Lenovo G27q-30 165 Hz Gaming Monitor Review: Solid Performance and Color Accuracy

27-inch QHD VA gaming monitor with 165 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR and wide gamut color.

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Lenovo G27q-30
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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The 27-inch QHD 165 Hz monitor category is packed so I had little trouble rounding up recently released products to compare the G27q-30’s performance. The group is Cooler Master’s GP2711 and GP27Q, Gigabyte’s GS27QC, MSI’s G272QPF and AOC’s CQ27G3S. The Cooler Master displays are Mini LED so, a bit higher priced. However, they offer a relevant comparison in all aspects except brightness and contrast.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

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Lenovo G27q-30
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The G27q-30’s response and lag numbers are right in line with the competition. Response is typical of 165-180 Hz monitors at six milliseconds. This means good motion resolution with very little blur. The Lenovo’s overdrive is good but not great. I saw slight black trail artifacts in the Blur Busters test patterns. They were only occasionally visible when gaming. Input lag is very low, which translates to quick and precise mouse movement. I could not perceive any lag whatsoever. The G27q-30 is slightly quicker than the competition in this regard.

Test Takeaway: The G27q-30 represents the low end of the price spectrum for 27-inch QHD 165 Hz monitors but has a bit less input lag than most. Motion blur is visually the same but there are slight black trail artifacts from the overdrive. Overall, it delivers a satisfying play experience that will suit all but the most advanced players. They should be looking at 240 Hz minimum anyway.

Viewing Angles

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I could almost be fooled into thinking I’m looking at an IPS monitor here. The G27q-30’s off-axis image quality is exemplary among VA panels. There is no light falloff at 45 degrees to the sides, just a slight shift to green and a small change in gamma. Yes, the latest IPS displays are better but not by a lot. This is exceptional performance.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

Lenovo G27q-30

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Visually, the G27q-30’s screen uniformity is perfect when looking at a black field pattern. The meter picks up a slight hotspot in the lower right corner, but I couldn’t see it. All colors are perfectly uniform as well and there is no grain in the image.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

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MORE: How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor

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
  • dmitche31958
    Okay. I'm ignorant but what is the purpose of an USB port on a monitor? Thanks.
    Updated. Never mind. I looked it up. Yes, I can see that not having multiple USB ports for daisy chaining monitors is a big negative for many people.
    Reply
  • wakuwaku
    dmitche31958 said:
    Okay. I'm ignorant but what is the purpose of an USB port on a monitor? Thanks.
    Updated. Never mind. I looked it up. Yes, I can see that not having multiple USB ports for daisy chaining monitors is a big negative for many people.
    erm no you do not use usb ports to daisy chain monitors. daisy chaining is done using display ports, provided the monitor supports them.

    usb ports on monitors serve two or maybe three purposes depending on the type of usb input they use.

    1. a monitor that has a usb connection to the pc can use it for firmware updates. monitors now are becoming more and more feature rich and complicated. we need firmware updates to fix bugs and maybe introduce new features that benefit us.

    2. A usb hub. having a usb hub integrated into the monitor has many advantages. It saves desk space and reduces clutter. You can plug in your wireless keyboard and mouse dongles to bring it closer to your mouse and keyboard, reducing chance of inteference and signal loss compared to being plugged into the back of your pc especially when its on the floor under your desk. You can take advantage of the additional power the monitor provides to charge peripherals and phones faster, something most pcs and laptops usb ports dont do. With multiple inputs it can act as a integrated kvm switch, brininging you all the conveniences of one to switch between multiple pcs and laptops using one monitor/keyboard/mouse without taking up more of your deskspace.

    3. Although not that common, mostly available on work monitors and less on gaming monitors, there are monitors that have usb c input(s). These monitors accept video and data input via these usb c input ports. Laptops (and some desktop motherboards) that can output video and data through their usb c port can reduce even more clutter by using only a single cable to plug in to the monitor to get a bigger display while expanding your amount of usb ports. Effectively some monitors even act as docks, since you already plug in your keyboard and mouse into the monitor, and some monitors even come with built in usb ethernet. And using that same usb c cable, you can also charge your laptop. This also works with smartphones btw.
    Reply
  • dmitche31958
    Thanks for the information. While I might have been interested in the past, my days of bleeding edge and edgy things is gone. 40 years of always pushing the edges of what can be done has left me now enjoying the simpler content lifestyle. :)
    Reply