INTRODUCTION

   How many of you recall the days when we used to play PC games at 640x480p resolution? Honestly i had almost forgotten all about that but thanks to Electronic Arts releasing the remastered versions of the very first two Command & Conquer games it all came back to me (honestly, i was expecting more from a remaster 20+ years later but ok). Today PC gaming (and gaming in general) may have advanced to resolutions all the way up to 3840x2160p (4k) but due to the increased system requirements of high resolutions the overwhelming percentage of gamers are still playing at much lower ones with 1920x1080p (Full HD) clearly at the lead (always according to several online surveys). Naturally gaming display manufacturers are all too aware of this as well so many of them have thrown considerable resources in the design and manufacture of Full HD monitors. AOC is one such manufacturer and today with me i have their quite popular 27G2U model.

   AOC was founded in 1967. From day one we have maintained our focus on display technology and have continued to innovate in this field, always with the same goal: delivering you a great experience with our products, no matter the purpose of use. For demanding professionals, we provide computer displays with high resolutions, high colour accuracy and an impressive set of advanced features. For style-conscious home users, we offer high-performance monitors with unique, eye-catching designs. For standard office purposes, we fulfil important energy efficiency standards with our broad range of business monitors, many of which come with comprehensive ergonomic adjustment options. And for professional gamers, we redefine awesomeness with our selection of AOC Gaming and AGON gaming displays, which not only excel with their fast performance, but also with their unique designs and gamer-specific features. Whatever display you need, we are passionate about providing it to you, always aiming for the highest quality possible, and always with our 3-year warranty.

   The AOC 27G2U is a 27-inch 16:9 wide monitor based on a IPS panel (8-bit depth/81 ppi pixel density/WLED backlight) featuring 178 degrees viewing angles (horizontal/vertical), Full HD resolution of 1920x1080p, 144Hz refresh rate (Adaptive-Sync/FreeSync/ G-Sync Compatible), 1ms response time (grey to grey), 118% sRGB color gamut, 1000:1 contrast ratio and brightness level of up to 250cd/m2. AOC has also equipped the 27G2U with anti-glare coating for optimal viewing results (matte 3H), adjustable stand (height/swivel/pivot/tilt), ultra-narrow borders, two 2W speakers, game mode with 6 quality presets (FPS/RTS/Racing/3 Gamers ones - includes an on screen crosshair for FPS games), low blue light mode with 4 presets (multimedia/internet/office/reading), eco mode with 7 available presets (standard/text/internet/game/movie/sports/reading), pseudo HDR modes (game/movie/picture) and flicker-free technology. In terms of available connectors (I/O) the AOC 27G2U packs four USB 3.0 ports (USB hub - one can be used to recharge portable devices), two HDMI v1.4 ports, single DisplayPort v1.2, D-Sub (VGA) port and the classic headphones and microphone ports. Last but not least AOC covers their entire line of gaming monitors with a 3-year limited warranty (compared to the 2 years most others give inside the EU this is a big deal).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A product picture is located at the front of the box right next to a game character holding a katana and above the main product features.

The main product features are listed on the right side of the box right over a sticker with the screens serial number and barcodes.

AOC packs the display inside two thick foam spacers whereas the base and the rest of the bundle are located on one of the sides.

Along with the screen and its adjustable stand (two parts) you will also receive the power cord, DisplayPort cable, HDMI cable, 3 power consumption certification stickers (one is already placed on the screen), warranty information paper, quick start guide and a driver CD.

THE 27G2U

Let’s start by mounting the adjustable stand onto the screen. This is really easy actually, just slide the top of the stand into the rear of the screen as seen above.

After that's done attach the base onto the stand and use the screw on the base to secure it.

Sure, it may not be the largest display out there but the 27G2U looks great right?

One thing that stands out from the get go is the ultra-narrow borders which are roughly 2mm at the top and the sides and 18mm at the bottom.

The menu buttons are located underneath the right end of the screen as seen above.

Thanks to the height adjustable stand you can place the screen as low as 31mm and all the way up to 159mm from your desk.

You can also use the adjustable stand to swivel (up to 30 degrees on each side) and tilt (up to +23 degrees up and -5 degrees down) the screen.

