AORUS FI27Q-X 240Hz QHD Gaming Monitor Review

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.