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After spending time with the RCA M27PG135F, I have a phrase running through my mind, “Who’da thunk it?” Honestly, the name RCA is one that many people won’t be familiar with. And those of us who do remember its heyday will be saying, “They’re still around?” If this gaming monitor is any indication, the answer is an emphatic “yes!”
(Image credit: RCA)
To be fair, the M27PG135F isn’t perfect. It has only average contrast for an IPS panel. It’s neither poor nor exceptional and if you want significantly more dynamic range, you’ll need to consider another screen type like VA or OLED. There is no extra contrast for HDR, which is a bummer because all it would take is adding a dimming feature. And there’s no sRGB mode. That’s not a big deal for most users.
But the M27PG135F’s positives are extreme. It has one of the largest color gamuts in the class. Though out-of-box accuracy has some room for improvement, it calibrates to a high standard. And it delivers that same quality for SDR and HDR. If color saturation is important to you, this monitor delivers it.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
The most impressive thing for me was the M27PG135F’s video processing. It has one of the best and most precise overdrives I’ve experienced. The backlight strobe is completely usable because it has none of that pesky phasing artifact that so many other monitors have. And it’s super-fast. Not only is panel response in the top tier, but it also has extremely low input lag. The M27PG135F is completely qualified for competition, and I suspect it will be a top choice for serious players.
In the super-crowded 27-inch QHD category, the RCA M27PG135F stands out as one of the best gaming monitors I’ve yet reviewed. Though it isn’t perfect, it delivers the important things better than many screens that cost more. Gamers looking for a competitive advantage and a lot of color should definitely check it out.
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.
