The Best BenQ Monitor Settings

Highlights
  • Brightness: This depends on the lighting in your room. Brighter doesn’t mean better, so be sensible here.
  • Contrast: Use something between 50-60.
  • Sharpness: Use 6, 7, or 8.
  • Gamma: Use whatever you prefer here.
  • Color Temperature: Use ‘Normal’ here.
  • AMA: Use ‘High’.
  • DyAc: Use ‘High’ or ‘Premium’.
  • Black eQualizer: Use anything between 6-12.
  • Color Vibrance: Use anything between 10-15.
  • Low Blue Light: Leave this off.

Grabbing a great monitor to game on is only half the battle. Most monitors come out of the factory with a drab and washed out color scheme, or the default setting might not be optimal for gaming, and then we haven’t even discussed all the extra features and functions that come with most top gaming monitors. That is where we come in.

Professionals get paid to be the best they can be at their respective games, so it only makes sense that they like to spend some time perfecting their monitor settings. We have been analyzing the settings that the professionals are using so that you can consult this list in order to find a starting point for your own settings.

The monitors themselves


BenQ ZOWIE is by far the favorite monitor brand of our analyzed professional gamers. ZOWIE monitors favor response times and actual gaming performance over everything else, and if you’re gaming at the highest levels, response times and refresh rates are everything. You can read our article on why high refresh rates are optimal for gaming in case you’re new to the subject.

In addition to that, ZOWIE monitors come with extras such as Black eQualizer, which can greatly increase the visibility of enemies and actually give you a competitive advantage, so it’s easy to see why getting a good gaming monitor (and finetuning it correctly) can give you a competitive edge. Currently the 360Hz ZOWIE XL2566K is the name of the game in the pro scene due to its 360Hz refresh rate (read: what is framerate?) but the 240Hz XL2546 line is still very much a top contender if you’re aiming for a 240Hz setup.

ZOWIE XL2566K

Used by 313 players ()
  • s1mple
    s1mple
  • m0NESY
    m0NESY
  • NiKo
    NiKo
  • XANTARES
    XANTARES
Staff’s Choice
Pro’s Choice

If you are a competitive gamer who takes their game extremely seriously and you want to get the fastest and smoothest gaming monitor to help you be the best player you can be, then you have to get the ZOWIE XL2566K right now.

Read review (01/2024)

Pros

  • 360Hz refresh rate along with fast TN panel makes it one of the smoothest monitors out there
  • Subtle design
  • Small footprint of the base
  • Lots of QoL features such as the stand markings, the S switch, the included (and detachable) glare panels, …
  • Picture quality is great for a TN panel…

Cons

  • … but it doesn’t match IPS panels when it comes to quality
  • Expensive for a 1080p monitor
  • Low viewing angles

Specs

Size24.5″
Resolution1920×1080
Aspect Ratio16:9
Refresh Rate360
G-SyncNo
FreeSyncNo
Panel TechTN

The best ZOWIE monitor settings explained


Brightness

The higher you set the brightness, the brighter the display will be. Note that higher isn’t always better. If you’re in a low-light environment, it can even be a good idea to turn the brightness down, as going for full brightness can cause eye fatigue and can make some colors appear washed out.

Contrast

Something between 50-60 is ideal here.

The lower your contrast is, the deeper the blacks are, and the higher it is, the more faded the blacks will be. Since going very high or very low can quickly make the image feel washed out and confusing, we don’t recommend going for extreme values here.

Sharpness

Use 6, 7, or 8 for this.

The sharpness setting makes the edges of contrasting elements on the screen appear sharper. Having this set too low can cause enemies and the likes to blend in with bland-looking surroundings, but having this too high can mean that tiny objects (such as heads of enemies in the distance) can become difficult to distinguish when surrounded by more detailed scenery. As a sweet spot, we use 6, 7, or 8, depending on the game that we’re playing.

Gamma

Use whatever you prefer here.

