AOC Q27G2U 27-Inch QHD Gaming Monitor Review

The AOC Q27G2U is more than just an affordable gaming monitor. It’s a 27-inch behemoth, loaded with a razor-sharp response time, stunning display, and enough customisable settings to keep even the most avid tinkerers happy. It’s immersive, vibrant and versatile.

The AOC Q27G2U’s Quad HD delivers a sharp and detailed image, and at 27-inches, offers up plenty of on-screen real estate. This ample pixel count and screen size are reinforced by equally as impressive colour representation, contrast ratio, refresh rate, and response time.

Heading off into the lush and sprawling landscape of Far Cry 5 (PC) gives the VA panel chance to flex its 121% sRGB coverage. Whether it be the sun breaking through woodland canopies, the flowing and ever-changing contrasts of open water, or the bright flare of muzzle flashes, the Q27G2U’s panel brings new life to Montana’s already impressive landscape. The monitor also carries a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, so is more than capable of keeping up with the action when things get a little hairy. It’s a true delight to be able to access a VA panel’s colour spectrum at such remarkable speeds.

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Happily, these visual powers are carried over to other sources. Hooking up a PS4 Pro allows you to access the monitor's power on console. Though the monitor does not have 4K resolution, and the PS4 doesn't support 1440p, the vibrancy of the colour and keen refresh rate more than make up for the few thousand missing pixels. The pastoral Japanese lands in Ghost Of Tsushima are truly stunning, and we can explore them fully via the game’s Photo Mode, with the monitor’s colour spectrum and static contrast adding incredible depth to the image.

We even tried out the Q27G2U with the Nintendo Switch. Though the 720p home screen looked, as we expected, terrible and blown-out, the 1080p gameplay was a real joy. The colour-saturated palette of the Switch’s catalogue pops with intensity and energy, particularly in the recent Paper Mario: The Origami King. As you’d rightly guess, this also means that movies, TV shows, and streaming media benefit from this excellent performance.

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Those who use their gaming workstation for more than recreation will be glad to hear that the monitor is very versatile. The static contrast and precise colour representation makes the Q27G2U a worthy partner when image editing, with the on-board colour parameters allowing you to refine the visual qualities and tones.

There are plenty of settings, including luminance, colour set-up, and picture boost, to drill down into to customise the monitor’s setup. Most will find themselves exploring these settings early on, as the screen’s brightness is high by default. It’s worth spending a little longer here than you’d necessarily anticipate, as many useful features, like HDR, DCR, and Adaptive-Sync are tucked into these menus.

While we were initially invested in refining the monitor’s experience to every activity and input source, we eventually found ourselves content to stay with one of AOC's preset modes. There are many to choose from, and each is optimised to certain gaming genres and media types. It’ll come as no surprise to readers that we ended up sticking on the Movie preset, but our cinematic bias had little to do with this choice, as the setting simply provided a one-size-fits-all experience and reduced our need to jump back and forth in the menu.

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In terms of form, the AOC Q27G2U has a stern and imposing styling, well in line with established gamer aesthetics. Yet, hidden in the seams are some very welcome extras. In addition to two HDMI and one Display Port connection, the monitor is carrying one audio-out, five USB-A 3.0 ports (one sleep-and-charge), and a USB-B 3.0 port. The screen’s vertical borders are thin-line bezels, so designed to facilitate multi-monitor setups. If you’re working with a narrow desk, you’ll want to be aware that AOC has put a wide and deep stand on the Q27G2U, however, it is compatible with VESA 100 mounting brackets and arms.

Verdict: The AOC Q27G2U is more than just an affordable gaming monitor. It’s a 27-inch behemoth, loaded with a razor-sharp response time, stunning display, and enough customisable settings to keep even the most avid tinkerers happy. It’s immersive, vibrant and versatile.

Features

QHD VA Panel

AOC Q27G2U 27-inch Gaming Monitor is loaded with Quad HD resolution (2560 x 1440), providing sharp and accurate picture quality, and the VA panel is designed to deliver vibrant and accurate colour representation. It’s bright too, measuring in a 250-nits.

144Hz Refresh Rate and 1ms Response Time

The impressive 144Hz refresh rate is backed up with an equally exciting 1ms response time, providing plenty of ghost-free frames, ensuring a smooth, blur-free, and flicker-free visual experience.

Adaptive Sync

The inbuilt Adaptive Sync makes sure that the AOC Q27G2U is perfectly in time with your PC’s graphics card, ensuring optimal performance.

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