Pros:
- G-Sync Compatible (Certified)
- Low Price
- Low Input Lag
- Responsive
Cons:
- Low Contrast Ratio
- Panel Uniformity Needs Improvement
The LG 27GL63T-B offers a long-anticipated 1080p IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh rate specifically tuned to have better color quality and responsiveness. This model is considerably cheaper than the LG 27GL650F, but the latter has more features such as HDR support. The LG 27GL63T is certainly more attractive due to its price point, but does it have disadvantages which make it the lesser choice?
LG 27GL63T-B Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Full HD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Contrast Ratio:1000:1
- Brightness: 320cd/m² (400 cd/m2 Max)
- Built-in Speakers: No
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot– Yes
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.4 x1, HDMI 2.0 x 1, 3.5mm Headphone jack x 1
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 24.2” x 22.6” x 10.8”
- Weight: 14.1lbs
Design and Features
Most of the LG UltraGear monitors like the LG 27GL63T-B are aesthetically identical, but that doesn’t make them bland or boring. The modern-looking designs use a slim matte black chassis lined with red accents in discrete spots and parts. The display is bezel-free on three sides, giving the gamer a maximized view of the screen.
The housing for the LG 27GL63T-B as mentioned is quite thin compared to other gaming monitors if it doesn’t have the stand attached. However, it takes up almost eleven inches of depth when fully assembled, so make sure you have enough desk space.
Build quality is excellent for the LG 27GL63T-B thanks to excellent material engineering and the overall design. There are no cosmetic defects or flexing on the surfaces, indicating that proper quality control was applied from the factory. The stand has a slight wobble, but that’s a characteristic that spans almost all of the UltraGear monitors we’ve seen.
One of our favorite aspects from LG monitors such as the LG 27GL63T-B is the implementation of OSD controls. The device has a centrally-located OSD joystick just below the bottom bezel for easy and convenient access. But best of all, this variant also supports LG’s On Screen Control which lets you tinker with the settings directly via an app.
The LG 27GL63T-B is a budget model, but it still includes a fully-ergonomic stand that lets you tilt, pivot and adjust the height of the screen. The boomerang-shaped base takes up a considerable amount of space, but it also provides good stability for the upsized display. You can also opt for VESA mounts if preferred, but buying one adds more cost to the total of your upgrade.
Connectivity for the LG 27GL63T-B is even more limited compared to other models. The rear-facing I/O layout only includes DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0, so you will be limited to a PC and a second host device like an Xbox One X and nothing more. Some USB connectors would be handy for peripherals, but we can’t argue since the price is already low.
The LG 27GL63T-B also doesn’t have built-in speakers, so your only audio option is to connect a headset to its 3.5mm jack. Again, that’s a fair omission for a budget-friendly model whose focus is on gaming performance. Built-ins, as we all know, are usually not ideal for gaming due to their limited frequency ranges.
Display and Performance
The LG 27GL63T-B sports a 27-inch IPS panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and boosted 1ms response time. The backlight is limited to a typical brightness of 320 cd/m2 and a max of 400 cd/m2. This model doesn’t fully support HDR or even VESA’s DisplayHDR standards, even if the spec sheet says it can.
The immediate complaint about larger 1080p monitors like the LG 27GL63T-B is the perception that they are blurry or pixelized. Its true that the 82 pixels per inch of the monitor seems a bit low, but we don’t think its a considerable issue. The screen still looks clean when viewed at a reasonable distance, and even if there is a bit of image softening, games still manage to look good.
The LG 27GL63T-B provides decent color performance, starting with 97% coverage of the sRGB gamut. Accuracy could use some improvements since color deviances reached an average of DeltaE 2.8, but that’s more than acceptable for gaming purposes. You can calibrate the monitor to get a sub-1.0 result, but the cost of a colorimeter isn’t worth it in this case.
The screen’s color temperature is slightly warmer than 6500K, but that’s an acceptable effect of sRGB screens. Gamma, on the other hand, is decent at 2.16, so the screen doesn’t look overly dim or too bright in some scenes. We recommend setting a brightness level that sits around 40% to balance the screen out.
The main weakness of the LG 27GL63T-B is its contrast ratio which struggled to reach 900:1. The screen can, at times, look grayish when displaying darker scenes from games like Modern Warfare. VAs can do better in this regard, but that panel type has issues and limitations of its own as well.
