AOC drops the bottom out of 4K market with new $400 display

By Jon Martindale February 9, 2016

Although you’ll need a monster GPU to go with it if you fancy doing any gaming at native resolution, that isn’t stopping monitor manufacturers from trying to push us all to upgrade out of 1080p displays to a much higher end 4K alternative. To that end, AOC has announced a new upcoming model measuring in at 28 inches diagonally that operates at 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160), with a low $400 price tag.

As an added bonus, it supports AMD’s FreeSync, a frame synchronizing technology that matches the monitor’s refresh rate with the output framerate of the video card.

The AOC U2879VF uses a TN panel, and has a 16:9 aspect ratio. It is only capable of a 60Hz refresh rate, so don’t expect monstrous frame rates to make much of a difference, but if you have hardware that can consistently exceed 60FPS at 4K resolution, you have the money to go for something a bit more expensive than this budget offering.

AOC quotes some rather absurd quality figures, including an 80,000,000:1 contrast ratio. That’s way, way too high to be realistic — most monitors can’t even exceed 1000:1 in our tests. The response time of one millisecond response time shows you this is a very capable gaming display.

Related: Immerse yourself in the action with the best gaming monitors

Connectivity includes VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, and MHL ports. Projected pricing has this display going for 350 euros, which works out to just shy of $400. It is expected to become available at some point in March.

When it does show up, the new AOC model will have some stiff competition. It will have to beat off the likes of LG’s 27-inch IPS 4K display. That also supports AMD’s FreeSync, and is currently available for $500. Also giving AOC a run for its money is Samsung, which has the U28E590D priced at $500, as well.

Although AOC may have a price advantage against these competitors when its new model does arrive, expect its contemporaries to offer similar displays, or adjust their own pricing accordingly to remain competitive.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Computing Coordinator

Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…

Deals

Amazon deals: TVs, laptops, headphones and more

iPad Air on a white background.

Amazon is one of the most popular retailers on the planet. It has almost anything and everything you could hope to shop for, and that includes tech like laptops, headphones, TVs, and even devices made to make life around the home a little easier. And whether you’re shopping for one of the best smart home devices or something more tailored to work or play, Amazon always shows up with ways to save. Right now it has a ton of laptop deals, TV deals, headphone deals, and more to shop. We’ve walked down the aisles of Amazon and picked out what we feel are some deals worth shopping, so read onward for more details.
Vizio 50-inch V-Series 4K smart TV — $223, was $360

The Vizio V-Series 4K Smart TV amazing picture quality for its price point, as well as a wide variety of smart features. It has an IQ Active Processor that delivers superior picture processing. This processor also enables the TV to upscale all of your favorite HD content into 4K quality as you watch. This TV also features a gaming engine that makes gameplay more responsive with less lag and a high refresh rate. This is something to consider if you’re a gamer and somebody who likes to watch fast-paced content such as sports and action movies.

Computing

How to delete files on a Chromebook

HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook top down view showing keyboard and touchpad.

Your Chromebook has quickly become your everyday computer. Using it for just about everything, including web browsing, word processing, gaming, and social media, we bet there’s going to come a time when you need to delete some files from your PC. Doing so will not only allow you to store more media locally, but it should also help to improve the performance of your go-to Chromebook device.

Gaming

Best gaming chair deals: Save on Corsair, Razer, and more

Razer - Iskur Gaming Chair.

Sitting down to play video games for hours and hours can be a lot of fun, but it can also be pretty bad for your health. Beyond just the lack of circulation, most modern chairs are not really made to have us sit in them for long periods, and so they don't offer things like lumbar support or breath to help keep us cool. Luckily, gaming chairs have come to the rescue, and if you're looking to at least help keep your body safe and healthy, going for a gaming chair can make a big difference. That said, gaming chairs can be quite expensive, which is why we've gone out and found some of our favorite gaming chair deals for you to pick from.
Homall Massage Gaming Chair -- $85, was $170

The Homall Massage Gaming Chair is affordable, but it will get the job done of keeping you comfortable while playing video games with its ergonomic design and high-quality PU leather materials. It's got head and waist pillows with a massage function that sets it apart from other cheap gaming chairs. The backrest can recline between 90 degrees and 180 degrees so you can find the perfect angle, and it also has a retractable footrest for an extra sitting position.