Aorus AD27QD 27" 144Hz 1440P FreeSync G-Sync Compatible Gaming Monitor, Exclusive Built-In ANC, 2560x1440 QHD Display

New Update 3/16/20: I edited this down to be more to the point.Look, this monitor is fantastic. After 8 months, I still get blown away by the eye candy this monitor delivers every time I sit down to play a game. The adaptive-sync always works perfectly, incredibly well. I'm getting drop-dead gorgeous color, tremendous detail, and silky-smooth performance.The one minor irritant is that it drops out of 144 Hz to 120 Hz sometimes. A difference like that is probably not visible to the human eye. But, I recognize it because icon and browser text become ever-so-slightly color-banded. I have created a key combination via the Gigabyte OSD software that displays the refresh rate so I can check it. If it's at 120 Hz, the fix is to turn the monitor off using the monitor's power button; then, turn it back on. It's back to 144 Hz.After doing a new PC build 8 months ago (July 2019, enthusiast gaming build), screen stutters and tears in Assassin's Creed Odyssey (max settings) detracted. I was getting plenty of frame rate from the video card. My research pointed to the possible need for an adaptive-sync monitor. My video card was cranking out the frames. But they were out of sync with the old monitor I was still using back then. Hence the screen stutters and tears.What I wanted in a monitor:Gorgeous color is important to me, so I wanted an IPS-type panel. And, I wanted G-Sync Compatible since I'm an NVidia graphics guy. And, I wanted 2560x1440 (2K resolution - my research showed that my 1070 Ti can handle it). I did NOT want a TN or VA panel. And every other big-name IPS gaming monitor I could find on the internet in the $500–600 range was getting slammed for issues such as excessive backlight bleed, dead pixels, Quality Control issues, etc.Then, I came across the Aorus AD27QD.The Panel and Display:It is an IPS, so I get the rich, deep colors I want (the picture is gorgeous). But, while most of the other big-name IPS gaming monitors in the same price range use an Optronics panel, the Aorus AD27QD uses an Innolux panel with Azimuthal Anchoring Switch (AAS) technology. So, I get the gorgeous colors but not the raft of panel issues that others complain about. The display is bright. And, the colors are well-calibrated out of the box. Color temperature and gamma are almost perfect. And, the RGB spectrum this monitor displays is among the largest percentage of spectrum I’ve seen.Resolution and G-Sync:The AD27QD runs at 144Hz, 2560 x 1440 native. And, it's NVidia-certified G-Sync compatible. Now that I have been gaming on it for 8 months, I can tell you that the adaptive sync is worth every penny. It's the best game play I have ever had. The G-sync works perfectly. The picture is beautifully smooth and tear and stutter-free. In Assassin's Creed Odyssey, even the 360° spin when synchronizing viewpoints is completely smooth.Build Quality:The build quality is outstanding. This thing is very heavy and very solid. The stand is metal. Truly a good build.RGB:At first, I didn't care much about the RGB lights (I thought they were a little dumb). But they have grown on me. Now, it's kinda fun and cool to see them slowly color-cycling when I walk into the room.Display Port Cable - an Afterthought:Another user here stated that he upgraded his Display Port cable and that it made a difference in this monitor's performance. My research indicated that a good cable can make a difference where bandwidth plays a role. I one here on Amazon: Club3D Displayport to Displayport 1.4/Hbr3 Cable DP 1.4 8K 60Hz 3M/9.84', 28AWG. It's Display Port 1.4, same as my video card (though, the Display Port on the back of the Aorus AD27QD is only Display Port 1.2; maybe the cable is overkill?). Regardless, I didn't want something like a twenty dollar cable to be a potential cause of a performance bottleneck.In sum, I’m really, really happy with this monitor. I wish it didn't have the occasional thing where it drops to 120 Hz. But, honestly, that's easy enough to deal with. For the quality of eye candy and game play I'm getting, I wholeheartedly recommend this monitor.

I bought this with the ASUS pg279qz. They were my first two 1440p 144hz monitors so suffice to say, both of them are absolutely 5 star experiences.So in my review I’ll outline what I found DIFFERENT about the two monitors that was notable.Panel Size & Bezel:The ASUS has a slightly larger viewport. Contrary to the images, the Aorus does not have a bezel-less screen; the bezel is hidden under the front panel and the image does not extend all the way to the corners. The difference is not noticeable unless you put them side by side.Stand:The Aorus has a slick, extremely heavy duty metal stand with two feet. It looks amazing and offers plenty of space for cable management. The ASUS has a large “foot” which looks kind of ugly, and the cable management hole is a bit too small.Refresh:The two monitors are indistinguishable at 144hz apiece and both with gsync compatibility. The ASUS claims 165hz but you have to overclock it to get there, and the ghosting is pretty severe on that setting. I have noticed that free sync is a bit more tricky to set up properly, vs G-sync’s “it just works.” With some cursory testing on SotTR Benchmark I have observed no noticeable framerate losses.Adjustability:Both offer rotation, height, pivot, and swivel.Dead pixels:Zero on both! Lucky meColor & Brightness:The Aorus is a winner here, with amazing brightness and contrast. The ASUS has significantly deeper blacks, however, so dark themes and backgrounds will look better on that. But the differences are basically unnoticeable. The Aorus also supports HDR... *if* you care (I didn’t have a use for it)RGB and aesthetics:Aorus is a clear winner here. The ASUS has an aggressive red RGB aesthetic which gets very old very fast. The Aorus is configurable, albeit RGB FUSION software is very ... bad. The fat stand makes the ASUS feel like a halfway between an old school and 2019 monitor. The Aorus’s design is slick and pseudo-bezel less makes it all the better.Console & Controls:ASUS provides 3 buttons and a nipple control, as well as a power button, on the back. Aorus only has the nipple control on the bottom. The Aorus menu is... interesting. It gets the job done but ASUS’s menu is clearly better.Overall?Love both of them. Honestly the differences between each are so tiny that I don’t think it matters which one you buy; you’ll love it regardless. Just keep in mind Aorus supports HDR/Freesync, and ASUS is g-sync only with overcookable 165hz.

Overall the monitor is great. Good colors, viewing angles are decent, OSD is very nice. The stand is a bit obtrusive, though. It is very big and the monitor sits pretty far from the back of the stand. I ended up replacing the stand with something way more basic. Otherwise the monitor was basically in my face. I'm sitting at a basic IKEA 19" deep desk so this was important to me.My only issue is that I had a pink pixel smack dab in the middle of the display. Not really a problem on dark scenes, really obvious on white screens, like the one I'm typing this on. We'll see if the replacement is OK.Update: Replacement looks great.