When buying a gaming monitor, it’s easy to get caught up in the many specs and features that the monitor is marketed for. High resolution, high speed, high contrast, high performance, rich color, and the latest cutting-edge technology are all within your budget for a premium display. However, if you’re looking for value, it’s best to prioritize the features you need.
Your gaming experience is largely dependent on the speed and responsiveness of your panel, so it’s wise to spend your money on fast refresh rates before considering screen size and resolution. AOC only has tickets for C27G2Z. This 27-inch VA monitor features a curved screen with a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, 240 Hz, adaptive sync, and wide color gamut. And it retails for $200 at the time of writing this article.
Specifications of AOC C27G2Z
| Panel type / backlight | VA/W-LED, edge array |
| Screen size/aspect ratio | 27″ / 16:9 |
| Curve radius: 1500mm | |
| Maximum resolution and refresh rate | 1920×1080 @ 240Hz |
| Free Sync: 48-240Hz | |
| G-Sync compatible | |
| Native color depth and color gamut | 8-bit / DCI-P3 |
| Response time (GTG) | 1ms |
| brightness (manufacturer) | 300 nits |
| contrast (manufacturer) | 3,000:1 |
| speaker | none |
| video input | 1x DisplayPort 1.2 |
| 2x HDMI 2.0 | |
| audio | 3.5mm headphone output |
| USB | none |
| power consumption | 23.8w, brightness @ 200 nits |
| panel dimensions | 24.1 x 15.7-20.7 x 9.0 inches |
| Width x Height x Depth (including base) | (612×399～529×229mm) |
| panel thickness | 2.9 inches (74mm) |
| bezel width | Top/Side: 7mm |
| Bottom: 20mm | |
| weight | 11.9 lbs (5.4 kg) |
| guarantee | 3 years |
Higher pixel density increases image sharpness and clarity, but the 27-inch FHD panel doesn’t disappoint either. It has 82ppi, which is enough to produce images without visible pixel gaps when viewed from a distance of 3 feet. The C27G2Z also has a curvature of 1500R which is a great added value. Subtle curves give a slight sense of immersion without any noticeable distortion.
240 Hz and Adaptive-Sync are the most interesting specs. A high frame rate is the surest ticket to smooth motion resolution and fast response. With 360 Hz and 500 Hz monitors available today, 240 Hz should be considered as a starting point for competitive gaming. The C27G2Z achieves this speed without overclocking.also supports free sink and G-Sync 48 to 240Hz. Although not certified by Nvidia, we have confirmed that G-Sync works fine.
The image quality improves as follows. VA panel In my testing, it met the claimed contrast ratio of 3,000:1. The C27G2Z doesn’t process HDR10 signals, but it does include three HDR emulation modes that adjust gamma to give your images a little more punch. Either way, the deep blacks and saturated colors promised by VA technology are fully present here.
As expected at this price point, the feature set is reduced. No built-in speakers or USB ports. And no LED lighting. The OSD shows the aimpoint and frame counter, the colors are fairly accurate, and the calibration gives good results. It has the performance you need for both gaming and image fidelity. The C27G2Z seems like a good deal, so let’s take a look.
Assemblies and accessories
The C27G2Z arrives packed in crumbly foam in three components: base, uprights and panels. It assembles without tools and makes for a reasonably sturdy and lightweight package. Since the power supply is internal, it comes with an IEC cord along with the HDMI and DisplayPort cables.
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The C27G2Z has a touch of red trim reminiscent of AOC’s Agon line, complementing the black panels and silver base. There is no LED lighting, but the trim is bright and creates a good effect. The design intent of this monitor is clearly gaming focused.
The stand is well ergonomically designed with 5/23 degree tilt, 30 degree swivel and 130mm height adjustment. Just align the screen to the center eyepoint in vertical position. This is my preference for all monitors, especially curved models. Setting up the panel in this way allows you to take full advantage of the immersive effect of the curves.
The input panel has two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.2. Everything runs at FHD resolution at 240Hz, but G-Sync requires the use of DisplayPort. FreeSync works through all three inputs. A 3.5mm audio jack is provided if you want to use headphones or powered speakers. There are no built-in speakers and no USB ports.
If you look closely at the small white power LED on the bottom right, you’ll see that it incorporates five control key symbols. One is the power toggle, but I accidentally turned off the monitor a few times when I reached for the key that activates the OSD. First he has 3 buttons for quick access to input selection, game mode and aimpoint.