One feature we don't see a lot is a pivot capable stand and the 27G2U comes with one (up to 90 degrees).

The rear of the screen looks even better than the front and here we see a cable routing hole on the stand, sticker with details about the screen, USB hub, two HDMI v1.4 ports, DisplayPort v1.2 port, VGA port, headphones and microphone ports, power port and a Kensington lock.

27G2U MENUS

The menus offered by the 27G2U are divided in 7 tabs (the image setup tab can only be accessed when using the VGA output) the first of which allows you to adjust the contrast and brightness levels and choose one of the available eco, Gamma, DCR (dynamic contrast) and HDR presets.

From the color setup tab you can switch between color temperatures and use one of the available DCB modes (color enhancers - more vivid results).

Bright frame is not an option I’ve used much (allows you to increase the brightness and contrast of any part of the screen) but you can access it from the picture boost tab.

From within the OSD Setup tab you can change the language of the OSD (on screen display), set the preferred timeout and change its location and amount of transparency.

You can enable game mode and adjust settings like the low blue light mode, overdrive and FreeSync from the Game Setting tab.

Finally, from the extra tab you can switch between video inputs, set the off timer for the screen, enable/disable the DDC/CI functionality (no need to ever do this), reset the screen to its default state and check the current resolution and frequency.

VIEWING ANGLES / PICTURE QUALITY

IPS panels have two things going for them, color reproduction and viewing angles and as you can see from the above pictures the 27G2U does very well in that area (black reproduction, especially via angle, is their downside).

Picture quality is very good (this may be an 1080p screen but it's quite ideal for its 27 inches) and here you can also see the on screen crosshair (you can enable it from the right arrow menu button).

Once again, the time has come for our more thorough Datacolor tests.

TEST RESULTS

DATACOLOR SPYDER5 ELITE+ MEASUREMENTS

By using the Spyder5 Elite+ Colorimeter by Datacolor we can measure both the color gamut (SRGB and Adobe) and the brightness levels of the monitor at hand.

COLOR AND LUMINANCE UNIFORMITY

Here you can see our results for Color and Luminance Screen Uniformity (instead of just listing results at 100% brightness we are listing all of them - 50/67/83/100%).

POWER CONSUMPTION

Power consumption may not be what we look for when out to get a brand new monitor but at the end of the day it's still an important factor so we hope this is interesting to some of you.

MONITOR RATING

Datacolor rates monitors based on their overall results so we decided to include this chart as well.

CONCLUSION

   With a resolution of just 1920x1080p (Full HD) the 27-inch 27G2U may not be the top screen in the market today but there’s certainly a huge audience for it and by using a 144Hz IPS display (G-Sync compatible at that) with 1ms response time it's a safe bet that AOC already has a good piece of that “pie” (this is not a brand new model after all). I ended up using the 27G2U for almost a month and as far as lag goes i couldn’t see any. Having used an IPS screen for the past 10 years also means I’m fully aware of the pros (viewing angles, color reproduction) and cons (black reproduction) such displays have and i have to admit that i slightly prefer IPS models over VA ones. The adjustable stand is also a lot better than what we see with most screens since it not only offers the usual swivel and tilt functions but it can also pivot the screen giving you a lot more vertical area. Now if i just had to find something wrong with the 27G2U that would be with its menu buttons since both due to their positioning and hard material used, they are not very easy to use.

   As i type these lines the 27G2U by AOC already counts almost 1 full year in the army and currently retails for USD419 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 261.86Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is quite balanced on our side (it could use some “tweaking” in the USA). Honestly there’s not much else for me to say about the 27G2U that hasn’t already been covered in this review and since i do feel it delivers on everything required by gamers looking for a great Full HD screen (and then some) it also gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- Design
- WLED Backlit IPS Panel (16:9 / 144Hz / 1ms GTG Response Time)
- Good Image Quality & Viewing Angles
- FreeSync / Adaptive Sync / GSync Compatible
- Adjustable Stand (Height / Swivel / Tilt / Pivot)
- Available Ports (4xUSB 3.0 / 2xHDMI v1.4 / DP v1.2 / VGA)
- 3 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- USA Price (For Some)
- Menu Buttons (Hard To Use)