Bottom Line
At $300, the AOC AG273QCX offers exceptional value for the price. You get an immersive image quality, smooth performance, excellent design and connectivity options, and plenty of additional features.
Unfortunately, it seems that the monitor is discontinued.
The AOC AG273QCX is an affordable 27″ 1440p 144Hz gaming monitor with 1ms MPRT, FreeSync 2, DisplayHDR 400, and plenty of additional features.
This gaming monitor was initially priced at $500, but nowadays it goes for ~$300 which makes for an exceptionally good deal.
Image Quality
Based on a VA (Vertical Alignment) panel, the AOC AG273QCX monitor offers a high static contrast ratio of 3,000:1, which translates to significantly deeper blacks than that of other panel technologies (IPS and TN) with a 1,000:1 contrast ratio.
The colors are not as consistent and accurate as what you might see on similarly priced IPS models, but they are vibrant nonetheless with a wide 90% DCI-P3 color space coverage.
The AOC AG273QCX also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), and it’s certified by VESA as DisplayHDR 400.
This won’t provide you with an otherworldly HDR viewing experience the high-end displays offer. Instead, you just get a glimpse of HDR can do, which is understandable at this price range.
HDR content gets a boost in peak luminance (up to ~450-nits), which in addition to the wide color gamut (10-bit color depth is supported for HDR) and high contrast ratio, provides a noticeable upgrade in image quality.
Finally, thanks to the screen resolution of 2560×1440 pixels, the 27″ AOC AG273QCX has a pixel density of 108 PPI (pixels per inch), which means you’ll get sharp details as well as plenty of screen space without having to use scaling.
Our unit didn’t have any dead/stuck pixels nor prominent backlight bleeding. AOC offers an excellent four-year dead pixel warranty under their ‘Re-spawned’ program.
FreeSync & G-SYNC Compatibility
Moving on, FreeSync Premium Pro is supported over both DisplayPort and HDMI on this monitor. If you have a compatible GPU, you can synchronize the monitor’s refresh rate with your GPU’s frame rates within the 48-144Hz variable refresh rate (VRR) range.
By doing so, you will eliminate all screen tearing and stuttering as long as your FPS (Frames Per Second) is within the VRR range.
In case your FPS drops below 48FPS, LFC (Low Framerate Compensation) takes over and forces the monitor’s refresh rate to run at double or triple the frame rate for less tearing/stuttering.
The AOC AG273QCX is not certified as G-SYNC compatible by NVIDIA, but you can use FreeSync with compatible GPUs (GTX 10-series or newer).
However, as it’s the case with most monitors using Samsung’s VA panels, some units are affected by the FreeSync brightness flickering issue.
Performance
The AOC AG273QCX input lag amounts to ~5ms which makes for imperceptible delay while the GtG response time speed of 4ms (using ‘Strong’ overdrive) eliminates most trailing behind fast-moving objects, except in darker scenes where black smearing is more noticeable – as expected from VA panels.
The amount of trailing/black smearing is tolerable – unless you’re a hardcore FPS competitive gamer in which case you should opt for a 240Hz display at this price range anyway, though you won’t get nearly as good image quality.
In fast-paced games, you can use the Motion Blur Reduction technology which via backlight strobing reduces the amount of visible ghosting at a cost of the screen’s maximum brightness.
Using the MBR option in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu of the monitor, you can manually alter the strobing frequency (motion clarity vs picture brightness ratio).
Features
The OSD menu of the AOC AG273QCX display is quite user-friendly and you can effortlessly make alterations either by using the joystick placed beneath the bottom bezel of the monitor or via the provided QuickSwitch device.
Gaming features include the Game Mode picture presets (FPS, RTS, Racing, and three ‘Gamer’ customizable profiles), Shadow Control and Game Control (color saturation and gamma curvature adjustments), Overdrive (Off, Weak, Medium, Strong), Dial Point (custom crosshair), Low Input Lag Mode, and Frame Counter.
Setting the overdrive option to ‘Boost’ enables the Motion Blur Reduction technology. You cannot use MBR and VRR at the same time.
Other features include LowBlue Mode (filters out the harmful low-blue lights), standard picture adjustments (brightness, contrast, color temperature, etc), and Light FX Mode which allows you to customize color, pattern, and intensity of the RGB LEDs placed at the back of the monitor.
Note that the backlight of the monitor is flicker-free as it doesn’t use PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) to regulate brightness, so those sensitive to flickering won’t be getting headaches after prolonged use.
Design & Connectivity
The AOC AG273QCX HDR gaming monitor has an ergonomic stand with up to 110mm of height adjustment, +/- 30° swivel, -4°/22° tilt, and 75x75mm VESA mount compatibility, but no pivot/rotate function.
Other design features include a headset hanger, a carrying handle, and a light matte anti-glare screen coating.
Connectivity options are very generous with VGA, two HDMI 2.0 ports, two DisplayPort 1.2 inputs, headphones and microphone jacks, a mini USB port for the QuickSwitch keypad, and a quad-USB 3.0 hub (one port with fast charging).
Note that when using HDR and 10-bit color depth, the refresh rate is limited to 120Hz at 1440p due to the DisplayPort 1.2 bandwidth limitation.
Since most games support only 8-bit color and the difference between 8-bit and 10-bit color in games is negligible, this is not a significant downside.
The AOC AG273QCX is also one of the rare monitors that works with Xbox One X at 1440p 120Hz.
There are also two 5W integrated speakers with TruVolume HD, and five DTS sound presets (Game, Rock, Live, Classical, and Theater).
Price & Similar Monitors
The AOC AG273QCX price is only ~$300, which makes for incredible value for the money as it used to go for around $500 when it was first released.
There’s also a model of this monitor with NVIDIA’s G-SYNC module and 165Hz overclock, the AOC AG273QCG, which is a lot more expensive (~$500).
Alternatively, you may want to consider the Samsung C27HG70 1440p 144Hz curved VA monitor with better DisplayHDR 600 support.
Visit our best gaming monitor under $300 and best gaming monitor under $400 buying guides for more choices at this price range.
Conclusion
The AOC AG273QCX provides an immersive image quality thanks to its high contrast ratio, wide color gamut, and 1440p resolution, while AMD FreeSync, 1ms MPRT, and 144Hz ensure a smooth and responsive gaming experience.
The plethora of additional features as well the ergonomic design and exceptionally rich connectivity options are a big plus as well.
Specifications
| Screen Size | 27-inch |
| Screen Curvature | 1800R |
| Resolution | 2560×1440 (WQHD) |
| Panel Type | VA |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 (Widescreen) |
| Refresh Rate | 144Hz |
| Response Time | 4ms (GtG) |
| Response Time (MBR) | 1ms (MPRT) |
| Adaptive Sync | FreeSync Premium Pro (48Hz-144Hz) |
| Speakers | 2x5W |
| Ports | 2x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0, VGA |
| Other Ports | 4x USB 3.0, Headphone Jack, Microphone Jack |
| Brightness | 400 cd/m2 |
| Contrast Ratio | 3000:1 (static) |
| Colors | 1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC) 90% DCI-P3 |
| VESA | Yes (75x75mm) |
| HDR | VESA DisplayHDR 400 |
The Pros:
- High contrast ratio and wide color gamut
- FreeSync Premium Pro and HDR400
- Plenty of gaming features including 1ms MPRT
- Ergonomic design and extensive connectivity options
The Cons:
- Design lacks pivot/rotate function
- Moderate ghosting in fast-paced games, mostly in darker scenes
- Some units prone to VRR brightness flickering
