the debilitating GPU load that 4K creates. Affordable PC components are the product of the right balance and compromise, and 1440p and 27 inches are just that. It's the right compromise between gaming performance and detail.

As for the Dell S2722DGM's extensive feature set, you can't expect too many additional features at this price. For example, it does not feature USB Type-C connectivity. However, dual HDMI and single DisplayPort connections are just fine, even if the HDMI port's highest output is 144 Hz instead of 165 Hz.

Meanwhile, the chassis and stand are all plastic, but perfectly sturdy. It has tilt and height adjustment, which is all you really need. This type of monitor does not need to swivel or rotate to portrait. In fact, the 1500R curvature of the panel is perhaps the only irrelevant thing. That's not to say it necessarily detracts from the gaming experience, but on a modest 27-inch screen, it's not a huge plus either.

In any case, if this does not qualify as a major caveat, there is little else to report on image quality The Dell S2722DGM is a reasonably punchy and vibrant monitor, given that it is a pure SDR panel; it supports HDR Running games like Cyberpunk 2077 in SDR mode doesn't feel lacking.

In short, the Dell S2722DGM is a feast for the eyes. It is also fast enough for situations where speed matters most. As mentioned earlier, several overdrive settings are available in the OSD. The "MPRT" mode significantly reduces the panel's brightness and vividness; the 2ms "Extreme" mode suffers from a whiff of overshoot, but it is only visible during gaming.

On the other hand, 165Hz refresh ensures that lag is not an issue, and adaptive sync is supported by AMD FreeSync Premium certification; Nvidia GPU owners should run in basic G-Sync compatibility mode, which is actually just fine.

Taken together, the Dell S2722DGM is not as fast as the best IPS monitors, or Samsung's latest and greatest VA panels. But it is not inferior either. Again, it depends on the balance you want to strike. For similar money, you could go with the fastest 1080p IPS panel. But we would lean toward giving up a tiny bit of speed for the extra pixels and visual detail of this del.

This is especially true if you factor general computing into the equation: 1440p on a 27" panel provides sufficient pixel density for more mundane problems like font rendering and desktop space. In this regard, 1080p is rather low pixel density.

All of this makes the Dell S2722DGM a solid choice overall, and while Dell's S2722DGM won't grab your attention, it does get the important things right (core image quality, speed, and features). Buying from a big brand like Dell also gives you peace of mind in terms of long-term support. Thus, while this is not the cheapest high refresh 27" 1440p monitor on the market, the overall proposition is still very attractive.