The ViewSonic XG270QC offers an attractive gaming and entertainment package rolled into a reasonably-priced package that’s hard to resist. The monitor features rich colors and HDR, along with a familiar speed and resolution format that’s the current sweet spot for all types of gaming. However, the ViewSonic XG270QC is late to the party when it comes to these kinds of specs, so let’s see if it’s still a worthy upgrade.
ViewSonic XG270QC Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 2560 x 1440 QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Response Time: 3ms
- Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 550 cd/m²
- Speakers: Yes (2 x 3 Watts)
- Stand: Height -Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot – No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: HDMI 2.0 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x 1, USB 3.2 x 4, 3.5mm Jack x 1
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 24.1” x 23.7” x 14”
- Weight: 16.6 lbs
Design and Features
The ViewSonic XG270QC sports a discrete aesthetic that always works best since it is timeless and easy to integrate into any setup. The monitor has an all-black chassis for that stealthy look that will not clash with your other peripherals. The display isn’t bezel-free, but the top and sides of the screen have very minimal borders that aren’t distracting.
Its worth noting that the ViewSonic XG270QC has RGB LEDs spread out on its back that will synchronize with any ecosystem on the RGB alliance. You get a nice bias light with a gentle glow on your desktop, plus you can mix and match the colors and schemes if you have peripherals or parts from Razer, Cooler Master, and Thermaltake. RGB implementations are a hot commodity in the gaming world, and we’re glad ViewSonic is taking the right direction by working with other brands for compatibility.
The ViewSonic XG270QC has a few changes in its overall design, but its stand is probably the most noticeable redesign of it all due to its size. The part needs 14 inches of depth, but it’s elevated so only the tips of its prongs will touch your tables. There’s plenty of space for small peripherals between them, but small nooks or those with massive keyboards might want to consider a VESA mount instead.
Build quality for the ViewSonic XG270QC is fantastic and there is no sign of weakness or cosmetic defects on the device. The fit and finish are superb, so there is no flexing or uneven gaps in the plastics used. The stand is mostly made of metal which makes it very sturdy and stable so the display won’t easily wobble even if you are a heavy typer.
It is excellent that the ViewSonic XG270QC now uses an OSD joystick instead of pesky buttons like its predecessors. The latter is more difficult to use in the dark, plus it’s prone to misclicks if you haven’t memorized its functions. Most users won’t be calibrating the monitor regularly, buy the joystick is nice to have for the times when you need to adjust something basic like the brightness in the heat of battle.
The ViewSonic XG270QC’s metal stand offers tilt, swivel, and almost 5 inches of height adjustment so it can suit your setup needs. The screen doesn’t rotate or pivot, but that’s understandable since curved monitors were not designed to be used that way. You can swap this part out with a VESA stand to save space, but you will be missing out on how good it looks when fully assembled.
The ViewSonic XG270QC’s connectivity layout offers DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 slots which are enough to accommodate your PC and up to two consoles. You also get a total of four USB 3.2 slots for peripherals and an upstream connection to the PC, along with a 3.5mm jack for headphones. Its pretty standard for gaming monitors, but you do get everything you need for daily use.
You also get a pair of speakers with the ViewSonic XG270QC, but their 3-watt output isn’t sufficient in providing the necessary oomph for games. That’s fine since we know many gamers will blindly prefer headsets, so you can set the speakers as secondaries for other minor uses. Monitors with built-in speakers are now sought after due to work from home setups, so it’s another excuse to upgrade to the XG270QC if you are participating in that.
Display and Performance
The ViewSonic XG270QC sports a 27-inch MVA panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and a 3ms response time. The backlight is rated at 550 cd/m2, while the contrast ratio sits at 3000:1 like most IPS panels. The monitor is only certified for DisplayHDR 400, but its high brightness and native contrast means you get better performance for HDR-compatible games.
1440p and 27-inch screens are perfect for each other since they offer a great balance between visibility and sharpness. Geometric and 3D objects will look crisper and cleaner and you get more space for your work compared to a 1080p screen. What’s great about it is you won’t need scaling since small items like text will not look microscopic on this product.
The ViewSonic XG270QC provides fantastic vibrancy with its 125% sRGB and around 86% DCI-P3 gamut coverages. The default deltaE average sits at 1.6 which is excellent for an extra-saturated gaming monitor. The color temperature is a bit warmer than usual, but you can get away with minor adjustments to reduce its effect.
Calibrating the ViewSonic XG270QC isn’t worth it since we could only squeeze out minor improvements to the dE average. We only managed to lower it to 1.26 which isn’t a massive upgrade over the default score. However, this is great for gamers since you they won’t have to go through the trouble of tweaking the monitor if the unit they get has a similar characteristic.
What’s fantastic about the ViewSonic XG270QC is its backlight which reaches a maximum of 611 cd/m2 when HDR is active. The contrast ratio in SDR sits at 2920:1 at 50% brightness, but it can expand to as much as 20000:1 if the monitor is in HDR mode. These results are surprising for a monitor in this bracket since it can already pass the higher DisplayHDR 600 standard instead of 400.
This makes the ViewSonic XG270QC one of the better DisplayHDR 400 monitors out in the market since you can see the difference between SDR and HDR. The extra vibrancy, high contrast, and brightness come together to bring out the details in the lighting and color shades of HDR-compatible games. The only limitation here is its lack of local dimming, but putting that in will mean that the SRP for the monitor will become considerably higher.
Panel uniformity for the ViewSonic XG270QC test unit is superb since there is almost no variance in the backlight or any leaks on the screen’s edges. The screen remains perfectly black din dark scenes, and we didn’t any see unwanted clouding or blooms in HDR mode. However, take note that this aspect varies between every unit, especially since this is a curved display.
The ViewSonic XG270QC is one of the best in the market when it comes to pixel response time which plagues most VA-type displays. The screen doesn’t show any disturbing levels of blurring or ghosting, so it can be used for fast-paced titles. Its performance is comparable to the Fast-IPS alternatives in the market, so it will be difficult to discern the difference.
The ViewSonic XG270QC is a FreeSync Premium monitor, but it also works flawlessly with Nvidia GPUs and their G-Sync Compatible Mode. This duality further extends the value of the monitor since you don’t have to ditch it if in case you want to switch GPU brands in the future. Input lag sits at 7ms, so there is no need to worry about delays or de-synced instances while gaming.
Thoughts on the ViewSonic XG270QC
The ViewSonic XG270QC is a fantastic gaming monitor worthy of every dollar you have to spend to get it. The VA panel offers fantastic image quality out of the box, plus it’s a capable option if you want to dabble in HDR gaming. We love the overall design of the monitor including its RGB lighting, but the stand could use a bit of reduction in its dimensions.
It is hard to mention a flaw for the ViewSonic XG270QC which exceeded our expectations in most, if not all, of the aspects of a gaming monitor. Our only complaints are its built-in speakers and the sRGB filter which doesn’t work. But overall, it’s one of the best gaming monitors you can buy right now at the $500 price point.
Pros:
- Wide Gamut Coverage and High Contrast
- Excellent Factory Calibration
- Attractive Design with RGB
- Super HDR Performance
- Fast Pixel Responsiveness for VA-Types
Cons:
- Weak Speakers
- Stand is too Big
- sRGB Filter isn’t Effective
-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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