Gigabyte GS27FA 190 Hz gaming monitor review: Responsive and smooth gameplay without frills

The best gaming monitors come in various shapes and sizes, but the bread-and-butter category is 27-inch screens in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Not only is this an ideal form factor for general use, but a huge array of good choices means you get a lot of bang for the buck.

Gigabyte is well known for its commitment to value and knowing exactly where the price/performance sweet spot is. Both Gigabyte and its upline brand, Aorus, deliver bright, colorful and accurate images with smooth and responsive gaming performance.

If frame rates are where your priority lies, an FHD screen is the easiest way to hit high numbers without needing a $1,500 video card. The GS27FA is Gigabyte’s latest e-sports model with a 27-inch IPS panel running at a native 180 Hz (190 Hz with overclock), plus Adaptive-Sync and HDR. And it costs less than $250. Let’s take a look.

Gigabyte GS27FA Specs

Most sub-$300 monitors leave out peripheral features like USB ports, speakers and LED lighting, and the GS27FA is no different. However, everything you need for image fidelity and high-performance gaming is there. The resolution is 1920x1080 (FHD), which in a 27-inch 16:9 monitor means 82ppi pixel density. That won’t change your life, but it is enough for a sharp image at typical viewing distances of two to three feet.

The important thing here is motion resolution and that is where the GS27FA excels. It’s easy to maintain 180 or 190fps with a mid-priced video card which means you can build a gaming rig that delivers competition-level response and smoothness for a reasonable sum. Both flavors of Adaptive-Sync are supported as well, so you won’t see any frame tears. The GS27FA has not been certified by Nvidia, but it ran G-Sync perfectly in my tests.

Gigabyte also includes a backlight strobe feature called Aim Stabilizer; however, it doesn’t have adjustable pulse width nor work with Adaptive-Sync. But it’s there if you want it. More on that later. The GS27FA includes a superb overdrive with only a single setting, but it’s the perfect level. Factory tuning has occurred because I observed motion resolution on par with the best gaming monitors I’ve reviewed.

Image quality is very good, with around 343 nits measured in SDR mode and 371 for HDR content. HDR10 is supported with accurate tone mapping, but there is no dynamic contrast and color is limited to the sRGB gamut. Full calibration controls are also included with multiple picture modes, color temps and gamma presets.

The GS27FA is a good-looking, solid-performing, no-frills gaming monitor selling for an attractive price. It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but as the anchor for a budget gaming rig, it’s a compelling choice.

Assembly and Accessories

The GS27FA’s carton protects its contents with crumbly foam. The upright is a short piece that attaches to its base with a captive bolt and snaps onto the bottom of the panel. The power supply is internal, so IEC cords for three different countries are provided. The only video cable in the box is HDMI.

Product 360

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The GS27FA has a chiseled look that is apparent in the edges of the panel and the component bulge in back with its trapezoidal shape, sharp angles and softly rounded corners. The word Gigabyte appears on the thin bezel in front and in polished letters on the back. Ample ventilation is provided, and I never noticed anything above room temperature operation during my review. A 100mm VESA mount pattern is evident, but you’ll need to provide your own fasteners if you want to use an arm.

The stand snaps onto the bottom part of the panel so when you tilt, the fulcrum is also at the bottom. Tilt is the only adjustment, there is no height or swivel. The base is just large and heavy enough to keep the GS27FA stable. Total weight is right at 11 pounds.

Under the center of the panel is the single control, a tiny joystick that covers all monitor functions. At the right is a white power LED. It glows steadily for power on and flashes slowly in standby. The input panel is also up and under the center portion of the GS27FA. It includes two HDMI 2.0, one DisplayPort 1.4 and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There are no USB ports or internal speakers. A small clip attaches to the stand to tidy up the wiring.

OSD Features

Pressing the GS27FA’s joystick brings up a small quick menu at the bottom right corner of the screen. An up click opens the full OSD. You can also program the joystick directions for quick access to options like input selection and sound volume.

