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Samsung C27RG5 Monitor Review

Tested using Methodology v1.1
Reviewed Aug 06, 2021 at 10:40 am
Latest change: Writing modified Nov 24, 2022 at 01:24 pm
Samsung C27RG5 Picture
6.7
Mixed Usage
6.8
Office
6.9
Gaming
6.6
Multimedia
6.5
Media Creation
5.3
HDR Gaming

The Samsung C27RG5 is an okay budget monitor with a 27 inch, 1080p VA screen that delivers impressive contrast, as expected. It also has excellent gray uniformity and decent black uniformity. It has no issue with glare, with good peak brightness and good reflection handling. It has an extremely high refresh rate, and it supports a few advanced gaming features, including variable refresh rate (VRR) support. Although mainly advertised as a gaming monitor, it's not very well-suited for that use, as it has a bad response time, resulting in significant blur behind fast-moving objects. We also encountered a few issues, including a distracting brightness flicker with some content when VRR is enabled, and the overdrive settings don't appear to work correctly, as there's very little difference between them. Unfortunately, it has bad ergonomics, with just a small tilt range, so it might be difficult to place it in an ideal viewing position, and the image degrades at an angle.

Our Verdict

6.7 Mixed Usage

The Samsung CRG5 is an okay monitor overall. It's an okay office monitor, with good peak brightness and good reflection handling, but just okay text clarity and a low pixel density. Unfortunately, it has narrow viewing angles, and although it's advertised for gaming, it's not very good, as it has a bad response time and some distracting flicker issues.

Pros
  • High contrast ratio.
  • Good peak brightness.
  • Good reflection handling.
  • Superb low input lag at the max refresh rate.
Cons
  • Terrible response time.
  • Bad ergonomics.
  • Some text clarity issues.
  • Image degrades at an angle.
6.8 Office

The Samsung CRG5 is an okay office monitor. It has good peak brightness and good reflection handling, so glare shouldn't be an issue for most people. The 27 inch, 1080p screen is decent for multitasking, but the pixel density is a bit low, and it has just alright text clarity. Unfortunately, it has bad ergonomics, so it might be difficult to place it in an ideal viewing position, and the image degrades at an angle.

Pros
  • Good reflection handling.
  • Superb color gamut.
  • Excellent gray uniformity.
  • Superb low input lag at the max refresh rate.
Cons
  • Terrible response time.
  • Bad ergonomics.
  • Some text clarity issues.
  • Image degrades at an angle.
6.9 Gaming

Although it has a very high refresh rate and low input lag, the Samsung CRG5 isn't a good choice for gaming. It has a bad response time, resulting in a long blur trail behind fast-moving objects. It has a few additional gaming features, including support for a variable refresh rate (VRR), but VRR only works over DisplayPort, and enabling causes a distracting brightness flicker effect with some content.

Pros
  • Good reflection handling.
  • Superb low input lag at the max refresh rate.
Cons
  • Terrible response time.
  • Overdrive settings appear to not work properly.
  • Bad ergonomics.
  • Flicker with VRR enabled.
6.6 Multimedia

The Samsung CRG50 is okay for watching videos. It has good peak brightness and good reflection handling, so glare shouldn't be an issue. It also has excellent gray uniformity, a high contrast ratio, and decent black uniformity. Unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle, so it's not very good for watching your favorite stream with a friend, and it has bad ergonomics, so it's hard to adjust to an ideal viewing position.

Pros
  • High contrast ratio.
  • Good reflection handling.
  • Excellent gray uniformity.
  • Superb low input lag at the max refresh rate.
Cons
  • Terrible response time.
  • Bad ergonomics.
  • Image degrades at an angle.
6.5 Media Creation

The Samsung LC27RG50 is just okay for media creation. The 27 inch, 1080p screen is decent, but the pixel density is a bit low and it has just okay text clarity. It has excellent gray uniformity, good reflection handling, good peak brightness, and an excellent SDR color gamut. Unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle and it has bad ergonomics, so it's not ideal for sharing your screen with a client or your colleagues.

