Somewhat confusingly, youd see less obvious overshoot at 64fps (128Hz) or below than at 65fps (65Hz) in your game. Lagoms tests for viewing angle were used to further explore colour consistency and viewing angle performance. //G27QC Gaming Monitor Key Features | Monitor - GIGABYTE Global As usual, the experience was very similar on all of these titles. Finally, its worth noting that FreeSync only removes stuttering or juddering related to mismatches between frame rate and refresh rate. The monitor would ideally support per-pixel illumination, perhaps with a backlight-free technology such as OLED. According to our measurements, 95% DCI-P3 coverage was achieved matching the manufacturer specifications. Although not included in the comparison, the Gigabyte clearly outperforms high refresh rate VA models here. The sort of gamma and hence detail level inconsistencies youd see on VA and moreover TN models as you observe different parts of the screen were thankfully absent. If the manufacturer does not provide such information, the height is calculated from the diagonal and the aspect ratio. To configure VSync, open AMD Radeon Software. You are free to manage this via your browser settings at any time - further information can be found in our Privacy Policy. The main Low Blue Light setting can be set to varying levels of effectiveness between 1 (weakest effect) and 10 (strongest effect). Note that HDR can be activated (at the same time as FreeSync) via DP 1.4 or HDMI 2.0. Below you can see how things appear with a further slight increase in refresh rate, to 165Hz. We didnt observe any obvious overshoot, perhaps slight traces in places but nothing eye-catching, and didnt notice any clear weaknesses from slower than optimal pixel responses. Green= 100 This title demands a strong contrast performance to look its best, with plenty of dimly lit caves, tombs, passageways and other interior spaces. But these shifts are less pronounced than on VA or TN models (and indeed some IPS-type models). Colour reproduction is an important aspect of HDR, with the ultimate goal being support for a huge colour gamut (Rec. Another observation we made was that overshoot became more noticeable as refresh rate dropped. We also observed some flashes of colour, including cyan and magenta, when looking at some lighter objects. IPS glow also featured but we still found the title quite watchable and sufficiently absorbing. For predominantly dark scenes the backlight cant simply shut off to very low levels as it isnt just pure black being displayed, so there was a relative lack of depth there as well. This may not sound like much, but its an important viewing comfort consideration for some users. When running at 1920 x 1080 (Full HD), there was a moderate amount of softening compared to viewing a native Full HD screen. As of driver version 417.71, users with Nvidia GPUs (GTX 10 series and newer) and Windows 10 can also make use of this Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology. Most pixel transitions were performed fast enough for a very solid 165Hz performance, with just a whiff of light powdery trailing if any at all. Significantly reduced depth, saturation, contrast and brightness. All warranties with respect to this information are disclaimed. If you have a colour-managed workflow youd get the highest levels of accuracy by full calibration and profiling with a colorimeter or similar device using the full native gamut. when not specifically testing high frame rate responsiveness), wed use higher graphics settings and struggle to get 165fps or anywhere near on this title. The monitors pixel responsiveness was good enough to provide a decent 165Hz performance not quite up to some competing models such as the ViewSonic XG270QG, but significantly improved over even the best VA performers. Information whether the display can be swiveled around the stand axis. The image of for another model, but exactly the same information is presented (aside from the model code). The ports face downwards and include; AC power input (internal power converter), 3.5mm headphone jack, 3.5mm microphone jack, 2 HDMI 2.0 ports, DP 1.4 (HBR3) and 2 USB 3.2 downstream ports (plus upstream). Whilst the difference in both aspects was profound when compared to the 60Hz experience, the bump up from 144Hz (at 144fps) was less significant. We wont be going into this in detail as its a GPU feature rather than a monitor feature. The setting is listed as Wait for Vertical Refresh. The consistent gamma handling could again be appreciated, but this is even more important on heavily compressed streamed content. There was no green cast, which as we explore later has a minor contrast impact. The monitor provided a competent performance in terms of responsiveness, with good low input lag and a 165Hz refresh rate. When the stand is attached, the dimensions are 610.3 (W) by 531 (H) by 203 (D). The greatest deviation from this occurred at quadrant 3 towards the top right of the screen (150.9 cd/m, which is 10% dimmer). The excellent connected feel was not so beneficial, competitively speaking, but was still nice to have and easy for us to notice and appreciate when playing the game. The red triangle shows the monitors colour gamut, the blue triangle DCI-P3 and the green triangle sRGB. The red triangle shows the monitors colour gamut, the blue triangle DCI-P3 and the green triangle sRGB. Both our responsiveness article and the G-SYNC article linked to explore the importance of these two elements being synchronised. Our test system uses Windows 10 with an Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti, connected using the supplied DisplayPort cable.