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Clicking right from the quick menu brings up the GameAssist feature, where you’ll find timers and a refresh rate counter. A left click gives you four different aiming points, all green, in cross circle, dot or chevron shapes.

Moving onto the full menu, it starts with Gaming, which has toggles for Aim Stabilizer (backlight strobe), Overdrive and FreeSync. The backlight strobe is available when you turn off Adaptive-Sync. I wasn’t a fan as it had visible ghosting and phase artifacts. The overdrive is far better because it’s tuned perfectly to the GS27FA’s 190 Hz refresh rate. It delivers smooth motion resolution with no artifacts. Where is the overclock? I’ll tell you in a moment.

The Picture menu offers seven picture modes. Eco is the default and is brightness-limited, so I recommend switching to Standard. You can calibrate if you wish using the five gamma presets and the custom color temp with RGB sliders. There’s an sRGB mode, but it’s redundant since the GS27FA is an sRGB monitor.

I found the overclock in the Display menu. It would make more sense if it were in Gaming, but you can enable the 190 Hz refresh rate here. Though Gigabyte warns of possible instability, I saw no problems at any time. The Quick Switch refers to the four joystick directions that can be programmed to provide a variety of quick access functions.

Gigabyte GS27FA Calibration Settings

The GS27FA comes set to its Eco picture mode by default and it provides a decent image if you don’t need more than around 180 nits brightness. This will impact HDR, so I suggest switching to Standard for the full light output. My initial tests showed accurate grayscale tracking but also light gamma and slightly under-saturated color. Changing to gamma preset 4 and tweaking the RGB sliders in the custom color temp memory made a significant improvement. I’ll detail this more on page four. My recommended SDR settings are below. For HDR, brightness is locked at the maximum level and there are no image controls.

Gaming and Hands-on

It’s easy to be swayed by resolution as the deciding factor in a monitor purchase, but one should not discount frame rates. In a fast-paced game, keeping detail sharp as you whip about the virtual environment is paramount to aiming precision and the ability to identify targets at a distance. Higher pixel density isn’t much good if moving images are blurry.

The GS27FA exemplifies this. I’ve reviewed many FHD monitors that put speed ahead of pixel density and come away pleased every time. This 190 Hz won’t cost you much money, but it will check all the boxes for performance. The overdrive is as good as it gets at any price. There’s only a single setting, but it’s tuned perfectly for 190fps. And you’ll have little trouble hitting that speed with a wide variety of affordable video cards.

Adaptive-Sync worked perfectly for me on Nvidia and AMD platforms. I found no use for the Aim Stabilizer backlight strobe. It introduces visible artifacts and cancels out FreeSync and G-Sync. Unless you run below 100fps, it won’t be an improvement.

I found the GS27FA to be extremely responsive to control inputs. I measured 22ms in testing which puts it among the very quickest screens available. You’ll have to spend significantly more money to gain a few milliseconds.

The static image is clear and color accurate. Contrast is better than most IPS screens can boast and after a few tweaks to the color temp and gamma settings, I had a nicely saturated image with good blacks and satisfying depth. Better contrast can be found from a VA panel but that won’t have the GS27FA’s excellent viewing angles. They are among the best IPS has to offer.

Daily tasks are no problem for the GS27FA and i's very functional 27-inch 16:9 form factor. I would wish for a little more pixel density when editing photos or working in text-based apps. QHD is a better choice if your schedule includes more work than play.

Takeaway: If you want to replicate the pro e-sports feel on a budget, the GS27FA is a great choice. With a premium overdrive, it makes more of its 190 Hz than some monitors make with 240. I missed the wide gamut and deep contrast that have spoiled me on other screens but for the price, the GS27FA is hard to beat. It delivers solid gaming, a good responsive feel and a very nice image. And it’s supremely functional for anything you might do on a budget PC.

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