BenQ GW2791 27" 100 Review

A one-trick pony for comfortable, multi-screen office work. Good as a secondary screen on sale, underwhelming as your main display.

The BenQ GW2791 is a basic office monitor that gets one thing right: it's easy on the eyes. That's the whole pitch. You're getting a 27-inch 1080p IPS panel with a slightly boosted 100Hz refresh rate, wrapped in a slim bezel. It's designed for long workdays, not for blowing your mind with color or speed. If you need a no-fuss second screen or a dual-monitor setup that won't give you a headache, this is a solid pick. But if you're looking for a primary display for anything visual, you'll want to look elsewhere.

The performance is exactly what you'd expect from a monitor in this price bracket: fine. The 100Hz refresh is a nice step up from the standard 60Hz for smoother scrolling, but it's not a gaming monitor. Our database shows its performance lands right in the 50th percentile—perfectly average. The 5ms response time is okay for office work, but you'll notice some ghosting if you try to play anything fast-paced. The real story is the 250-nit brightness; it's just bright enough for a well-lit room, but you'll struggle with glare in a sunny spot.

At its typical street price of around $150, it's a fair deal for a dedicated office screen with good comfort tech. But here's the kicker: we've seen this monitor dip as low as $90 on sale, and at that price, it's an absolute steal for a secondary display. At the high end of its $220 spread, it's harder to recommend when you can get better 1440p panels for similar money. Shop around.

Stack this up against something like a basic Dell or LG 27-inch 1080p office monitor, and the BenQ wins on refresh rate and bezel design. But if you're considering this as a main monitor, look at a 27-inch 1440p IPS panel instead—the pixel density is massively better for productivity. Compared to the gaming-focused competitors listed (like the Samsung Odyssey or MSI MPG), it's not even the same conversation. Those are for high-performance; this is for spreadsheets and emails.

If you're a designer, video editor, or anyone who cares about color accuracy, skip this. The color performance is in the bottom third of all monitors. Go get an ASUS ProArt or a Dell UltraSharp instead. Also, hardcore gamers should look at the MSI or LG options with faster refresh rates.

We recommend the BenQ GW2791 for one specific buyer: someone building a budget dual-monitor office setup who values eye comfort above all else. It's a competent, if unspectacular, workhorse. For anyone using it as a primary display, the low pixel density is a real drawback, and the lack of adjustability is frustrating. Buy it on sale, use it as a side screen, and you'll be happy.