If you are looking for a 27inch gaming monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate and with a price tag of below 5 million? Then you can consider getting ASUS TUF GAMING VG279QL1A. This monitor is a refresh of the older model, TUF Gaming VG27AQ. As a refresh product, the design of this monitor closely resembles TUF Gaming VG27AQ that is much more expensive. But, this monitor comes with several advantages that make it worth buying.

Gamers who are working as an esports athlete need a gaming monitor that will benefit them. Fortunately, the writer got the opportunity to review ASUS TUF GAMING VG279QL1A.

The box of this monitor is similar to TUF Gaming VG27AQ, so you have to double-check to confirm if you got the right monitor. You can do it by looking at the smaller label on the box.

FYI, ASUS TUF GAMING VG279QL1A is available in e-commerce and sold at Rp4.646.000. At this price, it’s interesting to find out if this monitor deserves its place at your desk. So, should you get one? See the review below.

TUF GAMING VG279QL1A Specification

• Display: 27 Inches, 125% sRGB, DCI-P3 95%
• Resolution: 1920×1080
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9
• Panel Technology: Non-glare IPS panel
• Refresh Rate: 165Hz*
• Response Time: 1ms
• Contrast Ratio (Max): 1000:1
• Display Colors: 16.7M
• Features: Flicker-free, HDR10, Trace Free Technology, Color Temperature Modes. GamePlus modes (Crosshair/Timer/FPS Counter/Display Alignment), Low Blue Light, HDCP, GameVisual Modes (Scenery/Racing/Cinema/RTS/RPG/FPS/sRGB Modes/MOBA Mode), FreeSync technology, Extreme Low Motion Blur, GameFast Input technology, Multiple HDR Mode, Shadow Boost, Kensington lock
• Audio: 2W x 2 Stereo RMS
• Ports: HDMI(v2.0) x2, DisplayPort 1.2, 3.5mm Mini-Jack,
• Mechanical Design: Tilt – +23°~-5°, Swivel – +15°~-15°, Pivot – +90°~-90°, Height Adjustment – 0~120 mm
• VESA Wall Mounting: 100x100mm
• Dimensions: 614.09x (413.65~533.65) x213.79mm (with Stand)
• Weight: 6.2 kg

What’s In the Box

What you get when purchasing the monitor is a manual book, adaptor, power cable, one HDMI, and one Displayport.

Design

Unlike the previous model, TUF GAMING VG279QL1A is more similar toTUF Gaming VG27Q1A. The stand of this monitor is V-shaped, with a combination of plastic and metal. The body is from thick plastic and painted black doff, so it’s not going to be a fingerprint magnet. The metal material is underneath the plastic body and at the base of the monitor.’

Compared to the previous TUF Gaming VG27 monitor, the design of TUF GAMING VG279QL1A is much bolder thanks to the base stand. Because of the V-shaped base stand, you can get a triangle-shaped room to place your decoration below the monitor.

At the back, you will see a design that gives a gaming vibe ala TUF Gaming from ASUS. you will see the TUF lettering and logo on the base stand. Upon purchase, you will also get a 100x100mm VESA mount so you only need to assemble the V-shaped base to the stand.

The stand that supports the monitor is sturdy enough although it is made out of plastic on the outside and the inside contains steel material. The VESA wall mount gives another alternative if you are looking to install the ASUS TUF GAMING VG279QL1A monitor into a bracket.

There are many buttons on the monitor to configure the visual, input, and features. While for the output, TUF GAMING VG279QL1A got a standard output for a gaming monitor. It got two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.2, and a 3.5mm Mini-Jack. The monitor also got a vent to let out the heat coming out. For multimedia, the monitor got two decent stereo speakers.

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To avoid slipping, the base of TUF GAMING VG279QL1A got rubber material. You can turn the monitor to 90 degrees, tilt it from 5 to 23 degrees, and rotate it to left and right, and also adjust the height up to 120mm.

Features

The specification of TUF GAMING VG279QL1A will spoil gamers. At its competitive price range, the monitor presents many features. To make it brief, it got advanced features like its sibling, like the IPS panel that can produce better color than VA or TN because of the 99%b sRGB color gamut. 1MS response time, and ELMB SYNC that can reduce ghosting.

Another feature of this monitor is the refresh rate that reaches 165Hz. A refresh rate that is above the average for better competitive gaming. Interestingly, the monitor is also G-SYNC Compatible, meaning it meets the requirement of NVIDIA’s G-SYNC for a better gaming experience since it can reduce stutter, tearing, and minimalize lag. The G-SYNC feature can be activated alongside ELMB SYNC.

TUF GAMING VG279QL1A also got an HDR feature, a feature that can improve a game’s visual. The HDR mode comes in many versions such as HDR10, ASUS Cinema HDR, and also ASUS Gaming HDR that can be used depending on what the user needs. It’s a great feature for gamers that plays PlayStation 4.

Display Menu

The display menu of TUF GAMING VG279QL1A is similar to the past model, but there are minor changes in this monitor. From the TUF Gaming logo in the display menu to the friendlier grouping. Some of the features that you can access from the display menu are:

• Shadow Boost: Clarifies dark areas of the game without overexposing brighter areas
• GamePlus: GamePlus can help gamer by adding an additional crosshair that is more accurate when playing shooter games. You can also monitor framerate from this feature.
• GameVisual: With this feature, gamers can adjust the visual based on the game they are playing. For example, when in FPS mode, the monitor will show high contrast for better visibility.

There are other features such as Flicker-Free that reduce flicker to reduce eye fatigue and Ultra-Low Blue Light.

For an easier setup, you can use an app called ASUS DisplayWidget Lite. With this app, you can quickly adjust the settings or configure the exclusive features without pressing the button at the back.

Display Quality

TUF GAMING VG279QL1A has a 100% sRGB Color Gamut, 85% AdobeRGB, 89%  DCI-P3, and 80% NTSC. the minimum brightness is 105.0 nits and the maximum brightness is 414.8 nits. The minimum contrast is 1120:1 and the maximum contrast is 1230:1, the White Point seems a bit blueish at 7400 kelvin. The color accuracy on this monitor is really accurate, with a great result from datacolor SpiderX Pro test that shows 2.27 Delta-E, so this is the best gaming monitor in its class. Color accuracy is crucial for monitors that are used for graphic design, construction, editing video, and many more.

Performance

The writer did several tests on TUF GAMING VG279QL1A by playing competitive shooter games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on PC and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on PS4. the result didn’t disappoint, the visual produced by this monitor spoils the writer’s eyes. Not to mention the monitor supports 165Hz refresh rate with NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible and ELMB, so you can see your opponents clearly without any shadows when they make a quick movement.

The next games are Horizon: Zero Dawn on PC and Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4. Both games got an amazing visual. But TUF GAMING VG279QL1A can make your gaming experience more immersive. The HDR support makes playing both games even more impressive.

Verdict

TUF GAMING VG279QL1A is the answer for gamers that wants a 27inch gaming monitor with a bunch of features yet affordable. The monitor is enough to support mid-range games although it’s not quite esports level because the IPS level in this monitor is not better than a TN panel. Still, this monitor is a good monitor to be used by professionals that are working in editing, designing, and multimedia. Because the monitor can produce accurate color up to 2.27 Delta-E without having to be calibrated. At Rp4.649.000 and all of its benefits, TUF GAMING VG279QL1A is a gaming monitor worth buying.

Are you interested in getting this monitor from ASUS? Stay tuned for more information about tech and gadgets and don’t forget to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram.

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