Introduction
The list of adaptive-refresh displays is growing ever-longer with new FreeSync and G-Sync products coming out at regular intervals. While you can find 24 and 27-inch screens at a wide range of prices, two distinct categories are emerging. One is on the high-end where you'll find IPS panels, QHD resolution, motion-blur reduction and premium pricing. On the other end are less-expensive screens based on TN panels with 1920x1080 pixels in both 24 and 27-inch sizes.
24 inches is a great form factor if you need a display that's easy to pack up and carry. The ones we've looked at are light and compact; easily secured in their suitcase style cartons and toted to LAN parties. A 27-inch screen is more likely to stay put on users' desktops so there you'll find better build quality and perhaps nicer styling too.
We've been consistently impressed with AOC's products in past reviews as they offer a lot for the money. Last year, we evaluated the G-Sync G2460PG and found it competent and most importantly, inexpensive.
Today, we have AOC's first FreeSync offering in the lab, the G2770PF. It's a 27-inch TN panel running in FHD resolution at 144Hz. Unlike some of its more-expensive competition, the FreeSync range extends all the way to the max rate and down to a very practical 30Hz. This makes it ideal for use with a wide variety of graphics boards and should last users through multiple hardware upgrades.
Specifications
To keep the price low the G2770PF leaves out less-important features like motion-blur reduction. To us this is a non-issue because you can't use it in FreeSync mode and it always reduces light output and overall contrast. In our opinion, the reduction in image quality is greater than the improvement in motion resolution. And without FreeSync, tearing is fairly obvious at rates below 90fps.
Also helping reduce cost is the TN panel running at FHD resolution. Many users prefer IPS and higher pixel counts and we count ourselves among them. But prices are still higher not only for the technology but for the greater QHD pixel density and longer feature list. If you're not willing to spend $600 and up on a 27-inch screen however, this AOC might just be the monitor for you.
Hardware-wise, everything you need for an excellent gaming experience is included. The panel is bright with a white-LED backlight. Color depth is 8-bits and gamut is the correct sRGB specification. There are built-in speakers plus a headphone jack and an analog audio input. A USB hub with four downstream ports is also present. Build quality looks solid on first glance and the whole package seems pretty good for the money. Let's hook up the test gear and take a closer look.
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