Philips 27M1N5200PA 240Hz Gaming Monitor Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The Philips Gaming 27M1N5200PA/00 27″ Full HD 240Hz Gaming Monitor is available from most major retailers. It’s already on Amazon for a very reasonable £269.99, currently down from its original MSRP of £319.99. That’s a lot of money for a Full HD monitor, but then again, this is an ultra-fast refresh rate IPS monitor with some pretty sweet features, so overall, I think it’s exceptional value for money. For giving your gaming that next-gen feel and giving you a competitive edge, it’s a sound investment.

Overview

Wow, Philips really knows how to make a beautiful monitor! Their latest 240 Hz monitor is an absolute beast when it comes to hardware. Delivering 240 Hz refresh rates, FreeSync Premium (Adaptive Sync), an MPRT of 0.5 Ms, solid black levels, HDR technology, and colours that hit NTSC 95%, sRGB 110.2%, Adobe RGB 87.1% right out of the box, with a Delta-E close to or under 1 thanks to its factory calibration. Well, that’s about the best of it, if you like all that, go and buy this monitor immediately!

Well, OK, maybe there is more to consider and frankly, for most gamers, this isn’t the monitor for you. Bare with me here. It’s too fast for most gamers, and the benefits of 240Hz are not quite as easy to use as you might think. For one, many games can’t go that high, some due to code limitations. However, most can, but it takes a truly frightening amount of processing power. Will Full HD to 4K is a 4x increase in rendering performance. 60Hz to 240Hz may sound like a similar 4x problem, only this time, it’s the CPU and GPU that have to step up, not just the GPU. So more demanding games like the latest blockbusters are unlikely to get even close to the max refresh rate even with the best hardware.

If you strictly play competitive games, MOBA, FPS, and a whole host of the free-to-play eSports style stuff, a mid to high-end system can get big refresh rates with reduced graphics settings. This is where this monitor is meant to be used. The extremely low response time is going to give you a big advantage in nailing those kills. You can feel it, you are faster, you are more accurate, it’s that simple.

You can see the stats in Nvidia overlay too, playing at 4K60 on GTA Online, my rendering latency was 30-40ms, hardly competitive. On this monitor, I was getting 120-160 FPS and a rendering latency of 1.5-2.0ms. To say things felt tighter and more responsive would be an understatement. Instant responsiveness to the controls is a wonder to behold. However, even with a 2080 Ti, and a 5700X, all running at full speed, most of the games I play, GTA Online, ESO, Spiderman, Cyberpunk 2077 (started it again!), rarely went above 150 FPS at Full HD medium settings. So for me, and most gamers who just want a smoother game. A 144hz and perhaps a 1440p panel is better suited to your needs.

Should I Buy One?

As above, if you’re all about the competitiveness, having the bleeding edge to play in tournaments, or just making a mockery of your mates on Apex Legends. The big refresh rate and low response times are a wonder to behold. Just be certain this is the right monitor for you before hitting buy. Of course, if 240Hz is what you need, this is a damn fine monitor with at a price that’s just too appealing to ignore for too long.