A curved gaming starter kit.
Samsung's CF591 27-inch curved monitor (See it on Amazon) is designed for gamers looking to experience wraparound visuals but don't want to drop a grand or more on a mammoth 34" panel. The curvature of the panel is its real selling point, as the rest of its specs are just average. However, its sleek design, powerful speakers, and the inclusion of AMD's FreeSync adaptive refresh technology make it a better than average gaming monitor.
Design and Features
The CF591 isn't marketed as a gaming monitor per se, but instead as more of a general purpose display. This approach is evident in both its design and specs, as it certainly doesn't look like a gaming monitor and it also doesn't use a cheap TN panel either. Instead it looks more like a TV with its circular base and silver paint, and sports a Vertical Alignment (VA) display. This type of panel offers better viewing angles and higher contrast than a TN panel, so it's a better for movies, photos, and TV but slightly worse for gaming since its 4ms response time is slower than a TN panel's 1ms rating. It offers a standard 60Hz refresh rate, though it can be overclocked to 72Hz. Its resolution is low for a monitor of this size at 1920x1080, but that's the tradeoff made by its $300 pricetag as larger curved monitors are much more expensive.
Inputs are decent and include HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA. The CF591 only includes an HDMI cable in the box, which is odd for a $300 monitor as I expected a DisplayPort cable as well, but fortunately AMD's Freesync works over HDMI 2.0, so the feature can be enjoyed right out of the box for those of us running AMD GPUs.
The Samsung's metallic grey and glossy white color scheme is an appealing departure from the usual black-on-black found in most displays. The plastic base is round and takes up more room than I liked and connects to a short neck that together caused the monitor bounce around like a bobblehead any time I accidentally bumped my desk. Also, adjustments to the support stand are limited only to tilting it forward and back, though the range is from -2 to 20 degrees, which is more than adequate. Though I didn't expect to be able to swivel the display since it's curved, a little height adjustment would be beneficial but is unfortunately not an option.
As far as controls go, when I first unpacked the CF591 I noted a single-button for control of the On-Screen Display, and I braced myself for disappointment. I've dealt with single-button controls that require you to hold down the button for x-amount of seconds to access a menu–something found on the cheaper Vizio televisions, for example–and it's a nightmare. However, I discovered the single button on the CF591 is like a tiny joystick, and after using it I must admit I prefer it to the multi-button setup of most displays as it's a snap to use with no learning curve whatsoever. Unlike multi-button controls, there's no accidentally pushing the wrong button and closing out a menu accidently, or turning something up when you wanted it down. When the OSD appears, you just move the little jog button in the direction of the menu you want to access. It's simple and easy to use and I really like it.
One of the more interesting settings in the OSD is something called Game Mode, and it can be switched On, Off, or Always On. Setting it to On cranks brightness and sharpness way up, something I once again didn't care for and ended up turning off. You can set response time to Standard, Fast or Fastest, which is just a way for you to adjust the monitor's overdrive. Overdrive is similar to overclocking, as both use higher voltages to achieve increases in speed, only on a monitor the higher voltages increase response time at the cost of input lag.
You can also adjust FreeSync settings via the OSD, which is something gamers will want to fiddle with. The FreeSync options include Off, Standard Engine, and Ultimate Engine. The Standard-Engine setting narrows the adaptive refresh range to include 50Hz to 60Hz while the Ultimate Engine sets the range at 40Hz to 60Hz. Since you want to stay within this range for optimal gaming it's better to always run in Ultimate mode. However, text accompanying the menu warns some flickering might be noticed while playing games, but I didn't notice any with either setting enabled though you can find videos on YouTube demonstrating this effect.
Adjusting brightness, contrast, sharpness, and volume don't require a menu deep-dive. Simply moving the jog button up or down allows for quick picture adjustments, while moving it left or right brings up volume and mute controls. It's very convenient and something I love about the CF591.
Performance
The defining feature of the CF591 is its curved screen. I have to admit that having never used one I was dubious about their benefits, but with the CF591 it felt purposeful, and I get it. Since it lives on my computer desk, it's no more than 2 feet from my face, and the curvature of the panel made it feel like it was hugging my eyes on both sides, and definitely seemed more immersive for gaming. I played a lot of Forza Horizon 3 on the CF591 and the curved design filled my field of view, lending itself wonderfully to the experience of driving ridiculous supercars at 200 mph across the Australian countryside. It also sports a pair of stereo speakers that aren't visible as they are located underneath the front bezel, but they sound surprisingly clean and can be turned up really loud.
With the monitor's Dynamic Contrast setting turned off, the CF591 exhibits no color banding at all in the Lagom gradient test. Black levels are also excellent, with every square in the test distinguishable, but I noticed dropping my shoulders just a few inches to lower my field of view caused 1 through 4 squares to melt into the background.
The CF591 also performed admirably in white level testing, with every pattern in the Lagom test perceptible. The white levels don't suffer from the same viewing angle shifts as the black levels. The panel's response time is a bit slow for serious gamers however. The 4ms time produced flashing squares in the Lagom test as far down as row E, with a color value of -60. In an ideal scenario, there would be no flashing whatsoever.
Ghosting is also a problem with the CF591. Adjusting the response time setting to "Fastest" cut down on it considerably, but didn't eliminate it. Strangely the difference in ghosting between Standard and Fast was almost imperceptible.
Purcasing Guide
The Samsung CF591 Curved FreeSync Monitor has an MSRP of $349.99, but like a lot of PC hardware it can generally be nabbed at a discount. Its typical price range is around $280-$315:
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The Verdict
The big draw with the Samsung CF591 is obviously its curved panel, which did help draw me into games more than a comparably-sized flat panel monitor. Its speakers are also better than the traditional trash included with most monitors, and picture quality decent. All of these traits make the CF591 an interesting monitor at this price point, as it's going up against 1080p 144Hz monitors that are much faster, and in my opinion, better for gaming. If you want a curved monitor but are on a budget the CF591 will do the trick, but I'd personally choose a higher refresh rate over a curved display at the same price point.
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