Help me choose a new (27in 1440) Monitor

[billythewiz]

I recently upgraded my system (with an Nvidia 2060) and I'm now in the market for a new monitor.

I currently have a 27in Dell loaned to me from work.
It's nice but it's not mine and so I would like to make it my 2nd monitor and get a new monitor for gaming and work.

When I started my hunt I knew nothing at all about the tech available but rather than just asking the hexus forums as I cheekily did with my new system, I did some searches for "Best Gaming Monitor" and read/watched some reviews.

I soon found this review which suggested the "ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q".
Curiously the 'Q' seems to have been replaced by the (more expensive) QE.

The ASUS ROG Swift PG279QE seems to tick every box
27 inch LED IPS 2560 x 1440 WQHD
1ms Response
165Hz refresh rate
G-SYNC display technology (not 'just' a FreeSync monitor that is G-Sync "Compatible")

But it is £570 - probably explains why I can have it delivered Tomorrow !!

A work colleague challenged me with, "Wouldn't you prefer a 32in, curved monitor for gaming ?". That lead me to the Samsung G7. This looks awesome (HDR600) and is super curved but there are lots of complaints about flickering whenever G-Sync is turned on and although that problem might be fixed/fixable, do I really want to take a £630 risk with a monitor that is 'just' G-Sync Compatible rather than one with native G-Sync support.

In all my research I watched a lot of LinusTechTips videos on youtube and they convinced me that 4K wasn't for me and that high refresh rate (>=144Hz) was a lot more important for a great gaming experience (it's also cheaper and doesn't require such a high end gfx card).
In this review from ~9 months ago they recommend 2 monitors from the 27in 1440P 144Hz category.
The LG 27GL850B (G-Sync Compatible) at £500, or
the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ (G-Sync Compatible) at £430.

So with all this info I'm still undecided. The PG279QE looks like a great choice but I'm left wondering if it's worth the extra £140 over the VG27AQ. Will I notice any differences ?
Even at £430 will I notice much of a difference from the Work Dell that I'm currently using ?
Should I take the £630 risk on the 32in Samsung G7 with its mega-curved 1000R, HDR600, QLED panel ?

Or should I Continue my search for other alternatives (perhaps the even higher priced (£657) ViewSonic Elite XG270QG) ?

All thoughts, comments and alternative suggestions are highly appreciated.

[DanceswithUnix]

G-SYNC display technology (not 'just' a FreeSync monitor that is G-Sync "Compatible")

Just wanted to say that G-Sync is a dead technology. I would expect it to be as well supported in a few years as those 3D Vision kits that Nvidia was pushing some years back, so whilst it might work now you can't guarantee your expensive monitor will work with, say, a 5080ti when such a beast gets released. It certainly won't be if you ever want to use it with, say, an X Box or similar that uses Freesync.

Then you would be wishing you had bought "just" the industry standard variable refresh rate technology (which is in no way inferior).

I can't directly help with the choice as my recent looking stopped around £250 (I got a rather nice 1440p Iiyama but it tops out at 75Hz, but for a second monitor that's fine). But good luck, the choice is quite bewildering isn't it.

[cptwhite_uk]

LG 27GL850B everytime, it has the best response times across the board in a wide range of refresh rates. Check the Hardware Unboxed review.

[ik9000]

tftcentral.co.uk can be a good place for in-depth reviews too. IIRC the Dell U2719 gets good reviews and while not a "gaming" monitor has low latency. Excellent colour calibration etc. framesync is probably the only thing lacking

[JazzSmoothie]

I recently got a pair of Dell 2721DGF panels, 27 inch 165hz IPS, looks like it uses the same LG nano ips panel as the 27gl850. I’m really happy with it, and they’re great value too. £389 from dell directly, but discount codes come round frequently. It has freesync premium pro but is also G sync compatible. It’s a new panel, so there’s not a huge wealth of reviews out, but i’d definitely recommend taking a look. Happy to answer any questions you might have.

