Aorus FI27Q-P Review: 1440p 165Hz IPS FreeSync Gaming Monitor

The Aorus FI27Q-P is a 27" 1440p 165Hz gaming monitor with an IPS panel, HDR400 support, FreeSync technology, and a high price tag.

Bottom Line

The Aorus FI27Q-P is a 27″ 1440p 165Hz gaming monitor that offers smooth gaming performance thanks to its certified G-SYNC compatibility, high refresh rate, and decent pixel response time speed. Image quality is also very good thanks to its IPS panel and wide color gamut. Moreover, it has a premium design quality and lots of unique features, but it’s a bit overpriced.

Design:
(5.0)
Display:
(4.8)
Performance:
(4.6)
Price/Value:
(1.5)
4

The Aorus FI27Q-P is Gigabyte’s third 27″ 1440p 144Hz gaming monitor based on the same IPS panel by Innolux.

What makes this particular model different from the other two is the factory-overclocked 165Hz refresh rate and the inclusion of DisplayPort 1.4, which allows for 10-bit color with 1440p at a refresh rate of over 120Hz.

Keep in mind that the Aorus FI27Q (without ‘-P’) is a different monitor; it is the successor to the older Aorus AD27QD model. Both of them have a native refresh rate of 144Hz and DisplayPort 1.2, but the FI27Q can be overclocked to 165Hz with 8-bit color depth.

Image Quality

Right off the bat, we want to address the difference between color depth and DisplayPort bandwidth limitations.

Gigabyte advertises the Aorus FI27Q-P as “the world’s first High Bit Rate 3 monitor” – but the HRB3 transmission mode of DisplayPort 1.4 has been available in numerous displays for a while.

The Aorus FI27Q, the Aorus AD27QD, and many other 1440p 144Hz gaming monitors feature a DisplayPort 1.2 connector, which can only deliver 144Hz at 1440p when color depth is set to 8-bit color.

For 10-bit color, they require that the refresh rate is lowered to 120Hz.

Since the difference between 8-bit color and 10-bit color in video games is not perceptible (most games support only 8-bit color anyway), you can put all these HBR3 marketing shenanigans aside.

It’s not something you should base your monitor purchase on.

Moving on, the Aorus FI27Q-P monitor is based on an IPS panel with a wide 95% DCI-P3 (125% sRGB) color gamut and offers consistent and vibrant colors.

This wide color gamut can make sRGB content appear over-saturated, which some users may not prefer.

So, you can use the monitor for some entry-level photo/video editing, but if you require professional-grade accuracy, you will still have to calibrate it properly or get a more accurate monitor instead. 

1440p resolution is ideal for 27″ sized monitors as it results in a high pixel density of 108 pixels per inch, which makes for plenty of screen space as well as sharp details without any scaling necessary.

Other panel-related specifications include 178° wide viewing angles, a 350-nit peak brightness (400-nits for HDR content), and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio – all of which is standard for an IPS monitor at this price range.

While the Aorus FI27Q-P supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), it would need a much higher brightness and contrast ratio as well as a local dimming solution for a noteworthy HDR viewing experience.

The monitor has VESA’s entry-level DisplayHDR 400 certification, and some HDR content will look noticeably better thanks to the wide color gamut and decent brightness, but you won’t get a mind-blowing HDR picture quality.

Of course, gaming monitors that offer the ‘true’ HDR viewing experience cost well over $1,000.

However, there are more budget-friendly monitors than the Aorus FI27Q-P, such as the Samsung CHG70 with DisplayHDR 600, which offers a more immersive HDR image, but it has its own downsides like slower response time.

All in all, the Aorus FI27Q-P display offers an excellent image quality with consistent and vivid colors as well as decent brightness and contrast ratio, but there are less expensive monitors available that offer an equally good (or better) picture.

Performance

freesync and gsync

When it comes to performance, the Aorus FI27Q-P is mediocre as well, which isn’t very good considering its premium price tag. Input lag is great at only 4ms of delay, which isn’t perceptible.

Now, Gigabyte specified a response time speed of 1ms, however, this refers to the MPRT measure, which is only achievable when the Aim Stabilizer feature is enabled.

Aim Stabilizer is Gigabyte’s name for Motion Blur Reduction; this technology uses backlight strobing to reduce the perceived ghosting of fast-moving objects, but it sacrifices maximum brightness on the way.

When Aim Stabilizer is enabled, the brightness will be reduced to ~200-nits, which may be too dim for some users. Further, this feature cannot be active at the same time as FreeSync.

The backlight strobing technology is also not particularly well implemented as there is some strobe crosstalk visible (duplicate images), and there is no strobe length adjustment available.

