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by Lim, November 13, 2017 12:30 am
 

 

Introduction

The AOC is the third IPS WQHD high refresh rate gaming monitor review on Lim's Cave. The problem on my unit was that I had a bit more Backlight Bleed issues because of its panel frame construction. You should consider, that this can differentiate within each individual unit! Otherwise, the AOC is a great gaming performer with an overall very good picture quality, thanks to the IPS viewing angles and pop colors. Check out the gaming monitor list if there are some other enthusiast user reviews with different experiences according to the black uniformity. Compared to the Asus PG279Q the AOC AG271QC still is a better choice while the Asus has much more issues with backlight bleed and IPS Glow in general.
 
Within this review, for the first time, you will be able to see a rating system. All future monitor reviews also will become this rating so it will be easier for you to compare a monitor to another. 
 
Updates
No updates yet.

 

Specifications

Panel Type IPS
Backlight EDGE LED / W-LED
Display size and format 27" Inch
Maximum Resolution 2560x1440 (WQHD)
Pixel density 108.8 (Pixel per inch)
Refresh rate 144Hz native / 165Hz Overclock
Native color depth and color space 8-bit, 99% sRGB
Response time (GtG) 4 ms
Brightness 350cd/m2
Integrated speakers Yes 2 x 2 watt
Video inputs 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DP 1.2
Audio 2x 3.5mm headphone (out)
USB Hub Yes 4x USB 3.0
power consumption ~ 55 watt (class C)
Frame width 12 mm (left, top, right), 19 mm bottom
Warranty period 3 years
Ergonomics Tilt, Height, Swivel, Pivot
Adaptive Sync G-Sync
G-Sync Range 30-165 Hz
Contrast (Native) 1000:1
Vesa Yes 100mm
Curved No
 
 

 

Alternatives

Alternative 144 / 165Hz WQHD (2560x1440) IPS monitors to the AOC Agon AG271QG:
(All other alternatives are listed in the Gaming-Monitor-List. Future releases can be found here)

 

Find the AOC Agon AG271QG here: Buy on Amazon

 

With Freesync:

Acer XF270HUA Review / Buy on Amazon
Eizo Foris FS2735 Review / Buy on Amazon
ASUS MG279Q Buy on Amazon

 

With G-Sync

Viewsonic XG2703-GS Review /Buy on Amazon
Acer Predator XB271HU Buy on Amazon
Asus PG279Q Review / Buy on Amazon

 

In-depth review

(Click on a topic for example "motion" to enlarge)

 

Processing & Design
8.1
OSD
6.9
Picture Quality
8.3
Colors
9.5
Color Banding
8.8
Black Uniformity
6.2
Motion
9.5
Motion Blur Reduction
9.2
Input
9.7

 
 

Contrast Overview

 Aoc-Agon-AG237QG-Contrast
 
  

Optimal OSD Settings (on this unit)

Aoc-Agon-AG237QG-optimal-settings
 
   

Comparison Charts

 

Maximum Brightness

Maximum brightness in cd/m2
Asus PG258Q
488
Samsung CHG70
473
AOC AG271QG
471
Dell S2716DG
424
Acer XB271HUA
419
Asus PG278QR
399
Asus PG279Q
369
Viewsonic XG2703-GS
367
Samsung CFG70
361
Eizo Foris FS2735
333

 

Maximum Contrast

Maximum contrast x:1
Samsung CFG70
2654
Samsung CHG70
2102
AOC AG271QG
1371
Asus PG279Q
1181
Viewsonic XG2703-GS
1174
Eizo Foris FS2735
1084
Asus PG258Q
995
Asus PG278QR
964
Acer XB271HUA
784
Dell S2716DG
686

 

Black point on 120 cd/m2

Black point with optimal settings (120 cd/m2 , 6500K)
Samsung CFG70
0,05
Samsung CHG70
0,06
AOC AG271QG
0,09
Eizo Foris FS2735
0,1
Viewsonic XG2703-GS
0,1
Asus PG279Q
0,12
Asus PG278QR
0,13
Asus PG258Q
0,13
Acer XB271HUA
0,16
Dell S2716DG
0,17

 

Brightness ULMB (Backlight Scanning)

Maximum brightness in cd/m2 with activated ULMB or strobe backlight
Asus PG258Q
275
Samsung CHG70
237
Samsung CFG70
212
Eizo Foris FS2735
197
Dell S2716DG
153
Acer XB271HUA
148
Asus PG278QR
147
Viewsonic XG2703-GS
140
Asus PG279Q
129
AOC AG271QG
120

 
    

Overall Rating Overview

 
Rating AOC AG271QG
Processing & Design7.5
Foot Stand8.5
Ergonomics9.5
Build Quality6.4
OSD6.9
Navigation5.5
Menu8.3
Picture Quality8.3
Contrast7.6
SDR Brightness Peak10
HDR Brightness PeakNot available
Gamma10
Local DimmingNot available
Homogeneity (brightness distribution)8.4
Homogeneity (color purity)8.8
Grey Uniformity8.6
Viewing Angles (bright)9.3
Viewing Angles (dark)3.5
Panel Coating8.5
Colors9.5
Pre CalibrationNot available
Post CalibrationNot available
Color Gamut CoverageNot available
Color Gamut Volume9.5
3DNot available
Color Banding8.8
Grey Scale8.3
Gradients9.2
Black Uniformity6.2
Panel Frame Construction6
CloudingNot available
Backlight Bleed6
Glow6.5
Motion9.3
Refresh Rate9.5
Adaptive Sync10
Response Time / Motion Blur9.4
Pixel Inversion & Artifacts7.9
24p PlaybackNot available
Frame Skipping10
Color Temperature Artifacts10
Motion Blur Reduction9.2
Backlight Scanning9.2
Black Frame InsertionNot available
BrightnessNot available
Inputs9.7
Input Lag9.8
Inputs9.5
 
