Asus ROG Strix XG27VQ Review: Curved Gaming Goodness

Asus ROG Strix XG27VQ Review: Curved Gaming Goodness

We review ASUS’ ROG Strix XG27VQ curved monitor!

ASUS’ ROG gaming brand has expanded to a whole host of peripherals and accessories, including monitors specifically tuned for gamers. Their 27-inch, curved ROG Strix XG27VQ is one such display, sporting gaming-specific features, full HD panel plus a fast 144Hz refresh rate. While ASUS’ offering isn’t the cheapest option in the market, their monitor has quite a number of gaming-specific features that they hope will sway you when it’s time to upgrade.

Design: Three pillar support and always-on ROG logo is a little gaudy for our taste

If you’ve seen ASUS’ other high-end ROG displays, you have an idea of the overall design for the XG27VQ. A three-point design with a central pillar that holds up the actual display is what you get from the box, though honestly we’re not fans of the red highlights, aggressive angles and vented sections that adorn the XG27VQ. The overall aesthetic certainly screams “gamer”, complete with the LED light on the rear, as well as red ROG logo projected on the bottom of the display.

There’s also a circular LED on the rear of the monitor, which you can customize and sync if your rig uses ASUS’ Aura Sync lighting system. Again, it’s a design choice that we’re not particularly fond of, since ASUS just added an LED light to a part of the monitor that you never really see. Even with the lights off, the circular LED lights can’t be discerned, since it’ll be washed out in the brightness of the display. It’s adding LED lighting for lighting’s sake, which isn’t always a good thing. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Display: Plenty fast and responsive

The XG27VQ gets a 27-inch full HD panel that has a pretty generous and aggressive 1800R, which is fast becoming the standard for most gaming displays nowadays. The panel itself is a VA LCD, with a 144 Hz refresh rate. We like the fact that the display has thin 10mm side bezels, though we would have liked to see that bezel size extend to the top and bottom of the monitor.

As for ports, you’re looking at HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 and DVI-D at a single port a piece. There’s a 3.5mm jack available if you want to route audio that way, though the monitor itself does not have speakers anywhere.

The XG27VQ has ASUS’ new Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) feature, which strobes the backlight to greatly reduce motion blue and ghosting of fast moving effects. In practice the feature worked pretty well for us, though it does have a few cons: it can’t be used in conjunction with FreeSync, which the monitor supports, and only works in the 85 to 120Hz range.

Speaking of FreeSync, AMD GPU users will like the fact that the monitor is compatible with that particular display tech, working in a variable refresh window of 48 to 144Hz.

Since the monitor uses a VA LCD panel, you’re looking at excellent contrast ratios and viewing angles. Response times are pegged at around 4ms, which isn’t bad, and overall viewing angles are estimated to be around 178 degrees.

Performance: Just as advertised

While we’re not fans of how the XG27VQ looked, we loved how it performed. Playing a variety of games on the monitor felt great, with no noticeable screen tearing or flickering thanks to the 144Hz refresh rate and ELMB feature. Colors are pretty accurate for what the monitor gives you, and you don’t get any kind of distortions when you change your viewing angles when you’re adjusting in your seat. You can customize the monitor’s settings easily via the 4-way d-pad on the rear of the monitor as well, which gives you full control over the display settings while you’re using it.

Verdict: Hi-performance if gaudy-looking gaming monitor

Despite weird design choices, the ROG Strix XG27VQ does deliver on its promise of maximum performance. With fast response times, aggressive 1800R curvature, 1400Hz refresh rate as well as color-accurate VA panel plus FreeSync tech, the ROG Strix XG27VQ should definitely be on your watchlist if you’re looking to upgrade to a new gaming monitor. You’ll have to shell out Php Php 26,990 for the chance to own one though.

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