Gamma decides how smoothly black transitions to white on a monitor. Different gamma profiles display colors differently, but there’s no ‘best’ gamma curve as it can depend on personal preference. Experiment with how the monitor looks at different gamma options and choose which one you prefer.

Color Temperature

Use normal here, or go for user define to tweak it to your own preferences.

Color temperature described how ‘warm’ or ‘cold’ a light is. Blueish will give you a cold, blue (what’s in a name, right?) type of picture, while reddish will do the opposite. Normal is a middle ground, which is what we recommend for gaming.

AMA

Use ‘High’.

This is an overdrive feature that drives more voltage to the liquid crystals in the display, making the image more responsive. If the voltage is too high, however, it can cause overshoot. For this reason, we recommend using ‘High’ as a middle ground.

DyAc

Set this to ‘High’ or ‘Premium’.

DyAc (read our What is DyAc? article to learn more) is ZOWIE’s motion blur reduction technology. This works fantastically well and gives you a much more responsive and smooth image, so we recommend using High or Premium here.

Black eQualizer

Set this anywhere from 6-12.

Black eQualizer is proprietary technology that increases the brightness in darker areas without overexposing the lighter areas of the game. This can give you a great advantage when going from lighter areas of the game to dark corners (where enemies might often hide) but going for extremes with this setting can quickly make the game look washed out or messy, so we recommend sticking around the middle for this setting.

Color Vibrance

Set this between 10-15.

This setting makes the colors more vibrant. In games with bland color schemes (CS:GO was notorious for this) it not only makes the game look more lively, but can also give you an advantage when it comes to spotting enemies, as they don’t blend in to their surroundings that much. Going too high here can have adverse effects, so we don’t recommend turning it up all the way.

Low Blue Light

Leave this off.

This setting reduces the amount of blue light that comes from the screen, which is easier on your eyes and can help with getting your brain into relaxation/sleep mode since blue light makes us more alert, to put it in an extremely simplified way. While this setting can be handy to help you wind down at night, it does change the colors of the game quite drastically, so for visibility’s sake we recommend leaving it off.

Picture Mode

This houses a couple of pre-made picture modes. You can freely choose between these if you don’t want to tweak your settings, but if you’re going for custom settings then this has no influence on your overall picture.

The best BenQ monitor settings for different games


Different games require different monitor profiles. What works for one game might not work for the other, but luckily ZOWIE has thought of that. If you’re a VALORANT player, for example, you can check out ZOWIE’s recommended monitor settings on their VALORANT Setting to Share webpage. Through this page, you can also check out a variety of other games.

Of course you can always tweak the settings further after you’ve downloaded the settings profiles, but they can be a great way to get started.

Our list


Below we’ve listed our analyzed professionals along with what they are using on their monitor. This can be an ideal baseline for you to experiment and come up with a settings scheme for yourself. We also have a database for you to directly download a monitor config (the newer Zowie monitors such as the XL2546K allow you to directly import and export monitor settings) in our ZOWIE XL Setting to Share article.

