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Dell's new, affordable gaming monitor packs FreeSync, is a perfect partner for the RX 470

Kevin Parrish
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Dell P2014HT monitor logo big
Image used with permission by copyright holder
AMD gamers looking for a new monitor should give Dell’s new SE2717H a peek, a 27-inch panel sporting AMD’s FreeSync technology. It costs a mere $250. Does the pricetag surprise you? Don’t be — it only has a max resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 at 75Hz.

Honestly, this panel should fit in just fine with AMD’s overall assault on the mainstream gaming population. The company introduced the Radeon RX 480 back in June, a new graphics card aimed at providing everyone with a quality VR experience for very little money. The 4GB model costs $200, whereas the 8GB version costs $240. AMD followed that launch with two additional cards last month: the Radeon RX 470 for high-quality PC gaming ($170) and the Radeon RX 460 for eSports gaming (rumored at $100, but unconfirmed).

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All three of these cards support AMD’s FreeSync technology. If you’re not familiar with this system, keep in mind that a monitor puts out a number of images each second. If it’s set to 60Hz, then it will refresh the screen 60 times a second. Graphics cards churn out a number of images each second, too. If the two rates are unequal, then viewers see image tearing or stutter. FreeSync fixes this by dynamically adjusting the monitor’s refresh rate to the output of the graphics card, providing smooth visuals.

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That’s the big feature offered in Dell’s new monitor. Its resolution is rather “basic” compared to the recent hype over 4K imagery, but the sacrifice in resolution may be worth it given the display sports FreeSync technology for $250. However, it also only comes with one VGA port and one HDMI port, and doesn’t provide any additional USB-based connectivity.

Interestingly enough, Dell’s product page really doesn’t “promote” the product in question. Instead, the company simply lists the specs such a response time of 6 milliseconds, a 16:9 aspect ratio, support for 16.7 million colors, a pixel pitch of 0.3114mm, a decent brightness of 300 nits, and a contrast ratio of 1,000:1. The display consists of an IPS LCD panel, which provides better viewing angles and color reproduction than the older TN LCD panels.

According to Dell, this new monitor includes thin bezels, a matte screen, a curved back, and tilt position adjustment. It also provides a flicker-free viewing experience, and relies on the company’s ComfortView technology that reduces all that blue light so your brain’s Melatonin isn’t melted away, keeping you up half the night.

That all said, if you’re looking to build a cheap gaming PC that packs a great visual punch, you might want to consider one of AMD’s new graphics cards and Dell’s new 27-inch SE2717H panel with AMD FreeSync technology. This combo would run just $490, which isn’t all too shabby.

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Kevin Parrish
Kevin Parrish
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then…
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