Pitting this monster monitor against the bulk of its rivals here is like sticking a stealth fighter in the midst of a bunch of biplanes. The NEC PA271W is big, black, almost industrial, with a professional level spec to match – from its high-quality build and hefty weight to its 2,560 x 1,440 IPS panel. Only the Dell U2711 comes close.

Besides the Dell, it’s the only display here that offers tilt, height, rotate and swivel adjustment. The control buttons that provide access to its features are sensibly and logically placed on the bottom right – making them easy to see and use. The UI is underwhelming to look at, but is packed with options. This enable you to tweak the monitor settings to get exactly the output you want, including separate adjustments for red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta, as well as more advanced settings. This is a serious monitor for serious users.

Unlike most of the other displays in this test, its factory default setting is largely on the money too. Whereas most of its rivals are obviously set up to grab your attention in the local high street electronics shop – and therefore need considerable adjustment once you get them home – the PA271W is ready to go right out of the box. You will need to make only minimal tweaks using the Displays setting in Mac OS X preferences to see this monitor at its best. The only disappointment is that the PA271W offers a limited number of connection options - there are just two DVI ports, one Display Port, an S-Video port and four USB ports for peripherals (two upstream, two downstream).

Luckily, the PA271W delivers where it counts. It sailed through our Monitor Test and even its 7ms G2G response time didn’t present us with any problems during movie playback or games. Its high 1,000:1 contrast ratio renders black levels beautifully, making the PA271W the perfect backdrop for rich, saturated colours and accurate skin tones. If the PA271W was a lake, you’d want to dive right in. The only real drawbacks are these: it costs £1,127, the Dell U2711 gives similar levels of performance for £179 less; and the PA271W doesn’t include its own speakers, so you’ll either have to pick up the optional soundbar or feed your movie and games soundtracks to a sound system of your own.