Gaming VA monitors, although they have a number of tangible advantages over IPS models, have always significantly lost to them in dynamic games. However, recently the situation seems to be changing for the better - last year we got acquainted with the ASUS ROG Strix XG32WCMS. This is a very interesting monitor on a new panel, which the manufacturer calls Fast VA, which is almost as fast as gaming IPS. And today we have a more affordable model on such a panel for review - the 27-inch ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ3B with a resolution of 1440p.
Specifications of ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ3B
| Diagonal | 27” |
| Curve | yes, 1500R |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Screen type | Fast VA |
| Resolution | 2560×1440 |
| Pixel pitch | 0.233 mm (109 PPI) |
| Update frequency | 180 Hz |
| Color gamut | Extended, 125% sRGB |
| Brightness | 300 cd/m² |
| Contrast | 5000:1 |
| Wall mount | VESA 100×100 |
| Regulation | forward-backward tilt |
| Connectors | 1× DisplayPort 1.4, 2× HDMI 2.0, audio minijack |
| Additional functionality | AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-SYNC (compatible), built-in speakers (2×2W) |
| Dimensions (including stand), W × H × D | 610 × 456 × 193 mm |
| Weight | 4.9 kg |
| Price in Ukraine | 8,599 UAH |
Design
The monitor has a fairly typical look for the affordable TUF Gaming line - in the past we have seen the same design solutions in both the 27-inch VG27AQA1A and the 30-inch VG30VQL1A. Complete absence of RGB lighting and even just bright decorative elements, practical black matte plastic and a minimum of inscriptions in silver paint: only a small manufacturer's logo under the screen and another, larger one, plus the line's logo - on the back.
The screen is made in the traditional "frameless" design, when it is framed only by a thin line of the side edge of the case. After turning on, an additional black frame appears around the screen, hidden under the protective glass; their total width is approximately 8 mm.
Like other TUF Gaming monitors we reviewed, the VG27WQ3B has a V-shaped stand – which may not be very convenient if you don't have enough space on your desk.
This model also has a budget version of the "leg" with a single adjustment - forward-backward tilt (+23° ~ -5°). However, the screen is located slightly higher than in monitors designed for use with this type of stand, so it practically does not cause discomfort in games.
All connectors are located in a niche under the stand mount on the right and are oriented downwards: these are DisplayPort 1.4, 2 HDMI 2.0 and a minijack for wired headphones. The power supply in the ASUS VG27WQ3B is built-in.
Menu
ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ3B is controlled using three hardware buttons and a 5-way joystick located in the lower right corner of the rear panel. Two of the buttons can be assigned custom functions in the system menu (by default, this is the GamePlus game menu and the GameVisual video mode menu).
The first item is the gaming section - in it you can adjust the degree of overdrive, activate the adaptive refresh rate, select the video mode in the GameVisual menu, access gaming settings in GamePlus (for example, enable the display of frame rate and even a graph of its change over time), and configure ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur).
The Image menu contains traditional image settings — brightness, contrast, blue filter in the backlight, dynamic contrast, etc. In the next menu, Color, you can change the color temperature, color saturation, and choose one of three color space options.
The Input Select menu allows you to manually switch to a different video input, MyFavorite allows you to change the functions of "hot keys", and System Setup contains system settings - the language and behavior of the on-screen menu (Ukrainian localization is available), the volume level of the built-in speakers, resetting all settings to factory settings, etc.
Functionality
The ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ3B uses a 27-inch panel that the manufacturer calls Fast VA: this is a development of VA technology, which is characterized by faster response and lower input lag. So, for this model, the response time is specified at 1 ms (GtG), 0.5 ms (MPTR) - at the level of esports IPS and even TN models. Fast VA is already a fairly established name that is also used by other manufacturers, such panels are also sometimes called Rapid VA.
The resolution is 2560×1440 pixels, or QHD. This is the optimal option for 27 inches in games: the dot size is small enough to make the image look dense and not break up into individual pixels (0.2335 mm, 109 PPI), while playing at 1440p is not too demanding on the gaming hardware.
The maximum refresh rate is 180 Hz (via DisplayPort; 144 Hz via HDMI). In addition, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ3B supports AMD FreeSync adaptive refresh rate technology – and although it is not mentioned in the official specifications, it turned out to be compatible with NVIDIA G-Sync.
Like other ASUS gaming monitors, the VG27WQ3B supports the company's Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) technology: it improves clarity in dynamic scenes by turning off the backlight "through the frame". It significantly reduces maximum brightness, but another drawback of this solution - screen flickering - is not very noticeable at a high refresh rate.
Like the 32-inch XG32WCMS of its time, the screen in the ASUS VG27WQ3B is also curved, the radius of curvature is the same - 1500R (1.5 m). This is a very moderate bend, and on such a relatively "small" diagonal, as for curved models, it is almost not felt.
We also note the presence of built-in 2×2W stereo speakers.
Image quality of ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ3B
The screen coating is matte – there are no parasitic reflections regardless of the viewing angle, even when viewed almost from the side. But in this case, the black color does not look as deep black as on glossy screens – so it is better to play on it in low background light. The so-called "crystal effect" is almost absent – graininess in monochromatic areas of the image is almost impossible to see, except in a macro shot.
As already noted, the response time for this model is specified at 1 ms (GtG) – the same as in the ASUS XG32WCMS, which also uses a Fast VA panel. Therefore, this time we expected excellent results in displaying dynamic scenes and quick response to the player’s actions – and we were not disappointed. ASUS VG27WQ3B is in no way inferior to IPS monitors in shooters and other gaming genres, where these parameters are important.
