A good display is one of the most important pieces of gear a gamer can have. It doesn’t matter how powerful your graphics card is if your monitor can’t generate a good enough picture to keep up. That’s why it’s so important that gamers know what to look for in a gaming monitor and which ones are worth buying.
HyperX is the gaming arm of HP, and the brand has made quite a name for it in the world of gaming peripherals. It’s difficult to look up a list of the best gaming headsets without one or two of HyperX’s products making an appearance.
Now it seems that the company is branching out. They’ve recently created a new pair of gaming monitors — the Armada 25, which is a 1080p 24.5” IPS display, and the Armada 27, which is a 1440p IPS display. They recently sent us the Armada 25 for a fair and unbiased review. Here’s what we found.
Zoom In: Specs
- 24.5” 1080p IPS monitor
- 240Hz refresh rate
- 1ms response time
- 16:9 aspect ratio
- 1000:1 contrast ratio
- 400 nits brightness
- G-Synch compatible
- Inputs: 1 DisplayPort, 2 HDMI 2.0 ports
- Includes ergonomic mounting arm
- Price: $449.99
Unboxing and Build Quality
Inside the box, you will find the panel, a hydraulic, ergonomic mounting arm that can clamp onto the edge of a desk or be mounted directly into a desk, a power cable, a DisplayPort cable, and an HDMI 2.0 cable. There are instructions for assembling the mounting arm, but the whole thing goes together pretty easily and is fairly intuitive.
The arm is very nice. It allows for a wide range of placements and gives the screen three dimensions of rotation: vertical, horizontal and side to side. HyperX also sells additional mounting arms separately in case you wish to add a second or even third monitor to the stand.
The monitor itself has a simple yet stylish all-black design. It is very lightweight and has a ¼” bezel around the top and sides. There is a power button and a joystick for operating the menu on the back. The IO only contains a power port, a DisplayPort, and two HDMI 2.0 ports. There are no speakers, no USB ports, and no headphone jack.
Color and Picture
The color and picture on the Armada 25 are exceptional, but aren’t all that customizable compared to some other brands. The ceiling of 400 nits brightness is likely more than most users will need, and there are a handful of color presets that you can use.
Unfortunately, a basic RGB scale is the only way to perform manual adjustments for color, and picture settings only allow you to adjust brightness, contrast, black level, and sharpening. That said, each of the presets is very well balanced. The screen displays bright whites, dark blacks, and vibrant colors.
This makes it a difficult choice for someone who enjoys a heavy amount of color and picture customization, but an excellent choice for someone who’s looking for a no-fuss set up process that will look good without too much tinkering.
Gaming Performance
Of course, the most important aspect of what makes a good gaming monitor is the way it performs while playing video games. Fortunately, this is what the HyperX Armada 25 does best. It’s 1080p resolution coupled with its 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time make it ideal for fast paced shooters like Valorant or Apex Legends.
Combined, these top-tier refresh rate and response time specifications minimize the amount of ghosting and motion blur the player is likely to experience. Then there’s the fact that it’s G-Synch compatible, which makes it even better for Nvidia graphics card users.
I tested this monitor by playing some Halo Infinite. The fast-paced action in that game is an excellent crucible for testing monitors like this and I’m delighted to report that the picture looked great the entire time. There were no dead pixels, no screen tearing, no noticeable ghosting, and just the barest hint of motion blur when rapidly turning.
Is the Armada 25 Worth the Money?
The biggest downside to HyperX’s new monitor is its price. The Armada 25 MSRPs at $449.99. That is expensive for a monitor with these specs. Asus, Alienware, and Acer all offer 1080p, 240Hz, 1ms response IPS monitors that are over a hundred dollars cheaper.
That makes the Armada 25’s price a hard pill to swallow. The hydraulic mounting arm does add a fair amount of value, but it doesn’t quite make up the gap.
There are a lot of things to love about the Armada 25, but we recommend prospective buyers either choose a more reasonably priced panel, or else wait until the price drops closer to its competition.
Zoom Out: Verdict
Summary
The HyperX Armada 25 is a 24.5” IPS panel with a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, which makes it great for FPS gaming. It has excellent color and picture quality and comes with a versatile ergonomic mounting arm. Unfortunately, it is not priced competitively at this time.
- Bright and vibrant display
- Includes ergonomic mounting arm
- 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time are excellent for gaming
- More expensive than competitors
- No speakers, USB ports or headphone jack
- Very few adjustability options through menu
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