{"id":34,"date":"2021-12-30T14:53:52","date_gmt":"2021-12-30T14:53:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/engadget.vip\/?p=34"},"modified":"2021-12-30T14:53:52","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T14:53:52","slug":"asus-tuf-gaming-vg27aq-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/?p=34","title":{"rendered":"Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'><\/div><p>The Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ delivers fast, smooth and crisp gaming thanks to its peak 165Hz refresh rate and improved motion blur technology \u2013 it\u2019s hard to find a screen that\u2019s as rapid and as clear as this display. It has a good resolution and great colours, too. Its physical feature set is a little scarce and contrast could be better, but this is a good option for people who play fast-paced games.<\/p>\n<h2>Pros<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Stellar high refresh-rate performance<\/li>\n<li>Adds motion blur reduction for gaming<\/li>\n<li>Great colour quality<\/li>\n<li>Cheaper than many rivals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cons<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Middling contrast levels<\/li>\n<li>No RGB LEDs, USB ports or remote controls<\/li>\n<li>Poor speakers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"review-key-specifications\">Key Specifications<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Review Price: \u00a3485<\/li>\n<li>2560 x 1440 resolution<\/li>\n<li>27in diagonal<\/li>\n<li>IPS panel<\/li>\n<li>165Hz Nvidia G-Sync<\/li>\n<li>1 x DisplayPort<\/li>\n<li>2 x HDMI<\/li>\n<li>1ms response time<\/li>\n<li>2 x 2W speakers<\/li>\n<li>5.8kg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Asus has been using its TUF branding for motherboard and graphics cards for a long time, but the firm\u2019s entry-level gaming brand is branching out. It\u2019s appeared recently on laptops and headsets, and the Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ is one of the first monitors I\u2019ve seen with this designation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>TUF may be Asus\u2019 entry-level gaming brand, but don\u2019t assume that the VG27AQ is cheap. This 27in IPS panel has a 1440p resolution and AMD FreeSync 2 on-board, and it arrives with US and UK pricing of $450 and \u00a3485.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asus-tuf-gaming-vg27aq\">Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ \u2013 Design and features<\/h2>\n<p>The Asus has Nvidia G-Sync that runs at a standard speed of 144Hz, and the display also works with AMD FreeSync 2 \u2013 so it works with any AMD or Nvidia graphics card. The display also has an overclocking function, which means it can run at a peak speed of 165Hz.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t see any of the ghosting or blurring that can sometimes occur on overclocked displays, and response times only increase by a tiny margin when using this overclocked mode \u2013 but the vast majority of users won\u2019t be affected by this, even in competitive scenarios.<\/p>\n<p>The Asus can only use that 165Hz mode over DisplayPort, not HDMI. And, as ever, you\u2019ll need a graphics card that can run games at 2,560 x 1,440 and at framerates approaching 144fps or 165fps to get the most out of this panel. That\u2019s easily done for esports titles, which tend to be less graphically demanding, but you\u2019ll need a beefy GPU to run single-player titles at those speeds \u2013 something like an RTX 2070 Super or an AMD Radeon RX 5700.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The 165Hz refresh rate is paired with Asus\u2019 ELMB-Sync feature. That acronym stands for Extreme Low Motion Blur, and the VG27AQ is the first time I\u2019ve seen a screen that allows motion blur to work with G-Sync or FreeSync. Previously, motion blur has required fixed refresh rates, which is why it hasn\u2019t worked with variable syncing technologies.<\/p>\n<p>Activating ELMB works well, with butter-smooth gaming throughout and no sign of any ghosting or tearing \u2013 and the screen looked incredibly sharp. It\u2019s worth using this feature for fast-paced, competitive games, and it does add some extra versatility to this screen, but be aware that this new technology only has a minimal impact when considered alongside the rest of this display\u2019s features.<\/p>\n<p>The 2,560 x 1,440 resolution is good. It\u2019s high enough to deliver loads of real estate for gaming, and the 27in diagonal delivers a crisp density level of 109ppi. That\u2019s solid \u2013 far better than the 82ppi on 27in screens with 1080p resolutions.