Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG evaluation: This 5K gaming monitor is extremely crisp

Finest Costs At this time: Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG

5K screens aren’t as unique as they was once. As soon as a uncommon choice bought at costs a number of instances increased than their 4K equivalents, 5K screens are actually accessible for nicely under $1,000. They’re additionally accessible with options that have been as soon as unthinkable, and the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG is an instance of that development. It has a 5K IPS panel but in addition supplies a refresh fee as much as 180Hz at 5K, or 330Hz at 1440p. That’s a giant leap over the 60Hz refresh fee 5K screens have traditionally caught with, however does it actually make the XG27JCG a great choose for gaming?

Learn on to be taught extra, then see our roundup of the perfect screens for comparability.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG specs and options

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG’s key function is after all the Quick IPS LCD panel. It has a most decision of 5120×2880 and a most refresh fee of 180Hz when overclocked.

And if that refresh isn’t sufficient, or in case your GPU can’t deal with gaming at 5K decision, you possibly can decrease the decision to 2560×1440 and luxuriate in a refresh fee as much as 330Hz.

• Show dimension: 27-inch 16:9 side ratio
• Native decision: 5120×2880
• Panel kind: Quick IPS LCD
• Refresh fee: 165Hz/180Hz(OC) at 5K, or 330Hz at 1440p
• Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync Premium Professional, Nvidia G-Sync Suitable
• HDR: Sure, VESA DisplayHDR 600 Licensed
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and as much as 15 watts Energy Supply, 1x USB-B 3.2 Gen 1 upstream, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 downstream, 3.5mm audio pass-through
• Audio: No
• Additional Options: Tripod screw mount
• Software program help: Home windows 11, MacOS 12 or later
• Worth: $849 MSRP

5K screens with excessive refresh charges are new, so that you would possibly anticipate to pay a premium. But that’s not the case. The XG27JCG has a retail MSRP of $849, and whereas that’s not cheap, it’s really in direction of the low finish of 5K monitor pricing.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG design

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG embraces the corporate’s present tried-and-true design language. Meaning you’ll see numerous matte-black plastic each back and front, in addition to a distinguished ROG brand with RGB-LED backlighting. The emblem is suitable with Asus’ Aura Sync, so you possibly can coordinate it with different gadgets.

It’s a design that screams “I’m a gaming monitor!” on the prime of its lungs, nevertheless it’s not as spectacular as Asus’ ROG OLED screens, which have a tendency to make use of supplies that look extra spectacular on the rear panel.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

An ergonomic stand is included with the monitor, as is typical for screens on this worth vary. It has a compact, flat stand base that minimizes the monitor’s footprint in your desk. The stand adjusts for peak, tilt, swivel, and might pivot (rotate) 90 levels to be used in portrait orientation.

A 100x100mm VESA mount is out there to be used with third-party monitor arms and stands. Nevertheless, the monitor stand’s neck is affixed from the manufacturing facility. You’ll be able to take away it by prying off two plastic items after which unscrewing 4 screws. This reveals a 100x100mm VESA mount, however is a bit recessed, which can not work with some third-party monitor stands and arms. Asus sells an adapter for wall mounts that may resolve this difficulty. It’s a little bit of an uncommon design, and I don’t see the logic in it, as a result of it doesn’t appear to offer a purposeful profit or look remarkably extra engaging than different screens.

Like many Asus ROG screens, the XG27JCG has a pleasant additional: a 1/4-inch tripod screw mount. This mount is on prime of the stand neck and can be utilized to connect a wide range of useful peripherals, like an adjustable webcam arm or a hoop gentle. Opponents hardly ever provide this function, so if you wish to mount some additional gear in your monitor, the XG27JCG is a good selection.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG connectivity

Connectivity is usually a sore level for Asus ROG screens, and whereas the ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG manages to supply some perks, it’s not fairly the place I would love it to be.

The problem is the USB-C port. The monitor does have one, which is sweet, because it’s nonetheless not a assured function on a monitor marketed to players. Nevertheless, the USB-C energy solely supplies 15 watts of Energy Supply, which is usually not sufficient to cost a linked laptop computer at acceptable speeds. You’ll want one other energy supply for the laptop computer, which will increase cable litter.

I do perceive why Asus would make this selection. Most Home windows gaming laptops require 100 to 240 watts of energy, which might require a costlier USB-C energy supply implementation. Asus as an alternative retains USB-C energy supply easy, presumably to maintain the value low. Nevertheless, this can be a 5K monitor, so it can enchantment to not solely players but in addition prosumers and professionals. The latter two demographics can be dissatisfied by the USB-C port.

It’s not all dangerous information, although. The monitor has two HDMI 2.1 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4, plus DisplayPort over USB-C, for a complete of 4 video inputs. Most rivals have three inputs, although 4 will not be unusual.