Pros
  • High contrast ratio.
  • Good peak brightness.
  • Good reflection handling.
  • Superb color gamut.
  • Excellent gray uniformity.
Cons
  • Terrible response time.
  • Bad ergonomics.
  • Some text clarity issues.
  • Image degrades at an angle.
5.3 HDR Gaming
  • 6.7 Mixed Usage
  • 6.8 Office
  • 6.9 Gaming
  • 6.6 Multimedia
  • 6.5 Media Creation
  • 5.3 HDR Gaming
  1. Updated Nov 24, 2022: Added the full mode codes for the 24 and 27-inch models in the Variants section for clarity.
  2. Updated Aug 06, 2021: Review published.
  3. Updated Aug 04, 2021: Early access published.
  4. Updated Jul 30, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
  5. Updated Jul 28, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  6. Updated Jul 27, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
  7. Updated Jul 25, 2021: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 27 inch Samsung CRG5, which is part of Samsung's 2021 curved gaming monitor lineup. It's also available in a 24 inch size, but we don't expect our review to be valid for that size as it has a different curve and a lower refresh rate.

Model Full Mode Code Size Native Resolution Max Refresh rate Panel Type Curve
C24RG5 LC24RG50FZNXZA 24" 1920 x 1080 144Hz VA 1800R
C27RG5 LC27RG50FQNXZA 27" 1920 x 1080 240Hz VA 1500R

If you come across a different type of panel or your Samsung CRG5 27 inch doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.

Our unit was manufactured in January 2021; you can see the label here.

Compared To Other Monitors

The Samsung CRG5 is an okay monitor overall, but it has some very serious flaws that limit its usefulness. It's one of the only 240Hz VA monitors on the market, and it delivers a much better dark room experience, but it has a bad response time, resulting in significant blur behind fast-moving objects, especially in dark scenes. There are much better alternatives available.

For more options, check out our recommendations for the best 27 inch monitors, the best gaming monitors, and the best 1080p monitors.

MSI Optix MAG271CQR

The MSI Optix MAG271CQR is much better than the Samsung C27RG5. The MSI has a much faster response time, resulting in significantly clearer motion. The MSI also has better ergonomics, a higher-resolution screen, and it has an optional black frame insertion feature. The Samsung we tested has better black uniformity, but this varies between units.

Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 1.0)

The Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 1.0) and the Samsung C27RG5 use different panel technologies, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, but the Gigabyte is much better overall. The Gigabyte has better ergonomics, better viewing angles, and a higher native resolution, and it supports HDR. The Gigabyte also has a much better response time, an optional black frame insertion feature, and lower input lag at 60Hz.

AOC CQ27G2

The AOC CQ27G2 is much better than the Samsung C27RG5. The AOC has better ergonomics, a higher-resolution screen, and a much faster response time. The AOC is more versatile, as the variable refresh rate (VRR) feature is available over HDMI and DisplayPort, and it has an optional black frame insertion feature. The Samsung we tested has much better black uniformity, but this varies between units.

AOC 24G2

The AOC 24G2 and the Samsung C27RG5 use different panel technologies, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Despite this difference, the AOC is still a much better monitor for almost everyone. The AOC has a much better response time, better ergonomics, and an optional black frame insertion feature. The Samsung has better contrast, so it has better blacks in a dark room, but other than that, the AOC is better.

ASUS TUF VG32VQ

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ is much better than the Samsung C27RG5. The ASUS has a much faster response time, resulting in clearer motion when gaming, and it has an optional black frame insertion feature. The ASUS also has a larger, higher-resolution screen and better ergonomics, so it's better for multitasking and easier to place in an ideal viewing position.

Samsung Odyssey G7 C32G75T

The Samsung Odyssey G7 C32G75T is much better than the Samsung C27RG5. The Odyssey G7 has much better ergonomics, better build quality, higher peak brightness, and supports HDR. The Odyssey G7 delivers a much better gaming experience, with a much faster response time, lower input lag, especially at 60Hz, and an optional black frame insertion feature.

Dell S2721DGF

The Dell S2721DGF is much better than the Samsung C27RG5. The Dell has a much faster response time, so motion in games looks much better, with almost no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects. The Dell also has much better ergonomics and a higher resolution screen.

+ Show more

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Size 27"
Curved Yes
Curve Radius 1500R
Weight (without stand)
8.4 lbs (3.8 kg)
Weight (with stand)
10.1 lbs (4.6 kg)

The Samsung CRG5 27" has a nice design, similar to the Samsung CHG70, but with a silver bottom bezel. The back is similar to the Samsung Odyssey G5 C27G55T. It has a basic design overall, with no RGB bias lighting.

Design
Stand
Width
18.5" (47.1 cm)
Depth
9.8" (24.9 cm)

The stand has a very simple design, similar to the Samsung CHG70. It's pretty wide, but it doesn't support the monitor all that well, as it wobbles quite a bit.

1.1
Design
Ergonomics
Height Adjustment
0.0" (0.0 cm)
Switch Portrait/Landscape No
Swivel Range No swivel
Tilt Range -15° to 2.5°

Unfortunately, the Samsung CRG5 has bad ergonomics. It can only tilt, and even that has a disappointing range. The tilt adjustment is very stiff, so it's not easy to adjust.