 

Conclusion

Overall, the AOC Agon AG271QG is a very good gaming monitor. The biggest downside is the black uniformity, but hey, no monitor is perfect. The "subjective" uniformity also strongly depends on your brightness settings. These test results are based on 120cd/m2. So we also have VA panels with better blacks and less Backlight-Bleed issues on the market - so which one to choose? It depends. I still prefer an IPS panel because of colors thanks to the viewing angles (no washed out areas on the display). A VA panel also will have disadvantages in the backlight uniformity because of the VA Glow. This is where monitors and TV's differentiate from each other VERY STRONGLY. On a TV you will not observe the VA Glow that fast, while sittings 1-5 meters away in front of the TV. At a monitor, usually, you are 30-50 cm away from the display so that the VA Glow is much more noticeable. In the end: Currently, we don't have really good gaming monitors for solid black levels and good black uniformity performances on the market. For this, we have to wait for direct-LED solutions or OLED monitors. Real post-production or graphics monitors still are better in terms of the (black)-uniformity. Unfortunately, the panel manufacturer AU-Optronics puts its focus "only" on other topics. A gaming monitor with a perfect homogeneity probably would cost much more than "only" 700$. Well, it is like it is, currently and personally I prefer IPS over VA for a gaming monitor whereas in a TV a VA panel is a much better choice, especially for movies and blacks.
 
So how about the Asus PG279Q, the Acer XB271HU or the Viewsonic XG-2703gs? All of them offering a close as same picture quality but the difference in OSD settings, build quality, and the panel frame construction. In my personal experience the Viewsonic currently was the best, but this also strongly depends on an individual unit. Overall the AOC is a very good monitor and you have to choose :).
 
 
 

Pro & Contra

 

Pro:

- Vibrant Colors thanks to the viewing angles & color gamut volume
- Excellent response time & good overdrive Settings + ULMB
- Very good viewing angles for brighter image content
- Very good image quality (settings) out of the box
- A good overall homogeneity & grey uniformity
- Very good ergonomics and a solid foot stand
- G-Sync with a range of 30-165 Hz
- Excellent OSD Gamma settings
- 1440p at 165Hz (Sweet Spot)
- A very solid foot stand
- Excellent IPS contrast
- Very low input lag
- Black Equalizer
- 4 x USB 3.0

 

Neutral:

- Own presets are saved "only" within chosen presets
- ULMB is not that bright (120 cd/m2)
- OSD Navigation is not that good
- The overall build quality

 

Contra:

- Some pixel inversion issues on certain moving test pattern
- Overall black uniformity (some backlight bleed issues)
- Panel frame construction not ideal for an IPS panel

- The inner panel frame causes some reflections

 

IPS Typical contra:

- Otherwise bad viewing angles for dark image content (IPS typical)
- Typical IPS Glow issues and a bit worse on my unit
- Viewing angles in dark image content (IPS Typical)


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10 comments

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1    STEVE HERRINGTON    December 29, 2017 5:38 pm
It would be interesting to know what settings you ended up with to get optimal results.
Answer from Lim's Cave - December 30, 2017 5:33 am

They are stated in the review 

Optimal OSD Settings (on this unit)

but I would recommend to watch my video regarding to "best monitor settings for gaming"

2    =GR= Panthir    Monday, 13 Aug 2018 - 4:07 pm
Dear Lim,

I would like to express my sincere thanks for your excellent reviews. During the past weeks, I was viewing and reading several monitor reviews in order to decide my next purchase and I have to admit that the way you organize and present your reviews is by far the best. Excellent job mate. Keep going on.
Answer from Lim's Cave - August 13, 2018 9:32 pm

Thanks dude (:

3    Rados?aw Michalski    September 9, 2018 4:46 pm
Mam pytanie do pana.Czy z tymi optymalnymi ustawieniami czyli contrast 75,rgb 49,47,49 i jasno?? 14 .Mog? teraz skalibrowa? profil icc?Mój kalibrator to spyder 5 express.Czy dobrze my?l??
Answer from Lim's Cave - October 2, 2018 8:37 pm

The problem is, that each unit will differ in terms of the max brightness as well as the native white point, so that "optimal settings" does not really exist. You can only set "optimal settings" aka your preferred settings when owning a colorimeter. Optimal settings only exist in graphics monitors (for print and web for example). For example, I am using a color temperature around 5800k, which is "bad" for print as well as for post-production.  So "perfect" settings for gaming does NOT exist. You simply have to find your preferred settings... even when games are developed mostly on 6500k.

4    anon    September 21, 2018 4:09 am
Is there a reason you aren't listing the OSD gamma here?
Answer from Lim's Cave - October 2, 2018 8:34 pm

No not really but gamma settings also are mentioned at "Picture Quality" 

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