Gigabyte AORUS AD27QD 27in 144Hz IPS FreeSync Tactical Gaming Monitor Review

Rating: 9.0.

We don't normally consider monitor choice to be a ‘tactical' decision, but as Gigabyte is calling its new AORUS AD27QD a Tactical Gaming screen, the company is clearly implying improvements to your strategic organisational abilities with this display. Looking at the features on offer, they could be onto something.

Although Gigabyte makes lots of peripherals and components, this is the first screen we have seen under the AORUS brand, and it's clearly a flagship model intended to break into the market with a bang. The key features that merit the tactical label include active noise cancelling, filtering out background noise from headsets you plug into it. You can also call up crosshairs and an onscreen FPS display that run on the monitor rather than in software. There's an Aim Stablizer, to help with blur when you fire a gun, and an applet called OSD Sidekick, which gives you complete control over the screen via a Windows-based OSD.

These aren't gimmicks on top of an otherwise pedestrian TN panel, either. The AD27QD uses a 10-bit IPS display with a 27in diagonal. The resolution is 2,560 x 1,440, which is sensible for a screen this size and current graphics hardware capabilities. It supports HDR 400 and Gigabyte claims the panel can display 95 per cent of the movie-focused DCI-P3 colour space.

AMD FreeSync support sits alongside a high 144Hz refresh rate, although not NVIDIA G-Sync. Since this is an IPS panel, you might expect pixel response to be the Achilles heel for gamers, but Gigabyte claims 1ms, where most IPS screens only offer 4 or 5ms. However, this is MPRT (moving picture response time) not GtG (grey to grey), and the latter is usually slower than the former. The AD27QD is also only specified at 350cd/m2 brightness and 1,000:1 contrast, which are more normal for this technology.

A full range of physical adjustments is available, including swivel, tilt, and height variation. You get two HDMI 2.0 inputs, DisplayPort 1.2, plus headphone and microphone audio jacks. There's a USB hub, but only with two ports, although one has fast charge for mobile phones.

All this comes at a cost, however, with the current recommended retail price set at £534.99. Basic 27in screens with this resolution start at not much more than £200 these days. So read on to find out if the AD27QD is a good tactical decision for your wallet as well as in specification.

Specification:

• Screen size: 27-inch, 16:9 aspect
• Native resolution: 2,560 x 1,440
• Refresh rate: 144Hz
• Panel type: IPS
• Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 (typical)
• Brightness: 400cd/m2
• Response time: 1ms MPRT
• Display inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2
• USB hub: Yes, 2 x USB 3.0
• Tilt: 21 degrees backward, 5 degrees forward
• Raise: 130mm
• Swivel: 20 degrees left and right
• Portrait: Yes
• Other: Audio output, mic input, AMD FreeSync

Retail Price: £534.99  (inc. VAT)

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