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 75x75

The back of the monitor has a unique design for the inputs. It looks great, but might cause problems if you're planning on VESA mounting the monitor. Due to the extra space between the mounting holes and the back of the monitor, most mounting brackets require a lot of spacers, which aren't included. There are two clips on the stand for cable management, and they're quite helpful for keeping your desk neat.

Design
Borders
Borders
0.4" (0.9 cm)
Design
Thickness
Thickness (with stand)
8.6" (21.9 cm)
Thickness (without stand)
3.4" (8.6 cm)

The monitor appears to lean forward in this image, but it can be tilted back.

6.5
Design
Build Quality

The Samsung LC27RG50FQNXZA has just okay build quality. It's entirely plastic, and the whole body has quite a bit of flex to it. The stand feels cheap and doesn't seem very solid. The tilt adjustments are stiff, and it feels like the whole unit flexes when adjusting the tilt. Unfortunately, our unit came with a large scratch on the right side of the screen.

Picture Quality
8.0
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
3,305 : 1
Contrast With Local Dimming
N/A

As expected for a VA panel, the Samsung CRG5 has an impressive contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks in a dark room. These results are a bit better than Samsung's advertised 3000:1, but this can vary between units.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Edge

The Samsung CRG5 doesn't have a local dimming feature. The video is for reference only, so you can see how the backlight on this display performs and compare it to a similar product with local dimming.

7.5
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene
302 cd/m²
SDR Peak 2% Window
299 cd/m²
SDR Peak 10% Window
299 cd/m²
SDR Peak 25% Window
300 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
299 cd/m²
SDR Peak 100% Window
299 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
299 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
299 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
299 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
299 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
299 cd/m²
SDR ABL
0.000

The Samsung CRG5 has good peak brightness. It's bright enough to overcome most glare, and there's no noticeable variation in brightness with different content.

These measurements were taken after calibration, in the 'Custom' Picture Mode, with the backlight at max. The peak brightness can change depending on which mode you're using.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Peak Brightness
HDR Real Scene
N/A
HDR Peak 2% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 10% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 25% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 50% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 100% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 2% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 10% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 25% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 50% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 100% Window
N/A
HDR ABL
N/A

This monitor doesn't support HDR.

6.0
Picture Quality
Horizontal Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Left
29°
Color Washout From Right
31°
Color Shift From Left
54°
Color Shift From Right
56°
Brightness Loss From Left
34°
Brightness Loss From Right
35°
Black Level Raise From Left
12°
Black Level Raise From Right
13°
Gamma Shift From Left
20°
Gamma Shift From Right
21°

As expected for a VA monitor, the Samsung 27 inch CRG5 has mediocre horizontal viewing angles. Black levels start to rise almost immediately after you move off-center, causing the image to appear washed out. Colors stay accurate to a wide angle, though. The curved screen can help reduce the impact of this, but our testing doesn't show the effect of the curve. If viewing angles are important to you, a monitor with an IPS screen, like the Gigabyte AORUS FI27Q-X might be a better choice.

5.7
Picture Quality
Vertical Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Below
28°
Color Washout From Above
27°
Color Shift From Below
51°
Color Shift From Above
55°
Brightness Loss From Below
31°
Brightness Loss From Above
30°
Black Level Raise From Below
11°
Black Level Raise From Above
Gamma Shift From Below
18°
Gamma Shift From Above
19°

Unfortunately, the Samsung CRG5 has sub-par vertical viewing angles. Again, colors stay accurate to a wide angle, but black levels raise at a very narrow angle, causing the image to appear washed out.

8.7
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
3.218%
50% DSE
0.097%
5% Std. Dev.
0.539%
5% DSE
0.060%

The Samsung CRG5 has excellent gray uniformity. The sides of the screen are a bit darker than the center, but there's very little dirty screen effect. Near-black scenes are nearly perfect, with no noticeable issues. Gray uniformity can vary between units, but it's rarely an issue on modern monitors.

7.1
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
1.276%
Std. Dev. w/ L.D.
N/A

The Samsung LC27RG50FQNXZA we bought has decent black uniformity, but this can vary between units. There's almost no clouding throughout the screen, but there's some backlight bleed along the top and bottom edges.

