KTC H27P3 27-inch 5K dual-mode gaming monitor review: Incredible pixel density and flexibility

It’s color accurate out of the box.

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KTC H27P3
(Image credit: © Tom's Hardware)

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Any thoughts I or anyone else might have about 5K gaming monitors should be qualified by the fact that there aren’t many available. It’s not a prolific genre at present, so you don’t have many choices. That said, KTC is offering excellent value in the H27P3.

KTC H27P3

(Image credit: KTC)

The standout feature here is the H27P3’s color. It’s both perfectly accurate out of the box and highly saturated. My initial tests showed such low errors that I could not improve them with calibration. And that’s something you can see when comparing it to other monitors of any type. It also has more color volume than almost anything else, and more than many Quantum Dot displays, even though it is not a QD monitor. IPS Black has made a serious statement here. That tech also delivers the highest IPS contrast I’ve ever measured, around 2,000:1, which is VA territory.

KTC H27P3

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

As a gaming screen, the H27P3 is just fair. Though it’s stunning to look at, it doesn’t have a refresh rate fast enough to mitigate motion blur. If you stick to graphical adventures that don’t require frenetic movement, it’s fine. But shooters are more challenging when you’re used to the magic of a 360 Hz OLED. If you really want to game in 5K, the Asus XG27JCG is a better bet, albeit for $300 more.

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Besides terrific color and contrast, the H27P3 delivers value. A 5K monitor for $550 is amazing when you consider that it wasn’t long ago that the first 4K screens arrived for around $3,000 and were useless for gaming. If KTC could double the refresh rate here, it would be a homerun. But if you want to see a stunningly sharp, colorful image when watching movies or working in Photoshop, the H27P3 is well worth checking out.

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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.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • voyteck
    On paper, it’s an almost perfect all-rounder, except for the barely functional stand and (probably) the lack of a white version.

    By the way, pixel density isn't only about whether you see individual dots or not; text on, say, a Full HD 15-inch laptop is distorted in the same way as on a 27-inch Full HD monitor (and you sit close enough to notice this just as clearly, provided the scaling remains the same.) And the Ultra HD resolution is not enough even on a 27-inch display since you can easily see that the same letter has different widths. Then come two words: font optimization.

    Although now I wonder if I'd like to play at QHD @ 120Hz in the era of DLSS and frame generation. Since there are still no 5K @ 120Hz displays I think I will stay with UHD, even if I would love to have 5K for copy editing.
    Reply