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Conclusion
So, what makes a gaming monitor great? A high refresh rate and adaptive sync are no-brainers. Once you’ve experienced those two things, there’s no going back to tor frames at 60Hz. Pixel density is certainly important, and we agree that the more dots you can pack into the rectangle, the better. But that requires more power from the graphics card side. A more-expensive monitor begs for a more-expensive video card. Contrast and color accuracy, while not a priority to everyone, are also key to the experience. Color must look natural and there should be sufficient dynamic range to create a 3D effect without compromising detail.
The Asus PG27V checks almost all the boxes. Its gaming performance is as good as it gets. Though there are faster monitors, we’ve seen little benefit to going above 165Hz. The differences in smoothness are invisible, and our input lag measurements show a gap that only a Jedi Knight would notice. This display plays games as well as the best screens we’ve reviewed. Response to control inputs is nigh-instantaneous, and objects fly around with no blur or judder.
Color accuracy is an issue here if you choose to use the monitor in its default state. The Racing mode we’ve come to appreciate in many other Asus monitors seems to have taken a step backward. Gamma is too dark and the color temperature is clearly lacking in blue. If you don’t make a few tweaks, picture quality is not up to the standard we've come to expect from a premium gaming screen. Fortunately, the fix is at hand with a switch to the 1.8 gamma preset and the warm color temp option. And with an instrumented calibration, we have no complaints about color performance at all.
Contrast is a bit below other gaming displays we’ve reviewed, especially the ones that rely on VA technology. In our opinion, that should be a must for gaming, and any other computer application for that matter. The difference between 1000:1 and 3000:1 is significant and has a major impact on image quality.
And does that TN panel really matter? While some will dismiss it outright, it didn’t bother us during testing or in actual use. The 1800R curvature takes care of light falloff and color shift issues when sitting on-center at a typical viewing distance. Yes, we’d prefer the screen were IPS or VA (or that the price would drop a bit), but it’s far from a deal-breaker. So, while the PG27V has a few flaws, it’s still a good gaming monitor. We think once you’ve fragged a few friends on it, you’ll agree.
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