<\/p>\n<p>The only way you\u2019re getting a crisper 27in, 16:9 screen is if you buy a 4K model, and to get a specification that matches the VG27AQ you\u2019ll have to spend $1,000 or \u00a31,000 \u2013 or even more.<\/p>\n<p>The 165Hz refresh rate and 1440p resolution are the Asus\u2019 key gaming attributes, and elsewhere the VG27AQ delivers solid hardware. It uses IPS technology, and it only uses 8-bit colour \u2013 fine for gaming, but not quite good enough for work. The 1ms response time is good, too, and easily fast enough for competitive play.<\/p>\n<p>There are some other areas where the VG27AQ\u2019s specification falls behind. It supports HDR 10 content, for instance, but this IPS screen isn\u2019t going to have the brightness to make the most of HDR.<\/p>\n<p>The VG27AQ offers decent value. While the Asus does still cost $450 or \u00a3485, to get a 27in, 1440p IPS screen at 165Hz and with dedicated Nvidia G-Sync you\u2019re going to have to spend at least $599 or \u00a3548.<\/p>\n<p>You can find AMD FreeSync 2 panels that work with G-Sync for a little less than the price of the Asus, so the VG27AQ isn\u2019t the cheapest route to this kind of specification \u2013 but those panels will miss out on ELMB-Sync and may suffer when it comes to display quality.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: The Best Intel Processors &#8211; Explained!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asus-tuf-gaming-vg27aq1\">Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ \u2013 OSD and setup<\/h2>\n<p>The Asus panel has decent build quality and good adjustment options. The VG27AQ has a generous 130mm of height adjustment, and it has 180 degrees of left-to-right swivel and 38 degrees of front and back tilting. It can swing right around to portrait mode, and supports 100mm VESA mounting.<\/p>\n<p>The stand has a cable-routing hole, and the display itself has pleasingly slim bezels, so this screen could conceivably be used for multi-monitor setups.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The weight of 5.8kg isn\u2019t bad at all for a 27in screen, and the base is flat and unfussy, so it\u2019s easy to move around a desk and to use for storage.<\/p>\n<p>This is still a TUF-branded panel, though, so it misses out in other areas. The stand doesn\u2019t have a quick-release mechanism, so building takes a little longer. There are no RGB LEDs on this display, and no USB ports \u2013 you get two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort connection and an audio jack, and that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n<p>The standard Asus on-screen display is deployed here. It\u2019s not the largest or the best-looking software system, but it\u2019s well-organised. The first menu allows for switching between the key gaming screen modes, and the rest of the options are slotted into conventional menus.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The Asus OSD serves up gaming extras, like FPS counters, on-screen timers and crosshairs that can be accessed from quick-launch buttons behind the bottom-right corner of the bezel, and the main menu is controlled by a joystick. It\u2019s small and a little flimsy, but largely easy to use. The only other slight irritation is that the position of the OSD can\u2019t be adjusted.<\/p>\n<p>The speakers aren\u2019t much cop, either: the pair of 2W speakers are tinny and a little too quiet, and are only good enough for basic media duties \u2013 not for gaming.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: Best PC Games 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asus-tuf-gaming-vg27aq2\">Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ \u2013 Image quality<\/h2>\n<p>The Asus delivers great colour quality. The panel\u2019s factory Delta E measurement of 1.36 is superb, and it means no colour deviations that human eyes can detect.<\/p>\n<p>The screen\u2019s colour temperature of 6,298K is great, and delivers tones that are accurate and lifelike \u2013 it\u2019s not far enough away from the 6,500K ideal to prove noticeable during gameplay. The gamma level of 2.22 is top-notch, too, tallying well with the key 2.2 figure.<\/p>\n<p>The VG27AQ has an sRGB colour gamut coverage level of 98.5%, which is great. However, the panel ducked below 80% in the Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 gamuts, which means this screen doesn\u2019t have the colour ability to handle those professional and HDR-focussed ranges.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Those colour temperature, accuracy and gamma levels were maintained with the screen at maximum brightness and with the panel at half its original brightness levels, so you\u2019re going to get consistent colours no matter how bright the panel is.