Gigabyte G27QC Review: Curve, Contrast, Crushing Speed Straight from the box the monitor provided a vibrant image with a noticeable cool tint. The refresh rate listed at the top of the Gaming section of the OSD will also reflect the frame rate of the content when you first enter the OSD under these conditions. Finally, HDR makes use of at least 10-bit precision per colour channel, so its desirable that the monitor supports at least 10-bits per subpixel. The monitor also has a few different Low Blue Light (LBL) settings. Note that we dont have the means to accurately measure input lag with Adaptive-Sync active in a variable refresh rate environment or with HDR active in an HDR environment. There was a little overshoot in places, but we didnt observe anything extreme in that respect much less than observed on the AD27QD with the feature active. Features & Aesthetics On the plus side, the floor being raised to 65Hz gets rid of any further overshoot increases as the frame rate falls below 65fps. Negatives Remaining pixels are kept as a black border around the image. The monitor would ideally support per-pixel illumination, perhaps with a backlight-free technology such as OLED. The monitor offers various Display Mode settings in the Gaming section of the OSD, as explored in the OSD video. The blue colour channel is weakened significantly, providing a warmer look to the image with reduced blue light output. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"NJ4InPzKGh_VjAvSKIw3WH4V2RKDtNE4HI_.0d2WDUM-1800-0"}; Make sure this is selected (it should be if youve set everything up correctly in Set up G-SYNC). You need to make sure FreeSync is set to ON in the Gaming section of the OSD. As noted earlier you cant adjust the brightness and are restricted from making other adjustments, for example to colour channels or gamma mode. It appears a cool-grey towards the left and warm grey (or slightly golden) towards the bottom right. The red block appeared a rich and vibrant red throughout, without any obvious fading or pink hue as youd observe on non-IPS panels. We also observed various episodes of Futurama. At 144Hz (above) the UFO is just a touch narrower and slightly more sharply focused. Gamma 1 1.8 7044K As above but a significant lack of depth, quite a washed out appearance really. The parts and components have been carefully selected to meet RoHS requirement. Although not included in the comparison, the Gigabyte clearly outperforms high refresh rate VA models here. So its not something wed worry about during normal use or that most users will even come across at all. As usual, if youre running the monitor at 2560 x 1440 and viewing 1920 x 1080 content (for example a video over the internet or a Blu-ray, using movie software) then it is the GPU and software that handles the upscaling. The use of powder-coated metal for the stand neck and base gave a nice solid footing and premium feel to the product, too. The end result is very similar, even if carefully observing content which includes fine gradients (smoke, weather effects, sky etc.) It also allowed a 10-bit colour signal. The Speed setting is again optimal here without introducing the overshoot seen with the AD27QD reference for the medium and light backgrounds. This scene combines very bright and significantly dimmer content, so it naturally looks its best on monitors with powerful backlights that offer effective local dimming. Most game titles will activate HDR correctly when the appropriate in-game setting is selected. Our Test Settings involved switching to one of the Custom presets and making a few tweaks including reducing brightness. This feature is used regardless of VSync setting, so its only above the ceiling of operation where the VSync setting makes a difference. Such an option does usually exist it may be called sync every frame or something along those lines rather than simply VSync. If you have experienced lower download speed, please try other region download sites. Where possible, youll be redirected to your nearest store. In practice this was a bit more distinct than it appears in the photo, the relatively high brightness pulses made this very difficult to capture accurately without slight bleaching. The often-illusive final pattern was masked a bit by the misty graininess of the screen surface, but still faintly visible. The Standard setting could also have been used, but Color Vibrance is set to 11 rather than the neutral (and optimal) value of 10 under that preset. But these shifts are less pronounced than on VA or TN models (and indeed some IPS-type models). The deviation between each quadrant and the quadrant closest to the 6500K (D65) daylight white point target was analysed and a DeltaE value assigned. The photo is purely for illustrative purposes and in no way represents how the monitor appeared running HDR in person. Somewhat confusingly, youd see less obvious overshoot at 64fps (128Hz) or below than at 65fps (65Hz) in your game. There was no green cast, which as we explore later has a minor contrast impact. Brighter elements such as explosions and pulses of energy contrasted well with their much darker surroundings. The yellowing for this shade was less intense than on models with a less generous colour gamut. This comparison is drawn in detail on our forum, including our own take on things. And the ViewSonic XG270QG, which is a competitor to this model featuring an LG Nano IPS panel. Contrast in games and movies This sRGB emulation setting provides close tracking of the sRGB colour space where this is not possible, albeit with limited flexibility in the OSD. But a decent level of crispness and detail was maintained without a completely oversharpened-look. As usual, if youre running the monitor at 2560 x 1440 and viewing 1920 x 1080 content (for example a video over the internet or a Blu-ray, using movie software) then it is the GPU and software that handles the upscaling. It also allowed a 10-bit colour signal. HDR (High Dynamic Range) This is purely due to the drop in frame rate and isnt something variable refresh rate technologies like FreeSync can address. Ensure the Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible checkbox as well as Enable settings for the selected display model is enabled as shown below. A little less consistent than