In the settings, there is an option to overclock the panel via OSD — the Variable OD item in the game menu. This parameter has 5 intensity levels and the ability to completely turn it off. After testing, we can state that the difference between the disabled overclocking and the first three values of this parameter is minimal – objects moving quickly across the screen remain quite clear, while overdrive artifacts in the form of dark streaks are completely absent. At the fourth level, the clarity improves noticeably, and at the fifth level, overdrive artifacts appear, but relatively weak. In general, we would recommend switching from the initially selected third level to the fourth.
Variable OD: Off, Level 1, Level 3, Level 4, Level 5 (refresh rate 180 Hz):
The black uniformity is quite good for a curved screen: although in the test photo taken in a dark room on a black background at maximum brightness, you can see lighter spots across the entire field, in reality they are very difficult to see.
Thanks to the deep black, traditionally inherent in VA panels, slightly lighter areas are not noticeable in normal use of the monitor, unlike IPS models. Suffice it to note that this photo was taken with a shutter speed of as long as 10 seconds, while on an IPS panel this level of glow is achieved with shutter speeds of 1-2 seconds.
The glow effect, typical of a VA panel, is minimal: in this regard, the ASUS VG27WQ3B looks much better than IPS models. If you look at the screen from above and from the side, a faint glow with a purple tint appears on the black background.
The viewing angles, unfortunately, are also typical for VA technology: when tilted to the side, the image significantly loses contrast (mainly because black is strongly highlighted and turns into gray) and color saturation. So the decision to make even such a relatively small screen curved was very correct: this way the user looks at the peripheral areas of the screen at almost the same angle as the center, and the image on the sides "burns out" less than it would be on a flat screen.
As with a number of recent gaming monitors from this manufacturer, the ASUS VG27WQ3B offers the ability to select one of three color spaces regardless of the current GameVisual video mode: the corresponding parameter is called Display Color Space, it can be found in the Color item. It can take three values: Wide Gamut (maximum color coverage), DCI-P3 or sRGB.
In the first case, the coverage is 91% DCI-P3 (86% Adobe RGB) and completely covers the sRGB space. In the second, the coverage is minimally reduced, mainly in the red and blue zones – to 89% DCI-P3. And finally, in the third, it narrows significantly: to 93% sRGB (70% DCI-P3, 69% Adobe RGB) – in this mode, the colors become even too dull.
When first turned on, the monitor starts in eco mode and asks the user if they want to switch to standard mode — if they agree, Racing mode is set in the GameVisual menu and the maximum color gamut is set. Let's start with that.
The ASUS VG27WQ3B does not have gamma settings – however, its value set by the manufacturer almost perfectly matches the standard (2.2), with minimal deviation.
The lowest brightness is slightly less than 60 cd/m² - this is quite enough for games with minimal backlighting, but in complete darkness the screen may seem a little brighter than comfortable. The maximum brightness is above the declared: 380 cd/m²; this is more than enough for SDR mode and working with the monitor even in very bright indoor lighting.
But the static contrast is somewhat below the "passport" characteristics (5000:1): the maximum we managed to get was slightly lower than 4000:1. However, this is also a very good indicator, many times higher than what even a high-quality IPS monitor can demonstrate.
The color temperature adjustment in this model is basic: the user can choose one of three templates ("Warm", "Normal" and "Cool" or make manual settings for the three primary colors. All options are actually overstated, and even in "warm" the color temperature is noticeably higher than the standard (6500K).
If the proposed options do not suit you and the image seems too "cold", you can fix this using the Blue Light Filter parameter, which offers 4 levels of reducing the proportion of blue in the backlight. The measurement results show that one of the first two levels is optimal for everyday use.
As expected for a curved screen, the color temperature uniformity of the ASUS VG27WQ3B is frankly mediocre: the maximum ΔE deviation is as much as 7.0 (its most accurate match was observed in the upper part of the screen, the worst situation was in the lower left corner).
But the uniformity of the white field is surprisingly very good: the upper part of the screen practically does not deviate from the same brightness level, while in the lower part its decrease is only 7-9% - even flat monitors very rarely demonstrate such results.
The highest color accuracy was found in the Wide gamut mode: here the maximum ΔE value was slightly higher than 2, the average was almost one. Recall that it is believed that the average user cannot see the difference between the reference color and what the monitor shows if this parameter does not exceed 3.
The User video mode is practically the same as the Racing mode in all parameters, including color accuracy, so it can be used as a "backup" mode - to save your own corrections to the parameters set by the manufacturer, and at the same time have a "clean" and sufficiently accurately calibrated Racing mode.
In sRGB mode, almost all image settings are locked, except for brightness: it is set to 65% (135 cd/m²), but can be adjusted in the range from 28 to 180 cd/m². The color gamut is unexpectedly not limited to the dimensions of this space, but is set to Wide Gamut - even if you switch to this mode from another GameVisual, for which the sRGB option was previously selected in the Display Color Space menu.
The gamma value is reduced to 2.1, the contrast is frankly low – 1300:1, and the color temperature is set at 7400K without the possibility of its correction using a blue filter. The color reproduction accuracy is very good, but slightly worse than the Racing or User modes: the maximum ΔE value is three, the average is one and a half.
Other GameVisual video modes differ in basic settings for brightness, contrast, color saturation, gamma, etc. A little "aside" here is the MOBA mode, where only green and red remain from the entire color gamut, and the Night Vision mode, which simulates the image in a night vision device.
You can visually compare the GameVisual modes in the following gallery.
GameVisual = Scenery, Racing, Cinema, RTS/RPG, FPS, sRGB, MOBA, Night Vision, User:
