AORUS FI27Q-X 240Hz QHD Gaming Monitor Review

There are plenty of monitors out there from big-name brands. However, while most brands offer a range of models from affordable to premium, suitable for everything from office work to eSports, AORUS do things a little bit differently. They've got a relatively small range of displays under their banner, and they're all tuned for high-performance gaming for the enthusiast market. That does mean they come in at a higher price than most, but you do get a lot of additional premium features for your investment, and today, it looks like their new F127Q-X Tactical Gaming Monitor will be no exception to the rule. Priced at £645.99 on Amazon (at the time of writing), this is a pretty expensive 27" monitor, so what else does it have to justify the price tag? AORUS FI27Q-X Tactical Gaming Monitor AORUS has equipped their F127Q-X with enough features to make it a veritable Swiss Army Knife of a gaming monitor. Let's run down the highlights, shall we!? First, a QHD panel, offering 2560x1440 pixels, running at a staggering 240Hz with a lightning-fast 0.3ms response time. You also get an IPS panel that can deliver 100% Adobe RGB, VESA DisplayHDR 400, FreeSync, and it's also G-Sync Compatible. You also get their gaming OSD, offering Aim Stabilizer, Black EQ 2.0, GameAssist, and so much more. However, even the audio output is unique, with an AI-tuned ANC 2.0 system allowing you to hook up your headset/microphone directly to the monitor! It seems this monitor has every modern feature you could ask for from current display technology. Features Display Resolution 2560x1440Display Size 27"Refresh Rate 240HzFreeSyncG-Sync Compatible0.3ms Response TimeContrast Ratio 1000:1Panel Type SS IPVESA DisplayHDR 400100% AdobeRGB For in-depth specifications, please visit the official AORUS FI27Q-X product page here. Ergonomics Connectivity What AORUS Had to Say "Experience the greatest performance of your game marathons with the incredible AORUS FI27Q-X Gaming monitor. This 27” monitor features a Quad HD (2560x1440) IPS panel, which gives gamers gorgeous visuals from all angles. Plus, you can benefit from clear sound with quality speakers, and your gameplay will be unbelievably fluid with the 240Hz refresh rate, 0.3 ms response time, and the G-Sync compatibility ensures seamless gaming via FreeSync Premium Pro technology. Built with an ergonomic stand allowing you to find a comfortable viewing angle, along with eye health protection with flicker-free technology so you can game happily. Designed for gamers who want to explore ways to improve their skills through a range of gaming enhancement features." - AORUS A Closer Look This is a really well-made monitor, and you can see and feel the quality from the moment you take it out of the box. Firstly, it's pretty damn heavy for a 27" monitor, it feels robust and overbuilt, and I guess that's one thing I would expect from such an expensive model. The screen is well presented, with a very slim bezel on the edges, making this well suited to multi-monitor configurations. However, it just looks better too, huge bezels can just look unsightly and old-fashioned. There's a slightly thicker bezel along the bottom edge, but again it's well presented. The plastics have a nice muted look about them, so no changes of unwanted reflections or fingerprints showing up on the surface. There's a small textured AORUS logo in the middle, but again, no bright colours or distractions to be found. Tucked under the bottom edge and in the middle, you'll find a small analogue stick controller, which can also be clicked like a button. This will provide all the controls for the UI and power of the monitor, and it's straightforward to use too, which is always a welcome bonus. The stand offers a good range of ergonomics, too, allowing you to put the monitor surprisingly high up should you feel the need. It'll drop down completely to the point that it touches the stand too, should you feel like slouching really low in your chair. You get a good degree of movement to the left and right, all without moving the stand. Actually, given how heavy the monitor is, it moves around easily enough, and I didn't have to brace the stand with my other hand while moving the panel, which I like. The monitor also supports a portrait mode, and again, the mechanism for doing so feels extremely well engineered. It turns, and a small bump in the rotation helps hold it in place once you get to the full 90-degrees. You can still adjust the height too, and even still drop it down to touch the desk and tilt forwards/backwards; it's a very flexible setup! Around the back, albeit I still have the monitor in portrait mode, you can see all the I/O ports; it's very well equipped in that regard too. You get two HDMI and a DisplayPort, all supporting the latest standards. There's also a USB hub, allowing for two full-speed USB 3 devices. The power is just a 3-pin kettle lead too, no ugly power bricks to deal with here! The rear design looks awesome too, and it's a shame my desk is against a wall really. But, of course, if you have a more open desk layout, then you'll be happy looking at the back once in a while. That handle at the top is functional too, you can pick up the whole monitor and carry it around with it quite safely; remember to detach your cables first, of course. There's some RGB here on the glossy parts of the monitor, but also built into the stand too. At the top, there's quite a bit of ventilation, but a lot of those lines are overemphasised for aesthetics rather than all being vents. I'm not expecting the monitor to get hot, but it is a higher refresh rate display, so it's bound to use a bit more power than most. The stand is awesome, with a heavy-duty cast metal design that provides a really stable base for the monitor. It doesn't wobble or creak and that's always a good start. Performance First impressions of this panel are really fantastic. Just remember, Windows defaults to 60hz, so go to settings on Windows and set that to 240 Hz. Also, you may need to check AMD or Nvidia software to set up FreeSync or G-Sync. The 2560 x 1440 panel offers up a good pixel density and lots of real estate that works well for daily use and easily allows dual windows to be clearly displayed. A web compressed image doesn't quite do it justice, but the colours are simply stunning too. Of course, this is a premium (and expensive) IPS panel, so we'd have expected nothing less. However, the out of the box calibration has to be commended. Viewing angles are excellent too, and despite it being quite sunny today, strong reflections are easily dealt with. Plus, the panel has a strong brightness and somewhat decent contrast ratio with good black levels, which does help considerably. Watching videos on YouTube is great, but a good quality 4K movie still displays well on the panel. Plus, the calibration is awesome for video content, with really natural skin tones but all the warmth and depth one would expect from an extended colour palette. Again, even with the sun hitting the left side of the screen a little, things are still easy to view. Gaming is an absolute riot, and games that are locked at 60 FPS look fantastic. However, if you have an unlocked frame rate or a game with native high frame rate support, such as Forza Horizon 4, the overall clarity is overwhelming, even when going fast (yes, I'm aware I'm only doing 48 MPH in the picture, I only have two hands you know!). The OSD is the same as we've seen on prior AORUS models, which is to say it's pretty fantastic. It's easy to navigate, everything is put under clear categories and there's a status bar at the top, telling you what's enabled/disabled. There are loads of built-in profiles, plus three blank ones for you to customise. Calibration How Much Does it Cost? The AORUS FI27Q-X 240Hz QHD Gaming Monitor is currently priced at £645.99 on Amazon, which is to say, it's pretty expensive. They do a 165 Hz model, the F127Q-P, which is £539.96. However, you have to remember this is a Fast IPS panel, delivering a 0.3ms response times. The bulk of the monitors out there will be 1-4ms, putting this in a league of its own. The closest rival would likely be the more expensive AW2721D or the QLED LC27G75TQSRXXU, but they both have a 1ms response time, not 0.3ms. Overview It seems then that when it comes to a game of Top Trumps, AORUS has the competition pretty whipped. There are much more affordable 1440p displays that can deliver impressive response times and 240hz refresh rates. However, AORUS is setting itself apart with many custom technologies and features that are sure to please the most hardcore PC gamers out there. With HDR400, it's a nice added feature, and while rivals offer HDR600 for around the same price, the difference isn't vast in that regard. The OSD is something I rarely care for. However, the AORUS setup has so many fun options to customise the overlays, custom crosshairs, system information and much more. Plus, it offers extensive calibration options, with an easy to use interface, which I really like. The addition of their ANC microphone/headphone inputs/outputs is a winner too, it may not seem like much, but their tech is very reliable. It'll block out a rage typing session on MX Blues with ease, and that is impressive. Calibration The colours, contrast, and brightness were all set up to impress right out of the box. The SDR performance is exceptional and needed virtually no calibration. Actually, I did a calibration, and it made things (objectively) worse for what it was worth. The Delta-E was fine at stock, and while I managed to improve the tone response from 4/5 to 4.5/5, I can't say I saw a huge difference in the end result. Colour accuracy and Gamut scored very strongly, and short of maybe putting it into a warm picture mode for a more natural picture, it's really well set up. I guess that's part of what your £650 investment gets you. Performance Faultless, and frankly, I wouldn't have expected anything less. It doesn't take an eSports pro to know this is a good monitor. The moment you see how clear the image is even at 200+ FPS with a fast-moving camera, you'll be praising your investment. That being said, I game at 4K60, and I'd say this display offers much more detail in FPS and driving games, as there's just so much more information hitting your eyes every second. Of course, for movies and still images, 4K is still offering more detail. Plus, that ultra-low response time, no ghosting or blur means you'll be nailing those headshots time after time; unless you truly suck that is. Should I Buy One? Do you have a fat stack of cash and a burning desire to have one of the best gaming monitors on the market right now? If the answer is yes, then you absolutely should buy this monitor. However, you have to take things pretty seriously to want to invest in this monitor, as your typical gamer would be happy with a more affordable model. Plus, 240hz isn't easy to hit on modern games, so some serious GPU horsepower is required too, which is something to consider.