Iiyama G-Master GE2788HS-B1: a 27 inch TN ideal for consoles

Presentation

The G-Master GE2788HS-B1 is rather unique on the screen market. It sports a 27-inch TN panel displaying a Full HD definition of 1,920 x 1,080 px associated with an Edge LED backlight. No 120 or 144 Hz here, the screen of Iiyama is satisfied with a very classic refresh rate of 60 Hz. Sold around 260 €, it is in direct competition with the BenQ RL2755HM which offers roughly the same characteristics and therefore primarily targets players on consoles .

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Ergonomics

Classic design

This monitor is not original and its design is as sober as possible. We find the eternal matt black plastic common to many models of the manufacturer. Good news all the same: the coating of the slab is also mat.

The position adjustment is limited to the tilt (-5 ° / + 20 °). The foot is not adjustable in height, there is no pivot and it does not switch to portrait orientation.

Connectivity focuses on the essentials, namely an HDMI input, a DVI-D input and a VGA input. There is therefore no DisplayPort entry. On the audio side, there is a line input and a headphone output. The USB hub is obviously for absent subscribers since it has no interest for use with a game console. Iiyama has still integrated two 2.5 watt speakers whose rendering is not really flattering. It will be imperative to turn to a headset or a speaker kit to enjoy a sound worthy of the name.

On the front, there are the five touch buttons that allow you to turn on the monitor and access the different settings: image, input, audio, color, configuration, information, etc. Good point, the interface is rather reactive and it is possible to save three personalized settings.

With the brightness pushed to the maximum (250 cd / m²), the monitor consumes about 30 watts on our test pattern. With a brightness reduced to 150 cd / m², consumption drops to 21 watts, a relative consumption of 104 W / m² which ranks slightly above the average consumption of monitors (100 W / m²).

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Colors and contrast

Default: average temperature at 7220 K

Default: gamma curve at 2.2

Default: Delta E average at 3.1

Before even starting the tests, it is advisable to put the monitor in HDMI mode "Limited Range" under penalty of having completely washed out blacks (Manual adjustment of the image> Optim. RGB HDMI). Once this small adjustment is made, the G-Master GE2788HS-B1 does honorably. The gamma curve is relatively stable and its average is well at 2.2. The color fidelity is also good (average delta E of 3.1). Only the color temperature soars a little to reach 7220 K, which results in a slightly cold rendering on the screen.

Manual settings: average temperature at 6580 K

Manual settings: gamma curve at 2.2

Manual settings: Delta E medium at 2.9

A quick twist in the settings allows you to correct the shooting in terms of color temperature. Changing the temperature to "normal" allows an average temperature of 6,580 K to be obtained. To stabilize the gamma curve in black a little, we opted for setting the black zones to +2 (Manual setting of the 'picture). The gamma curve is then a little more stable, always with an average which remains at 2.2. The brightness is lowered to 56 to obtain a white at 150 cd / m². The color fidelity is then little improved (average delta E at 2.9).

With a white set at 150 cd / m², the black is not very deep (0.17 cd / m², ie a contrast of around 900: 1). A slightly low average for a TN screen since the best models exceed 1100: 1. Obviously, the contrast is very far from that of VA monitors which approach 3000: 1 like the Eizo FG2421 or the Iiyama XB2783HSU.

Calibrated: average temperature at 6630 K

Calibrated: gamma curve at 2.2

Calibrated: Average Delta E at 2.4

The passage through a color profile obtained with the probe makes it possible to deliver an almost perfect gamma curve, but the average temperature is not improved. The colors gain in fidelity (average delta E which passes to 2.4). The eye will in any case find it very difficult to tell the difference below a delta E of 3. You can download the ICC color profile of the Iiyama G-Master monitor GE2788HS on Digital Focus.

As with all TN panels, the viewing angles are very limited, especially when viewed from below. Homogeneity remains good, with a difference of only 6% over the entire 27-inch slab. Our monitor was not affected by any clouding phenomenon.

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Reactivity

By default, the ghosting is not very marked, but the transition from the overdrive to +1 allows to improve the response time a little. We thus measured a remanence time of 7 ms on a light background and 6 ms on a black background, an average of 6.5 ms. The response time is therefore very good and perfectly suited to games as well as to viewing films or even office automation.

The delay in the display (input lag) is here measured at 10.4 ms. There is therefore no significant difference between the image sent by the source and its display on the screen. Again, this screen will be perfect for players, who will therefore be closer to the action.

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Conclusion

The Iiyama G-Master GE2788HS is not really a monitor ideally suited for use on a PC, but a perfect model for game consoles. On PC, the definition of 1920 x 1080 on a diagonal of 27 inches offers a low resolution - Quad HD is much better suited to this size. It offers a faithful image by default, good reactivity and a delay in the display reducing inertia to a minimum. Too bad the ergonomics are limited, as well as the contrast and the viewing angles. For use with a console, the rating would be four stars, but on PC, it is content with 3 stars.

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