There are about 6 trillion different monitors on the market, all of which potentially have about twice as many features as you want to focus on. Therefore, most gamers are trying to find the best option within their budget. Most gamers are just trying to get the best option within their budget, which is why I take a look at this ViewSonic VX2882-4KP gaming monitor.

The spec sheet for this monitor is pretty comprehensive for the price, boasting an HDR10 certified IPS display with 4K resolution and a 150Hz refresh rate. All for A$1,099 (opens in new tab). For a monitor in this price range, they meet many of the requirements.

The 28-inch panel is a good size for most desks, and the ViewSonic VX2882-4KP follows the brand's tradition of making fairly modest-looking screens. The bezel is fairly thin, and the bottom of the screen, where the control buttons are located, is larger. The stand has a relatively small footprint, but has a wide range of motion, including height adjustment, swivel, and tilt, and the screen is also compatible with VESA mounting if you prefer an exotic mounting solution.

It certainly feels like a monitor that would feel at home on any desk without taking up too much space or feeling a bit outlandish. It even has a blue light filter for eye health. At first glance, you wouldn't realize this was designed for gaming. But then why bother with something like 150Hz or AMD FreeSync Premium?

Thankfully, these features are fully utilized when gaming on this monitor. It provides a buttery smooth screen for gaming, with no tearing or stuttering. The high frame rate, along with the 1ms response time, is especially good in that it gives me no excuse to blame my poor aim on FPS. Luckily, I still live in Australia internet, so I can always rely on ping. [But as a 4K monitor, you need a fairly powerful and up-to-date graphics card to take full advantage of the native resolution at high refresh rates. Easier said than done.

HDR10 capability is also very nice for games that support it. The difference between deeper blacks and more vibrant light is immediately noticeable compared to a non-HDR supported screen; I played some Sea of Thieves and compared it to a non-HDR10 supported screen I was using at the time. The richness of the dark colors against the wooden finish lit by the boat's torchlight was actually magical. Then I died and went to the ferryman's boat, glowing ghostly green, and I never knew dying in HDR could be so good.

It is worth noting that this is not an OLED panel. There is some light bleed from the backlight, especially in the corners of the screen. This is not terrible, and is only noticeable in particularly dark scenes, but on more expensive machines you can get a smoother lit back panel. There is no flicker, which is not distracting and would probably not have been noticed had I not compared it to an OLED TV I had on hand.

The VX2882-4KP also has lousy speakers that are not worth using. Overall, there are a few minor complaints about the very nice-looking panel.

Also, thanks to the HDMI 2.1 port, it should work with just about anything. Of course, we would prefer that all monitors connect to most devices that should be compatible, but with the ViewSonic VX2882-4KP, you should get the full functionality of supported devices. This means that when connected to next-generation game consoles like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, it will also achieve higher 120 Hz console frame rates. This makes this monitor a great choice for game rooms that can use DisplayPort or HDMI from multiple devices.

The ViewSonic VX2882-4KP is a monitor that does what it says on the box at a very reasonable price. If you are using a monitor that does not support HDR10, high refresh rates, or VRR, you will be pleased with the difference this panel makes. You will no doubt be pleased with the difference this panel makes.