Razer Raptor 27 144Hz Gaming Monitor Review

Rating: 8.0.

Razer certainly knows a thing or two about style. The company's gorgeous gaming laptops have been enticing players for some years now, and Razer has been branching out into other areas of late, including routers. This may have seemed like a bit of a leap for a company not previously in the networking business, but the Razer Raptor 27 not so much. Laptops have integrated screens after all. This high-end 27in gaming display has the Razer hallmark – design ethos streaming out of its pixels.

As the Porsche-AOC collaboration has shown to its detriment, however, you need a solid monitor specification to back up all that style. Whereas the latter merely looked great, with rather pedestrian features underneath, the Raptor 27 sports a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution, 144Hz refresh, and FreeSync 2 with G-sync Compatible accreditation. So this is a serious piece of gaming hardware.

The panel technology used is IPS, which isn't the best for pixel response but is top of the heap for visual quality. The grey-to-grey response is the usual 4ms for this technology, although Razer reduces this to 1ms with Motion Blur Reduction. The maximum brightness is rated at 420cd/m2, just enough for DisplayHDR400 certification, and contrast is the usual 1000:1 of IPS. Razer claims 95 per cent of the DCI-P3 gamut, which will be great for HDR gaming and movie watching.

So the Raptor 27 is much more than a pretty face, but the design is still the main focus. The solid stand doesn't allow swivel, but you can raise the panel up and down as well as tilt it. You can also tilt it all the way back so the screen points up, making cable attachment very easy. You get all the main connectivity options here, with DisplayPort, HDMI and USB-C, although only one of each. The latter is accompanied by a pair of USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, and there's a minijack for plugging in your headphones.

With unique flat cabling in the luminescent green that is part of Razer's brand image, this is an eye-catching device, although it also comes at an eye-catching price. Considering that Gigabyte's AORUS FI27Q-P available for £240 less with HBR3 and 165Hz, is the Raptor 27 making you pay too much for style over substance? Let's find out.

Specification:

• Screen size: 27-inch, 16:9 aspect
• Native resolution: 2,560 x 1,440
• Refresh rate: 144Hz, FreeSync 2, G-sync Compatible
• Panel type: IPS
• Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 (typical)
• Brightness: 420cd/m2
• Response time: 4ms grey-to-grey, 1ms MBR
• Display inputs: 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x USB-C
• USB hub: Yes, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1
• Tilt: 5 degrees forward, 25 degrees backward
• Raise: 100mm
• Swivel: No
• Portrait: No
• Other: Audio output

Retail Price: £699 (inc. VAT)

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