Get the Gigabyte M27Q for $290 (was $360)
First up, the M27Q has received a boatload of positive reviews, although sadly not yet from RPS. The monitor follows in the footsteps of other Fast IPS monitors like the LG 27GL850 and Dell S2721DGFA, blending the fast response times typical of TN panels with the wide viewing angles and great colour reproduction of IPS screens. This makes for a winning combination that works well across a wide range of games, from slow and cinematic to competitive and fast-paced, and also make it a good monitor for getting work done. Unusually, the M27Q comes with KVM functionality, allowing you to plug your peripherals into the monitor and then use them to control two different computers, swapping with the press of a button. This normally requires a dedicated piece of hardware to accomplish, a KVM switch, so getting it for free in your monitor is super useful - especially if you have a laptop and a desktop PC. The 170Hz refresh rate is nominally faster than most other 1440p monitors on the market - save for much more expensive 1440p 240Hz models - and combined with good pixel response times, makes for a winning experience in competitive gaming. To aid this angle, there are the usual assortment of crosshair overlays, built-in timers, genre-specific display modes and so on. You can even change these settings using software on your PC rather than the monitor’s hardware buttons, making it much faster to change settings. Gigabyte also include a Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature, which strobes the backlight after every frame to reduce the trails behind fast-moving objects. Normally this can’t be used with adapative sync, e.g. FreeSync or G-Sync, but that is possible on this monitor and the feature works well. So, all in all it’s a pretty slick monitor. It does some things that many monitors don’t, it hits the sweet spot for price versus performance and this recent price cut makes it more attractive than ever before. But you don’t have to take my word for it; read some Gigabyte M27Q reviews from sources you trust and decide for yourself.
