Gigabyte G27QCA Review: 1440p 165Hz FreeSync Curved Gaming Monitor

The G27QC-A is Gigabyte’s another addition to its non-Aorus branded budget series of gaming monitors, offering compelling specifications at competitive pricing.

There’s a lot of competition when it comes to affordable 1440p 144Hz curved models though, so, in this review, we’ll see how exactly the Gigabyte G27QCA compares to similarly priced alternatives, and if it’s the right display for you.

Image Quality

The monitor is based on Samsung’s popular 1440p 144Hz (native refresh rate) VA panel with a 1500R curvature, a 4,000:1 static contrast ratio, a 250-nit peak brightness, and 8-bit color depth support.

To start with, the 1440p Quad HD resolution provides you with a rich pixel density of roughly 108 PPI (pixels per inch). This means that you get plenty of screen space as well as sharp details, without any scaling necessary.

Keep in mind that 2560×1440 is considerably more demanding than 1920×1080, so make sure your PC system will be able to handle it, especially if you want to take advantage of the monitor’s high refresh rate.

Next, the strongest asset of VA panels is the high contrast ratio which results in deep inky blacks, bright whites, and a punchy relation between the darkest and the brightest tones.

In fact, blacks on IPS and TN panel displays, which have a contrast ratio of a mere 1,000:1, look grayish in comparison!

The peak brightness of 250-nits is the lowest by today’s standards, but the monitor can get more than bright enough under normal viewing conditions.

If you want to use the display in a very bright room without any curtains or blinds though, you might find it a bit dim even at maximum brightness.

Moving on, the Gigabyte G27QCA monitor has a wide color gamut backlight covering 92% of the DCI-P3 color space, which is equivalent to ~120% sRGB. As a result, you get more saturated and vibrant colors, particularly reds and greens.

Some users might not prefer the wide color gamut as it can make sRGB content appear over-saturated.

In this case, you can use the provided sRGB mode to restrict the color output to ~100% sRGB, though just how well this mode is calibrated will vary across different units of the monitor.

Lastly, note that the Gigabyte G27QCA supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), but due to its low brightness and lack of local dimming, HDR content won’t really look any better.

Performance

While most VA panel displays have specified viewing angles of 178° both horizontally and vertically, including the Gigabyte G27QCA, these aren’t quite as wide as the 178° viewing angles of the IPS technology.

Some minor shifts in brightness and contrast are expected when looking at the screen from sharp angles, but in real use, this won’t be an issue. You can even comfortably watch the monitor from a distance, i.e. in your bed.

Gamma shifts, on the other hand, are present when viewing the monitor directly, as it’s the case with all VA panel displays, but this won’t be a problem from regular use. It’s one of the reasons why professionals prefer IPS displays for color-accurate work though.

Now, the Gigabyte G27QCA has a factory-overclocked 165Hz refresh rate, which is supported over DisplayPort, while the HDMI ports are limited to 144Hz. In truth, there’s no visible difference between 144Hz and 165Hz.

The difference in motion clarity in comparison to the standard 60Hz displays is night and day, and if you haven’t upgraded to a high refresh rate display yet, you’re going to love it – especially if you play fast-paced and competitive games.

The input lag of the monitor amounts to only ~4ms which makes for imperceptible delay between your actions and the result on the screen.

When it comes to pixel response time, which is the time pixels take to change from one color to another, it’s a different story.

There are three response time overdrive modes: Picture Quality, Balance, and Speed.

Related:What Is Overdrive On A Monitor And How Do You Turn It On And Off?

Picture Quality is essentially disabled overdrive which is too slow even for 60Hz. Balanced works best up to 120Hz while the Speed mode is only good for higher refresh rates (144Hz+).

So, if you’re using the monitor at a fixed 144Hz or 165Hz refresh rate, you should use the Speed mode as it eliminates most of the ghosting at the cost of some picture overshoot (inverse ghosting).

In case you’re using a variable refresh rate (VRR) and your frame rate is often below 144FPS, stick with the Balance option as Speed introduces too much overshoot at lower refresh rates.

Unfortunately, some ghosting will always be visible in fast-paced games, particularly in darker scenes, which is common for VA panel displays.