Its native (GtG – gray to gray) pixel response time speed is closer to 4-6ms, meaning that there will be some trailing and motion blur visible in fast-paced games though it won’t be an issue for competitive gaming.

If you want an IPS panel monitor with a faster pixel response time speed, check out the LG 27GL850 and the LG 27GL83A – both of which offer a notably quicker pixel transition time – at a lower price.

There are three response time overdrive modes (Picture Quality, Balance, and Speed). We highly recommend using the Speed option in order to eliminate as much ghosting as possible.

AMD FreeSync is supported with a 48-165Hz variable refresh rate (VRR) range, and the monitor is certified as G-SYNC compatible, ensuring flawless tear-free VRR performance even with NVIDIA’s graphics cards (GTX 10-series or newer).

Finally, the Aorus FI27Q-P has a flicker-free backlight and an integrated low-blue light filter which allows for long gaming sessions without eye fatigue or headaches.

As it’s the case with all IPS panel monitors, there is some IPS glow visible, but it is negligible.

Features

aorus fi27q p osd menu layout

The OSD (On-Screen Display) menu of the monitor is well-organized and offers plenty of adjustable features that you can adjust either via the 5-way joystick or via the OSD Sidekick desktop application.

Some of the more noteworthy features include Black Equalizer 2.0, which improves visibility of objects in shadows in video games without overexposing the bright areas.

Picture in Picture and Picture by Picture are supported as well, and you’ll find other standard image adjustment tools such as contrast, brightness, sharpness, gamma, color temperature, color vibrance (saturation), etc.

Next, you have the GameAssist feature, which consists of customizable crosshairs and on-screen timers, as well as a refresh rate tracker and pre-calibrated picture, presets (FPS, RTS/RPG, etc. plus three customizable profiles).

At the back of the monitor, there are several LEDs that you can customize via RGB Fusion 2.0.

Lastly, the Aorus FI27Q-P has a unique Dashboard feature, which, once you connect the monitor to your PC via a USB port, allows you to track certain PC component’s performance such as GPU and CPU temperature on your screen.

Design & Connectivity

aorus fi27q p monitor back

The stand of the monitor is robust and versatile with up to 130mm height adjustment, +/- 20° swivel, 90° pivot, -5°/21° tilt, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

It’s made of premium materials, and the design will likely appeal to most gamers out there. The bezels are ultra-thin, while the screen has an anti-glare coating, which eliminates reflections.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports (max 144Hz at 2560×1440, supports FreeSync for AMD cards), DisplayPort 1.4, a headphones jack, a microphone jack with ANC (active noise canceling), and a dual-USB 3.0 hub.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Aorus FI27Q-P goes for around $600, which is quite steep, and there are more cost-effective monitors out there.

In fact, this gaming monitor uses the same Innolux panel as the Acer XV272U, which can be found for as low as $250!

So, unless you find the FI27Q-P on sale for ~$300 and you absolutely need its premium features, there are much better alternatives available.

Visit our always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide for more information and the best deals currently available. 

Conclusion

While the Aorus FI27Q-P offers good image quality and performance as well as a premium design quality and a plethora of cool features, it’s simply too expensive in comparison to the alternatives. 

If you really like its design and unique features and don’t mind paying a bit extra for it, and if most games you play do support 10-bit color and you happen to be very sensitive to that 8-bit vs. 10-bit color gradients as well as to the difference between 120Hz and 165Hz, then the FI27Q-P is worth considering – but that’s a lot of ifs!

Specifications

Screen Size27-inch
Resolution2560×1440 (WQHD)
Panel TypeIPS
Aspect Ratio16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate165Hz
Response Time (GtG)Not specified
Response Time (Aim Stabilizer)1ms (MPRT)
Adaptive SyncFreeSync (48Hz-165Hz)
G-SYNC Compatible
PortsDisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports2x USB 3.0, Headphone Jack, Microphone Jack
Brightness350 cd/m2
Brightness (HDR)400 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio1000:1 (static)
Colors1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC)
95% DCI-P3
VESAYes (100x100mm)

The Pros:

  • Vibrant and consistent colors
  • High pixel density
  • MBR and FreeSync up to 165Hz
  • Plenty of gaming features
  • Fully ergonomic stand and rich connectivity options

The Cons:

  • Expensive
  • Underwhelming HDR picture quality
  • MBR could be better implemented
  • Not as high contrast as that of VA panels
  • sRGB mode not very accurate

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Rob Shafer

Rob is a software engineer with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. He now works full-time managing DisplayNinja while coding his own projects on the side.