Monitor Reviews by NCX > Monitor Reviews by NCX

HP 25f Review: Almost-Glossy 75hz IPS with AMD Free-Sync

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NCX:

DSC_0628 by Dr NCX, on Flickr
Best Reviewed Flicker Free 24-25" 1080p IPS/PLS Monitors

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2018: HP 25f Review: Almost-Glossy 75hz IPS with AMD Free-Sync: 25er & 25es successor with AMD Free-Sync, native 75hz, the fastest pixel response times, but worse color accuracy than the 25er & 25es.  2x HDMI and 1x VGA.

2017: HP 24 Envy Review: Semi-Glossy 1080p IPS with 75hz & AMD Free-Sync: The 24 Envy natively supports 75hz (no overclock required), can cover more of the HDTV/REC 709 color space than the 25-27" HP monitors, but is less accurate than the HP 25er and 25es.  Displayport, HDMI and USB-C.

2016: HP 25er/es Review: Non-overclock-able 2016 Almost-Glossy/Low Haze Monitors with slightly more accurate color presets than the rest, especially once the Contrast is reduced from 80 to 75.  2x HDMI and 1x VGA.

2015: HP 27CW, 25XW and 27XW Review: Overclock-able 2015 monitors with worse preset color accuracy than the 25er and 25es.  2x HDMI and 1x VGA.

The 25" and 27" HP CW/er/es/XW series monitors all use the same almost-glossy (Low Haze) coating which HP describes as:

"The reflective-ness typical with glossy screen surface is appreciably reduced with the Low Haze Screen enhancement, without losing clarity and contrast of screen imagery."

HP 25-27VX: These monitors use LED PWM Dimming or Flicker which ruins motion clarity and makes some people suffer from health issues like headaches and/or eyestrain. The VX monitors have less vibrant colors since they have a smaller and less accurate color gamut capable of covering up to 92% of the sRGB color space versus the 25-27CW & XW monitors 97%, and use a pure glossy coating while the 25-27 CW & XW monitors use a treated glossy or almost-glossy coating with some ant-reflective properties.


Review Information and Methodology:Spoiler (hover to show)
All testing done using a SpectraCal C6 HDR2000 (upgraded i1 Display Pro Colorimeter; a colorimeter measures the colors, contrast, brightness, gamma, ect; proof of ownership), HCFR (program used to measure the color presets and verify calibration) and dispcalGUI for calibration. I use my own cables to connect the monitors to my PC and consoles.

PixPixAn's (free software) Chase, Streaky Pictures and Flag tests were all used to test the pixel response times along with the Ghosting test from Test UFO. Input lag was tested with the Leo Bodnar Input Lag Tester.

LCD monitor test images test patterns from Lagom were used to test the colors along with tons of photos from Wallpapers Wide.

PC:

Motherboard: MSI M87
CPU: Intel i7 4770k
Case: Lian Li PC80
GPU: Zotac GTX 980 Ti AMP! Extreme
Ram: 16gb Patriot G Viper Xtreme 2133mhz
Power Supply: Antec High Current Pro 1200w

NCX:
Table of Content

DSC_0665 by Dr NCX, on Flickr

Features & Stand
Menu & Set-Up
Flicker/PWM Dimming
Brightness & Contrast
Almost-Glossy/Low Haze Coating
Overdrive Performance
Input Lag
Preset Color Accuracy
Un-Calibrated Vs Calibrated
Calibrated Image Quality
Viewing Angles
AH-IPS Glow
Playstation 3 & 4
Xbox 360 & Xbox One
Settings & ICC Profile
Conclusion

NCX:
Features & Stand

HP 25f Front by Dr NCX, on Flickr
The HP 25f's casing and stand are an updated, but extremely similar variant of what its predecessors the HP 25CW, 25er, 25es and 25CW used , but the back of the er monitors casing is made of black plastic instead of white plastic like the 25er and 25es.  All of the HP 25-27" IPS monitors casings are made of sturdy plastic, while the easily detach-able "floating," stand is made of metal.  They 25f has the same fake bezel/frame-less design as the older 25-27 monitors which all have the same amount of inputs (2x HDMI & 1x VGA) and all have an inner black bezel which reduces the perceived black depth.


HP 25f Back by Dr NCX, on Flickr

NCX:
Menu & Set-Up

DSC_0639 by Dr NCX, on Flickr
Just like the older monitors, the HP 25f needs to have its overdrive setting (Response Time in the Image Control menu) which controls the pixel response times increased since it is preset to the lowest setting by default.  The Response Time setting needs to be set to Level 4 of 5 to provide the fastest overshoot ghosting free pixel response times, which are nearly on par with the fastest 60hz TN panels like the BenQ Zowie RL2460.

Activate the menu:

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DSC_0752 by Dr NCX, on Flickr
Access the Image Control menu to gain access to the Response Time sub-menu:

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DSC_0757 by Dr NCX, on Flickr
Select Level 4 to improve the overdrive performance or speed of the pixel response times and reduce color streaking and motion blur:

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DSC_0758 by Dr NCX, on Flickr
The AMD Free-Sync setting, Gaming - Free-Sync, in the Viewing Mode Menu must also be manually activated to enable Free-Sync with compatible AMD graphics cards and the Xbox One X.  The Gaming - Free-Sync setting locks the color (Red, Green and Blue) controls, but not the Brightness and Contrast settings, and it provides the same preset color accuracy as the default setting.

To activate Free-Sync select the Color Control Menu,

Then access the Viewing Modes sub-menu:

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DSC_0755 by Dr NCX, on Flickr
Then select Gaming - Free-Sync to activate the Free-Sync mode.  Free-Sync must also be activated by the console (Xbox One X) and/or graphics card as well.  Here's how to activate Free-Sync with the Xbox One X, and here's how to with compatible AMD and Nvidia graphics cards.

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DSC_0760 by Dr NCX, on Flickr

Correct Way To View AHVA/IPS/PLS & VA

Correct Monitor Viewing Height by Dr NCX, on Flickr
The top left image shows the correct way to view IPS type (AHVA, IPS, PLS) and VA panels, but most importantly IPS LCD panels.  Doing so vastly reduces white glow when viewing black and dark content, especially if the display brightness is not cranked in a dimly lit room.  IPS vs TN: Right & Wrong Ways To Use Or View; How To Vastly Reduce AHVA/IPS/PLS Glow & Vastly Increase The Perceived Black Depth

NCX:
Flicker/PWM Dimming

DSC_0655 by Dr NCX, on Flickr
The HP 24 Envy, 25" & 27" HP CW/er/es/f/XW series monitors are not advertised as being Flicker Free even though they do not use LED PWM Dimming (read about the side effects), regardless of high or low the brightness is set.  I checked for LED PWM Dimming with the Blur Busters Test UFO Blur Trail/PWM Test with 0-100% brightness settings in the Acer's menu. The lack of PWM is a good since PWM or Flicker ruins motion clarity (example), and makes some people suffer from health issues such as headaches, and/or eyestrain.

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