If you’re mostly playing competitive FPS games, we recommend going with a faster IPS monitor instead, such as the LG 27GL83A.

Features

The Gigabyte specifies a 1ms response time speed for the G27QCA, but this refers to the MPRT measure which you can only get by enabling the Aim Stabilizer technology in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu of the monitor.

Aim Stabilizer is a Motion Blur Reduction technology that uses backlight strobing to reduce perceived trailing behind fast-moving objects. It makes fast-paced motion appear clearer, but it sacrifices picture brightness in the process.

Additionally, you cannot use Aim Stabilizer and VRR at the same time. For the best results with backlight strobing, your FPS (Frames Per Second) rate should match your refresh rate; otherwise, you’ll get the double-image effect.

Alternatively, you can enable FreeSync which provides you with a variable refresh rate that removes screen tearing and stuttering with no noticeable input lag penalty up to 165Hz/FPS.

Although the monitor is not certified as G-SYNC Compatible by NVIDIA, you can use FreeSync with compatible NVIDIA cards (GTX 10-series or newer) over DisplayPort, too.

While we didn’t have any issues when using FreeSync with an NVIDIA card, Samsung’s VA panels are prone to brightness flickering on some units.

Related:What Is VRR Brightness Flickering And Can You Fix It?

Other noteworthy features include Black Equalizer (improves visibility in dark scenes), a refresh rate tracker, customizable crosshair overlays, on-screen timers, and OSD Sidekick which allows you to adjust monitor settings in a desktop application.

Using the Dashboard feature, you can display useful system parameters (such as CPU and GPU temperature, utilization, fan speed, etc) on the screen. You’ll just need to connect the USB-A to USB-B cable from the monitor to your PC.

Finally, the backlight of the monitor is flicker-free and there’s an integrated low-blue light filter.

Design & Connectivity

The design of the monitor is simple, without any RGB lighting or flashy colors. It’s sturdy and offers height adjustment up to 130mm as well as -5°/20° tilt and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2, a headphones jack, two 2W integrated speakers, and a dual-USB 3.0 hub (1 upstream + 2 upstream ports).

Unlike the Aorus branded models, the G27QCA doesn’t have a noise-canceling headphone jack.

For navigation through the OSD menu, there’s a directional joystick which is a welcome change to hotkeys which are usually found on budget displays.

The screen has a matte anti-glare coating which eliminates reflections and doesn’t make the picture appear grainy while the 1500R curvature adds a bit of depth to the picture, but it’s not particularly noticeable.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Gigabyte G27QCA price goes for ~$270.

There’s also the older model, the Gigabyte G27QC, with the same specifications that’s been discontinued.

If you want a similar but cheaper monitor, check out the newer Gigabyte GS27QC. It doesn’t have as wide color gamut nor an ergonomic stand, but it can be found for $200. There’s also the Koorui 27E6QC with a wide color gamut and a more subtle 1800R screen curvature that can be found on sale for $170.

You can also find 32″ 1440p high refresh rate curved VA panels around this price range (~$250), such as the Gigabyte M32QC and GS32QC.

Finally, if you don’t want to deal with dark-level smearing, note that you can find a 27″ 1440p high refresh rate gaming monitor with a fast flat-screen IPS panel around this price range too, such as the Acer XV271U M3 and the Acer XV272UV.

To learn more about monitors and ensure you’re getting the model most suited for your personal preference, visit our comprehensive and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

Unlike Gigabyte’s Aorus gaming monitors which tend to be overpriced, the regular models offer much better value for the price. Although the G27QCA display has a lot of competition, it does offer some unique features that might appeal to some gamers.

However, if you’re sensitive to ghosting or screen tearing, we recommend going with an IPS monitor instead.

Specifications

Screen Size	27-inch
Screen Curvature	1500R
Resolution	2560×1440 (WQHD)
Panel Type	VA
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	165Hz
Response Time (GtG)	Not specified
Response Time (Aim Stabilizer)	1ms (MPRT)
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync (48-165Hz)
Speakers	2x2W
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	Headphone Jack, 2x USB 3.0
Brightness	250 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	4000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (true 8-bit) 92% DCI-P3
HDR	HDR10
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)