Gigabyte Aorus FO27Q5P 27-inch 500 Hz QD-OLED gaming monitor review: Superb in every respect

Gigabyte’s Aorus line begets a stunning new OLED

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Gigabyte Aorus FO27Q5P
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(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Gigabyte Aorus FO27Q5P
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

While I maintain that no computer monitor needs more than 350 nits peak, the extra headroom provided by the FO27Q5P’s 503 nits is welcome. It comes into play when using Ultra Clear, which cuts brightness by around 50%. It’s brighter than all its competitors except the XG27AQDPG. However, there is a variable brightness option to consider. With APL Stabilize on Low, the peak is around 360 nits. That’s equivalent to the constant brightness feature found on other OLEDs. To get 503 nits, I set that option to High. Black levels and contrast are unmeasurable, like all the OLEDs I’ve reviewed.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Gigabyte Aorus FO27Q5P
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Calibration changes nothing except the peak brightness level. I set that to 200 nits with APL Stabilize still on the Low setting. If you use Medium or High, you’ll have to reduce the brightness value to keep the peak at 200 nits. You’ll also have to turn the brightness up if you use Ultra Clear. ANSI contrast is unaffected by any of these settings. It can’t be measured in any circumstance.

Test Takeaway: The FO27Q5P is a bit brighter than most 27-inch QHD OLEDs, matched only by the Asus XG27AQDPG. It stands out by having three variable brightness options, most monitors have either one or none, i.e., they run constant brightness only.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • oofdragon
    End game monitor right there.. well done Gigabyte
    Reply
  • Heat_Fan89
    Three years ago I purchased their 43" 4K monitor. It's LED but can run up to a 120Hz. It's been trouble free but a funny thing happened recently where I thought it failed. I was messing with some of the settings and all of a sudden I see this red dot appear out of nowhere right dab in the middle. I immediately thought stuck pixels. So I started researching how to possibly get rid of those stuck pixels.

    Well nothing worked. It turns out, I enabled by mistake a crosshair LED dot for first person shooters in the settings. :ROFLMAO:
    Reply
  • King_V
    500 Hz

    https://c.tenor.com/0pvhK9QgT5IAAAAC/tenor.gif
    Reply