T
heGigabyteAorusFI27Qpacksina
hugenumberoffeaturesforitsprice,
hittingthesame£450priceas
severalotherdisplaysontestthismonth,yet
includingmarkedlymoreextras.Fora start,you
getRGBlighting(weknowyou’dbeenmissingit
sofar!),witha coupleofmulti-colouredbacklit
wingsonthebackofthedisplay,andan
illuminatedAoruslogoontherearofthestand.
Thestanditselfis alsoa heftypremium
metalcontraptionthatgivesthisdisplaya
farfirmerfootingthanthelikesoftheAsus
VG27AQ.Thefullcomplementofadjustment
movementsarereassuringlysmooth,yetfirm,
althoughthetiltmechanismis slightlytoostiff
formakingquickandeasyadjustments.
GIGABYTE AORUS
FI27Q /£460 inc VAT
SUPPLIER ebuyer.comAround the back
the display you’llfin
the same threedig
video inputs asthe
the displays ontest,aswell
as a 2-port USB3 hubandtheconnection for
the internal power supply. The back is where
the control for the on-screen display (OSD)
menu resides. It’s a mini-joystick affair that
again feels a cut above the rest in terms of
build quality. It’s not quite as good as the LG’s
system, but it’s the second best on test.
The menus themselves are clearly laid
out and offer a wealth of options too. Like all
the other displays on test, though, the crucial
sRGB mode that’s required to use these
displays in a conventional, non-pseudo-HDR
mode locks down all the other image quality
adjustment controls.
Speaking of HDR, this is the only display in
the Labs to actually offer compatibility with
any of the DisplayHDR standards, in the form
of the most basic DisplayHDR 400 standard.
This requires a minimum of 400 nits maximum
brightness, which only the Aorus and the
ViewSonic display manage, although the
ViewSonic hasn’t obtained DisplayHDR 400
certification. It’s rather by the by, though, as
none of these displays delivers meaningful
HDR – it’s a pointless pursuit slapping a high
colour gamut on these monitors.
It’s good, then, that the sRGB mode offers
very good image quality. Right across the
board, it’s all but perfect where it counts, and it
doesn’t drop contrast like some of the displays
in the Labs. The only caveat is the fixed
brightness. It’s set to 180 nits, which is a bit
higher than the ~150 nits target of most sRGB
displays. This extra brightness is manageable
but noticeable in general use, to the point
where you feel a bit dazzled using this display
for too long in a dark room.Switch to any of the other colour profiles,
and you can tweak to your heart’s content, but
you’ll be stuck with a 143 per cent sRGB colour
gamut, making for overly bright, unrealistic-
looking colours – it’s fine for some games and
video but not for desktop use.
Gaming performance is helped out by the
option to overclock the display to 165Hz and
a maximum overdrive setting that doesn’t
noticeably introduce any inverse ghosting,
making for a responsive, clear image. Gaming
performance is excellent, and it’s also good to
have support for both FreeSync and G-Sync –
the only notable omission is the EMLB support
you get on the Asus VG27AQ.Conclusion
The Aorus FI27Q is a fantastic, feature-rich
gaming display for a great price, although it’s
a shame about its pointless HDR pretentions.
If Gigabyte added an option to switch to sRGB
colour space, or allow brightness adjustment
in the sRGB mode, this display would have it
all – other than ELMB.VERDICT
A great price and plenty of extra features
make for a decent gaming display, but don’t
get excited about its HDR certification.DYNAMIC RANGE
Loads of features
Great overall
image quality
Excellent gaming
performance
DYNAMIC RAGE- sRGB mode too bright
- Pointless HDR
certification - No ELMB support
IMAGE QUALITY
25 / 30
FEATURES
16 / 20GAMING
24 / 30
VALUE
16 / 20OVERALLSCORE
81 %
SPEC
Screen size 27in
Resolution 2,560 x 1,440
Panel technology IPS
Maximum refresh rate 144Hz
(165Hz overclocked)
Response time 1ms
Contrast 1,000:1
Adaptive sync FreeSync and G-Sync compatible
Display inputs 1 x DisplayPort 1.2, 2 x HDMI 2
Audio Headphone out, audio in
Stand adjustment Height, rotation, pivot, tilt
Extras DisplayHDR 400 compatibility,
RGB lighting, 2-port USB 3 hubof
nd
ital
restof
taswell