Custom PC - UK (2020-07)

F

or the past few years, the mostresponsivegaming
monitors have used 24.5in 1080p TN panels with
240Hz refresh rates, such as the AOC AGON
AG251FZ. However, their relatively small size and resolution
means they’re not all that useful for anything other than
competitive gaming. Enter the AG273QZ, one of a new
generation of displays that has the same blistering 240Hz
refresh rate and 0.5ms response time but in a larger 27in
screen size and with a higher 2,560 x 1,440 resolution.
The key advantage is that you get a much more practical
size and resolution for anything else you might do with your
PC, plus you can run games at a much higher resolution.
However, text on this screen – as on many TN-type LCDs

• isn’t anywhere near as crisp and easy to read as on IPS
  displays, thanks to more noticeable coloured fringing
  around high-contrast edges. As such, while displays like this
  get you closer to the ideal of one display for both gaming
  and work than those older 1080p 240Hz models, an IPS
  screen offers a better balance of both worlds.
  Getting back to the rest of this display’s credentials,
  there’s plenty else here to excite. For a start, it supports
  FreeSync and G-Sync, so you can get tear and stutter-free
  gaming with both AMD and Nvidia GPUs. You also get slide-
  outheadphonestandsonbothsidesoftheframe,andthe
  metalstandandbaseincludesheight,
  pivot,rotationandtiltadjustment.
  Connectionoptionsareampletoo,
  withtwoDisplayPort2 socketsandtwo
  HDMI2 ports,aswellasmicrophone-

inandheadphone-outsockets.There’s

a pairof5Wspeakerstoo,anda four-

portUSB3.2hub.

It evenlooksreasonablysmart,with

itsslim,low-profilebezelsandtiptoe

silverstand.There’sRGBlightingtoo,

witha ringoflightonthebackanda

smallzoneontheundersideofthe

bezel.TheOSDanditscontrolsare

decenttoo,andyouevengeta wired

remoteforcontrollingthem.

Imagequalityis goodfora gaming

TN-typedisplay.Colourbalanceand

gammaareveryclosetoperfectin

thefactorydefaultsetting,soyou’ll

onlyneedtoadjustthebrightnessto

geta decentimage.However,contrast

is underwhelmingatjust670:1,

makingthedisplay’sHDRcredentials

laughable.Ironically,thesRGBsetting

thatreducesthemonitor’sotherwise

overlyhigh(125percentsRGB)

colourgamutimprovescontrastto

840:1.However,it lo cksbrightnessat

380cd/m²,whichis fartoobright.

Inshort,thisdisplayisn’tallthatgreatformuchbeyondits

corecompetitivegamingfocus,butit’ssuperblygoodatthis

onejob.If yousimplywanta bigtop-specgamingdisplay

witha higherresolutionthanolder240Hz1080pmodels,

thisis a greatoption.

Conclusion

Loadsoffeatures,a competitivepriceandfantasticgaming

performancemaketheAG273QZanexcellentchoicefor

competitivegamersseekinga larger,higher-resolution

240Hzdisplay.ItsHDRsupportis pointlessthough.

EDWARDCHESTER

27IN GAMING MONITOR

AOCAG273QZ/£540 inc VAT

SUPPLIER laptopsdirect.co.uk

VERDICT

A fantastic competitive gaming display, although it’s a little

limited elsewhere.

OVERALLSCORE

82 %

IMAGE QUALITY

19 / 30

GAMING

29 / 30

FEATURES

18 / 20

VALUE

16 / 20

GSYNC

• 
  

  Stunning gaming
  performance

  
  


• 
  

  Loads of features

  
  


• 
  

  Decent value

  
  

NSYNC

• Poor contrast


• Generally middling
  image quality


• PointlessHDRspec

SPEC

Screen size

27in

Resolution

2,560 x 1,440

Panel technology

TN

Maximum refresh rate

240Hz

Stated response time

0.5ms

Contrast

700:1

Adaptive sync

FreeSync and G-Sync

Display inputs

2 x DisplayPort 2, 2 x HDMI 2

Audio

2 x 5W, microphone in, headphone out

Stand adjustment

Height, pivot, rotation, tilt

Extras

OSD remote control

HDR standard

DisplayHDR 400

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sstommPP

CC

A

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PR

OV

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TN displays like this
(top) have more
noticeable coloured
fringing round the
edge of text, making
it less readable than
IPS displays (bottom)