Pros:
- Competitive Price
- Excellent Factory Calibration
- FreeSync/G-Sync Compatible
Cons:
- Mediocre Contrast
- Slight Wobble on the Stand
The LG 27GL83A-B offers a coveted 1440p IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh rate at a very competitive price point that will make you think twice about its competitors. These characteristics also pit it against the almost identical, yet more premium 27GL850 which has Nano IPS tech as its main advantage. The LG 27GL83A-B presents excellent value if all you want is a fast yet smooth and clear IPS gaming monitor, but let’s check out if it’s worth buying.
LG 27GL83A-B Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 2560 x 1440 QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Contrast Ratio:1000:1
- Brightness: 350 cd/m²
- 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 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 2, 3.5mm Headphone jack x 1
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 24.2” x 22.6” x 10.8”
- Weight: 13.5 lbs
Design and Features
The LG 27GL83A-B sports a familiar minimalist aesthetic that the brand has used in recent years for its gaming display line. The device is finished entirely in matte black, but there are discrete streaks of red in key spots such as the vents of the chassis at the rear. The display is bezel-free on three sides, so you can enjoy a maximized view of the crisp QHD screen.
The housing on the LG 27GL83A-B is reasonably thin and flat, but the base might take up more space than some options out in the market. On the other hand, we like that the screen doesn’t have borders save for an inner lining, making it ideal for multi-display setups. Take note that this variant is considerably cheaper than its closest competitors, so the latter isn’t something we’d consider to be impossible.
Build quality for the LG 27GL83A-B is more than decent thanks to thick plastics and a well-designed body that seamlessly fits in every angle. There is a bit of wobble, but its not something that would worry most users. We also did not notice any cosmetic defects or imperfections on the surfaces and edges of the device.
We love LG’s implementation of OSD controls since it considers the user’s convenience more than any other brand. There is a centrally-located OSD joystick at the bottom bezel which is easier to reach and the On-Screen Control feature which lets you tweak the settings directly in Windows. Buttons aren’t entirely bad, but they can get confusing in dark and its easy to miss-press them.
The stand for the LG 27GL83A-B offers a decent amount of adjustments which we think will still enhance its usability for your setup. You can tilt and pivot the screen, but more importantly, you can adjust its height and align it properly to your vision. The base wing-shaped base does take up a sizable amount of desk space, but it’s a necessary sacrifice so you won’t have to worry about accidents.
Connectivity for the LG 27GL83A-B is limited to a single DisplayPort 1.4 connector and two HDMI 2.0 slots. You have to live without USB 3.0 connectors unlike the I/O on the 27LG850, but we think that’s a fair trade for a much lower price point. A 3.5mm jack is present, but there are no built-in speakers on the device as well.
Display and Performance
The LG 27GL83A-B sports a 27-inch IPS panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and an exaggerated 1ms response time. Contrast is rated at 1000:1, while the backlight offers a 280 cd/m2 typical output and a 350 cd/m2 maximum. This model doesn’t have the Nano IPS panels on higher-tiered models which means you don’t get extended color coverage and contrast.
Quad HD monitors offer the perfect balance between sharpness and display areas when they are fitted to a 27-inch chassis. The screen’s pixel density introduces a considerably upgraded visual experience compared to 1080p, plus it upsizes your desktop space. We prefer 1440p in this size over 4K since the extra bump in pixels of the latter have diminishing benefits when they are packed into a smaller space.
The LG 27GL83A-B doesn’t perfectly cover the sRGB gamut with its 97% representation, but LG once again hits the spot with its factory calibration. Color accuracy sits at DeltaE 2.4 by default, so color errors aren’t noticeable to the naked eye. Color temperature also slightly exceeds the ideal point, but its nothing a small tweak can’t fix.
You can improve the DeltaE to an excellent DE score of .80 with a slightly more realistic temperature point. Taking the time to calibrate the monitor will also correct the original 2.15 gamma to 2.18 which is much closer to the recommended point. However, results will always vary between each panel, so we can’t guarantee that you will get the exact same results with our settings.
But on the other hand, the biggest letdown of the LG 27GL83A-B is its contrast which struggled to breach 900:1. The screen gets very bright at a peak of 380 cd/m2, but it was not enough to mitigate the grayish look of the screen when the lights are off. VA-type variants are better in this regard, but you lose the extra clarity of IPS and its viewing angles by going that route.
The LG 27GL83A-B had minimal backlight issues, but clouding was noticeable if you view an all-black image. This means that some darker scenes in games such as Modern Warfare might look grayish or uneven, but you should be ok when there is proper lighting in the environment. Some minor leaks at the upper corners also disrupted the color temperature and contrast of the adjacent quadrants, but the variances will be unnoticeable for regular use.
However, the pixel response time for the LG 27GL83A-B might persuade you since its one of the fastest as far as IPS panels are concerned. There is generally no blurring or ghosting visible on the screen, so you won’t have to rely on maxing out the overdrive and living with overshoot. We recommend the Fast setting for daily gaming use since it effectively clears the screen of persistence without visible reverse ghosting.
The LG 27GL83A-B is a FreeSync gaming monitor, but it’s also one of the few certified by Nvidia to be G-Sync compatible. There were no issues such as stuttering or blackouts when tested with RTX cards, so you should be good with buttery-smooth and tear-free visuals if you use them. Input lag sits at 4.5ms, making this model one of the fastest QHD IPS monitors available today.
Thoughts on the LG 27GL83A-B
The LG 27GL83A-B is a fast and responsive gaming monitor with a decently pre-calibrated IPS screen. You won’t have to tweak the image quality settings right away and its practically blur-free and suitable for fast-paced action. We’ve always like LG’s designs which incorporate ease-of-use features, but there was a slight wobble on the stand that was absent in some of their previous models.
The only aspect that can bring down the LG 27GL83A-B’s is its low contrast ratio which makes the screen grayish in the dark. IPS variants are always vulnerable to this flaw, but some of their Nano IPS models surprised a lot of users and reviewers. However, we think that it’s unfair to complain, especially since the price is very attractive and competitive.
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.
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