OSD function
Pressing the 4th control key on the C27G2Z opens the ribbon OSD at the bottom of the screen. It’s the same menu I’ve seen on his AOC over the past decade, and while it’s relatively intuitive, the buttons are a bit cumbersome to navigate. I would rather have a joystick.
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The Brightness menu contains 7 picture modes for different activities. Standard is the default and best mode as it allows the user access to all other image and game options. It also has 3 gamma presets, dynamic contrast and HDR emulation mode. Although they look similar, there are three options that add different levels of edge enhancement. The HDR approximation is fine, but the C27G2Z already has great contrast, so I didn’t think it improved the image, it just looked different. No real HDR support for him here.
Color settings include four color temperature presets plus a user mode with RGB sliders. The C27G2Z does not require calibration, but small improvements can be made with a few tweaks. This is a wide color gamut display, so if you want sRGB, it’s one of your color temperature options and it’s very accurate.
Picture Boost is specific to AOC monitors. Create bright sections on the screen that you can resize and move. In it, you can adjust the brightness and contrast to make it stand out from the surrounding areas. This is a great way to highlight things like graphics or parts of the game environment.
If you don’t like the default position of the OSD at the bottom center, you can move the OSD around the screen. This menu also has DP version switching and volume control.
There are 6 additional image modes in game settings to suit different game types. My advice is to leave it out to avoid confusion. It’s easy to get lost in the options when you start combining eco mode and game mode. There’s also a 3-level overdrive here, which I felt was too coarse to operate. I haven’t been able to find a setting without black or white ghosting artifacts. This menu also has an Adaptive-Sync toggle and a frame rate counter.When turned off adaptive sync, the Motion Blur Reduction slider appears. Backlight strobe with 20 levels of brightness. A darker setting reduces the blur further, but above level 10 the fading artifacts common to this feature become too distracting. We recommend turning this off and using Adaptive-Sync.
Philips Evnia 42M2N89 calibration settings
The C27G2Z provides good accuracy out of the box. Calibration is useful, but not strictly necessary. Grayscale errors are barely visible in content and gamma tracking is very good. The wide color gamut covers more than 88% of DCI-P3. If you want a smaller sRGB space, that option is available in the Color Temperature menu. In our tests, we used the RGB sliders to adjust the user’s color temperature. The default gamma setting of 1 was fine. Choose 2 if you want a brighter look. Choose 3 if it’s dark. You can also try 3 HDR emulation modes. C27G2Z does not support HDR10 processing. Below are the settings I used for all content.
| Eco-mode | Standard (game mode off) |
| Brightness 200 nits | 81 |
| Brightness 120 nits | 39 |
| Brightness 100 nits | 28 |
| Brightness 80 nits | 17 (minimum 51 nits) |
| contrast | 47 |
| gamma | 1 |
| color temperature user | Red 49, Green 52, Blue 51 |
games and practice
First, ask them to answer the question about the solution. The largest FHD monitor I’d ever want to use is 27″, but his 82ppi on the C27G2Z is more than enough for both work and play. Unless you sit within 2 feet of the screen, you won’t be able to see the pixel structure, even in highly detailed images. The clarity here is aided by the panel’s incredible contrast of around 3,200:1.
I spent some time using the C27G2Z before and after calibration, and found the small adjustments needed to be worth making. Yes, the pictures look great right out of the box. But the adjusted image looks a little better.
The only productivity issue I see is that at 100% font scaling, you have to scroll a bit more to view websites or edit long documents. However, this is a minor point experienced only by those used to large high-definition screens. There are enough solutions here to do whatever you want.
In terms of budget gaming monitors, the C27G2Z excels. It’s snappy and delivers reasonably smooth motion you’d expect from a 240 Hz panel. The input lag was imperceptible to me and my average skill. More talented players may benefit from 360 Hz displays or 240 Hz displays. QHD model. However, his FHD resolution is used here, so it’s easy to keep the framerate up. You don’t need a premium video card to hit 240fps.
Image quality is excellent thanks to the C27G2Z’s excellent contrast and wide color gamut. Accuracy is evident with or without calibration as everything looks natural and accurate. Shadow detail is rich with deep blacks, and bright highlights add dimension. Doom Eternal It was very detailed and clearly stated. The overdrive artifacts observed in the test pattern were much less pronounced in actual gameplay. We recommend avoiding HDR emulation mode. These add a distracting level of edge enhancement at the expense of clarity.
Overall, the C27G2Z is a solid value among gaming monitors, offering slightly more speed and performance than a 165 Hz display of the same resolution. It’s priced below a 27-inch QHD monitor, so it’s definitely good value for gamers looking for value.
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