BenQ ZOWIE XL2586X+ 24.1" Dark Gray 2025

The BenQ ZOWIE XL2586X+ is a 24.1-inch 1080p TN gaming monitor with a 600Hz refresh rate, built specifically for competitive esports. Motion handling is superb thanks to DyAc 2, and owners consistently praise the build quality and speed. But the TN panel's color and viewing angles are rough, and if you already own a 360Hz or 480Hz monitor, the upgrade may not feel as dramatic as the spec sheet suggests.

The headline spec is 600Hz, and it delivers. Our database puts this panel's performance in the 72nd percentile overall, which sounds modest until you realize that percentile includes every monitor type, including 4K OLEDs and ultrawides. For pure refresh rate, this thing is top of the charts. The 5ms response time is listed, but that's the TN panel spec, and in practice motion handling is superb. Multiple owners specifically call out how clean fast movements look.

BenQ's DyAc 2 technology is the secret sauce here. It's their backlight strobing tech that reduces motion blur even further, and it's a big reason competitive players stick with ZOWIE monitors. The Adaptive-Sync support helps when your frame rate dips below 600, which it will, because almost nothing actually runs at 600fps consistently. But when you're playing CS2 or Valorant at 400-500fps, this monitor shows every single frame without tearing. One reviewer noted it was plug and play at 600Hz without touching Windows settings, which is nice to hear. The 1000:1 contrast ratio is standard TN fare, nothing special, but contrast isn't why you buy this.

Compared to the ASUS ROG Strix XG27UCDMG, the BenQ is a completely different animal. The ASUS is a 4K OLED with gorgeous colors and HDR that actually works, but it tops out at a much lower refresh rate. If you play single-player games or do any content creation, the ASUS is the obvious choice. The LG UltraGear 45GX950A-B is an ultrawide OLED that's also in a different league for immersion, but it's not built for esports. The MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2 and Samsung Odyssey G60SD are both 1440p OLEDs that split the difference, offering great motion handling with far better picture quality than the BenQ, but none of them touch 600Hz.

The real question is whether 600Hz matters more than picture quality. For a competitive FPS player who only cares about seeing enemies first, the BenQ wins. For everyone else, the OLED competitors at similar or lower prices offer a much better overall experience. The Gigabyte M Series OLED MO27U2 is another 4K option that makes the BenQ's 1080p TN panel look ancient in terms of image quality, even though the BenQ will feel faster in motion.

Value is tricky here. If you're coming from a 60Hz or 144Hz monitor, the jump to 600Hz is transformative, and the price starts to make sense. But if you already own a 360Hz or 480Hz panel, one reviewer put it bluntly: the difference may not feel significant, and that's not a knock on the monitor, it's just physics and human perception. The USD 780 to USD 1,000 spread across US listings is worth paying attention to. Newegg has refurbished and open box options that can save you real money, while Amazon's new listings sit at the higher end. In Canada, the CAD 1,100 to CAD 1,430 range is similarly wide. For a monitor this specialized, buying refurbished from Newegg is actually a smart move if you want to shave off some cost without losing the core experience.

The BenQ ZOWIE XL2586X+ is a 24.1-inch 1080p TN gaming monitor built for one thing: competitive esports. It pushes a ridiculous 600Hz refresh rate, which puts it in a category of its own right now. Most people searching for a 600Hz monitor are looking at this exact panel, and for good reason. It's the kind of display that makes a 240Hz monitor feel like a slideshow. But that speed comes with trade-offs, and we'll get into those.

At 1080p on a 24-inch screen, you're not getting a pixel density showcase. This is a monitor for Counter-Strike, Valorant, Overwatch, and other fast shooters where motion clarity matters more than pretty colors. The TN panel means viewing angles are rough and color accuracy is not the point. BenQ knows this. They didn't build this for photo editors. They built it for people who want every possible frame, and they priced it accordingly. In the US, you'll see it listed between USD 780 and USD 1,000 depending on the vendor. In Canada, it runs CAD 1,100 to CAD 1,430.

So is the BenQ ZOWIE XL2586X+ good for gaming? Yes, if your definition of gaming is competitive FPS titles at the highest level. Is it good for anything else? Not really. And that's fine. This monitor knows exactly what it is.

Skip this monitor if you play single-player games, do any content creation, or care about image quality. The TN panel's color accuracy and viewing angles are genuinely poor compared to OLED and IPS alternatives at similar prices. If you already own a 360Hz or 480Hz monitor, the upgrade to 600Hz may not justify the cost, especially since some owners report minimal perceived difference. For general gaming, the MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2 or Samsung Odyssey G60SD will give you a far better picture with still-excellent motion handling. And if you need a monitor for work or media consumption, this is absolutely not it.

Should you buy the BenQ ZOWIE XL2586X+? If you're a competitive FPS player who already has a high-end GPU and you're chasing every possible frame, yes. This is the fastest gaming monitor you can buy right now, and the motion clarity is genuinely unmatched. The DyAc 2 tech, the S Switch, the shielding hood, the industrial-grade stand, it's all built for tournament play.

But if you're a general gamer who plays a mix of titles, or you care about how games look as much as how they feel, skip this. The TN panel's color and viewing angle limitations are real, and at this price you can get a stunning OLED that will make your games look dramatically better. The XL2586X+ is a specialist's tool, and it's the best at what it does. Just make sure what it does is actually what you need.