PlayerDyAcBlack eQualizerColor VibranceLow Blue LightPicture ModeBrightnessContrastSharpnessGammaColor TemperatureAMA
Premium5100Gamer 2808010Gamma 295 / 100 / 100High
Premium4200Standard1005010Gamma 5NormalPremium
Premium10120Standard80605Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off13130Gamer 11005010Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off2090Gamer 263507Gamma 389 / 90 / 100High
Premium12200FPS 1755110Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium20130Gamer 270708Gamma 2NormalHigh
580FPS 1100507Gamma 595 / 100 / 100
Premium1140Standard50355Gamma 5NormalHigh
Off3150Gamer 1706010Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium1012010001
Off12120Gamer 11005010Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium5100FPS 167506Gamma 388 / 93 / 100High
Premium15150FPS 1100698Gamma 4NormalPremium
Premium7170Standard97505Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off1390FPS 180506Gamma 3BluishHigh
Off15120Standard806010Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium12100FPS 160507NormalPremium
Premium0120Standard92507100 / 99 / 94High
Premium4140Gamer 190607Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100Premium
Off6140FPS 1656010Gamma 3BluishHigh
Off12130Standard99507Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Off0150Standard73507BluishPremium
Off5150FPS 1896210Gamma 593 / 93 / 100High
Off2015098507Gamma 1NormalHigh
Premium12170FPS 160608Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium81210FPS 165506Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium7100FPS 1785010Gamma 388 / 93 / 100High
Premium15120Standard1005010BluishHigh
Premium12200FPS 11005010Gamma 2100 / 100 / 100High
Premium10100FPS 2100707Gamma 3NormalPremium
Premium10140Gamer 180507Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100Premium
Off10100100707Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium15120Gamer 180669Gamma 2BluishHigh
0100Standard100506Gamma 3Normal
Premium9100FPS 1100606Gamma 1NormalPremium
Premium18151FPS 1707010Gamma 4BluishPremium
Premium4120FPS 170638Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium8130FPS 1455010Gamma 3NormalPremium
Off20120Gamer 11005010Gamma 493 / 93 / 100Premium
Premium15180FPS 1100707Gamma 1BluishPremium
Premium10130FPS 1100707Gamma 3BluishPremium
Premium15150FPS 11008510Gamma 3BluishPremium
Off10120Standard80607Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium7130Gamer 11006010Gamma 2NormalPremium
Premium4170Gamer 190608Gamma 3BluishHigh
Off5120FPS 170508Gamma 388 / 91 / 97Premium
Premium6110Standard82628Gamma 3NormalPremium
Premium12130Standard1005010Gamma 295 / 95 / 95High
Premium088FPS 295558Gamma 2BluishPremium
Off10100Standard95507Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium13130Gamer 180508Gamma 493 / 97 / 100High
Off9150FPS 1454010Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium10110Standard77506Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium1181FPS 11005010Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium14140Gamer 11005010Gamma 2100 / 100 / 100High
Premium10100FPS 1100506Gamma 3BluishHigh
Off5120FPS 138597Gamma 4NormalHigh
Premium12150Gamer 180608Gamma 3BluishHigh
Premium12124Gamer 1100607Gamma 2100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium5200Standard100507Gamma 2BluishPremium
Off17120Standard1006010Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium10100FPS 1100607Gamma 1Bluish
Premium12200Gamer 1858010Gamma 2NormalPremium
Premium0200Gamer 11005010Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off5110Standard80506Gamma 595 / 88 / 91High
Premium7110Standard875010Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off12120FPS 1100507Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium10130FPS 1100606Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100Premium
12150FPS 1100507Gamma 2100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium5100FPS 188656Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium0100FPS 170507Gamma 394 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium6134Standard100506Gamma 3100 / 100 / 90High
Off10120Standard80605Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium0156FPS 170507Gamma 1BluishPremium
Premium12100Gamer 1756510Gamma 289 / 97 / 100High
Premium2015075508Gamma 387 / 95 / 100Premium
Off10120Standard78555Gamma 3High
Off10120Standard80657Gamma 2NormalHigh
Off0150FPS 190608Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium15180FPS 1100507Gamma 1NormalHigh