the strongest IPS-type performers, but clearly superior to other LCD panel types. Firstly, it improves the connected feel, which describes the fluidity and precision felt when interacting with your character and the game world. When using Aim Stabilizer or any strobe backlight feature, its vital that your frame rate matches the refresh rate of the display exactly. Some game engines will also show stuttering (or hitching) for various other reasons which wont be eliminated by the technology. This is taken from the colour reproduction section of the review. Stand is a bit of a desk depth hog and the RGB LED lighting feature offers little utility due to it being barely visible from the front Gamma tracked closely to the desirable 2.2 curve. That gives a blocky or banded appearance in places. Using this method, we calculated 3.80ms (~ 2/3rds of a frame at 165Hz) of input lag. The monitor also supports internal 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD) downsampling at up to 60Hz, if using HDMI. Respectable contrast performance, edging out some competitors and a decent screen surface helping avoid strong graininess to brighter content Subpixel layout and screen surface AMD LFC (Low Framerate Compensation) is also supported by this model, which means that the refresh rate will stick to multiples of the frame rate where it falls below the 48Hz (48fps) floor of operation for FreeSync. We made similar observations on Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Responsiveness. We had a similar experience on Shadow of the Tomb Raider, in terms of responsiveness. The final columns show some reference screens for comparison, where possible. The 3 numbered Custom picture modes are useful as they give you full flexibility in the OSD and allow you to easily store and recall 3 different sets of settings. Nonetheless, the lack of tearing and stuttering from frame and refresh rate mismatches was nice to have. When using Aim Stabilizer or any strobe backlight feature, its vital that your frame rate matches the refresh rate of the display exactly. The Radeon RX 580 used for this testing is hardly a powerhouse, so maintaining a solid 165fps at the WQHD resolution is tricky without extreme graphical compromises. Then open AMD Radeon Software, click Settings (cog icon towards top right) and click Display. It cant compensate for other interruptions to smooth game play, for example network latency or insufficient system memory. Responsiveness in games and movies The powdery trailing shown with the Picture Quality setting is bolder and more extensive than at 60Hz, certainly for the dark background (top row) and medium background (middle row). Even the fastest high refresh rate VA models, such as the, The examples above show how increasing refresh rate can help minimise perceived blur due to eye movement. The monitor performed well on the black level test. The image below is a macro photograph taken on Notepad with ClearType disabled. If any issues were identified on one title but not another, it would also indicate an issue with the game or GPU driver rather than the monitor. You get a bit more powdery trailing in places, but most pixel responses were fast enough for a good experience with these lower (double digit) frame rates with the Balance setting. Where possible, the monitor dynamically adjusts its refresh rate so that it matches the frame rate being outputted by the GPU. You can set this between 1 and 5 with a higher setting simply increasing gamma even 1 increases this significantly compared to the setting disabled under our Test Settings. That gives a blocky or banded appearance in places. Where possible, youll be redirected to your nearest store. Colour reproduction Static contrast was higher than some competing models, including those using LGs Nano IPS panels. You should then ensure that the first slider, Radeon FreeSync is set to Enabled as shown below. We also observed the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This sRGB emulation setting provides close tracking of the sRGB colour space where this is not possible, albeit with limited flexibility in the OSD. The backlight is therefore considered flicker-free, which will come as welcome news to those sensitive to flickering or worried about the side-effects of PWM usage. With VSync off the frame rate is free to climb as high as the GPU will output (potentially >165fps). There were no clear shifts or obvious flashes of saturated pink, even with a little head movement so much better consistency than VA or TN models. When the frame rate rises above 165fps, the monitor will stay at 165Hz and the GPU will respect your selection of VSync on or VSync off in the graphics driver. This is an alternative to VSync which allows the frame rate to rise above the refresh rate (no VSync latency penalty) whilst potentially keeping the experience free from tearing or juddering. Much less than using the native gamut of the monitor without this setting applied, however. Finally, HDR makes use of at least 10-bit precision per colour channel, so its desirable that the monitor supports at least 10-bits per subpixel. We upgraded the firmware to the latest available revision (F03) using the OSD Sidekick utility available on Gigabytes website. The video below shows the monitor in action. Overdrive= Speed Some users may wish to use a lower resolution than the native 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) of the monitor. Overall we found this to be a potentially useful addition to the monitor for some users. Its also important to consider the trailing behind the object. DisplaySpecifications is not responsible for any omissions, inaccuracies or other errors in the information it publishes. Colour reproduction FreeSync the technology and activating it There was a moderate but by no means extreme amount of IPS glow. The combination of 27 screen size, 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) resolution and high refresh rate is very tempting.