Panel uniformity for the LG 27GL63T-B is slightly affected by backlight leaks at the corners of the display. Clouding becomes noticeable if you display an all-black image, but colored scenes are unaffected. Of course, this aspect will vary between every unit, so getting one from a reputable seller with customer-friendly terms is wise.
The LG 27GL63T-B’s response time is excellent as far as gaming IPS panels go in the current market. The screen has very minimal blurring and ghosting, so you don’t need to pump up the overdrive setting. We recommend staying with the Fast level if you want to remove the already minor trailing, since using anything higher will induce overshoot.
The LG 27GL63T-B is a FreeSync gaming monitor, but its also Nvidia-certified to be G-Sync compatible. Both GPU brand users will be able to use VRR for buttery-smooth awesomeness without any issues such as stuttering or blackouts. Input lag sits at 5ms, so there is no need to worry about lag or de-synced instances.
Thoughts on the LG 27GL63T-B
The LG 27GL63T-B is an excellent option if you want a gaming monitor that has better angles and clarity than the usual TN or VA models in the market. The screen doesn’t have the specialized capabilities of LG’s Nano IPS tech, but the overall image quality is already sufficient for daily gaming. It also helps that the monitor supports both FreeSync and G-Sync, so buying it doesn’t mean you have to stick with one GPU brand during its lifespan.
The weakest point of the LG 27GL63T-B is its lower contrast ratio which is common in IPS displays. There’s also the limited connectivity layout, but that’s minor compared to a grayish-looking screen. However, we can still rate this model as an excellent buy, especially since it gets discounts regularly from our favorite retailers.
About the Author:
Paolo is a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since his junior high years. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations and he believes that it’s every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
Miguel says
This summary was great, and wondering how I can daisy-chain 2 of these monitors to my laptop given that I only have Readen integrated graphics on the laptop… specs say it support only 1 external monitor, But i’m wondering if an MST hub could be used or some other way to extend the monitors?
Thanks for any insights….
Paolo Reva says
Hi, Miguel! It should work, but your output port’s bandwidth will split between the two monitors so you might get a lower refresh rate.
ArchRep says
could you get 144Hz through HDMI or you have to use Displayport?
Since my laptop has only USB 3.2 Gen 1, which is a huge issue to connect it to DP.
thanks
Paolo Reva says
Hi ArchRep, the HDMI port on this monitor is version 2.0, so it should be able to do 144Hz. You can simply buy a USB-C to DisplayPort as well. Cheers!
BIFCO says
Hi Paolo, I buy the LG 27gl63t and put it with a xbox one s and to my surprise the xbox said the monitor was 4K compatible. I have the picture on my screen everything look like okay. Only the advice message of the monitor’s osd telling me that I’m in 4k resolutions and that they advice me to pass to 2 k resolution.
So I ask to LG official support and they told me the same answer it’s preferable to put in 2k.
But what you think about it ? If I let the 4k setting did it surcharged my monitor ? Can a setup like can damaged slowly but surely my monitor ? And final how I can force the change to 2k because in the xbox one s configuration when I choice the HDR 10 option when I look a bluray 4K the screen go to 4K. Normal for you ? THank you again for a answer 🙂 And by the way your review it’s very good specially for 40% brightness and gravish black tone. And you are right with the setting you suggest the picture it’s better specially the black. Very helpful you article 🙂
Paolo Reva says
Hi, BIFCO! We came across a few posts and comments that running a monitor beyond its specs may indeed damage it at some point. There is no evidence to support that, however, but we always recommend running at native resolutions to avoid issues. One explanation why your monitor can do this is because it may be using a high-resolution panel that is made to run at lower resolutions so it can reach a maximum refresh rate.
If you’d wish to try and use the monitor that way, we suggest using 4K instead since its pixel count is proportional with 1080p. running 1440p on Full HD monitors usually result in fuzzy images. Cheers!
BIFCO says
I only see your answer now sorry. Thank you for the tips. If he can help others when I put a PC with a display port 1.4 cable windows see only 2K but in Hdmi I can choose 4K. So I choose to put the XBox one S in HDmi and in 4K and the PC in displayport in 2K. Like that I can watch 4K movies 🙂
THank you again keep going guys.
Paolo Reva says
You are welcome, BIFCO!