Premium12100FPS 164507Gamma 2BluishHigh
High1070Gamer 1100607Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium0150FPS 11005510Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off7100Standard95508Gamma 3NormalPremium
Off201010FPS 2905510Gamma 2BluishPremium
Premium12130Gamer 1100507Gamma 391 / 99 / 100High
Off20200FPS 21006010Gamma 5BluishHigh
Premium0100Standard97506Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium8130FPS 1100507Gamma 3BluishPremium
Premium15100Gamer 1100608Gamma 1NormalPremium
Premium4200Gamer 1808010Gamma 391 / 100 / 100High
Off0100Standard87505Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off12160FPS 21006010Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium8130FPS 190506Gamma 390 / 94 / 100High
Premium790FPS 177507Gamma 4High
Off8100FPS 172507Gamma 3BluishHigh
Premium15150Gamer 11007510Gamma 2NormalHigh
Off12100Gamer 170505Gamma 380 / 80 / 100High
Premium14120Gamer 1100507Gamma 395 / 95 / 96Premium
Premium9100FPS 1645010Gamma 499 / 96 / 100Premium
Off6160FPS 1606510Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium20130Standard80608Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium12120FPS 180607Gamma 1NormalPremium
Premium12100Standard60405Gamma 595 / 95 / 95Premium
1413090609Gamma 4BluishPremium
High13170Gamer 185607Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium5200Gamer 188506Gamma 392 / 100 / 100High
Off12130Gamer 182518Gamma 394 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium4140Standard77608Gamma 3NormalPremium
Off11200FPS 1100506Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off10120Gamer 197505Gamma 2100 / 100 / 100High
Premium4120Gamer 170638Gamma 390 / 96 / 100Premium
Premium10130FPS 1100607Gamma 3NormalPremium
Off12100Gamer 1100607Gamma 390 / 92 / 100High
Premium12200FPS 1805010Gamma 2BluishHigh
Off3170Gamer 195558Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium12150FPS 164507Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium0200FPS 1100507Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium5150FPS 198585Gamma 3BluishPremium
Off10120FPS 190559Gamma 4BluishPremium
Premium1290FPS 259509Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium15150FPS 1100707Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium5100FPS 180607Gamma 2NormalPremium
Premium20200Gamer 11007010Gamma 3BluishHigh
Premium12200FPS 1755110Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium12200FPS 1755110Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Off13200Gamer 11008010Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium20140Standard1006610Gamma 1NormalHigh
Premium152010FPS 11006310Gamma 1BluishPremium
Off5130FPS 11005010Gamma 1100 / 100 / 100High
Premium14140FPS 11008010Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium13170Gamer 11006010Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium5180Gamer 188557Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium12200Gamer 11005510Gamma 2BluishPremium
Premium11110FPS 11005510Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium1150Standard50357Gamma 5NormalHigh
Off11110Gamer 1825010Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium20170Standard806010Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium0100Gamer 189503Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium15100Gamer 254507Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium10130FPS 177506Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium20150Gamer 1100506Gamma 1BluishPremium
Premium15100FPS 1100609Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium11105Standard25606Gamma 2NormalPremium
Premium313064506Gamma 40 / 0 / 0High
Premium12100FPS 150507Gamma 293 / 100 / 100High
Off1010070507Gamma 3
Premium10100FPS 11005010Gamma 3NormalPremium
Off7150FPS 11005010Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium0010Standard30308Gamma 3NormalPremium
Premium9120Gamer 480557Gamma 4NormalHigh
Off0150Gamer 295505Gamma 2NormalHigh
Off12180FPS 11006510Gamma 2BluishHigh
Off5100Gamer 381606Gamma 495 / 97 / 100Premium
Premium12120Gamer 2100507Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium5100Standard78506Gamma 391 / 100 / 99Premium
Premium5100Gamer 188506Gamma 391 / 97 / 100High
Off3170Gamer 1956010Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium1190Gamer 11007010Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium0120Gamer 11007010Gamma 3BluishPremium
Premium7100Gamer 188506Gamma 387 / 93 / 100High
Off8100Gamer 1100557Gamma 2NormalHigh
