Review: The AOC Q27G4X basically has 180Hz in the crossover

The AOC Q27G4X looks like a simple VW Golf that secretly added all the GTI options, but forgot to add the logo and install the alloy wheels. The screen wouldn't look out of place in the office garden. In fact, if you have a gaming setup with all kinds of RGB lights, you'll be asked why you have such a boring screen. But make no mistake about this wolf in sheep's clothing.

AOC is focusing on gamers who use this monitor, as there are few other target groups that would wear a 180Hz monitor. Interestingly, few of the accents we usually see with more gamer-oriented devices have been added. Even the subtle red font that AOC often adds to its AGON gaming monitors is missing from the AOC Q27G4X.

Elegant office

The design of the monitor can be called stylish for the office in all respects, but it is still difficult to recommend this monitor for the workplace. With two HDMI 2.0b ports and a DisplayPort 1.4 port, we can say that the number of connections is modest. Finally, you get a 3.5mm jack, but that's about it in terms of connections. So there is no USB hub functionality and no USB-C connectivity.

The HDMI 2.0b port is also disappointing, as it means your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series To get more frames per second you need HDMI 2.1. This is unfortunate if you want to use this monitor as a monitor for a full gaming setup and want to achieve high framerates, although 1440p resolution is less important than a 4K monitor. This is a monitor that should do one thing well and that is display PC games as smoothly as possible at the lowest possible price. Then some concessions must be made.

The body and base are both made of plastic, but the base is weighted so the monitor stands firmly on your desk. The cable channel runs diagonally across the leg in a strange way, but at least something can be hidden in it. This gives the simple screen a somewhat unique look, but it's not very useful. Ideally, you want the cables to disappear directly through the leg behind your desk.

What's really miserable are the buttons and their associated menu. The screen overlay does not match the on-screen buttons. This way, you can hold down the down arrow when you want to press OK, etc. With any luck, you'll only have to do this once, but if you need to adjust settings often, be prepared for some frustration. Especially since one of the shortcut buttons outside the menu is dedicated to On screen through poetry To activate, which is not necessary at all.

Join the HDR train

It is striking that no compromises have been made regarding the HDR display. This is simply included, while my experience with LCD screens in this price range is always disappointing when it comes to HDR. The HDR mode is what you'd expect from an IPS panel in this price range: nothing to write home about. However, this isn't disappointing for a display in this price range with HDR 400. Colors remain close to the original settings, and although they do become a bit washed out, the HDR display is usable. Natively, the monitor can display a color depth of 10 bits. With a brightness of around 400 nits, the picture is good in a not-so-lit room and is more than adequate if you mainly game in the evening.

However, why HDR is added to these types of models remains a mystery, especially since other functions such as the HDR function Reduce motion blur Then stop working immediately. This monitor cannot be used to get a really good HDR experience and savings could have been made, as the monitor could have had a set of HDMI 2.1 ports or USB hub functionality, for example. Unfortunately, AOC has chosen to go with the industry trend that every gaming monitor should have HDR.

Join the professional players on a limited budget

AOC makes no secret of the fact that this is a fast monitor with a screen Refresh rate 180Hz, we won't argue with that either. If your computer can handle that, you can display that many frames per second on the retina at 1440p or 1080p. This isn't a punishment, especially if you play a lot of shooters, so it's no surprise that the first profile you can set the monitor to is called 'fps'. These are the games that benefit the most from high FPS.

You can get that too Input lagReduction and response time of 1 ms g2g are promised. Moreover, FreeSync is supported for AMD video cards. If you have an Nvidia card, G-Sync isn't officially supported if we're to believe the box, but fortunately we can still activate it via the Nvidia control panel. This makes this monitor a sustainable option if you want to switch to a video card from the other team in the future, because you won't be tied to the hardware end because of your monitor.

For €260, this is a simple gaming monitor that aims to offer a competitive number of frames per second at an accessible price. Understandable, but also less understandable, concessions are made. However, we can only conclude that it is a very fast monitor for this low price. You can get the framerates you want here for competitive FPS or RTS gaming on a budget.