AOC 27G2SPU review

Our Verdict

80%

Not quite as cheap as its predecessor, but still a great value gaming monitor.

The 27G2SPU is the replacement of the excellent AOC 27G2U, which was our pick for the best budget 27″ gaming monitor for a long time. The new model keeps the same 1080p resolution and IPS panel combination but is more expensive and includes quite a few upgrades.

The design of this display is nothing fancy but it has slim, low-profile edges and a generally compact design that means it doesn’t dominate your desk, though the flashes of metallic red on the stand and bottom bezel look a bit cheesy. Its V-shaped base projects further forward and wider than necessary too. On the plus side, the stand offers height, pivot, rotation and tilt movements, so you can easily set up the display how you want it.

Connection options are good as well. While you don’t get USB-C video input, you do still get an extra input – a D-SUB VGA port! Along with that marvel of modern technology, you also get a DisplayPort input and two HDMI ports, plus a four-port USB 3 hub, headphone jack and pair of basic 2W speakers.

The menu control system could be better, though. It uses a row of four buttons on the underside of the panel’s edge, where they sit alongside an identical-feeling power button. Not only is it easy to hit the power button accidentally and turn the monitor off, but the buttons are small and difficult to press, plus the menu system isn’t intuitive.

Thankfully, while menu navigation is cumbersome, the options are excellent. You get a proper brightness-adjustable sRGB mode for reining in the panel’s otherwise extended color gamut (124 percent sRGB), there are extensive, clearly labeled color tweaking controls and you get all the gaming options you could expect at this price.

As this is only a 1080p panel, image quality is somewhat let down by overall sharpness, with a pixel density of just 81 pixels per inch (ppi). That compares to 110ppi for typical 27″ 2,560 x 1,440 screens and 93ppi for 2,560 x 1,440 32in screens.

That makes this display not at all ideal for detailed image editing, watching the latest 4K video or playing cinematic-looking games, but it’s ideal for gaming where a high frame rate is important, especially if your graphics card has limited processing power.

Moreover, in every other regard, this screen’s image quality is exceptional. Its out-of-the-box color temperature of 6,474K is remarkably close to the ideal of 6500K and its gamma of 2.21 is also very close to the 2.2 measure that we expect. Contrast is also very high for an IPS panel at 1276:1. We also measured a maximum brightness of 354cd/m² – miles above its rated 250cd/m².

Being an IPS panel, viewing angles are excellent too. All told, there’s no need to touch any settings but the brightness control on this display, unless you’re using the sRGB mode, which also delivers spot-on image quality just with a color gamut reduced to 100% sRGB and fixed brightness of 277cd/m² (which is a bit higher than ideal but usable).

On paper, this 165Hz screen’s performance is less immediately compelling, as its initial response time varies between 13.2ms with no overdrive and 8.9ms at maximum overdrive, while hitting 10.1ms at its default Medium overdrive setting.

There are IPS screens available that are twice as quick to respond. However, in practice, this display still feels plenty snappy enough for accurate aim tracking. Moreover, its backlight-strobing blur reduction mode tightens up the visual response even further, bringing greater clarity to fast motion.

1/3

AOC 27G2SPU pros and cons

Pros

• Fantastic default image quality
• Solid gaming performance
• Decent feature set for the price

Cons

• Not as cheap as its predecessor
• Slightly sluggish response time
• Only 1080p resolution

AOC 27G2SPU specs

The AOC 27G2SPU specs list is:

AOC 27G2SPU price

The 27G2SPU isn’t quite as cheap as its predecessor but is still very affordable and offers great value thanks to its impressive feature list.

Price: Expect to pay $320 USD / £230 GBP

AOC 27G2SPU review conclusion

Although its response time is far from the lowest for an IPS gaming panel, the AOC 27G2SPU still delivers reliable gaming performance. Add in its excellent image quality, good connection options and pivoting stand and you have a compelling panel for its price. So good is the 27G2SPU that it earns a place on our best gaming monitor list.