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When exploring the extremes of gaming monitor performance, there is always a compromise. High resolution means a lower frame rate. High frame rates mean lower resolution. High frame rates and high resolution mean a higher price. The QHD/165 Hz category is still the balance point where you can get sharp imagery and excellent motion resolution for a reasonable sum. The deciding factor then becomes video processing quality, and, in that area, the HyperX Armada 27 excels.
It has one of the best overdrive implementations I’ve seen with a high degree of blur reduction and no ghosting. It has a useful backlight strobe that reduces blur to nothing while avoiding the phasing artifacts often seen in lesser displays. And it has very low input lag putting it on par with many faster screens.
There is plenty to like about its image quality too. Contrast is about average, but a dimming feature effectively doubles the dynamic range with no downside. And HDR contrast is better than many inexpensive IPS panels can boast.
The best bit, though, is the Armada 27’s ability to save calibration settings in multiple picture modes. That means you can use either sRGB or DCI-P3 color for SDR content with equalized brightness, identical white points and consistent gamma. This is something rarely seen in any monitor, including the professional genre, where you often get just one user-configurable preset.
I also must give kudos to the mounting arm. Though it’s unusual for a monitor to come without a stand, the arm is of such high quality you’ll want to use it. And the ability to attach two panels to a single column is cool. The HyperX Armada 27, like its 25-inch stablemate, sets itself apart from the crowd. If you’re looking for high performance, premium image quality and good value, you should definitely check it out.
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