The 6 Best 27 Inch Gaming Monitors - Spring 2021 Reviews

The best 27 inch gaming monitor with a 1080p resolution is the ASUS VG279QM. It's one of the best gaming monitors we've tested as it's one of the few with a 280Hz max refresh rate and an IPS panel. It has wide viewing angles, great reflection handling, and gets bright enough to combat glare. Its ergonomics are outstanding so that you can easily place the screen at a comfortable viewing position.

Fast-moving content looks amazingly clear. The response time at its max refresh rate is one of the best we've tested on a monitor, and it also has an excellent response time at 60Hz. There's even a Black Frame Insertion feature, which unlike most monitors, you can use while VRR is enabled. The input lag is also incredibly low, but it increases at 60Hz, so it's not ideal for 60fps console gaming. It has native FreeSync support and is certified as G-SYNC compatible.

Unfortunately, as is the case with most IPS screens, it has a low contrast ratio that causes blacks to appear gray when viewed in the dark. Also, even though it supports HDR10, it can't display a wide color gamut, which means that HDR content doesn't look much different from SDR. Nevertheless, it's the best 27 inch gaming monitor with a 1080p resolution that we've tested and one that most people should be happy with.

The best 27 inch gaming monitor with a 1440p resolution that we've tested is the Samsung LC27G75TQSNXZA. Although we tested the 32 inch model, we expect the 27 inch to perform identically. Plus, its smaller screen size means it has a higher pixel density to produce sharper images and text. It's well-suited for both dark and bright rooms because it has a high contrast ratio to produce deep blacks, and it fights glare easily thanks to its good reflection handling and high peak brightness.

Gaming-wise, it delivers an amazingly smooth experience. It has exceptional response time and a 240Hz refresh rate that results in clear images in fast-moving scenes. Input lag is incredibly low and doesn't increase with VRR or HDR enabled. It has a Black Frame Insertion feature that can improve motion clarity further, but it isn't usable simultaneously with VRR. It delivers a pretty good HDR gaming experience, as it can display a wide color gamut and gets bright enough to bring out some highlights, though not enough for true cinematic HDR.

Like most VA panel monitors, it has narrow viewing angles that cause images to appear washed out when viewed from the side, which isn't ideal for playing co-op games. Its ergonomics are reasonably good, though, as it allows for height, tilt, swivel, and rotation to portrait mode, which is rare for a curved monitor. Extra features include two USB 3.0 ports and a Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture mode. All in all, this is an excellent gaming monitor that should please casual and hardcore gamers alike.

The best 27 inch gaming monitor with a 4k screen that we've tested is the LG 27GN950-B. It's one of the few 4k monitors available with a high 144Hz refresh rate, and you can overclock it up to 160Hz for even more responsiveness. However, you need a high-end graphics card that supports VESA Display Stream Compression and a DisplayPort cable to reach that frame rate. It doesn't support HDMI 2.1, so it can only reach a max of 60Hz over an HDMI connection.

It's packed with gaming features that most people should enjoy. It has an incredibly fast response time whether you're gaming at its max refresh rate or 60Hz, so even though it doesn't have a Black Frame Insertion feature, motion still looks extra smooth. It has both FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility, and its input lag is incredibly low. Its 4k resolution delivers crisp images, and it's decent for HDR gaming because it displays a wide color gamut while also getting bright enough to make small highlights stand out in HDR.

Unfortunately, it has disappointing ergonomics, and you can't swivel it. This means it may be difficult to place in an ideal viewing position. Due to its IPS panel, it has a low contrast ratio, and even though it has an edge-lit local dimming feature, it performs terribly and could get distracting when using it in a dark room. Besides these issues, if you're in the market for a 4k monitor with a high refresh rate, this is one of the best gaming monitors we've tested.

The best budget 27 inch gaming monitor we've tested is the Gigabyte G27Q. It has a 1440p screen that delivers sharp images and text, and like most IPS panels, it has wide viewing angles. The build quality is good, but the stand is limited in ergonomic adjustments, making it harder to place the screen at a comfortable viewing position. It handles reflections well and overcomes glare easily, even in bright, sunny settings.

It has great motion handling thanks to its quick response time and 144Hz refresh rate. It supports FreeSync natively and is compatible with NVIDIA's G-SYNC to minimize screen tearing. It has an optional Black Frame Insertion feature, although it isn't usable simultaneously with VRR, and it only works over a relatively narrow frequency range. It displays a wide color gamut and gets decently bright in HDR, but it isn't quite bright enough for a true cinematic HDR experience.

There are two USB inputs for charging and data, and there's also a pair of speakers built-in. You can add a virtual crosshair, frame rate counter, and there's software that lets you control the settings with your mouse and keyboard. The backlight is flicker-free, which helps reduce eye strain. Overall, it's a good budget gaming monitor that won't break the bank.