The XG27JCG additionally has a USB-A hub with three downstream USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. That’s a great vary of USB-A connectivity for a monitor marketed as a gaming show. These might be pushed by the USB-C port or a USB-B port, and a KVM swap perform is included.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG menus and options

Although it’s bought as a gaming show, the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG doesn’t skimp on the menu system or picture high quality changes. It consists of particular sRGB and DCI-P3 colour modes (along with the unspecified “vast gamut” which is the default), plus exactly focused colour temperature and gamma modes and six-axis colour saturation adjustment. These options are useful if you happen to’re attempting to tune the monitor’s picture for a selected look or commonplace.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

However the XG27JCG has a phalanx of gaming options, too. These embody an FPS counter, a timer and stopwatch, on-screen cross hair and sniper modes, and shadow enhance modes together with a dynamic shadow enhance that’s meant to interact mechanically when wanted (although I’m truthfully not adequate at aggressive shooters to say simply how nicely this mode works). There’s additionally numerous choices for controlling refresh fee and an Excessive Low Movement Blur mode, which I’ll clarify extra within the movement efficiency part of this evaluation.

The cherry on prime is Asus’ DisplayWidget. It’s a software program utility that permits you to alter most show options from inside Home windows or MacOS. Whereas some rivals (like Dell, BenQ, and Acer) have comparable software program, some manufacturers (like Samsung and LG) are notably behind on this space.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG audio

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG doesn’t have built-in audio system. That is typical for a gaming monitor. A 3.5mm audio jack is out there for audio pass-through.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG SDR picture high quality

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG has each benefits and downsides in comparison with the common $800 monitor. On the plus aspect, it supplies super-sharp 5K decision and plenty of picture high quality changes. However on the draw back, it makes use of a Quick IPS LCD panel, a typical show panel that may are likely to have downsides in distinction and colour gamut. So how does the monitor stack up in SDR?

Matthew Smith / Foundry

First up is SDR brightness, the place the XG27JCG hits a most of 354 nits. Because the graph reveals, that’s okay however not in direction of the excessive finish of SDR brightness. As you’ll see within the HDR part, the monitor does have the potential to get a lot brighter, and I’d have appreciated to see that accessible as an choice in SDR, too.

Nevertheless, 354 nits continues to be simply advantageous for many conditions, and actually I usually used it round 20 to 40 p.c of its most brightness. You solely want to think about a brighter SDR monitor if you happen to’re in an unusually brilliant setting, like an workplace the place you possibly can’t management the lighting, or a room with massive sunlit home windows.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

As talked about, the XG27JCG has a Quick IPS LCD panel. IPS panels are likely to have a restricted distinction ratio, and the XG27JCG will not be an exception. I measured a most distinction ratio of 1230:1 at 50 p.c of most brightness, and that worth didn’t change a lot at different brightness settings.

The problem right here is the monitor’s backlight, which should shine by way of the LCD panel to make the show helpful. The backlight typically bleeds by way of noticeably in darkish scenes, a difficulty often known as “IPS glow.” This may make the picture appear washed out in darkish scenes.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Coloration gamut efficiency is healthier, although nonetheless solely respectable. I measured a colour gamut that spans one hundred pc of sRGB, 94 p.c of DCI-P3, and 87 p.c of AdobeRGB. These figures are excessive sufficient to point a vivid picture, however they’re just a few steps behind main rivals.

It’s fascinating to notice that the Asus ProArt Show 5K PA27JCV has a a lot better colour gamut. So, whereas the XG27JCG additionally supplies 5K decision, the ProArt is healthier if artistic work is your major objective.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Having mentioned that, the XG27JCG really did slightly nicely when it comes to colour accuracy. It achieved a colour error that’s extremely aggressive with options, and which ought to present lifelike colour in most conditions.

However that doesn’t imply the picture is definitely superior to the ProArt, or to most options, as a result of I observed small points in gamma and colour temperature efficiency. At default settings, the monitor posted a gamma curve of two.4 (off the goal of two.2) and a colour temperature of 7000K (off the goal of 6500K). In consequence, the picture seemed a bit darker and cooler than it ought to have.

I discovered the colour temperature worth was simply adjusted within the Person Mode colour settings, which immediately snapped it to 6500K. However the gamma worth was all the time excessive. I needed to decrease it to a menu setting of gamma 2.0 to realize gamma 2.2. That’s positively not a deal breaker, nevertheless it’s one thing to remember in case you are contemplating this monitor for artistic work.

Sharpness, after all, is a power. The 27-inch 5K panel delivers a decision of 218 pixels per inch. That’s near the very best pixel density accessible (a 6K 32-inch monitor has comparable pixel density). Solely 8K screens are considerably extra pixel-dense, however they’re unusual and costly. 5K decision is nice if you happen to work with high-resolution photos or movies, after all, nevertheless it noticeably improves the readability of small fonts and is usually nice if you happen to learn numerous paperwork in your day-to-day workflow.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG HDR picture high quality

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG is able to HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR 600 licensed. I discovered that it achieved the promised stage of brightness with a measured most of 608 nits. Not like an OLED show, which is dimmer when massive parts of the show are lit in HDR, the XG27JCG produced a most of 608 nits in all eventualities.