7.5
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
Picture Mode
Custom
Luminance
312 cd/m²
Luminance Settings
100
Contrast Setting
75
RGB Controls
50-50-50
Gamma Setting
Mode 1
Color Temperature
6,289 K
White Balance dE
3.26
Color dE
2.67
Gamma
2.09

Out of the box, the Samsung CRG5 we bought has good accuracy, but this varies between units. Most colors are pretty accurate, but reds, greens, and yellows are a bit off. The white balance is borderline, and the overall color temperature is a bit on the warm side. Gamma doesn't follow the sRGB target curve, but is instead closer to a flat 2.1, so most bright scenes are too bright, and dark scenes are a bit too dark. Unfortunately, there's no sRGB mode, and it's oversaturating a bit, especially in the greens, reds, and yellows.

9.5
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
Picture Mode
Custom
Luminance
100 cd/m²
Luminance Settings
19
Contrast Setting
70
RGB Controls
47-53-52
Gamma Setting
Mode 1
Color Temperature
6,486 K
White Balance dE
0.51
Color dE
0.78
Gamma
2.18

After calibration, the overall accuracy is nearly perfect. Gamma follows the sRGB target curve pretty well, but there are a few minor issues throughout. Colors are much more accurate, and it's not oversaturated anymore. White balance is nearly perfect, as is the color temperature.

You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and shouldn't be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit due to manufacturing tolerances, even for the same model.

8.6
Picture Quality
SDR Color Gamut
sRGB xy
95.2%
Adobe RGB xy
76.4%
sRGB Picture Mode
Custom
Adobe RGB Picture Mode
Custom

The Samsung CRG5 has an excellent color gamut in SDR. It has nearly perfect coverage of the sRGB color space used in most desktop and web content, but it can't quite display the full range of greens or blues. Coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space is good, but probably too low for professional content creators.

9.0
Picture Quality
SDR Color Volume
sRGB In ICtCp
97.3%
Adobe RGB In ICtCp
82.0%
sRGB Picture Mode
Custom
Adobe RGB Picture Mode
Custom

This monitor has outstanding color volume in SDR. Despite the high contrast ratio, it can't display dark saturated colors very well.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
N/A
DCI P3 xy
N/A
Rec. 2020 xy
N/A
DCI P3 Picture Mode
No HDR
Rec. 2020 Picture Mode
No HDR

This monitor doesn't support HDR.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Color Volume
DCI-P3 In ICtCp
N/A
Rec. 2020 In ICtCp
N/A
DCI P3 Picture Mode
No HDR
Rec. 2020 Picture Mode
No HDR

This monitor doesn't support HDR.

9.0
Picture Quality
Image Retention
IR After 0 Min Recovery
0.37%
IR After 2 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 4 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 6 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 8 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 10 Min Recovery
0.00%

Unfortunately, there are some signs of temporary image retention on our unit, but they fade quickly. This can vary between units.

7.9
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
8 Bit

The Samsung CRG5 has good gradient handling. There's some banding in darker shades, and as it can only accept an 8-bit signal, there's 8-bit banding in our 10-bit test image.

10
Picture Quality
Color Bleed
Pixel Row Error
0.001%
Pixel Column Error
0.002%

There are no signs of color bleed on our Samsung CRG5, but this varies between units. It's rarely an issue with regular content, though.

7.5
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Matte
Total Reflections
5.4%
Indirect Reflections
3.2%
Calculated Direct Reflections
2.2%

The Samsung CRG5 has good reflection handling. The matte finish diffuses direct reflections well, and glare shouldn't be an issue.

6.5
Picture Quality
Text Clarity
Pixel Type
VA
Sub-Pixel Layout
RGB

Unfortunately, the Samsung CRG5 has just alright text clarity. Even after running the ClearType wizard on a Windows PC (top photo), there are some artifacts in every letter, especially on diagonal or curved lines.

Motion
3.3
Motion
Response Time @ Max Refresh Rate
Best Overdrive Setting
Adaptive Sync
Rise / Fall Time
13.7 ms
Total Response Time
34.5 ms
Overshoot Error
0.1%
Dark Rise / Fall Time
25.3 ms
Dark Total Response Time
44.3 ms
Dark Overshoot Error
0.0%

Response Time SettingResponse Time ChartResponse Time TablesMotion Blur Photo
StandardChartTablePhoto
FasterChartTablePhoto
FastestChartTablePhoto
Adaptive SyncChartTablePhoto

Unfortunately, the Samsung CRG5 has a bad response time at the max refresh rate. There's no overshoot at all, which is great, but the total response time is terribly slow, especially in dark scenes. The black smearing behind our moving response time logo photo actually went even further than shown here, but was cropped when we took the photo. It's so bad that the motion blur is actually cutting off part of the letter 'G' in our logo.

