Gigabyte GS27FA Review: 1080p 180Hz IPS Gaming Monitor

The Gigabyte GS27FA is a budget 27″ 1080p 180Hz IPS gaming monitor, ideal for those who want an affordable 27″ display with quick response time but don’t mind a bit lower pixel density. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Image Quality

To start with, most users will probably be concerned about the 1920×1080 Full HD resolution being displayed on a 27″ sized screen as it results in a mediocre pixel density of 81.59 PPI.

In comparison, a 24″ 1080p display has roughly 92 PPI, and most users find a pixel density of around 110 PPI to be the sweet spot.

This means that text and fine details aren’t particularly sharp. The low pixel density is not that noticeable in games and videos, but if you plan on using your monitor for productivity work or any task that involves a lot of reading and typing, it’s not ideal.

For gaming and everyday use, most users will find the detail clarity on the Gigabyte GS27FA to be adequate. The upside is that 1080p is considerably less demanding on the GPU than 1440p, allowing you to maintain high frame rates in video games with a decent mid-range PC system.

Moving on, the Gigabyte GS27FA monitor uses a ‘Super-Speed’ IPS panel with 178° wide viewing angles, 8-bit color depth support and a 105% sRGB color gamut volume. As a result, you get consistent colors without over-saturation and the image will remain perfect regardless of the angle you’re looking at it.

The monitor has a peak brightness of 300-nits meaning that it can get more than bright enough under normal lighting conditions. However, as expected from an IPS panel display, the static contrast ratio amounts to 1,000:1, so blacks won’t be as deep as that of VA displays, which usually have a contrast ratio of ~3,000:1.

Naturally, VA panel monitors have their own advantages in this price range, including narrower viewing angles and slower pixel response time speed, which is why most gamers tend to go the IPS route.

Another thing to keep in mind is IPS glow, which is another expected drawback of this panel technology. It can be characterized as visible glowing around the corners of the screen at certain viewing angles, but it’s mainly visible when displaying dark scenes in a dark room at high brightness settings, so it’s manageable.

Performance

The Gigabyte GS27FA boasts a fast pixel response time speed for no noticeable ghosting behind fast-moving objects, which makes it ideal for fast-paced games.

Further, it has a maximum refresh rate of 180Hz, which provides you with a huge boost in motion clarity as opposed to the standard 60-75Hz displays.

You also get a significantly lower input lag of ~3ms, which makes for imperceptible delay between your actions and the result on the screen.

The monitor supports VRR (variable refresh rate) via AMD FreeSync with a 48-180Hz dynamic range for tear-free gameplay up to 180FPS.

Although it doesn’t have official G-SYNC Compatible certification by NVIDIA, VRR works without issues with GeForce GPUs over DisplayPort, whereas AMD FreeSync works over both HDMI and DP.

Alternatively, you can opt for Gigabyte’s Aim Stabilizer technology, which uses backlight strobing to reduce perceived motion at the cost of picture brightness. It’s also referred to as MBR (Motion Blur Reduction).

Aim Stabilizer cannot be active at the same time as VRR, and it introduces screen flickering that’s invisible to the human eye, but can cause headaches to sensitive users after prolonged use.

The backlight is otherwise flicker-free (as long as Aim Stabilizer is disabled) and there’s a dedicated low-blue light filter.

Features

Beneath the bottom bezel of the screen, there’s a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu. As an alternative, you can use Gigabyte’s OSD Sidekick desktop application as well.

Apart from the standard image adjustment tools (brightness, contrast, color temperature, etc.), the Gigabyte GS27FA also offers a few advanced settings, including sharpness (Super Resolution), automatic input detection and aspect ratio control (full, aspect and overscan).

Useful gaming features include Black Equalizer (improves visibility in dark scenes), crosshair overlays, a refresh rate tracker and on-screen timers.

The monitor also supports HDR10, but while it can accept and display the HDR10 signal, it lacks the required hardware (an OLED panel or a full-array local dimming solution) for a proper HDR viewing experience, so you can ignore it.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is tilt-only by -5°/20°, but it’s quite sturdy and doesn’t take up a lot of desk space. Moreover, the screen is VESA mount compatible via the 100x100mm pattern, and has a light matte anti-glare coating that’s great at handling reflections without adding too much graininess to the image.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports and a headphone jack. All three video inputs support 1920×1080 at 180Hz.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Gigabyte GS27FA goes for around $160, which is a bit expensive considering its 1080p resolution. The KTC H2722F with a higher 240Hz refresh rate and a fully ergonomic stand can also be found for $160 on sale.

For the same price, you can find a 27″ 180Hz IPS gaming monitor with a wider color gamut and a higher 2560×1440 QHD resolution, the KTC H27T22S.

If you want a 1080p display, we recommend considering a 24″ model, such as the KTC H24T09P or the BenQ EX240 with higher pixel density and wider color gamut for $100 – $130.

Finally, in case you’re set on a 27″ 1080p high refresh rate IPS display, check out the KTC H27E22F – it has a 240Hz refresh rate and an ergonomic stand, and it can be found on sale for $150.

The Xiaomi Redmi G27 (99% sRGB), the Innocn 27G1G Plus (99% sRGB) and the Sansui ES-G27F2 (120% sRGB) with 27″ 1080p 165Hz IPS panels are also worth considering as they can be found for $110 – $150.

Conclusion

The Gigabyte GS27FA is an overall excellent gaming monitor with consistent colors and fast response time, however, there are better alternatives in this price range. If you can find it on sale for ~$100, it’s worth considering.

Specifications

Screen Size	27-inch
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	180Hz
Response Time	Not specified
Aim Stabilizer (MBR)`	1ms MPRT
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync (48-180Hz)
Ports	DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	300 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (8-bit)
HDR	HDR10
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)