ViewSonic XG2703-GS QHD G-Sync Monitor Review

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Color Gamut & Luminance

For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, please click here.

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It’s pretty easy to see how grayscale, gamma, and color interact when looking at the gamut and luminance charts for Standard mode. Grayscale runs slightly blue, which pulls magenta and cyan secondary colors off their hue targets. And gamma is too bright, which reduces color saturation. Even though luminance levels are higher, this is only some compensation. It’s not a substitute for correct balance.

In Web, gamma goes the opposite way and color saturations exceed their targets. Luminance levels drop below the line, so now we’ve over-corrected. The image looks better but not as good as it could.

Correcting the RGB sliders and selecting the proper gamma preset sets things right. Now every color saturation is on target, luminance levels are neutral and resulting errors are well-below 1dE. If you’re wondering about the six-axis color controls, they only affect luminance. We hoped to further tweak magenta’s hue value but couldn’t. It’s not an issue though. This is excellent performance.

Comparisons

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As a result of our adjustments, we’ve taken the XG2703-GS’s color score from 2.58 to 1.21dE. That’s within striking distance of many professional screens and among the very best in the gaming monitor category. This is not an inexpensive display, but it certainly earns a place in the premium category. We have no complaints.

Thanks to a bit of bonus red, sRGB volume is 105.79%. It won’t result in visible issues, but a custom profile is recommended for proofing applications. As much as we strive for accuracy, a tad bit of extra saturation is OK too.

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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.

35 Comments Comment from the forums
  • dstarr3
    "120Hz ULMB... 1440p IPS panel... looking good so far..."
    *checks price*
    "Sigh... Figures..."
    Reply
  • Sam Hain
    Ditch that 1970's avocado green accent color! Why for?
    Reply
  • Dantte
    Slow, glows like it was built in a nuclear test zone, and no contrast to speak of. But hey, your red is very red, your blue is very blue, your green is very green, and if you stare at your monitor from the side (cause thats how everyone is doing it); IPS is the monitor for you!
    Reply
  • 10tacle
    So who makes the actual panel? LG? Samsung? Regarding the price, I see it on Amazon and NewEgg right now for $650 (US). Considering I paid over $500 for my Dell U2713HM 27" 1440p 60Hz IPS monitor back in 2013, I'd say this is an excellent bargain.

    Regarding out of box calibration, you can buy a very good monitor calibration tool like Datacolor's SpyderCHECKR 24 for $50. Well worth the investment if you care about color accuracy on not only your PC and laptop monitors, but your HDTVs.
    Reply
  • 10tacle
    Never mind, I found the answer on another website's review. The panel is made by AU Optronics (merger of Acer Display Technology and Unipac Optoelectronics). Going forward on monitor reviews can you guys please include information on who makes the panel?
    Reply
  • coolitic
    3H AG is awful for any high-quality monitor and the low brightness will make ULMB subpar.
    Reply
  • bentonsl_2010
    If you read the article you would of seen that they stated the panel is made by AU Optronics
    Reply
  • the nerd 389
    Just curious: why do you calibrate to a gamma of 2.2?

    The sRGB standard, IEC 61966-2-1:1999, varies between 1.0 and 2.4 across the output range. I understand that the decision to write the standard in that way stems from how the CRTs of the day responded, so it may not apply to LCD screens.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    19705624 said:
    *checks price*
    "Sigh... Figures..."
    Don't expect G-sync to get significantly cheaper any time soon as Nvidia has a monopoly over the proprietary scaler it requires. The joys of single-vendor proprietary standards.
    Reply
  • 10tacle
    19706303 said:
    If you read the article you would of seen that they stated the panel is made by AU Optronics

    I did not read the first part of the conclusion page which is where it is referenced. So it was my bad. Still, I would expect that info to be mentioned in the introduction page, not the conclusion page.

    Reply