There are three overdrive settings to choose from, but they don't appear to be working, as there's no noticeable difference between them. Enabling Adaptive Sync disables the Response Time setting, but it's also slightly faster than the other modes, so we recommend using that mode.

We don't know if our unit is defective or if this can be fixed with a firmware. We'll retest the response time if there are any updates.

3.5
Motion
Response Time @ 60Hz
Best Overdrive Setting
Adaptive Sync
Rise / Fall Time
13.3 ms
Total Response Time
33.8 ms
Overshoot Error
0.1%
Dark Rise / Fall Time
24.6 ms
Dark Total Response Time
42.5 ms
Dark Overshoot Error
0.0%

Response Time SettingResponse Time ChartResponse Time TablesMotion Blur Photo
StandardChartTablePhoto
FasterChartTablePhoto
FastestChartTablePhoto
Adaptive SyncChartTablePhoto

There's virtually no difference between the 60Hz and 240Hz response time on the Samsung C27RG50. There's significant motion smearing behind dark objects, and there's more persistence blur due to the slower refresh rate, but overall it looks just as bad.

There are three overdrive settings to choose from, but they don't appear to be working, as there's no noticeable difference between them. Enabling Adaptive Sync disables the Response Time setting, but it's also slightly faster than the other modes, so we recommend using that mode.

We don't know if our unit is defective or if this can be fixed with a firmware. We'll retest the response time if there are any updates.

10
Motion
Image Flicker
Flicker-Free Yes
PWM Dimming Frequency
>1000 Hz

The Samsung CRG5 doesn't use pulse width modulation (PWM) to dim the backlight, which is great. At low brightness settings (below 29) there's a very high frequency flicker, but it's at such a high frequency that it's not at all noticeable.

Unfortunately, we noticed a brightness flashing effect when the variable refresh rate (VRR) feature is enabled, similar to what we saw on the Samsung Odyssey G7 C32G75T. It's especially noticeable when the framerate fluctuates in darker scenes at low framerates. The only way to remove it is to disable VRR.

0
Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
No BFI
BFI Maximum Frequency
N/A
BFI Minimum Frequency
N/A

This monitor doesn't have an optional black frame insertion feature.

9.6
Motion
Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
Adaptive Sync
Native
240 Hz
Max Refresh Rate
240 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
FreeSync
Compatible (Tested)
G-SYNC
Compatible (NVIDIA Certified)
VRR Maximum
240 Hz
VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
VRR Supported Connectors DisplayPort

The Samsung CRG5 has an incredibly fast refresh rate. It's certified as NVIDIA G-SYNC compatible, but that only works over DisplayPort. Although not officially certified, we found that it also works well with AMD cards, but strangely, it only works over DisplayPort. Unlike most monitors, FreeSync doesn't work over HDMI with this monitor.

Inputs
9.5
Inputs
Input Lag
Native Resolution
3.3 ms
Native Resolution @ 60Hz
21.7 ms
Variable Refresh Rate
4.6 ms
Variable Refresh Rate @ 60Hz
21.5 ms
10 Bit HDR
N/A
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
N/A

The Samsung CRG5 has superb low input lag at the native refresh rate. Unfortunately, input lag increases significantly when gaming at 60Hz, which isn't ideal for console gamers.

7.1
Inputs
Resolution And Size
Native Resolution 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Megapixels 2.1 MP
Pixel Density
82 PPI
Screen Diagonal 27.0"
Screen Area 310 in²

The 27 inch, 1080p screen is decent, but the pixel density is a bit on the low side.

Inputs
Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
DisplayPort 1 (DP 1.2)
Mini DisplayPort No
HDMI 2 (HDMI 2.0)
DVI No
VGA No
DisplayPort Out No
USB 1 (USB 2.0)
USB C No
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Microphone In 3.5mm No
Digital Optical Audio Out No
Analog Audio Out RCA No
Power Supply External Brick
Features
Features
Additional Features
RGB Illumination
No
Speakers
No
HDR10 No
Multiple Input Display
No

This is a pretty basic monitor, but it has a few extra features, most of which are designed to improve your gaming experience:

  • Black Equalizer: adjusts the gamma to make it easier to spot other players or enemies in darker areas on-screen.
  • Virtual Aim Point: a bit of a cheat, this feature adds a virtual crosshair that can't be detected by your game.

Features
On-Screen Display (OSD)
Features
Controls

The OSD can be controlled by a simple joystick control located under the Samsung logo on the bottom bezel. It's easy to use.

Features
In The Box

  • User manuals
  • DisplayPort cable
  • Power supply