[ik9000]

I recently got a pair of Dell 2721DGF panels, 27 inch 165hz IPS, looks like it uses the same LG nano ips panel as the 27gl850. I’m really happy with it, and they’re great value too. £389 from dell directly, but discount codes come round frequently. It has freesync premium pro but is also G sync compatible. It’s a new panel, so there’s not a huge wealth of reviews out, but i’d definitely recommend taking a look. Happy to answer any questions you might have.

Hurrah! This ^ right here ^ is a new post from a new user that is actually on topic, relevant, meaningful, helpful etc etc. There is hope for new posters after all. You even managed to put it in an active thread too. Good sir, welcome and


Edit, my first question is do you have a colorimeter and have you calibrated them using one?

[billythewiz]

Thanks everyone for your comments.
Long story short I've ordered the LG 27GL850B from Overclockers.
I was going to get it from CCL (the awesome company that supplied my new system) but I procrastinated and after one day they were out of stock. Their delivery time had been 7-10 days. So I went with overclockers and it's being delivered today !

@DancesWithUnix - native G-Sync did seem like a rip off to me but I also believe(d) the hype that it would be (marginally) better. It didn't occur to me that G-Sync may become incompatible with future GFX cards that I might purchase. I don't think this is highly likely but it is definately a possibility that I hadn't considered.

@cptwhite_ul - the adamant enthusiasm of your sales pitch obviously worked. The Hardware Unboxing Review was useful and instrumental in my decision.

@ik9000 - tftcentral.co.uk - wow, what a site. I read many reviews and they helped me cement my decision.
Their final comment on the 27GL850 :- "All in all it was a very impressive display and a great option if you're looking for a new 27" IPS gaming screen."

@JazzSmoothie - thanks for the panel recommendation. I have an irrational and prejudicial aversion to Dell. Probably because it's what I use at work and so I associate them with good Office monitors rather than Gaming.

@ik9000 - Do I have a colorimeter ? No. Working out how to QA test my new monitor will be today's task.

Thanks again everyone.

[DanceswithUnix]

@DancesWithUnix - native G-Sync did seem like a rip off to me but I also believe(d) the hype that it would be (marginally) better. It didn't occur to me that G-Sync may become incompatible with future GFX cards that I might purchase. I don't think this is highly likely but it is definately a possibility that I hadn't considered.

The one trick with G-sync isn't technical, it is that Nvidia will do a quality test of the monitor before they award it the badge. Now they are doing that with the "compatible" approval, there just isn't any need.

As someone who works on FPGA based video products for a living, I have to say I think their FPGA board that had to be embedded into G-Sync monitors is one of the worst ideas I have seen in computing for many years.

Do let us know how you get on with your new toy

[kalniel]

I recently got a pair of Dell 2721DGF panels, 27 inch 165hz IPS, looks like it uses the same LG nano ips panel as the 27gl850. I’m really happy with it, and they’re great value too. £389 from dell directly, but discount codes come round frequently. It has freesync premium pro but is also G sync compatible. It’s a new panel, so there’s not a huge wealth of reviews out, but i’d definitely recommend taking a look. Happy to answer any questions you might have.

What is the upscaling from 1080p like (for blu-ray movies for eg)? I was looking for something exactly like this (27GL850 with better quality guarantee) and this has shot to the top of the list.

[ik9000]

@ik9000 - Do I have a colorimeter ? No. Working out how to QA test my new monitor will be today's task.

Thanks again everyone.

Yes. I use the X-rite i1-pro. Simple to run and works nicely with monitors with auto-calibration features (saves a lot of manual steps if it has that feature). Made a massive difference to my current monitors. it 1) helped me spot they weren't running at full colour range (fixed by a software patch) and 2) got the contrast ratio to a much better setting than out-of-the-box. You'll see this reflected in the tft-c reviews where the calibrated values are often vast improvements.