It’s not all excellent news, nevertheless. Whereas the XG27JCG has a excessive HDR brightness, it lacks the dynamic distinction required to make HDR look its greatest. Due to how backlit LCD shows work, a brilliant HDR scene will usually result in elevated brightness in each darkish and brilliant areas of the scene. That flattens distinction and likewise makes it laborious for the XG27JCG to ship the luminance element anticipated.

The XG27JCG features a dynamic backlight function that’s higher than common. Now, let’s be clear: This isn’t a Mini-LED show. A Mini-LED show will place lighting parts straight behind the LCD panel. The XG27JCG is edge-lit, which means the lights are positioned across the edges. In consequence, the dynamic backlight function will trigger distracting gentle uniformity points in any scene with a mixture of brilliant and darkish content material.

To offer credit score the place it’s due, although, the XG27JCG’s dynamic backlight is healthier than common. It reacts with relative velocity and seems to have extra dimming zones than regular (although the precise quantity will not be quoted, as is typical for edge-lit shows). I nonetheless don’t suppose it’s adequate to be of sensible use, nevertheless it’s higher than the norm for a dynamic backlight on an edge-lit LCD show.

As well as, the XG27JCG permits HDR brightness adjustment. This isn’t the norm, as HDR sometimes locks brightness to that set by the content material proven on-screen. That’s okay for a tv, however annoying on a pc monitor.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG movement efficiency

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG’s decision is the headline function. Nevertheless, the monitor’s movement readability is price simply as a lot consideration, for a number of causes.

First, the plain one: refresh fee. The XG27JCG can do as much as 165Hz at 5K decision, or as much as 180Hz when overclocked. That’s a giant deal! 5K screens have usually had a lot decrease refresh charges (normally 60Hz). Rising the refresh fee to 165Hz/180Hz supplies an enormous leap in smoothness and responsiveness. It’s not only for video games, both. The decrease latency {that a} high-refresh show supplies can be felt on the Home windows and MacOS desktop.

The monitor can even ship 1440p decision at as much as 330Hz (this mode doesn’t have an overclock accessible). Personally, I are likely to play technique titles most of all, and I actually just like the sharpness of 5K in these video games. Plus, many can hit excessive body charges alongside the decision. Nonetheless, the 1440p/330Hz mode is a pleasant choice if you wish to play a extra aggressive recreation.

Asus additionally supplies adaptive refresh fee help by way of AMD FreeSync Premium Professional and Nvidia G-Sync. That’s typical for a high-end gaming monitor, after all.

However Asus’ Excessive Low Movement Blur (ELMB) mode is the place issues get fascinating.

ELMB is a backlight strobing mode. It strobes the backlight at excessive frequencies such {that a} clean, black body is proven between commonplace frames. Resulting from a quirk of human persistence of imaginative and prescient, this has the impact of lowering movement blur. ELMB will not be new, and it’s not distinctive. Many manufacturers provide comparable options below totally different names. Nevertheless, Asus is a pacesetter on this approach, and proves that management with options not straightforward to seek out elsewhere.

The primary is ELMB Sync. A typical backlight strobing will not be suitable with adaptive sync. That’s as a result of the frequency of the strobing might be at odds with the dynamic refresh fee. ELMB Sync can get them again in sync, nevertheless, so you should utilize variable refresh charges with ELMB turned on. That’s a giant win.

The second is ELMB2. This model of ELMB takes benefit of the XG27JCG’s dynamic backlight to refine how the strobing works. As a substitute of turning the whole backlight on and off shortly, the edge-lit zones transfer down the show from prime to backside. It’s a bit just like the scan line on an previous CRT show.

And, wow, is it efficient. I’ve lately reviewed numerous 500Hz OLED screens with completely astounding picture high quality. The XG27JCG isn’t fairly at that stage, nevertheless it’s a lot nearer than it has any proper to be. ELMB2 delivers extremely crisp movement with a ton of element. Even small textual content is readable because it zooms throughout the show.

Whereas ELMB Sync and ELMB2 are extraordinarily helpful, these modes include some caveats. ELMB Sync will not be suitable with dynamic dimming, side ratio management, and the blue gentle filter. ELMB2 moreover will not be suitable with variable refresh charges and doesn’t permit brightness management.

Nonetheless, the XG27JCG’s total movement efficiency is excellent for a 5K monitor.

Must you purchase the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG?

The ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG is one more terrific monitor from Asus, although one with area of interest enchantment. Most players can be higher served by a 4K OLED monitor, and most artistic professionals will desire a 5K show constructed particularly for work, which is more likely to have a wider colour gamut and extra options to manage monitor picture high quality.

However in order for you a monitor that’s nice for each work and play, or you might have a specific craving to play video games at extraordinarily excessive decision (which might be fairly doable if you happen to get pleasure from older or much less demanding video games), the 5K XG27JCG is excellent. It delivers unbelievable sharpness and readability, and it does so at a aggressive worth.