<\/p>\n<p>The Asus\u2019 default brightness level of 277 nits is fine, but not outstanding, and the screen\u2019s peak brightness level of 354 nits is better \u2013 but nothing particularly special.<\/p>\n<p>That default brightness level pairs with a black level of 0.24 nits, which means a default contrast ratio of 1,154:1. That result is absolutely fine for mainstream gaming and for esports, but it\u2019s not particularly high \u2013 many gaming monitors will deliver better contrast.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>So, while the Asus panel has enough contrast to make games look punchy and vibrant, and with enough depth, there are plenty of panels out there that will deliver deeper, darker shades and a broader contrast range.<\/p>\n<p>The Asus has great colours but merely decent contrast, and that feeds into what this panel can and can\u2019t accomplish. It\u2019s great for mainstream gaming, but the screen doesn\u2019t have the depth of contrast or the colour gamut ability to handle HDR content \u2013 it\u2019s just not good enough to provide a noticeable boost.<\/p>\n<p>The screen has the accuracy and contrast to handle gaming and esports, and its input lag measurement of 6.3ms is excellent. Combine the colours, input lag and refresh rate abilities and you\u2019ve got a screen that\u2019s very good for fast-paced scenarios.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, though, the VG27AQ suffers in predictable areas. The Asus uses its Racing mode by default, but the other display modes are worse and so not worth using. The FPS, RTS and RPG options are very bright, but with poorer Delta E figures and warmer colour temperature results \u2013 so images look a little too red and oversaturated.<\/p>\n<p>The MOBA mode is almost monochrome, the sRGB option has poor contrast and is too warm, and the Cinema option is far too cool, with images that had a noticeable blue hue.<\/p>\n<p>Uniformity levels are only middling, too. The Asus lost between 14% and 18% of its brightness on the left-hand edge and up to 16% on the right-hand edge, with Delta Es that veered up beyond an average of 4. These aren\u2019t ruinous figures and the small differences won\u2019t be noticeable during games, but this panel is not the most consistent on the market.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: Best Gaming Mouse 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"should-you-buy-the-asus-tuf-gaming-vg27aq\">Should you buy the Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ?<\/h2>\n<p>The VG27AQ marks a successful monitor debut for the TUF brand. The Asus succeeds in several key areas: its high refresh rate and the addition of ELMB-Sync means that this panel has crisp, smooth gaming at high speeds \u2013 so it\u2019s well-suited for FPS and competitive play.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, this fast, smooth screen has a versatile size and resolution, and great colour quality. Its contrast is more middling, but it\u2019s still good enough for gaming in that regard.<\/p>\n<p>This screen certainly isn\u2019t perfect. It has good build quality and adjustment, but its feature set elsewhere is scant \u2013 the speakers are poor, there are no USB ports and no lighting alongside a middling OSD. Its contrast levels aren\u2019t high enough for HDR, and it doesn\u2019t have the gamut ability for HDR or the quality for work alongside gaming.<\/p>\n<p>That said, the Asus is cheaper than most equivalent screens, and it delivers impeccably smooth, crisp gaming alongside great colours. If you need this level of speed and have a powerful enough graphics card, the VG27AQ is a great choice for competitive and fast-paced gaming.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"verdict\">Verdict<\/h2>\n<p>The Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ delivers fast, smooth and crisp gaming thanks to its peak 165Hz refresh rate and improved motion blur technology \u2013 it\u2019s hard to find a screen that\u2019s as rapid and as clear as this display. It has a good resolution and great colours, too. Its physical feature set is a little scarce and contrast could be better, but this is a good option for people who play fast-paced games.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"review-trusted-score\">Trusted Score<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQ delivers fast, smooth and crisp gaming thanks to its peak 165Hz refresh rate and improved motion blur technology \u2013 it\u2019s hard to find a screen that\u2019s as rapid and as clear as this display. It has a good resolution and great colours, too. Its physical feature set is a little [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[10,11,13,14,15,16,12,34],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}