1212080507
Premium10200Gamer 11005010Gamma 2BluishPremium
000Gamer 1100507Gamma 3High
Off10120FPS 1806010Gamma 2NormalPremium
Premium5100Gamer 2808010Gamma 295 / 100 / 100High
Off10150Standard75655Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium12120FPS 1100507Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off10150Standard100507Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium12124Standard100707Gamma 2100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium17170Standard100705Gamma 3NormalPremium
Premium0100Gamer 176501Gamma 5NormalHigh
Off10205Standard80608Gamma 4NormalHigh
Premium15180Gamer 175607Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium51510FPS 11005010Gamma 3BluishHigh
Off088FPS 194537Gamma 2BluishHigh
Off10100Gamer 1100507Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Off10120Gamer 165507Gamma 2100 / 100 / 100High
0100Standard804010Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium15200Gamer 160609Gamma 289 / 93 / 100High
Premium4160Gamer 3100507Gamma 3High
Off10150Gamer 180507Gamma 294 / 94 / 100High
Off7120Gamer 181507Gamma 293 / 95 / 100High
Premium12130FPS 180407Gamma 3Bluish
Premium12170FPS 1100507Gamma 1NormalPremium
Premium10100Standard1005010Gamma 3BluishHigh
0100FPS 11005010Gamma 2Normal
Premium5120Gamer 1955010Gamma 288 / 82 / 95High
Premium20100Gamer 1100708Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium5100Gamer 1808010Gamma 2100 / 100 / 100High
Off10157FPS 185707Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium0120Standard805010Gamma 2BluishPremium
Premium10200Movie1005010Gamma 5ReddishPremium
Premium12102Gamer 160554Gamma 5100 / 100 / 100High
Premium1150FPS 1805010Gamma 2100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium15200Gamer 1734710Gamma 1NormalHigh
Premium4120Standard70507Gamma 5NormalPremium
Off5100FPS 181506Gamma 495 / 97 / 100Premium
Off412070507Premium
Premium12100Standard80507Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium11170FPS 1855510Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium10200100517
Premium0140Standard100325Gamma 395 / 95 / 95Off
Premium16110Standard807510Gamma 1NormalOff
Premium5100FPS 180507Gamma 391 / 89 / 100High
Premium15200FPS 1100507Gamma 295 / 100 / 99High
Premium20100Standard80607Gamma 3NormalPremium
Premium10140Standard100508Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off10120Standard95607Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium7120Gamer 1100556Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium10200Standard80607Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium10200Standard1006610Gamma 1100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium12125FPS 1100607Gamma 3BluishHigh
Off10120Gamer 380607Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium20205Standard851007Gamma 1100 / 100 / 100High
Premium12170FPS 1100506Gamma 297 / 94 / 94Premium
Premium12120Gamer 2100507Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium1010069506Gamma 389 / 89 / 100High
7120Gamer 1100557Gamma 2NormalHigh
Premium18200FPS 184658Gamma 2BluishPremium
Premium18200FPS 184658Gamma 2BluishPremium
Premium3170FPS 1100557Gamma 2BluishPremium
Premium1150Standard50405Gamma 595 / 95 / 95Premium
Off12130Standard1005010Gamma 2NormalHigh
Off10120Standard84605Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium12100Standard100609Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100Premium
Off0120Standard70508Gamma 3NormalPremium
Premium202010Gamer 2100507Gamma 290 / 80 / 100High
High10100Standard65505Gamma 1Normal
Premium18200FPS 1100808Gamma 3100 / 100 / 100High
Premium5120Gamer 190657Gamma 5100 / 100 / 100Premium
Premium5120Gamer 190657Gamma 5100 / 100 / 100Premium
Off3170Gamer 195558Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium15160Gamer 190507Gamma 4NormalHigh
Premium790Gamer 1100507Gamma 3NormalHigh
Premium162010Gamer 180504Gamma 2NormalPremium
Premium5120Gamer 188506Gamma 385 / 94 / 100High
Premium14140FPS 11008010Gamma 2BluishHigh
Premium10120Gamer 2886010Gamma 3NormalHigh
Off17120Standard1006010Gamma 1NormalHigh
Premium151021005010Gamma 5NormalHigh
Off20130Gamer 263507Gamma 389 / 90 / 100High
Premium3125FPS 1505510Gamma 4100 / 100 / 92Premium
Premium12120FPS 1100507Gamma 392 / 95 / 100High
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

4 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
KevoLEOVM

Should I use full RGB on monitor or limited

Brocker

How can i find the Downloadlink for the XL2546K settings?