GIGABYTE - 27" IPS LED FHD FreeSync Monitor with KVM (HDMI, DisplayPort, USB) - Black

This is gonna be long - I bought this monitor after doing a bunch of research and not finding too many reviews on it. It was for the dual-purpose of working from home during the pandemic and gaming, now that I have a PS5. So far it's been perfect for both of those purposes. I bought this and the Samsung CRG5 curved monitor to compare, and ended up keeping this and returning the Samsung. This review will be mostly based on using it for gaming, since pretty much any monitor is fine for emails and spreadsheets. Gaming Features: I've never gamed on a monitor before so my standards probably aren't as high as someone who's used to gaming on a PC. However, I did some due diligence to learn about ghosting and pixel density and motion blur, etc. to at least know the basics of what I was getting myself into. I'll start out by saying that 120-144hz is a noticeable improvement over 60hz if you play shooters or other games where speed and reflex is necessary. If you've ever gone from 30hz to 60hz, it's similar to that. You'll wonder how you were playing on 60hz all that time. Now, while there is MINIMAL ghosting on this monitor when using high fps, it in no way effects gameplay. I notice it every once in a while when I'm running around playing Fortnite or COD but never has it been an issue when s**t is going down and the fighting starts. As for HDR, similar to what some other reviewers have mentioned, things get kind of washed out when you use it so I just keep it off. The contrast is fine without the setting turned on. The OSD is good, though I don't have much to compare it too. There's plenty of picture and quality settings you can play around with to customize the image. There are also some gimmicky features like having the monitor place a crosshair in the center of your screen for you. Physical Features: Build quality was the first thing you'll notice. This monitor is heavy but sturdy as hell. Stand is great but large, so you'll need a good amount of space on your desk if you don't plan to mount (mine is currently mounted). This put the build quality of the Samsung I also got to shame. At 27" this monitor is pretty large. I was worried that in an apartment it would be a bit too big to work with on my small desk, but it's really not. It's definitely not small, and I tested out a 24" monitor because of that, but the 27" has been fine. Brightness is not an issue. I game in a room with a lot of sunlight and I don't think I even have the brightness turned up all the way. Pixel density I read a lot about before I purchased this. Forums saying that 1080p wasn't pixel-dense enough to look sharp on a 27" monitor. That really concerned me until I started using it - trust me, it won't bother you. I'll admit you CAN see the individual pixels if you're really looking for them, but you have to have your face about 6 inches away (literally) from the screen to pick them out. Because I game on console and use it for work, I'm never sitting that close. I'm always at least arm's length away. KVM: This is supposed to be some feature where you can quickly switch between inputs, but it only lets you switch back and forth from USB-C to HDMI as far as I can tell. So having my laptop and my PS plugged into both HDMI ports, I can't switch between them. I just unplug my laptop when I'm going to start gaming. Not a big deal but worth noting since the KVM thing seems to be one of their big selling points. Verdict: I'd definitely recommend this monitor, especially if you're transitioning from gaming on a TV with a console or if you're looking for a great deal on a solid panel. It's kind of like a "jack of all trades, king of none" situation. It doesn't have the flashiest features or the best specs, but it's solid in every category and has been great for gaming at 120hz. If you're looking for a monitor in the $200 range, you can't go wrong with this one.

Such a good monitor, worth every penny. It makes cable management so easy since I just ran all the wires through the base of the monitor

Alot of people will be looking for monitors for the new next generation of gaming. 4K@120hz lets be real ps5 and xbox series x Aint hitting that fps so go for the next best thing that is possible 1080p@120hz on ps5. (at the time of this review ps5 doesnt support 1440p) So I'll write what I am using this monitor for. My main use for this monitor is shooters for the low latency since we are hitting 60+ fps for shooters now thankfully on consoles the difference between how smooth 60-120 is noticeable. For this part I'll write how to turn on 120hz on consoles Only specific games can turn on 120Hz for that to happen you need to go into setting on the PS5 and turn graphic option to performance otherwise this monitor will not turn on 120hz mode Lets go pros and cons now Pros -Has 2 USB 3.0 ports which u can use to connect to ps5 and get 2 extra ports -Great pc monitor 144hz -Great console monitor 120hz -IPS display so colors do not look washed when viewing from the sides <-- this is also a con explain later -Color-brightness all good -Low latency - for some reason the PS4 and PS5 let this monitor go 4K personally i wouldnt use it other than streaming services Cons -IPS display backlight bleed is pretty bad when the whole screen is black no perfect blacks like what VA panels can do -HDR do not turn this on the colors will be extremely washed out something HDR is not suppose to do Games tested for this review -Demon Souls PS5 -God Fall PS5 -COD:Cold War PS4 60hz PS5 120hz -Warzone-PC

I did a lot of research for this, and honestly I don't think you can get a better 1080p monitor that balances quality, functions and design for this price (unless you find a really good discount). I use it daily for work and gaming and it's been amazing. If you're wondering if a 27inch display is too big, it is a bit too big sometimes, I never open fullscreen windows, but that allows me to have 2 windows open at all times, which is what I needed for my daily Zoom calls (I'm a language teacher). For gaming I move my chair a few inches back and play with a controller, but I do feel like you'd be too close to the monitor if you play with mouse and keyboard (I usually never do so it's not a problem).

Had no issues getting it powered on and no screen damages, the only thing that sucks is that all the connections go behind and on the bottom of the monitor making it hard to see what you are plugging in once its already assembled, and idk but on other sites it said that there were speaker already installed but on best buy it wasn't too detailed on that subject, it doesn't have built in speakers and kther sites probably mean like that you can use the mic plugging for separate speakers. Also all the extra cables were great.

Works well, good colors, and easy setup. It's nice that the monitor comes with several cables, so no additional purchases were needed for HDMI cables, etc. I also like how easy it is to raise and lower the monitor on the stand. This is great monitor for basic work from home.

So far great quality and the extra usb connections that come with it are useful but you have to connect through usb type b to your pc to get them to work. Overall great!!

Perfect monitor, buy it already, Ghosting is not bad at all. With the stand, you can tilt, and it's height adjustable. Pretty good quality here Gigabyte